o old to marry--that she had waited too long. She
said she had given much thought to the matter and while she had a great
esteem, even affection, for Monsieur Darzac, she felt it would be better
if things remained as they were. She would be happy, she said, to see
the relations between ourselves and Monsieur Darzac become closer, but
only on the understanding that there would be no more talk of marriage."

"That is very strange!" muttered Monsieur Dax.

"Strange!" repeated Monsieur de Marquet.

"You'll certainly not find the motive there, Monsieur Dax," Monsieur
Stangerson said with a cold smile.

"In any case, the motive was not theft!" said the Chief impatiently.

"Oh! we are quite convinced of that!" cried the examining magistrate.

At that moment the door of the laboratory opened and the officer in
charge of the gendarmes entered and handed a card to the examining
magistrate. Monsieur de Marquet read it and uttered a half angry
exclamation:

"This is really too much!" he cried.

"What is it?" asked the Chief.

"It's the card of a young reporter engaged on the 'Epoque,' a Monsieur
Joseph Rouletabille. It has these words written on it: 'One of the
motives of the crime was robbery.'"

The Chief smiled.

"Ah,--young Rouletabille--I've heard of him he is considered rather
clever. Let him come in."

Monsieur Joseph Rouletabille was allowed to enter. I had made his
acquaintance in the train that morning on the way to Epinay-sur-Orge.
He had introduced himself almost against my wish into our compartment. I
had better say at once that his manners, and the arrogance with which
he assumed to know what was incomprehensible even to us, impressed him
unfavourably on my mind. I do not like journalists. They are a class
of writers to be avoided as the pest. They think that everything is
permissible and they respect nothing. Grant them the least favour, allow
them even to approach you, and you never can tell what annoyance they
may give you. This one appears to be scarcely twenty years old, and the
effrontery with which he dared to question us and discuss the matter
with us made him particularly obnoxious to me. Besides, he had a way of
expressing himself that left us guessing as to whether he was mocking us
or not. I know quite well that the 'Epoque' is an influential paper with
which it is well to be on good terms, but the paper ought not to allow
itself to be represented by sneaking reporters.

Monsieur Joseph Rou