"It is he!" she whispered tragically. "Silence! Let us watch them!"
The man darted a suspicious glance up and down the street. There was no one whom even the clever Henri Dubois could construe as an enemy—no one save some chattering Marseillais loitering around their doorsteps, and three girls huddled together in close conclave directly opposite.
Thus reassured, he strode after La Belle Chasseuse, who cried out impatiently:
"Come quick, Henri; what are you waiting for?"
"Is his name Henri?" whispered the awe-stricken Marie.
"Yes. Isn't he a villain? I wonder where they are going now!"
"Let us follow them and see," suggested Marie.
"Yes, let us follow them and see," chimed in the other one, who delighted in this nocturnal romance. It was a veritable page out of one of Paul de Kock's novels.
The programme suited Miss Talbot exceedingly well.
They strolled off down the street, nestling together, Edith in the centre, and keeping the shrouded couple in front well in sight. This time, when Mademoiselle Beaucaire and her companion reached the point where the street emerged on to the harbour, they did not cross over towards the broad and brilliantly-lighted Cannebiere, but hurried on through the darkness in the direction of a cluster of fishing smacks that lay alongside the Quai de Rive Neuve.