"We'll have to be very careful," he said; "something of our project is known to de Maurel. I'd stake my life on it." The flush of anger of a while ago fled from Madame's cheeks, but otherwise nothing in her attitude betrayed to this boor the slightest sign of fear on her part. "What makes you think that?" she asked coolly, as she took a seat in a high-backed chair, and graciously waved her hand to Leroux in token that he, too, might sit down. "Yesterday I wanted to come here and speak with you about one or two matters," replied the man, "when I met the Marechal upon the high road." "The Marechal?" queried Madame, with a supercilious lift of the eyebrows. "Why, yes! Our General is Marshal of France now," said Leroux with a sneer. "He gained his baton fighting against the Prussians, so I've been told." "All of which is of no consequence, my man," broke in Madame impatiently. "We have no time to waste this morning, and you were telling me that you met M. le Comte de Maurel when you were on your way hither." "I did," rejoined Leroux sullenly. "And what did he say?" "He asked me where I was going." "And...?" "I told him that I was free to come and go as I pleased, seeing that I was chief overseer of the factory now." "It was very imprudent to give your present master such an impertinent answer," said Madame peremptorily. "You were expressly ordered to curb your temper and to gain M. de Maurel's confidence as far as lay in your power." "I did curb my temper," rejoined the man. "And I did not give him an impertinent answer. I spoke as if I had honey in my mouth. I am merely telling you the drift of what I said. My actual words were cringing enough." "Very well, then, what happened after that?" "The Marechal told me that though the military representatives had appointed me chief overseer, he himself had not confirmed that appointment, nor would he confirm it, he said, till I showed myself really worthy of his confidence. He didn't say much, for he is never over talkative with any of us. But he looked me through and through in a way that I didn't like." "Never mind how he looked. Did he say anything else?" "Yes. He told me that he expressly forbade every one of his men to have any intercourse with the chateau, and that I was distinctly to understand that he forbade me most strictly to come to the chateau, or to hold converse with any of its inmates." Madame bit her lip and her slender white fingers beat an impatient tattoo upon the desk beside her. But she said quite unconcernedly: "Was that all?" "Yes, that was all. But I thought it best not to come yesterday. To-day I had to come, because we absolutely must do the work to-night--even to-morrow might be too late. I am certain that I am being watched; every hour's delay means danger of discovery. You should have taken my advice and done the trick two days ago; it would all be over by now...."