“To play the rôle of an amateur detective, in short.”
“Yes, but please don’t misunderstand me. My object is not curiosity. I will be frank with you. I love Mademoiselle Lefarge, and I can never hope to marry her till her father’s name is cleared.”
“You wish to marry this lady and cannot do so till her father’s name is cleared. Is that what I understand you to say?”
“Yes.”
“Well, shall I tell you how you can best help to clear her father’s name?”
“Yes.”
“Go home and forget about it all; leave the matter in the hands of professional men who know how to act. Nothing interferes so much with us as interference.”
“Perhaps, but you know chance sometimes gives a clue where intelligence fails to find any. What would you say if I told you that I believed I had seen Klein, the man you are looking for, this morning?”
Freyberger started, but recovered himself instantly.
“I would say that I believed you to be mistaken.”