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over He looked up in perplexity and saw that Hanaud atching

his investigations with a smile of amusement

"When M Ricardo has put that away," he said, "ill hear what

Helene Vauquier has to tell us"

He passed out of the door last, and, locking it, placed the key in

his pocket

"Helene Vauquier's room is, I think, upstairs," he said And he

moved towards the staircase

But as he did so a , stepped forward He carried in his hand a piece of

thin, strong whipcord

"Ah, Durette!" cried Besnard "Monsieur Hanaud, I sent Durette

thisround the shops of Aix with the cord which was found

knotted round Mme Dauvray's neck"

Hanaud advanced quickly to the ?"

"Yes, monsieur," said Durette "At the shop of M Corval, in the

Rue du Casino, a young lady in a dark-grey frock and hat bought

soht It

was just as the shop was being closed I showed Corval the

photograph of Celie Harland which M le Coave me out of

Mme Dauvray's rooirl who had bought the cord"