human
Then Monsieur did not see this lady yesterday at all?
gpt
No, said Vanderlyn, shortly;
human
Monsieur is not related to the lady,
gpt
No, said Vanderlyn again.
human
But I am an old friend of both Mr. and Mrs. Pargeter, and that is why he asked me to accompany him here to-day.
gpt
Then when and how did you yourself first learn of Madame Pargeter's disappearance?
human
I met my friend at L'Union last night.
gpt
Then you already knew of Madame's disappearance last night?
human
No! no! exclaimed Pargeter crossly.
gpt
Of course we didn't know then! We didn't know till just now--that is, till this morning, when Mr. Vanderlyn went out to Madame de Léra's villa to fetch my wife. It was Madame de Léra who told us that she had never arrived at Marly-le-Roi. She disappeared yesterday afternoon, but we did not know it till this morning.
human
May I ask you, gentlemen, to wait for a moment while I make certain enquiries? observed the detective politely.
gpt
You have not yet been shown our daily report concerning the stations of Paris--is it not possible that Madame Pargeter may have met with some accident at the Gare St. Lazare, if, as I understand, she was going to her friend by train, and not by automobile?
human
I can't make out, he said in a puzzled tone,
gpt
Peggy gave her man a week's holiday, said Vanderlyn shortly.
human
You know, Tom, that he wanted to go to his own home, somewhere in Normandy.
gpt
Yes, yes. Of course! But still she might have gone out in the big car--I wasn't using it yesterday.
human
No incident of any sort took place last night at the Gare St. Lazare, he said briefly.
gpt
We shall now institute a thorough enquiry among our agents; every police-station in Paris shall be notified of the fact that Madame Pargeter is missing; and I shall almost certainly be able to send you some kind of news of her by four o'clock this afternoon. In any case you can trust us to do our best. Will Monsieur be returning to the Avenue du Bois --he addressed Vanderlyn,