第53章

"You know," I said, "that two days after the drawing up of the agreement at Naples, the duel was fought out of the Neapolitan States.This fact has of course led you to the conclusion that all inquiries about localities had better be confined to the Roman territory?""Certainly; the search, such as it is, has been made there, and there only.If I can believe the police, they and their agents have inquired for the place where the duel was fought (offering a large reward in my name to the person who can discover it) all along the high road from Naples to Rome.They have also circulated--at least so they tell me--descriptions of the duelists and their seconds; have left an agent to superintend investigations at the post-house, and another at the town mentioned as meeting-points in the agreement; and have endeavored, by correspondence with foreign authorities, to trace the Count St.Lo and Monsieur Dalville to their place or places of refuge.All these efforts, supposing them to have been really made, have hitherto proved utterly fruitless.""My impression is," said I, after a moment's consideration, "that all inquiries made along the high road, or anywhere near Rome, are likely to be made in vain.As to the discovery of your uncle's remains, that is, I think, identical with the discovery of the place where he was shot; for those engaged in the duel would certainly not risk detection by carrying a corpse any distance with them in their flight.The place, then, is all that we want to find out.Now let us consider for a moment.The dueling-party changed carriages; traveled separately, two and two; doubtless took roundabout roads; stopped at the post-house and the town as a blind; walked, perhaps, a considerable distance unguided.Depend upon it, such precautions as these (which we know they must have employed) left them very little time out of the two days--though they might start at sunrise and not stop at night-fall--for straightforward traveling.My belief therefore is, that the duel was fought somewhere near the Neapolitan frontier; and, if I had been the police agent who conducted the search, I should only have pursued it parallel with the frontier, starting from west to east till Igot up among the lonely places in the mountains.That is my idea;do you think it worth anything?"

His face flushed all over in an instant."I think it an inspiration!" he cried."Not a day is to be lost in carrying out our plan.The police are not to be trusted with it.I must start myself to-morrow morning; and you--"He stopped; his face grew suddenly pale; he sighed heavily; his eyes wandered once more into the fixed look at vacancy; and the rigid, deathly expression fastened again upon all his features.

"I must tell you my secret before I talk of to-morrow," he proceeded, faintly."If I hesitated any longer at confessing everything, I should be unworthy of your past kindness, unworthy of the help which it is my last hope that you will gladly give me when you have heard all."I begged him to wait until he was more composed, until he was better able to speak; but he did not appear to notice what Isaid.Slowly, and struggling as it seemed against himself, he turned a little away from me, and, bending his head over the table, supported it on his hand.The packet of letters with which I had seen him occupied when I came in lay just beneath his eyes.

He looked down on it steadfastly when he next spoke to me.