"Fair and beautiful?"
"Yes."
"Who met her death in the river Rhone?'
"Aye--it is known to all the world."
"One who sold flowers in the streets of Geneva--whose name was Madeline?"
The utterance of the name conjured up the phantom of the murdered girl, and Gautran, with violent shudders, gazed upon the spectre.
"She is there--she is there!" he muttered, in a voice of agony. "Will she never, never leave me?"
These words confirmed Vanbrugh's suspicion. It was Gautran who stood before him.
"Another winning card," he said, in a tone of triumph, and with a strange smile. "The man is guilty, else why should he fear? Vanbrugh, a life of ease is yours once more. Away with these rags, this money-pinch which has nipped you for years. Days of pleasure, of luxury, are yours to enjoy. You step once more into the ranks of gentlemen. What would the great Advocate in yonder study think of this chance encounter, knowing--what he has yet to learn--that I hold in my hands what he prizes most--his fame and honour?"
Gautran heard the words; he turned, and followed the direction of Vanbrugh's gaze.