She regretted the folly, and bit her lip at the
thought of it. Consequences she had laughed at; now their
possibilities disturbed her. She had been guilty of an
indiscretion. The fact that the Englishman had ruined himself at
her beck did not enter her mind. The hour for that had not yet
arrived.
Seeing that his neat barb had left them all without answer,
Maurice said: "Doubtless the informant who watches over your
interests and various other interests of which you have no
inkling, was the late Colonel Beauvais? For my part, I wish it
was the late Beauvais in the sense in which we refer to the
departed ones. But let us give him his true name--Prince Konrad,
the last of the Walmodens, a cashiered gamester."
Only Fitzgerald showed any surprise. Maurice once saw that the
others were in the secret. They knew the Colonel. Did they know
why he was in Bleiberg? Let them find it out for themselves. He
would not lift a finger to aid them. He leaned back and yawned.
"Pardon me," he said, with mock politeness, "but my hands are
tied, and the truth is, I am sleepy."
"Count," said Madame, "release him. He will be too well guarded
to fear his escaping.
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