"
"How long was she gone?"
"Over an hour, sir; an hour an' a half, I should say."
"Did you notice anything unusual in her appearance when she came
back?"
"No, sir; she was wearin' a heavy veil. She had th' other woman with
her, an' she just said 'Home!' in a kind o' hoarse voice, as I helped
them into th' carriage."
That was all that he could tell me, and yet I felt that it would help
me greatly. In the first place, it narrowed my investigations to the
district lying to the east of West Broadway, and I knew that the
French quarter extended only a block or two in that direction. And
again, it gave me a point to insist on in my inquiries--I knew the
date upon which the mysterious woman had left her lodging. Or, at
least, I knew that it must be one of two dates. The lodging had been
vacated, then, either on the twenty-eighth of March or the third of
April. As a last resource, I had the photograph. I was ready to begin
my search, and dismissed Brooks, warning him to say nothing to anyone
about the mystery.
As I passed out the door to the pavement, I happened to glance across
the way, and there, in the crowd of brokers which always lines the
street, I perceived Martigny. He was listening intently to one of the
brokers, who was talking earnestly in his ear--telling him how to make
his fortune, I suppose--and did not see me.
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