"The American will be safe with them—yes, I am sure of that. But afterwards—"
"Eh? What are you thinking of?"
"He will give them, of course, to some woman," said Olga thoughtfully. "I wonder what will happen then...."
She shook herself impatiently and went over to the window. Suddenly she uttered an exclamation and called to her companion.
"See, he is going down the street now—the man I mean."
They both gazed down together. A slim, elegant figure was progressing along at a leisurely pace. He wore an opera hat and a cloak. As he passed a street lamp, the light illumined a thatch of thick white hair.
2. M. le Marquis
The man with the white hair continued on his course, unhurried, and seemingly indifferent to his surroundings. He took a side turning to the right and another one to the left. Now and then he hummed a little air to himself.
Suddenly he stopped dead and listened intently. He had heard a certain sound. It might have been the bursting of a tyre or it might have been—a shot. A curious smile played round his lips for a minute. Then he resumed his leisurely walk.