Page:The Mystery of Madeline Le Blanc (1900).djvu/71

Rh ground, I could not be sure. That the house is occupied is positive."

"Did you learn nothing more?" asked the prefect.

"Yes. As I said, until about the middle of the night I heard sounds in the cellar, and then for a long time everything was silent. I thought the person or persons must have gone to bed. There was nothing for me to gain by getting out of the hole in which I lay, so I determined to stay until daylight at least. It must have been several hours before there was so much as the sound of a breath. At length I heard footsteps mixed with some talk—from how many different persons I have no idea. It seemed that but one person spoke, but perhaps there were two. Presently I heard something thump upon the cellar floor, and a ragged voice cried, 'Monsieur'—that I heard clearly enough. It was perhaps half an hour before there was any other sound that I could hear. Then it seemed that two voices began totalk. Sometimes it sounded like only one; and again, later, I thought I could hear a third."

"Do you think any of the voices could have been that of the man found on the