"I have my salary, and that is quite enough for me. I am merely keeping the remaining one million three hundred and fifty thousand francs, the interest of which I shall devote to the purchase of scientific instruments to assist my poorer students, and to help the poor unfortunates whom I saw were on the verge of being ruined by this pernicious gambling concern. And now," he said, smiling, "you must excuse me as I am sadly in need of a rest to recover from the strain of my mental powers which this game has cost me. I think, ladies and gentlemen, the bank will be unable to declare a dividend at the next half-yearly meeting. By the way, Riche, did you find out the whereabouts of that gentleman I sent you to follow out of the Casino?" "Oh! yes, we found out he was staying at the Metropole. We saw his name in the books under the signature of Monsieur et Madame Paradis." "Could you find out nothing more?" 7 "Nothing whatever," said Riche. Delapine twirled his moustache meditatively. "Hum, what an odd name! Well, au revoir until to-morrow morning, when we shall have to prepare for our journey to Paris." FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 21: No. 7 won 3,500 frs., the three even bets won 3,000 frs.: nos. 28 and 12 lost 200 frs.] CHAPTER XXVI NEMESIS When Pierre Duval left by the night train for Bordeaux it was his intention to take one of the Sud Atlantique steamers and sail for South America. On alighting at the terminus at Bordeaux he glanced round to see that no one was observing him, and being satisfied on that score he bid the cocher drive to the Hotel Montesquieu. "Thank goodness," he said to himself, "I am safe at last, and this day week I shall be on board _La Gascogne_, bound for Rio de Janeiro and no one will recognise me there." He busied himself during the morning in arranging his affairs, and purchased a first-class ticket at the Compagnie de Navigation Sud Atlantique, and spent the rest of the afternoon in seeing the sights of the town. After dinner he went out for a stroll and purchased an evening paper at one of the kiosks, and to his horror he saw in large type a detailed account of the death of General Duval. The narrative stated that General Duval had been found lying on the carpet in Pierre's dining-room shot through the heart. The theory of suicide was dismissed as improbable, as although the door was locked on the inside, the windows were wide open, and several pieces of furniture were broken and scattered about the room along with a few coins. It was suggested that some burglars loafing around had seen the valet, and later on, Pierre leaving the house, and surmising that his chambers were empty, had entered his room through the window, and being surprised by the General had shot him during the struggle. The thieves, fearing lest someone might have heard the shot, had evidently hastily locked the door and escaped by the same window. The police, they added significantly, were reticent on the matter as to the origin of the crime.