be getting to work with positively
furious energy, confound him! I could do with a whole day's
sleep--twenty-four solid hours of it."

"I'm sure you could, dearie," said Victoire sympathetically.

"The girl I'm going to marry is Sonia Kritchnoff," he said.

"Sonia? That dear child! But I love her already!" cried Victoire.
"Sonia, but why did you say she was a thief? That was a silly thing to
say."

"It's my extraordinary sense of humour," said Lupin.

The door opened and Charolais bustled in: "Shall I clear away the
breakfast?" he said.

Lupin nodded; and then the telephone bell rang. He put his finger on
his lips and went to it.

"Are you there?" he said. "Oh, it's you, Germaine.... Good morning....
Oh, yes, I had a good night--excellent, thank you.... You want to speak
to me presently? ... You're waiting for me at the Ritz?"

"Don't go--don't go--it isn't safe," said Victoire, in a whisper.

"All right, I'll be with you in about half an hour, or perhaps
three-quarters. I'm not dressed yet ... but I'm ever so much more
impatient than you ... good-bye for the present." He put the receiver
on the stand.

"It's a trap," said Charolais.

"Never mind, what if it is? Is it so very serious?" said Lupin.
"There'll be nothing but traps now; and if I can find the time I shall
certainly go and take a look at that one."

"And if she knows everything? If she's taking her revenge ... if she's
getting you there to have you arrested?" said Victoire.

"Yes, M. Formery is probably at the Ritz with Gournay-Martin. They're
probably all of them there, weighing the coronet," said Lupin, with a
chuckle.

He hesitated a moment, reflecting; then he said, "How silly you are! If
they wanted to arrest me, if they had the material proof which they
haven't got, Guerchard would be here already!"

"Then why did they chase you last night?" said Charolais.

"The coronet," said Lupin. "Wasn't that reason enough? But, as it
turned out, they didn't catch me: and when the detectives did come
here, they disturbed me in my sleep. And that me was ever so much more
me than the man they followed. And then the proofs ... they must have
proofs. There aren't any--or rather, what there are, I've got!" He
pointed to a small safe let into the wall. "In that safe are the
coronet, and, above all, the death certificate of the Duke of
Charmerace ... everything that Guerchard must have to induce M. Formery
to proceed. But still, there is a risk--I th