Like any well-bred modiste, she bowed respectfully while the
servant was present, but as soon as he had left the room she
approached Mademoiselle Marguerite and took hold of her hands: "My
dear young lady," said she, "I am the sister-in-law of your old
friend, the magistrate. Having an important message to send to
you, he was trying to find a person whom he could trust to play
the part of a dressmaker, as had been agreed upon between you,
when I offered my services, thinking he could find no one more
trusty than myself."
Tears glittered in Mademoiselle Marguerite's eyes. The slightest
token of sympathy is so sweet to the heart of the lonely and
unfortunate! "How can I ever thank you, madame?" she faltered.
"By not attempting to thank me at all, and by reading this letter
as soon as possible.:
The note she now produced ran as follows:
"MY DEAR CHILD--At last I am on the track of the thieves. By
conferring with the people from whom M. de Chalusse received the
money a couple of days before his death, I have been fortunate
enough to obtain from them some minute details respecting the
missing bonds, as well as the numbers of the bank-notes which were
deposited in the escritoire. With this information, we cannot
fail to prove the guilt of the culprits sooner or later. You
write me word that the Fondeges are spending money lavishly; try
and find out the names of the people they deal with, and
communicate them to me.
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