Madame Leon evidently
hesitated. She paused, as one always does before venturing upon a
decisive act, from which there will be no return, whatever may be
the consequences. An observer never remains twenty minutes before
a letter-box without witnessing this pantomime so expressive of
irresolution. At last, however, she shrugged her shoulders with a
gesture which eloquently expressed the result of her
deliberations; and drawing a letter from her bosom, she dropped it
into the box, and then hastened on more quickly than before.
"There is not the slightest doubt," thought the doctor, "that
letter had been prepared in advance, and whether it should be sent
or not depended on the answer I gave."
We have already said that M. Jodon was not a wealthy man, and yet
he would willingly have given a hundred-franc note to have known
the contents of this letter, or even the name of the person to
whom it was addressed. But his chase was almost ended. Madame
Leon had reached the Hotel de Chalusse, and now went in. Should
he follow her? His curiosity was torturing him to such a degree
that he had an idea of doing so; and it required an heroic effort
of will to resist the temptation successfully. But a gleam of
common sense warned him that this would be a terrible blunder.
Once already during the evening his conduct had attracted
attention; and he began to realize that there was a better way of
winning confidence than by intruding almost forcibly into other
people's affairs.
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