But the master of "confidential missions" did not smile.
"Did she tell you the story herself?" he persisted.
"Yes," nodded Laroque, "one day when she'd had a little more ether than usual. It's funny sort of stuff—that! She's a silent sort of woman as a rule, but when she's been drinking ether she gets talkative, and if she doesn't become maudlin over her past, she breaks out with a hellish temper and says anything. She won't live long. About worn out—poor tramp!"
M. Perissard listened attentively.
"I have been thinking," he said slowly, when Laroque had finished, "that if her husband was a Deputy Attorney in Paris twenty years ago, he may be Attorney General now."
"Indeed, yes!" his partner nodded emphatically.
"This might lead to business," pursued the other in the same thoughtful tone.
Laroque's face betrayed that he, too, had grown suddenly keenly interested.
"How?" he demanded.
"Supposing the husband is now occupying a position worth having," suggested the older man, "He would be likely to make a sacrifice to prevent scandal about his wife from becoming public property."