Part 72 (2/2)

Perenna did not doubt that it was his intervention that upset the enemy's plans by causing Florence to take to flight.

The Prefect continued:

”So you are ignorant of the reasons why you received the papers?”

”Yes, Monsieur le Prefet.”

”And evidently you are also ignorant of how far they concern you?”

”They do not concern me, Monsieur le Prefet.”

M. Desmalions smiled and, looking into Florence's eyes, said, plainly:

”According to the letter that accompanies them, they concern you intimately. It seems that they prove, in the most positive manner, that you are descended from the Roussel family and that you consequently have every right to the Mornington inheritance.”

”I?”

The cry was a spontaneous exclamation of astonishment and protest.

And she at once went on, insistently:

”I, a right to the inheritance? I have none at all, Monsieur le Prefet, none at all. I never knew Mr. Mornington. What is this story? There is some mistake.”

She spoke with great animation and with an apparent frankness that would have impressed any other man than the Prefect of Police. But how could he forget Don Luis's arguments and the accusation made beforehand against the person who would arrive at the meeting?

”Give me the papers,” he said.

She took from her handbag a blue envelope which was not fastened down and which he found to contain a number of faded doc.u.ments, damaged at the folds and torn in different places.

He examined them amid perfect silence, read them through, studied them thoroughly, inspected the signatures and the seals through a magnifying gla.s.s, and said:

”They bear every sign of being genuine. The seals are official.”

”Then, Monsieur le Prefet--?” said Florence, in a trembling voice.

”Then, Mademoiselle, let me tell you that your ignorance strikes me as most incredible.”

And, turning to the solicitor, he said:

”Listen briefly to what these doc.u.ments contain and prove. Gaston Sauverand, Cosmo Mornington's heir in the fourth line, had, as you know, an elder brother, called Raoul, who lived in the Argentine Republic. This brother, before his death, sent to Europe, in the charge of an old nurse, a child of five who was none other than his daughter, a natural but legally recognized daughter whom he had had by Mlle. Leva.s.seur, a French teacher at Buenos Ayres.

”Here is the birth certificate. Here is the signed declaration written entirely in the father's hand. Here is the affidavit signed by the old nurse. Here are the depositions of three friends, merchants or solicitors at Buenos Ayres. And here are the death certificates of the father and mother.

”All these doc.u.ments have been legalized and bear the seals of the French consulate. For the present, I have no reason to doubt them; and I am bound to look upon Florence Leva.s.seur as Raoul Sauverand's daughter and Gaston Sauverand's niece.”

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