Madame Beauchene stepped forward, the smallest of them all, cradling her dainty little dog in her arms and somehow all the more formidable for that—perhaps because the dainty little dog’s teeth were bared in a low, rumbling snarl. “What insanity is this?” “Madame,” the spokesman said, “I am Captain Ulrich duPont, of the national police. We are under orders to follow a suspected spy and arrest whomever he might contact.” “We have no spies here,” she said indignantly. “Madame, this man—” he pointed to Dr. Colbert, “has been behaving in a manner of the greatest suspicion. For no reason, he has traveled a great distance to this—forgive me, this place of no importance—” “This ‘place of no importance’ is my home,” she said. “Dr. Colbert has been a friend of this family since I was but a girl. He came here—” she held her hand out defiantly, displaying a small ring—”
