ok of fearless purpose that M. Simon well remembered from
the old days.

"A thousand devils! How did you do it?" cried Simon.

"I watched the American in the cab as he leaned forward toward the lantern
light and I saw exactly what he was doing. He opened the lady's bag and cut
out a leather flap that had her name and address stamped on it."

"No," contradicted Gibelin, "there was _no_ name in the bag. I examined it
myself."

"The name was on the _under side_ of the flap," laughed the other, "in gilt
letters."

Gibelin's heart sank.

"And you took this flap from the American?" asked M. Simon.

"No, no! Any violence would have brought my colleague into the thing, for
he was close behind, and I wanted this knowledge for myself."

"What did you do?" pursued the chief.

"I let the young man cut the flap into small pieces and drop them one by
one as we drove through dark little streets. And I noted where he dropped
the pieces. Then I drove back and picked them up, that is, all but two."

"Marvelous!" muttered Hauteville.

"I had a small searchlight lantern to help me. That was one of the things I
took from my desk," he added to Pougeot.

"And these pieces of leather with the name and address, you have them?"
continued the chief.

"I have them."

"With you?"

"Yes."

"May I see them?"

"Certainly. If you will promise to respect them as my personal property?"

Simon hesitated. "You mean--" he frowned, and then impatiently: "Oh, yes, I
promise that."

Coquenil drew an envelope from his breast pocket and from it he took a
number of white-leather fragments. And he showed the chief that most of
these fragments were stamped in gold letters or parts of letters.

"I'm satisfied," declared Simon after examining several of the fragments
and returning them. "_Bon Dieu!_" he stormed at Gibelin. "And you had that
bag in your hands!"

Gibelin sat silent. This was the wretchedest moment in his career.

"Well," continued the chief, "we _must_ have these pieces of leather. What
are your terms?"

"I told you," said Coquenil, "I want to be put back on the force. I want to
handle this case."

M. Simon thought a moment. "That ought to be easily arranged. I will see
the _prefet de police_ about it in the morning."

But the other demurred. "I ask you to see him to-night. It's ten minutes to
his house in an automobile. I'll wait here."

The chief smiled. "You're in a hurry, aren't you? Well, so are we. Will you
come