The thief grasped her thin, white hand and, bending devotedly, kissed it.
“Adieu, madame. May Heaven assist and preserve you in future!” he whispered, and next moment he had disappeared behind the curtain and dropped over the verandah.
CHAPTER XXX.
THE WHITE LIE.
For a few seconds Jean stood motionless, staring at the lifeless body of her husband, who lay with face upturned, the evil eyes closed, the hands listless by his sides.
His head was towards the window, close to a small gilt settee, his feet towards the door.
She stood with her eyes full of horror, fixed upon the white, dead face.
In that dread moment a veritable lifetime of despair swept through her fevered brain.