She gazed steadfastly at her enemy. She felt that she was beaten. With one word he could hand her over to justice, throw her into prison, and render vain all her threats. Of what value are the accusations of a thief?
Box in hand, he balanced himself on one foot then on the other with ironical satisfaction. He had the appearance of waiting for her to weaken and become a suppliant. How he misjudged her! On the contrary she maintained an attitude of defiance and challenge as if she had had the audacity to say to him:
"If you speak, you're lost."
He shrugged his shoulders and turning to the inspector who had seen nothing of this by-play, he said:
"We may congratulate ourselves on having got it over, and entirely to mademoiselle's advantage. Goodness, what a disagreeable job!"
"You had no business to set about it at all," said the Countess, coming up with the Count and Raoul Davernoie.
"Oh yes, I had, dear cousin. Your husband and I had our doubts. It was just as well to clear them up."
"And you've found nothing?" said the Count.
"Nothing ... less than nothing—at the most an odd trifle with which Mr. Montfaucon was playing, and which Mademoiselle Dorothy had been kind enough to give me. You do, don't you, Mademoiselle?"
"Yes," said Dorothy simply.