that Lupin and his confederates had
entered through this window. It seemed a very plausible suggestion.
Still, in that case, how were they able, first, to climb the garden
railings, in coming and going, without being seen; secondly, to cross
the garden and put up a ladder on the flower-border, without leaving the
least trace behind; thirdly, to open the shutters and the window,
without starting the bells and switching on the lights in the house?

The police accused the three detectives of complicity. The magistrate
in charge of the case examined them at length, made minute inquiries
into their private lives and stated formally that they were above all
suspicion. As for the tapestries, there seemed to be no hope that they
would be recovered.

It was at this moment that Chief-inspector Ganimard returned from India,
where he had been hunting for Lupin on the strength of a number of most
convincing proofs supplied by former confederates of Lupin himself.
Feeling that he had once more been tricked by his everlasting adversary,
fully believing that Lupin had dispatched him on this wild-goose chase
so as to be rid of him during the business of the tapestries, he asked
for a fortnight's leave of absence, called on Mme. Sparmiento and
promised to avenge her husband.

Edith had reached the point at which not even the thought of vengeance
relieves the sufferer's pain. She had dismissed the three detectives on
the day of the funeral and engaged just one man and an old
cook-housekeeper to take the place of the large staff of servants the
sight of whom reminded her too cruelly of the past. Not caring what
happened, she kept her room and left Ganimard free to act as he pleased.

He took up his quarters on the ground-floor and at once instituted a
series of the most minute investigations. He started the inquiry
afresh, questioned the people in the neighbourhood, studied the
distribution of the rooms and set each of the burglar-alarms going
thirty and forty times over.

At the end of the fortnight, he asked for an extension of leave. The
chief of the detective-service, who was at that time M. Dudouis, came to
see him and found him perched on the top of a ladder, in the gallery.
That day, the chief-inspector admitted that all his searches had proved
useless.

Two days later, however, M. Dudouis called again and discovered Ganimard
in a very thoughtful frame of mind. A bundle of newspapers lay spread in
front of him. At last, in re