At this confirmation of the fears which had been haunting him, Duchemin nodded slightly.
"But the men sent here by your bankers--?"
"They have not yet arrived; we may expect them at any moment now."
"I see," said Duchemin thoughtfully; and then--"May I suggest that we continue our conversation in English. One never knows who may overhear..."
Her eyebrows lifted a little, but she adopted the suggestion without other demur.
"The servants?"
He nodded: "Or anybody."
"Then you have guessed--?"
"Broadly speaking, everything, I fancy. Not in any detail, naturally. But one puts two and two together ... I may as well tell you to begin with: I was wakeful last night, and finding no cigarettes in my room, came down here to get some. I left my candle on the table--there. As soon as my back was turned, somebody took it away and put it out. A few minutes later, while I was trying to steal out of the room, I ran into a fist..."
"Yes," she said thoughtfully; and with some hesitation added: "I, too, found it not easy to sleep. But I heard nothing till that chair crashed. Then I got up to investigate ... and found you lying there, senseless. In falling your head must have struck the leg of the table."