when he suddenly
paused:

"The deuce! I was forgetting! When he becomes sober again, he'll have
forgotten all about his adventure ... he'll kick up a row at the Royal
Palace.... I must warn him."

Fandor took out his notebook, wrote a few lines which he enclosed in an
envelope and pinned it upon the King's coat. Upon the envelope was
written:

"I am to read this when I wake."

His next proceeding was to blow a shrill whistle.

"It's your turn now, my dear Wulf ... you won't find the fair unknown
you expect, but you'll get back your Prince, slightly the worse for
wear."

The journalist now swung the statue back in place, exclaiming:

"Au revoir, Monsieur, I'm off to take your place ... sorry I can't stay
to see the meeting with Wulf ... he'll find his King somewhat
changed.... I ought to have given you my moustache and beard."

* * * * *

Fandor passed a horrible night. He was obliged to economize the use of
his electric lamp, which was only capable of giving several hours of
light, so after a careful survey of his lodging, he extinguished it and
lay down to get what rest he could.

"Not much fun for the King here!" he thought, "it's devilish
monotonous ... can't see anything, and nothing to hear ... hold on,
I can distinguish three separate noises, the plash of the water from the
fountains, the rumble of carriages, and that heavy sound can only be the
passage of trains from the North-South in the tunnel, which if I mistake
not is right under my prison ... and these Singing Fountains ... they
are accounted for by the King howling when he got drunk ... but what
about the night Susy d'Orsel was killed?... The King wasn't here then,
and yet they were heard singing?"

Fandor was not long in reaching the solution of the mystery.

"What a fool I am!... the murder of Susy d'Orsel, the imprisonment of
the King, are both the work of Fantomas! Fantomas must have known this
hiding place a long time ago.... It was he who tried the experiment of
making the statues sing to find out whether the sound could be heard
above.... And to think that this monster has been arrested by Juve! And
without me, too!... I shall have only the glory of showing up a few of
his accomplices, and if they don't come in two or three days, why, I
shall clear out."

Fandor rose and went toward the base of the naiad.

"It's still dark. I might just as well get a breath of fresh air."

With a gymnastic leap, th