een run to earth.

Suddenly the telephone at Monsieur Coulagne's elbow rang, and after
listening, he exclaimed:

"The men are already posted round the hotel. So all we have to do is
to await his return."

Hence I went forth with Rivero and the Commissary. Led by the latter,
we approached the Place de l'Esplanade through a labyrinth of narrow
back streets until, on gaining the hotel, we saw idling in the
vicinity a number of men who were apparently quite disinterested.

We entered the hotel boldly, and drawing back to the end of the
lounge, after a whispered word with the concierge, we waited.

For a full hour we remained there in eager impatience, until suddenly
a figure whom I recognized as Doctor Moroni showed in the doorway.

He was alone!

He ascended to his room, where he remained for about ten minutes.
Then, descending, he went to the bureau and inquired for the bill of
his friend and himself, announcing his intention of departing for
Paris by the train which left in half an hour!

Rivero, who had been standing near him unrecognized, crossed quickly
to where with the Commissary I sat well back from observation, and
gasped:

"They've gone! He is also leaving! Evidently they suspected they were
under observation!"

"Ah! Despujol is a very wary bird," replied Monsieur Coulagne, rising
and walking out into the Place, where he whispered some hurried words
to a stout, well-dressed man who was sauntering by, and who was his
chief inspector.

In a few moments more than half the lurking police agents had
disappeared to make inquiries at the railway station and in various
quarters, and when he rejoined us--Moroni having returned upstairs--he
said:

"Despujol cannot yet have gone very far. I have given orders for all
railway stations within two hundred kilometres to be warned. Let us
return to my bureau and await reports."

"And what about Moroni?" I asked.

"He will be followed. I have already seen to that," was the reply.

Back at the Prefecture Monsieur Coulagne was soon speaking rapidly
over the telephone. Then we waited for news of the fugitive. None came
until about two hours afterwards the result of inquiries was told to
us by an inspector.

It seemed that on the previous day a large open car, driven by a
chauffeur, put into Carli's Garage, a big establishment in the
Boulevard des Arenes. The chauffeur asked for a receipt for the car,
saying that he had to go by train to Marseilles, and that his