"Oh, yes, of course," he cried, "Mme. Raymond. I remember now. Lady Beltham's life is so sad and lonely."
"True enough," the woman replied, and, lowering her voice: "And then, what with all these tales of noises and ghosts, the house can't be too pleasant to live in, eh?"
Fandor pretended to be well posted. "People still talk of these incidents?"
"Oh, yes, sir."
Fandor did not venture to press the subject, and, taking leave of the worthy woman, he made his way back to the Boulevard. As soon as Juve caught sight of him in the distance he ran up eagerly.
"Well?"
"Well, Juve, what have you found out during my absence?"
"In the first place that it is exactly sixty-four days since Lady Beltham left Neuilly. I discovered this by the dates on a lot of circulars in the letter box. I also had a talk with a butcher's man and learned that Lady Beltham had a companion."
"Oh! I was bringing you that same news!"
"This Mme. Raymond is young, dark, very pretty. Can't you guess who she is?"