s had reached the top of the stairs and turned into the
corridor, which was on my left, I had slipped round noiselessly to my
right and found shelter in a narrow doorway, where I was screened by
the surrounding darkness and by a projection of the frame. While the
three of them made straight for Mademoiselle's dressing-room, and
spent some considerable time there in uttering varied ejaculations
when they found the place and the chest to all appearances untouched,
I slipped out of my hiding-place, sped rapidly along the corridor, and
was soon half-way down the stairs.

Here my habitual composure in the face of danger stood me in good
stead. It enabled me to walk composedly and not too hurriedly through
the crowd behind the scenes--supers, scene-shifters, principals, none
of whom seemed to be aware as yet of the hoax practised on
Mademoiselle Mars' maid; and I reckon that I was out of the stage door
exactly five minutes after Theodore had called the damsel away.

But I was minus the bracelet, and in my mind there was the firm
conviction that that traitor Theodore had played me one of his
abominable tricks. As I said, the whole thing had occurred as quickly
as a flash of lightning, but even so my keen, experienced eyes had
retained the impression of a peaked cap and the corner of a blue
blouse as they disappeared through the dressing-room door.

3.

Tact, wariness and strength were all required, you must admit, in
order to deal with the present delicate situation. I was speeding
along the Rue de Richelieu on my way to my office. My intention was to
spend the night there, where I had a chair-bedstead on which I had oft
before slept soundly after a day's hard work, and anyhow it was too
late to go to my lodgings at Passy at this hour.

Moreover, Theodore slept in the antechamber of the office, and I was
more firmly convinced than ever that it was he who had stolen the
bracelet. "Blackleg! Thief! Traitor!" I mused. "But thou hast not done
with Hector Ratichon yet."

In the meanwhile I bethought me of the velvet-covered box in my breast
pocket, and of the ginger-coloured hair and whiskers that I was still
wearing, and which might prove an unpleasant "piece de conviction" in
case the police were after the stolen bracelet.

With a view to examining the one and getting rid of the other, I
turned into the Square Louvois, which, as usual, was very dark and
wholly deserted. Here I took off my wig and whiskers and threw th