ious reason, had been pitchforked into the
headquarters of police as secretary-general, with the reversion of the
prefecture.

And, suddenly, Lupin remembered: two years ago, Prasville and Daubrecq
the deputy had had a personal encounter on the Place du Palais-Bourbon.
The incident made a great stir at the time. No one knew the cause of it.
Prasville had sent his seconds to Daubrecq on the same day; but Daubrecq
refused to fight.

A little while later, Prasville was appointed secretary-general.

"Very odd, very odd," said Lupin, who remained plunged in thought, while
continuing to observe Prasville's movements.

At seven o'clock Prasville's group of men moved away a few yards, in the
direction of the Avenue Henri-Martin. The door of a small garden on
the right of the house opened and Daubrecq appeared. The two detectives
followed close behind him and, when he took the Rue-Taitbout train,
jumped on after him.

Prasville at once walked across the square and rang the bell. The
garden-gate was between the house and the porter's lodge. The portress
came and opened it. There was a brief conversation, after which
Prasville and his companions were admitted.

"A domiciliary visit," said Lupin. "Secret and illegal. By the
strict rules of politeness, I ought to be invited. My presence is
indispensable."

Without the least hesitation he went up to the house, the door of which
had not been closed, and, passing in front of the portress, who was
casting her eyes outside, he asked, in the hurried tones of a person who
is late for an appointment:

"Have the gentlemen come?"

"Yes, you will find them in the study."

His plan was quite simple: if any one met him, he would pretend to be a
tradesman. But there was no need for this subterfuge. He was able, after
crossing an empty hall, to enter a dining-room which also had no one in
it, but which, through the panes of a glass partition that separated
the dining-room from the study, afforded him a view of Prasville and his
five companions.

Prasville opened all the drawers with the aid of false keys. Next, he
examined all the papers, while his companions took down the books from
the shelves, shook the pages of each separately and felt inside the
bindings.

"Of course, it's a paper they're looking for," said Lupin. "Bank-notes,
perhaps..."

Prasville exclaimed:

"What rot! We shan't find a thing!"

Yet he obviously did not abandon all hope of discovering what he wanted,
f