the three of them went into the smoking-room.

"Now we know where we are," said Lupin, with cheerful briskness.
"Guerchard will be here in ten minutes with a warrant for my arrest.
All of you clear out."

"It won't be so precious easy. The house is watched," said Charolais.
"And I'll bet it's watched back and front."

"Well, slip out by the secret entrance. They haven't found that yet,"
said Lupin. "And meet me at the house at Passy."

Charolais and Bernard wanted no more telling; they ran to the book-case
and pressed the buttons; the book-case slid aside; the doors opened and
disclosed the lift. They stepped into it. Victoire had followed them.
She paused and said: "And you? Are you coming?"

"In an instant I shall slip out the same way," he said.

"I'll wait for him. You go on," said Victoire; and the lift went down.

Lupin went to the telephone, rang the bell, and put the receiver to his
ear.

"You've no time to waste telephoning. They may be here at any moment!"
cried Victoire anxiously.

"I must. If I don't telephone Sonia will come here. She will run right
into Guerchard's arms. Why the devil don't they answer? They must be
deaf!" And he rang the bell again.

"Let's go to her! Let's get out of here!" cried Victoire, more
anxiously. "There really isn't any time to waste."

"Go to her? But I don't know where she is. I lost my head last night,"
cried Lupin, suddenly anxious himself. "Are you there?" he shouted into
the telephone. "She's at a little hotel near the Star. ... Are you
there? ... But there are twenty hotels near the Star.... Are you there?
... Oh, I did lose my head last night. ... Are you there? Oh, hang this
telephone! Here I'm fighting with a piece of furniture. And every
second is important!"

He picked up the machine, shook it, saw that the wires were cut, and
cried furiously: "Ha! They've played the telephone trick on me! That's
Guerchard.... The swine!"

"And now you can come along!" cried Victoire.

"But that's just what I can't do!" he cried.

"But there's nothing more for you to do here, since you can no longer
telephone," said Victoire, bewildered.

Lupin caught her arm and shook her, staring into her face with
panic-stricken eyes. "But don't you understand that, since I haven't
telephoned, she'll come here?" he cried hoarsely. "Five-and-twenty
minutes past eight! At half-past eight she will start--start to come
here."

His face had suddenly grown haggard; this new fear ha