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Revailloud, who in his turn fell back to where at the end of the
procession Chayne walked alone.

"Monsieur," he said, and Chayne looked at him with dull eyes like a
man dazed.

"There is something which François noticed, which he wished me to tell
you. François is a good lad. He wishes you to know that your friend died
at once--there was no sign of a movement. He lay in the bottom of the
crevasse in some snow which was quite smooth. The guide--he had kicked a
little with his feet in the snow--but your friend had died at once."

"Thank you," said Chayne, without the least emotion in his voice. But he
walked with uneven steps. At times he staggered like one overdone and
very tired. But once or twice he said, as though he were dimly aware that
he had his friend's reputation to defend:

"You see he didn't slip on the ice, Michel. You were quite wrong. It was
the avalanche. It was no fault of his."

"I was wrong," said Michel, and he took Chayne by the arm lest he should
fall; and these two men came long after the others into Chamonix.




CHAPTER IV

MR. JARVICE


The news of Lattery's death was telegraphed to England on the same


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