As he turned down the passage for the second time, a woman came out of the room that was next-door to the end one. Julius collided with her and apologised. “You are looking for ...?” “Monsieur Wluiki lives here, doesn’t he?” “He’s gone out.” “Oh!” said Julius in a tone of such annoyance that the woman asked: “Is it very urgent?” Julius had prepared himself solely for an encounter with the unknown Lafcadio and he was taken aback; yet here was a fine opportunity; this woman was perhaps in a position to give him a great deal of information about the young man; if only he could get her to talk.... “There was something I wanted to ask him about.” “On whose behalf, may I ask?” “Does she suspect I come from the police?” thought Julius. “My name is Vicomte Julius de Baraglioul,” said he, rather pompously and slightly raising his hat. “Oh, Monsieur le Comte, I really must beg you to excuse me for not having.... The passage is so very dark! Please, be so good as to come in.” (She pushed open the door of the end room.) “Lafcadio’s certain to be back in a moment. He was only going as far as the.... Oh! excuse me!” And as Julius was going in, she brushed in front of him and darted towards a pair of ladies’ drawers, which were very indiscreetly spread out to view on a chair, and which, after an attempt at concealment had proved ineffectual, she endeavoured to make at any rate less conspicuous. “I’m afraid the place is very untidy.... “Never mind! Never mind!” said Julius indulgently. “I’m quite accustomed to....” Carola Venitequa was a rather large-sized, not to say plump young person; but her figure was good and she was wholesome-looking; her features were ordinary but not vulgar and not unattractive; she had gentle eyes like an animal’s and a voice that bleated. She was dressed for going out and had on a little soft felt hat, a shirt blouse, a sailor tie and a man’s collar and white cuffs. “Have you known M. Wluiki long?” “I might perhaps give him a message,” she remarked without answering. “Well, I wanted to know whether he was very busy.” “It depends.” “Because if he had any free time, I thought of asking him to do a small job for me.” “What sort of job?” “Well, that’s just it, you see.... To begin with, I should have liked to know the kind of pursuits he’s engaged in.” The question lacked subtlety. But Carola’s appearance was not of the sort to invite subtlety. In the meantime the Comte de Baraglioul had recovered his self-possession; he was seated in the chair which Carola had cleared, and Carola was leaning on the table close to him, just beginning to speak, when a loud disturbance was heard in the passage; the door opened noisily and the woman Julius had noticed in the carriage made her appearance. “I was sure of it,” she said, “when I saw him going upstairs.” Carola drew away a little from Julius and answered quickly: