“What damned folly!” he exclaimed.
“It is possible that you may not think so directly,” Saxe Leinitzer continued. “The day it happened Lucille bought this same poison, and it is a rare one, from a man who has absconded. An hour before this man was found dead, she called at the hotel, left no name, but went upstairs to Mr. Sabin’s room, and was alone there for five minutes, The man died from a single grain of poison which had been introduced into Mr. Sabin’s special liqueur glass, out of which he was accustomed to drink three or four times a day. All these are absolute facts, which at any moment may be discovered by the police. Added to that she is living apart from her husband, and is known to be on bad terms with him.”
Brott as gripping the back of a chair. He was white to the lips.
“You don’t think,” he cried hoarsely. “You can’t believe—”
“No” the Prince answered quickly, “I don’t believe anything of the sort. I will tell you as man to man that I believe she wished Mr. Sabin dead. You yourself should know why. But no, I don’t believe she went so far as that. It was an accident. But what we have to do is to save her. Will you help?”
“Yes.”
“She must cross to the Continent to-night before the police get on the scent. Afterwards she must double back to Havre and take the Bordlaise for New York on Saturday. Once there I can guarantee her protection.”
“Well?”
“She cannot go alone.”
“You mean that I should go with her?”