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Updated: May 3, 2025
For a few minutes Mascarin stood at the door of the office watching Paul, who departed almost staggering beneath the burden of so many conflicting emotions; and when he saw him disappear round the corner, he ran to a glazed door which led to his bed chamber, and in a loud whisper called, "Come in, Hortebise. He has gone."
Paul would have put many more questions, but the visitor was already on the threshold, and only paused to add these words, "I will call here to-morrow with Dr. Hortebise." Then, with a strange smile playing on his lips, he added, as Mascarin had before, "You will be a duke yet."
"And yet these letters were in an iron casket closed by a secret spring; that casket was in a drawer, the key of which never leaves me." "Good heavens!" exclaimed Hortebise in affected tones, "then Tantaine spoke the truth." "He did," answered the Countess hoarsely. "Yes," she continued, "I am the bondslave to people whose names I do not even know, who can control my every movement and action."
His manner was so fierce and threatening that Paul shifted his position to one nearer the wall. It was impossible for Tantaine to say another word, for Hortebise placed his hand upon his lips, and dragged him from the room. Paul could not for the life of him imagine why Tantaine had left the room in apparently so angry a mood.
The Countess affected to stifle a yawn, and repeated like an echo, "Nothing." "Three months later, when the police had given up the matter in despair, one of George de Croisenois' friends received a letter from him." "He was not dead then, after all?" Dr. Hortebise made a mental note of the tone and manner of the Countess, to consider over at his leisure. "Who can say?" returned he.
No less a personage than the man who was to have married Sabine, M. de Breulh-Faverlay." At this unexpected news Hortebise remained silent and aghast. "How on earth those two met I cannot imagine. It must have been Sabine that brought them together, but the facts remain the same. They are close friends anyhow.
"Sir," said she, in a voice broken by conflicting emotions, "may I request the pleasure of a short private conversation with you?" "Mademoiselle," answered De Breulh, concealing his surprise beneath another bow, "I am at your disposal." One of the footmen, at a word from Sabine, threw open the door of the drawing-room in which the Countess had thrown down her arms in her duel with Dr. Hortebise.
He had certainly spoken of Flavia in a most improper manner; for the very weakness of which she had been guilty should have caused him to treat her with tender deference and respect. He could understand the anger of Hortebise, who was Rigal's friend; but what on earth had Tantaine in common with the wealthy banker and his daughter?
Hortebise stood between him and the door, gazing upon him with no friendly expression of countenance. Catenac was not a man to be easily alarmed, but the doctor's appearance was so threatening, and the smile upon Mascarin's lips was of so deadly a character, that he stood still, positively frightened into immobility. "What do you mean?" stammered he; "what is it you say now?"
But a sudden sound cut these investigations short, for Hortebise had fallen to the ground, and was struggling in a series of terrible convulsions. "How stupid of me not to have foreseen this," exclaimed Lecoq. "He has poisoned himself; let some one run for a doctor. Take him into another room and lay him on a bed."
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