“But the expense would be something frightful. There would probably be a great delay, and in the end perhaps the man might not be discovered.”
“Could you form any idea of what the search might cost?”
“It would necessarily depend on the persons employed. If I understood you aright, you have not trusted your servant, Gilardoni, with the secret of your own unhappy marriage?”
“I have not. For one reason, I could not bear to humiliate myself; for another, I desired to consult you before moving a step or speaking a word.”
“I am afraid you will be obliged to take him into your confidence. He is master of the circumstances; he would have the strongest motive for tracing out the missing person. He would probably be more economical and more devoted than any stranger could be. Send him, and let him be accompanied by a professional detective. Perhaps the search may not be such a lengthened one as you fear.”
Paul Desfrayne reflected for a few moments.
“I had already resolved to abide by your advice,” he said. “Let it be so. I would give all I have in the world to be free from the consequences of my own mad folly. When could he set out?”
“As soon as he could make the necessary preparations. The sooner the better, I should say.”
“What do you think the expenses would be likely to come to? It would be a bitter disappointment should the search continue for a certain time, and fail almost at the last for want of funds.”
“Gilardoni, having traveled a good deal on the Continent, as I understand you have implied, and being accustomed to manage for himself and others, would be able to give you a better estimate than I could form. In his hands, I don’t think, after all, it would be so very great. Say ten or fifteen pounds a week. Suppose it took him ten months, or even fourteen or eighteen, the calculation is easy.”