mply thought he was an old beggar, an old
accordion player....

IX

WITH THE UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE

"Come in!" cried Hofferman, who was writing hard.

An orderly stepped gingerly into the room.

"An usher, Colonel, with a message, begging you to be so good as to
step downstairs at once to see the Under-Secretary of State."

Hofferman looked up.

"Are you sure the message is for me?"

"Yes, Colonel."

"Very well. I am coming immediately."

The orderly vanished. Hofferman remained in thought for a minute or
so, rose abruptly, half opened the door of the adjoining room, and
addressed Commandant Dumoulin:

"The Under-Secretary of State wishes to see me. I am going down now."

The colonel passed rapidly along the interminable corridors separating
him from the building in which the Under-Secretary's offices were
situated.

"What can he want to see me about?" Colonel Hofferman asked himself as
he entered the Under-Secretary's room.

Monsieur Maranjevol, an exceedingly active and immensely popular
deputy from la Gironde, to whom had been entrusted the delicate task
of serving as buffer between the civil and the military sections.
Monsieur Maranjevol was not alone in his vast reception-room, with its
gilding and pictures of battle scenes; seated opposite, and with his
back to the light, was a civilian, of middle height, clean-shaven,
whose thin hair, turning grey, curled slightly at the nape of the
neck.

The Under-Secretary rose, shook hands with the colonel, and went
straight to the point.

"Monsieur Juve of the detective force: Colonel Hofferman, head of the
Second Bureau."

The policeman and the soldier bowed gravely. They awaited the
beginning of the conference in a somewhat chilly silence.

Monsieur Maranjevol explained that after a short talk with Juve
regarding Captain Brocq's death, he had considered it necessary to put
him in touch with Colonel Hofferman.

The colonel, who had been showing signs of impatience for the last few
minutes, suddenly broke out:

"My faith, Monsieur," declared he, in a sharp abrupt voice, staring
straight into Juve's eyes, "I am very glad to have the opportunity of
meeting you. I shall not disguise from you that I am astonished, even
very disagreeably astonished, at your attitude during the past few
days regarding this wretched drama. Up to now, I have always
considered that the private personality of an officer, above all, of
an officer on the Headquart