Minister's desk.

Delcasse took from his pocket a tiny key, unlocked the portfolio, drew
out a package and glanced at the superscription.

"Ah," he said; "the photographs!" and ripped the package open.

There were some two dozen of them, together with a long typewritten
report, which Delcasse glanced through rapidly.

"These are the result of the first report from Berlin," he said, "of
officers who are absent from their commands and whose present
whereabouts is not definitely known. A supplementary report will
follow."

"We can begin with these," said Lepine, and looked them over.

Crochard had risen and was looking at the photographs over the
detective's shoulder.

"We shall have to shave them first," he remarked.

"Shave them?"

"Divest them of those ornaments," and he indicated the upturned
moustaches, a la Kaiser, with which nearly all the pictured faces were
adorned. "A brush and a tablet of watercolour will do it."

M. Delcasse arose.

"I will leave that in your hands, gentlemen," he said. "I must meet the
Board of Inquiry almost at once. General Marbeau, I thank you for your
assistance. You will, of course, say nothing of all this to any one. As
for you, sir," he added to Crochard, "I shall thank you better another
day. Till this evening, M. Lepine," and he bowed the three men out.

Half an hour later, Lepine and Crochard were closeted with Monsieur and
Madame Brisson in the former's bureau at the du Nord. The little
innkeeper and his wife were inarticulate with excitement, for they had
guessed Lepine's identity from his resemblance to the pictures which
every illustrated paper published at frequent intervals, and they
suspected, from his bearing, that Crochard was a person of even greater
importance. Their faces were glowing with pride, too, for their
proffered refreshment had not been declined. In after days, when the
sentence of silence had been lifted, they would tell the story to their
admiring friends:

"Imagine it. Here we sat, I here, Gabrielle there; in that chair M.
Lepine, Prefect of the Paris Service du Surete, a little thin man with
eyes oh, so bright; and in the fourth chair, with eyes still brighter
and an air distinguished which there could be no mistaking--whom do you
think? None other than the Duc de B----"; or the Prince de R----, or the
Marquis de C----; that was a detail to be filled in later; but a Great
Highness, rest assured of that! And the way that both M. Lepine and the