Nor did she notice that, as the bus passed through the gates at the
bottom of the large slope that leads from the Lyons Station, it was
followed at a discreet distance by a modest fiacre, which pulled up,
eventually, outside the Hôtel Madagascar. Its occupant, M. Galipaud,
kept the Countess in sight, and, entering the hotel at her heels, waited
till she had left the office, when he held a long conference with the
proprietor.


CHAPTER VIII

A first stage in the inquiry had now been reached, with results that
seemed promising, and were yet contradictory.

No doubt the watch to be set on the Countess might lead to something
yet--something to bring first plausible suspicion to a triumphant issue;
but the examination of the other occupants of the car should not be
allowed to slacken on that account. The Countess might have some
confederate among them--this pestilent English General, perhaps, who had
made himself so conspicuous in her defence; or some one of them might
throw light upon her movements, upon her conduct during the journey.

Then, with a spasm of self-reproach, M. Floçon remembered that two
distinct suggestions had been made to him by two of the travellers, and
that, so far, he had neglected them. One was the significant hint from
the Italian that he could materially help the inquiry. The other was the
General's sneering assertion that the train had not continued its
journey uninterruptedly between Laroche and Paris.