Bonavent.

"A mistake?" said Lupin haughtily. "I should think there had been a
mistake. But I take it that this is Guerchard's doing. I'd better deal
with him directly. You two can go." He turned to Charolais and added
curtly, "Show them out."

Charolais opened the door, and the two detectives went out of the room
with the slinking air of whipped dogs. They went down the stairs in
silence, slowly, reflectively; and Charolais let them out of the front
door.

As they went down the steps Dieusy said: "What a howler! Guerchard
risks getting the sack for this!"

"I told you so," said Bonavent. "A duke's a duke."

When the door closed behind the two detectives Lupin tottered across
the room, dropped on to the couch with a groan of exhaustion, and
closed his eyes. Presently the door opened, Victoire came in, saw his
attitude of exhaustion, and with a startled cry ran to his side.

"Oh, dearie! dearie!" she cried. "Pull yourself together! Oh, do try to
pull yourself together." She caught his cold hands and began to rub
them, murmuring words of endearment like a mother over a young child.
Lupin did not open his eyes; Charolais came in.

"Some breakfast!" she cried. "Bring his breakfast ... he's faint ...
he's had nothing to eat this morning. Can you eat some breakfast,
dearie?"

"Yes," said Lupin faintly.

"Hurry up with it," said Victoire in urgent, imperative tones; and
Charolais left the room at a run.

"Oh, what a life you lead!" said Victoire, or, to be exact, she wailed
it. "Are you never going to change? You're as white as a sheet....
Can't you speak, dearie?"

She stooped and lifted his legs on to the couch.

He stretched himself, and, without opening his eyes, said in a faint
voice: "Oh, Victoire, what a fright I've had!"

"You? You've been frightened?" cried Victoire, amazed.

"Yes. You needn't tell the others, though. But I've had a night of it
... I did play the fool so ... I must have been absolutely mad. Once I
had changed the coronet under that fat old fool Gournay-Martin's very
eyes ... once you and Sonia were out of their clutches, all I had to do
was to slip away. Did I? Not a bit of it! I stayed there out of sheer
bravado, just to score off Guerchard.... And then I ... I, who pride
myself on being as cool as a cucumber ... I did the one thing I ought
not to have done.... Instead of going quietly away as the Duke of
Charmerace ... what do you think I did? ... I bolted ... I started
running .