has been
removed except the Franchard dishes and the casket; our own silver has
been minutely respected. This is wily; it shows intelligence, a knowledge
of the code, a desire to avoid legal consequences. I argue from this fact
that the gang numbers persons of respectability--outward, of course, and
merely outward, as the robbery proves. But I argue, second, that we must
have been observed at Franchard itself by some occult observer, and
dogged throughout the day with a skill and patience that I venture to
qualify as consummate. No ordinary man, no occasional criminal, would
have shown himself capable of this combination. We have in our
neighbourhood, it is far from improbable, a retired bandit of the highest
order of intelligence."

"Good heaven!" cried the horrified Anastasie. "Henri, how can you?"

"My cherished one, this is a process of induction," said the Doctor. "If
any of my steps are unsound, correct me. You are silent? Then do not, I
beseech you, be so vulgarly illogical as to revolt from my conclusion. We
have now arrived," he resumed, "at some idea of the composition of the
gang--for I incline to the hypothesis of more than one--and we now leave
this room, which can disclose no more, and turn our attention to the
court and garden. (Jean-Marie, I trust you are observantly following my
various steps; this is an excellent piece of education for you.) Come
with me to the door. No steps on the court; it is unfortunate our court
should be paved. On what small matters hang the destiny of these delicate
investigations! Hey! What have we here? I have led you to the very spot,"
he said, standing grandly backward and indicating the green gate. "An
escalade, as you can now see for yourselves, has taken place."

Sure enough, the green paint was in several places scratched and broken;
and one of the panels preserved the print of a nailed shoe. The foot had
slipped, however, and it was difficult to estimate the size of the shoe,
and impossible to distinguish the pattern of the nails.

"The whole robbery," concluded the Doctor, "step by step, has been
reconstituted. Inductive science can no further go."

"It is wonderful," said his wife. "You should indeed have been a
detective, Henri. I had no idea of your talents."

"My dear," replied Desprez condescendingly, "a man of scientific
imagination combines the lesser faculties; he is a detective just as he
is a publicist or a general; these are but local applications of h