But how vague it all was! The obstacles in the way! The impossibilities! How could he expect circumstances to be so complaisant as first to blind the countess' eyes to the facts and next to deprive her of all assistance? A woman of her stamp was not likely to let herself be taken in by words or subdued by threats.
No matter, Paul would not entertain the thought of failure. Success lay at the end of his undertaking; and in order to achieve it more quickly he increased the pace, rushing his car like a whirlwind along the roads and hardly slackening speed as he passed through villages and towns.
"Hohenstaufen!" he cried to the sentry posted outside the wall.
The officer of the picket, after questioning him, sent him on to the sergeant in command of the post at the front-door. The sergeant was the only one who had free access to the villa; and he would inform the countess.
"Very well," said Paul. "I'll put up my car first."
In the garage, he turned off his lights; and, as he went towards the villa, he thought that it might be well, before going back to the sergeant, to look up Bernard and learn if his brother-in-law had succeeded in discovering anything.
He found him behind the villa, in the clumps of shrubs facing the window with the balcony.
"You're by yourself?" said Bernard, anxiously.
"Yes, the job failed. Élisabeth was in an earlier motor."
"What an awful thing!"