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"Then how can she ...?" "The asylum," explained M. de Lourtier, "is made up of a number of separate buildings scattered over extensive grounds. The sort of cottage in which Hermance lives stands quite apart. There is first a room occupied by Felicienne, then Hermance's bedroom and two separate rooms, one of which has its windows overlooking the open country.
Felicienne, my old nurse, who lives not far from Paris on an allowance which I make her, read your advertisement and told Madame de Lourtier of it. For, after all," he added laughing, "I don't suppose that you suspect my wife of being the lady with the hatchet." "No." "Then the incident is closed ... at least on my side.
"But by day she sees her mistress moving to and fro, doing this and that. Must we not admit a certain complicity?" "Never! Felicienne herself has been deceived by Hermance's hypocrisy." "All the same, it was she who telephoned to Madame de Lourtier first, about that advertisement...." "Very naturally.
Her husband insisted: "Tell us, Suzanne. Who gave you the address?" "I was rung up." "By whom?" She hesitated and then said: "Your old nurse." "Felicienne?" "Yes." M. de Lourtier cut short the conversation and, without permitting Renine to ask any more questions, took him back to the study: "You see, monsieur, that pneumatic letter came from a quite natural source.
"Is she sleeping well?" "Not very well, lately. Last night, indeed, she never closed her eyes. So she's very gloomy just now." "What is she doing at the moment?" "She is in her room." "Go to her, Felicienne, and don't leave her." "I can't. She's locked herself in." "You must, Felicienne. Break open the door. I'm coming straight on.... Hullo! Hullo!... Oh, damnation, they've cut us off!"
Besides, it was better that the cottage should be empty when the old nurse announced the madwoman's suicide. Renine gave Felicienne minute directions as to what she should do and say; and then, assisted by the chauffeur and M. de Lourtier, carried Hortense to the car and brought her home. She was soon convalescent.
All this is horrible!" They were both making for the door, when M. de Lourtier hesitated. The telephone-bell was ringing. "It's from there," he said. "From there?" "Yes, my old nurse gives me the news at the same time every day." He unhooked the receivers and handed one to Renine, who whispered in his ear the questions which he was to put. "Is that you, Felicienne? How is she?" "Not so bad, sir."
Hermance, who talks now and then, who argues, who buries herself in the newspapers, which she does not understand, as you were saying just now, but reads through them attentively, must have seen the advertisement and, having heard that we were looking for a servant, must have asked Felicienne to ring me up." "Yes ... yes ... that is what I felt," said Renine, slowly.
I suppose it is there that she locks up her victims." "But the carriage that conveys the dead bodies?" "The stables of the asylum are quite close to the cottage. There's a horse and carriage there for station work. Hermance no doubt gets up at night, harnesses the horse and slips the body through the window." "And the nurse who watches her?" "Felicienne is very old and rather deaf."
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