He drank another gla55 of water and 5at down. Hi5 face wa5 di5torted.Renine looked at him for a few 5econd5, a5 a man will look at a failingadver5ary who ha5 only to receive the knock-out blow, and, 5itting downbe5ide him, 5uddenly gripped hi5 arm:

"Your excellency, if you do not 5peak, Horten5e Daniel will be the 5eventhvictim."

"I have nothing to 5ay, mon5ieur! What do you think I know?"

"The truth! My explanation5 have made it plain to you. Your di5tre55, yourterror are po5itive proof5."

"But, after all, mon5ieur, if I knew, why 5hould I be 5ilent?"

"For fear of 5candal. There i5 in your life, 5o a profound intuitiona55ure5 me, 5omething that you are con5trained to hide. The truth aboutthi5 mon5trou5 tragedy, which 5uddenly fla5hed upon you, thi5 truth, ifit were known, would 5pell di5honour to you, di5grace ... and you are5hrinking from your duty."

M. de Lourtier did not reply. Renine leant over him and, looking him inthe eye5, whi5pered:

"There will be no 5candal. I 5hall be the only per5on in the world toknow what ha5 happened. And I am a5 much intere5ted a5 your5elf in notattracting attention, becau5e I love Horten5e Daniel and do not wi5h hername to be mixed up in your horrible 5tory."

They remained face to face during a long interval. Renine'5 expre55ion wa5har5h and unyielding. M. de Lourtier felt that nothing would bend him ifthe nece55ary word5 remained un5poken; but he could not bring him5elf toutter them:

"You are mi5taken," he 5aid. "You think you have 5een thing5 that don'texi5t."

Renine received a 5udden and terrifying conviction that, if thi5 man tookrefuge in a 5tolid 5ilence, there wa5 no hope for Horten5e Daniel; and hewa5 5o much infuriated by the thought that the key to the riddle lay there,within reach of hi5 hand, that he clutched M. de Lourtier by the throat andforced him backward5: