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And the door closed upon them. The duke had not needed Bontet's rousing. I did not need Bontet to tell me that the coast was clear. With a last alert glance at the door, I trod softly across the landing and reached the stairs by which Mlle. Delhasse had descended. Gently I mounted, and on reaching the top of the flight found a door directly facing me. I turned the handle, but the door was locked.
I hoped that he would not be exorbitant, for I had but one more and some loose napoleons in my pocket. "What was the conversation about?" I asked. He put out his hand for the note; but I kept my grasp on it. Honesty was not written large no, nor plain to read on Bontet's fat face. "I heard little of it; but the young lady said, as they hurried upstairs: 'Where is he? Where is he?" "Yes, yes!"
Fortunately I had a small sum of money in my pocket, and I felt sure that Bontet's devotion to the duke would not be proof against an adequate bribe: perhaps he would be able to assist me in eluding the vigilance of Madame Delhasse and obtaining speech with her daughter.
Then in the midst of her tirade, the duke, roused without Bontet's help, came out of his room, and waited a moment listening to the flow of the torrent. And, strange as it seemed, he smiled at me and shrugged his shoulders, and I found myself smiling also; for disgusting as the woman was, she was amusing, too.
I bent down suddenly and looked through the keyhole. And I saw not a key, but an eye! And for ten seconds I looked at the eye. Then the eye disappeared; and I heard that little unmistakable "click." The eye had a pistol and had cocked it! Was that because it saw through the keyhole strange garments, instead of the friendly bright blue of Bontet's blouse?
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