on the receipt of my friend's invitation to rejoin him at the Glandier,
the despatch had not contained the words, "Bring revolvers."

That puzzled me greatly. Rouletabille telegraphing for revolvers meant
that there might be occasion to use them. Now, I confess it without
shame, I am not a hero. But here was a friend, evidently in danger,
calling on me to go to his aid. I did not hesitate long; and after
assuring myself that the only revolver I possessed was properly loaded,
I hurried towards the Orleans station. On the way I remembered that
Rouletabille had asked for two revolvers; I therefore entered a
gunsmith's shop and bought an excellent weapon for my friend.

I had hoped to find him at the station at Epinay; but he was not there.
However, a cab was waiting for me and I was soon at the Glandier. Nobody
was at the gate, and it was only on the threshold of the chateau that I
met the young man. He saluted me with a friendly gesture and threw his
arms about me, inquiring warmly as to the state of my health.

When we were in the little sitting-room of which I have spoken,
Rouletabille made me sit down.

"It's going badly," he said.

"What's going badly?" I asked.

"Everything."

He came nearer to me and whispered:

"Frederic Larsan is working with might and main against Darzac."

This did not astonish me. I had seen the poor show Mademoiselle
Stangerson's fiance had made at the time of the examination of the
footprints. However, I immediately asked:

"What about that cane?"

"It is still in the hands of Frederic Larsan. He never lets go of it."

"But doesn't it prove the alibi for Monsieur Darzac?"

"Not at all. Gently questioned by me, Darzac denied having, on that
evening, or on any other, purchased a cane at Cassette's. However,"
said Rouletabille, "I'll not swear to anything; Monsieur Darzac has such
strange fits of silence that one does not know exactly what to think of
what he says."

"To Frederic Larsan this cane must mean a piece of very damaging
evidence. But in what way? The time when it was bought shows it could
not have been in the murderer's possession."

"The time doesn't worry Larsan. He is not obliged to adopt my theory
which assumes that the murderer got into The Yellow Room between five
and six o'clock. But there's nothing to prevent him assuming that the
murderer got in between ten and eleven o'clock at night. At that hour
Monsieur and Mademoiselle Stangerson, assisted by Daddy Jac