here in the station not more than an hour ago."

"_ Peste!_ Why were we not told this sooner?" cried the Chief,
impetuously.

"Who saw her? Did he speak to her? Call him in; let us see how
much he knows."

The man was summoned, one of the subordinate railway officials,
who made a specific report.

Yes, he had seen a tall, slight, neat-looking woman, dressed
entirely in black, who, according to her account, had arrived at
10.30 by the slow local train from Dijon.

"_ Fichtre!_" said the Chief, angrily; "and this is the first we
have heard of it."

"Monsieur was much occupied at the time, and, indeed, then we had
not heard of your inquiry."

"I notified the station-master quite early, two or three hours
since, about 9 A.M. This is most exasperating!"

"Instructions to look out for this woman have only just reached
us, monsieur. There were certain formalities, I suppose."

For once the detective cursed in his heart the red-tape,
roundabout ways of French officialism.