Then,  when  she  had  replied  in  the  affirma-
tive, he  drew  from  the  breast  of  his  blouse  a
crumpled  letter,  saying:  "  The  Englishman  who
has  been  staying  at  the  Lion  d'Or  at  Allamont
gave  this  to  me  at  dawn  to-day.  I  was  to  give
it  only  into  mademoiselle's  hands.  There  is  no
reply."


'184          The  Doctor  of  Pimlico

Enid  tore  open  the  letter  eagerly  and  found
the  following  words,  written  hurriedly  in  pencil
in  Walter  Fetherston's  well-known  scrawling
hand — for  a  novelist's  handwriting  is  never  of
the  best:

"  Make  excuse  and  induce  your  father  to
leave  Conflans-Jarny  at  once  for  Metz,  travel-
ling by  Belgium  for  London.  Accompany  him.
A  serious  contretemps  has  occurred  which  will,
affect  you  both  if  you  do  not  leave  immediately
on  receipt  of  this.  Heed  this,  I  beg  of  you.
And  remember,  I  am  still  your  friend.
"  WALTER."

For  a  moment  she  stood  puzzled.  "  Did  the
Englishman  say  there  was  no  reply?  "  she  asked.
'  Yes,  mademoiselle.  He  left  the  Lion  d'Or
just  before  eight,  and  drove  into  Conflans  with
his  luggage.  The  innkeeper  told  me  that  he  is
returning  suddenly  to  England.  He  received
several  telegrams  in  the  night,  it  appears."

'  You  know  him,  then?  "

"  Oh  yes,  mademoiselle.  He  came  there  to
fish  in  the  Longeau,  and  I  have  been  with  him
on  several  occasions."

Enid  took  a  piece  of  "  cent  sous  "  from  her
purse  and  gave  it  to  the  old  man,  then  she  re-
turned to  her  room  and,  sending  Louise  below


Walter  Gives  Warning  i8<j

for  something,  burned  Walter's  letter  in  the
grate.
Afterwards  she  went  to  her  stepfather  and
suggested  that  perhaps  they  might  leave  Con-
flans  earlier  than  he  had  resolved.
