‘I’m afraid you would have lost your money, then, monsieur. He was away on Wednesday right enough, but I happen to know he went to Belgium.’ ‘Well,’ said Lefarge, with a laugh, ‘I’m glad we didn’t bet, anyway. But,’ he added, in a changed tone, ‘maybe I’m right after all. Maybe he went from Belgium to London, or vice versa. Was he long away?’ ‘He could not have done that, monsieur. He was only away two days, Wednesday and Thursday.’ ‘It ought to be a lesson to me. I’m always too ready to bet on an unsupported opinion,’ and Lefarge led the conversation on to bets he had won and lost, till François excused himself to prepare for his master’s arrival. Shortly after seven M. Boirac came in. He saw Lefarge at once. ‘I don’t wish to trouble you after your journey, monsieur,’ said the latter, ‘but some further points have arisen in this unhappy business, and I would be obliged if you could kindly give me an appointment at whatever time would suit you.’ ‘No time like the present. If you will excuse me for an hour till I change and get some dinner, I shall be at your service. You have dined, I suppose?’ ‘Yes, thank you. If, then, I may wait here for you, I would be glad to do so.’ ‘Then come into the study. You’ll perhaps find something to read in these book-cases.’ ‘I thank you, monsieur.’ The hands of the clock on the study chimney-piece were pointing to half-past eight when M. Boirac re-entered. Sinking into an easy-chair, he said:-- ‘Now, monsieur, I am at your service.’ ‘The matter is a somewhat difficult one for me to approach, monsieur,’ began Lefarge, ‘in case it might seem to you that we had suspicions which we do not really entertain. But, as a man of the world, you will recognise that the position of the husband in unhappy affairs such as this must inevitably be made clear. It is a matter of necessary routine. My chief, M. Chauvet, has therefore placed on me the purely formal, but extremely unpleasant duty of asking you some questions about your own movements since the unhappy event.’ ‘That’s rather roundabout. Do you mean that you suspect me of murdering my wife?’ ‘Certainly not, monsieur. It is simply that the movements of _every one_ in a case like this must be gone into. It is our ordinary routine, and we cannot consult our inclination in carrying it out.’ ‘Oh, well, go ahead. You must, of course, do your duty.’ ‘The information my Chief requires is a statement from you of how you passed your time from the night of the dinner-party until the evening of the following Thursday.’ M. Boirac looked distressed. He paused before replying, and then said in an altered tone:-- ‘I don’t like to think of that time. I passed through a rather terrible experience. I think I was temporarily insane.’ ‘I still more regret that I must persevere in my question.’ ‘Oh, I will tell you. The seizure, or whatever it was, is over and I am myself again. What happened to me was this.