It was some minutes before he was steady enough to walk, and by that time he knew that it would be futile to pursue the half-breed and his swift-footed dogs, weakened and half dressed as he was. Slowly he returned to Adare House, cursing himself for not having used his pistol to compel Jean's surrender. He acknowledged that he had been a fool, and that he had deserved what he got. The hall was still empty when he reentered it. His adventure had roused no one, and with a feeling of relief he went to his room.
If the walls had fallen about his ears he could not have received a greater shock than when he entered through the door.
Seated in a chair close to the table, looking at him calmly as he entered, was Jean Jacques Croisset!
CHAPTER TWELVE
Unable to believe that what he saw was not a
