"Oh, monsieur, I was so anxious to continue my journey. Friends are
awaiting me in London. I do hope--I most earnestly beg and entreat you
to spare me. I am not very strong; my health is indifferent. Do, sir, be
so good as to release me from--"

As she spoke, she raised her veil, and showed what no woman wishes to
hide, least of all when seeking the good-will of one of the opposite
sex. She had a handsome face--strikingly so. Not even the long journey,
the fatigue, the worries and anxieties which had supervened, could rob
her of her marvellous beauty.

She was a brilliant brunette, dark-skinned; but her complexion was of a
clear, pale olive, and as soft, as lustrous as pure ivory. Her great
eyes, of a deep velvety brown, were saddened by near tears. She had rich
red lips, the only colour in her face, and these, habitually slightly
apart, showed pearly-white glistening teeth.

It was difficult to look at this charming woman without being affected
by her beauty. M. Floçon was a Frenchman, gallant and impressionable;
yet he steeled his heart. A detective must beware of sentiment, and he
seemed to see something insidious in this appeal, which he resented.

"Madame, it is useless," he answered gruffly. "I do not make the law; I
have only to support it. Every good citizen is bound to that."

"I trust I am a good citizen," said the Countess, with a wan smile, but
very wearily. "Still, I should wish to be let off now. I have suffered
greatly, terribly, by this horrible catastrophe. My nerves are quite
shattered. It is too cruel. However, I can say no more, except to ask
that you will let my maid come to me."