door!"

"Upon my word, Juve, you are a wonder," M. Fuselier said admiringly.
"I've spent the entire day cross-examining everybody in the hotel, and
came to no definite conclusion; and you, who have not seen anything or
anybody connected with it, sit in that chair and in five minutes clear
up the entire mystery. What a pity you won't believe that Fantomas had
a finger in this pie! What a pity you won't take up the search!"

Juve paid no heed to the compliments to his skill. He took out his watch
and looked at the time.

"I must go," he said; "it's quite time I was at my own work. Well, we
may not have been wasting our time, M. Fuselier. I admit I had not paid
much attention to the Royal Palace Hotel robbery. You have really
interested me in it. I won't make any promises, but I think I shall very
likely come again in a day or two for another talk with you about the
case. It really interests me now. And when once I'm quit of one or two
pressing jobs, I don't say I shan't ask leave to go thoroughly into it
with you."

XII. A KNOCK-OUT BLOW

The staff of the Royal Palace Hotel were just finishing dinner, and the
greatest animation prevailed in the vast white-tiled servants' hall. The
tone of the conversation varied at different tables, for the servants
jealously observed a strict order of precedence among themselves, but
the present topic was the same at all, the recent sensational robbery
from Mme. Van den Rosen and the Princess Sonia Danidoff. At one table,
smaller than the rest, a party of upper servants sat, under-managers or
heads of departments: M. Louis was here, the general manager, M. Muller
the superintendent of the second floor, M. Ludovic chief valet, M.
Maurice head footman, M. Naud chief cashier, and last but not least
Mlle. Jeanne the young lady cashier whose special duty it was to take
charge of all the moneys and valuables deposited in the custody of the
hotel by guests who wished to relieve themselves of the responsibility
of keeping these in their own rooms. This small and select company was
increased to-night by the addition of M. Henri Verbier, a man of about
forty years of age, who had left the branch hotel at Cairo belonging to
the same Company to join the staff at the Royal Palace Hotel in Paris.

"I am afraid, M. Verbier, you will form a very bad opinion of our
establishment," said M. Muller to him. "It is really a pity that you
should have left the Cairo branch and come here just when