Page:Ten Years Later.djvu/492

Rh 480 TEN" YEARS LATER. ''Oh! the young girl's disposition is generosity itself ; I looked at her eyes, and I can read eyes well." "You think she can be relied upon?" "From my heart I do." "Well, I think we are mistaken." "In what way?" "I think that, in point of fact, as she herself told you, she did not receive the letter." "What I do you suppose ■" "I suppose that, from some motive, of which we know nothing, your man did not deliver the letter to her." Fouquet rang the bell. A servant appeared. "Send Toby here," he said. A moment afterward a man made his appearance, with an anxious, restless look, shrewd ex- pression of the mouth, with short arms, and his back some- what bent. Aramis fixed a penetrating look upon him. "Will you allow me to interrogate him myself?" inquired Aramis. "Do so," said Fouquet. Aramis was about to say something to the lackey, when he paused. "No," he said; "he would see that we attach too much importance to his answer; question him yourself; I will pretend to write." Aramis accordingly placed him- self at a table, his back turned toward the old attendant, whose every gesture and look lie watched in a looking-glass ojiposite to him. "Come here, Toby," said Fouquet to the valet, who approached with a tolerably firm step. "How did you ex- ecute my commission?" inquired Fouquet. "In the usual way, monseigneur," replied the man. "But how, tell me?" "I succeeded in penetrating as far as Mademoiselle de la Valliere's apartment; but she was at mass, and so I placed the note on her toilet-table. Is not that what you told me to do?" "Precisely; and is that all?" "Absolutely all, monseigneur." , "No one was there?" "No one." "Did you conceal yourself as I told you?" "Yes." "And she returned?" "Ten minutes afterward." "And no one could have taken the letter?*' "No one; for no one had entered the room." ,