letabille entered the laboratory, bowed to us, and
waited for Monsieur de Marquet to ask him to explain his presence.

"You pretend, Monsieur, that you know the motive for the crime, and
that that motive--in the face of all the evidence that has been
forthcoming--was robbery?"

"No, Monsieur, I do not pretend that. I do not say that robbery was the
motive for the crime, and I don't believe it was."

"Then, what is the meaning of this card?"

"It means that robbery was one of the motives for the crime."

"What leads you to think that?"

"If you will be good enough to accompany me, I will show you."

The young man asked us to follow him into the vestibule, and we did.
He led us towards the lavatory and begged Monsieur de Marquet to kneel
beside him. This lavatory is lit by the glass door, and, when the
door was open, the light which penetrated was sufficient to light it
perfectly. Monsieur de Marquet and Monsieur Joseph Rouletabille knelt
down on the threshold, and the young man pointed to a spot on the
pavement.

"The stones of the lavatory have not been washed by Daddy Jacques for
some time," he said; "that can be seen by the layer of dust that covers
them. Now, notice here, the marks of two large footprints and the black
ash they left where they have been. That ash is nothing else than the
charcoal dust that covers the path along which you must pass through the
forest, in order to get directly from Epinay to the Glandier. You know
there is a little village of charcoal-burners at that place, who make
large quantities of charcoal. What the murderer did was to come here at
midday, when there was nobody at the pavilion, and attempt his robbery."

"But what robbery?--Where do you see any signs of robbery? What proves
to you that a robbery has been committed?" we all cried at once. "What
put me on the trace of it," continued the journalist...

"Was this?" interrupted Monsieur de Marquet, still on his knees.

"Evidently," said Rouletabille.

And Monsieur de Marquet explained that there were on the dust of
the pavement marks of two footsteps, as well as the impression,
freshly-made, of a heavy rectangular parcel, the marks of the cord with
which it had been fastened being easily distinguished.

"You have been here, then, Monsieur Rouletabille? I thought I had given
orders to Daddy Jacques, who Was left in charge of the pavilion, not to
allow anybody to enter."

"Don't scold Daddy Jacques, I came here with Monsi