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"And where shall I have the honor of addressing my communications to you, Madame?" he inquired. "Nowhere," replied the young lady. "I shall be passing here from time to time, and I will call." When they left the house, Chelteux followed them. "For once," he thought, "I believe that fortune smiles upon me."
Chelteux did not believe a word of it, however; for, as soon as it was ended, he tapped her familiarly on the shoulder, and said: "In short, my dear, we have had our little escapades before our marriage." She shrank back as if from some venomous reptile. To be treated thus! she a Courtornieu Duchesse de Sairmeuse! "I think you are laboring under a wrong impression," she said, haughtily.
"In less than a month," she said to Aunt Medea, "we shall have the child; and it will be a protection to us." But the following week she realized the extent of her imprudence. On visiting Chelteux again, she was received with such marks of respect that she saw at once she was known. She made an attempt to deceive him, but the detective checked her.
After his dismissal from the police-force, Chelteux founded a bureau of private information. After several inquiries, Mme. Blanche discovered that he lived in the Place Dauphine; and she determined to take advantage of her husband's absence to pay the detective a visit. One morning she donned her simplest dress, and, accompanied by Aunt Medea, repaired to the house of Chelteux.
Expenses for the third quarter of the year 18 ." Martial's brain reeled. A child! His wife had a child! He read on: "For services of two agents at Sairmeuse, . For expenses attending my own journey, . Divers gratuities, . Etc., etc." The total amounted to six thousand francs. The bill was signed "Chelteux."
At last she remembered that she had heard her father speak of a detective by the name of Chelteux, an exceedingly shrewd fellow, capable of anything, even honesty if he were well paid. The man was really a miserable wretch, one of Fouche's vilest instruments, who had served and betrayed all parties, and who, at last, had been convicted of perjury, but had somehow managed to escape punishment.
With a sort of cold rage, Martial continued his examination of the contents of the casket, and found a note written in a miserable hand, that said: "Two thousand francs this evening, or I will tell the duke the history of the affair at the Borderie." Then several more bills from Chelteux; then a letter from Aunt Medea in which she spoke of prison and of remorse.
So Chelteux still believed that the Duchesse de Sairmeuse was searching for her own child. She did not try to convince him to the contrary. It was better that he should believe this than suspect the truth. The condition of Mme. Blanche was now truly pitiable. She found herself entangled in a net, and each movement far from freeing her, tightened the meshes around her.
Why they had not succeeded in finding it, he knew equally well. But why were there two persons seeking the child? One was Maurice d'Escorval, of course, but who was the other? Instead of remaining at Sairmeuse a week, Jean Lacheneur tarried there a month; and by the expiration of that month he had traced these inquiries concerning the child to the agent of Chelteux.
An inward voice, more powerful than reason, told her that this implacable enemy was still alive, watching for his hour of vengeance. More troubled by her presentiments now, than she had been by Chupin's persecutions in days gone by, Mme. de Sairmeuse decided to apply to Chelteux in order to ascertain, if possible, what she had to expect.
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