Chapter 10

“That means that Monsieur Vaucherel was still alive?” “Hardly that, as you might say. He was lying face down with a knife stuck right in the middle of his back ... we knelt down by him ... the poor gentleman was trying to speak.” “Could you catch what he said?” “No, your worship. We could only make out the name of Leboc—he said it over several times—‘Monsieur Leboc, Monsieur Leboc ...’ like that. Then a kind of shudder passed over him and he was gone. After that we searched everywhere, but Monsieur Leboc had vanish…