But, after all, perhaps he was mistaken in supposing this to be his accomplice.  It might be some honest workman bearing a strong resemblance to Raoul.

If he could only run after this stranger, and speak to him!  But no, he must walk on up to the house with Gaston, quietly, as if nothing had happened to arouse his anxiety.  He felt as if he would go mad if his brother did not move faster; the uncertainty was becoming intolerable.

His mind filled with these perplexing thoughts, Louis at last reached the house; and Gaston, to his great relief, said that he was so tired that he was going directly to bed.

At last he was free!

He lit a cigar, and, telling the servant not to sit up for him, went out.

He knew that Raoul, if it was Raoul, would be prowling near the house, waiting for him.

His suspicions were well founded.

He had barely proceeded thirty yards, when a man suddenly sprang from behind a tree, and stood before him.

The night was clear, and Louis recognized Raoul.

“What is the matter?” he impatiently demanded; “what has happened?”

“Nothing.”

“What!  Do you mean to say that nothing has gone wrong in Paris—­that no one is on our track?”

“Not the slightest danger of any sort.  And moreover, but for your inordinate greed of gain, everything would have succeeded admirably; all was going on well when I left Paris.”

“Then why have you come here?” cried Louis fiercely.  “Who gave you permission to desert your post, when your absence might bring ruin upon us?  What brought you here?”

“That is my business,” said Raoul with cool impertinence.

Louis seized the young man’s wrists, and almost crushed them in his vicelike grasp.

“Explain this strange conduct of yours,” he said, in a tone of suppressed rage.  “What do you mean by it?”

Without apparent effort Raoul released his hands from their imprisonment, and jeeringly said: 

“Hein!  Gently, my friend!  I don’t like being roughly treated; and, if you don’t know how to behave yourself, I have the means of teaching you.”

At the same time he drew a revolver from his pocket.

“You must and shall explain yourself,” insisted Louis:  “if you don’t——­”

“Well, if I don’t?  Now, you might just as well spare yourself the trouble of trying to frighten me.  I intend to answer your questions when I choose; but it certainly won’t be here, in the middle of the road, with the bright moonlight showing us off to advantage.  How do you know people are not watching us this very minute?  Come this way.”

They strode through the fields, regardless of Gaston’s plants, which were trampled under foot in order to take a short cut.

“Now,” began Raoul, when they were at a safe distance from the road, “now, my dear uncle, I will tell you what brings me here.  I have received and carefully read your letters.  I read them over again.  You wished to be prudent; and the consequence was, that your letters were unintelligible.  Only one thing did I understand clearly:  we are in danger.”