r did they stir. The light from the lamp
gleamed on their fixed eyes, which stared at their infuriated master.

"What on earth is this?" said the Duke; and seizing the lamp which
stood beside the car, he raised it so that its light fell on the two
figures. Then it was clear what had happened: they were trussed like
two fowls, and gagged.

The Duke pulled a penknife from his pocket, opened the blade, stepped
into the car and set Firmin free. Firmin coughed and spat and swore.
The Duke cut the bonds of Jean.

"Well," said the Duke, in a tone of cutting irony, "what new game is
this? What have you been playing at?"

"It was those Charolais--those cursed Charolais!" growled Firmin.

"They came on us unawares from behind," said Jean.

"They tied us up, and gagged us--the swine!" said Firmin.

"And then--they went off in the two cars," said Jean.

"Went off in the two cars?" cried the millionaire, in blank
stupefaction.

The Duke burst into a shout of laughter.

"Well, your dear friend Lupin doesn't do things by halves," he cried.
"This is the funniest thing I ever heard of."

"Funny!" howled the millionaire. "Funny! Where does the fun come in?
What about my pictures and the coronet?"

The Duke laughed his laugh out; then changed on the instant to a man of
action.

"Well, this means a change in our plans," he said. "I must get to Paris
in this car here."

"It's such a rotten old thing," said the millionaire. "You'll never do
it."

"Never mind," said the Duke. "I've got to do it somehow. I daresay it's
better than you think. And after all, it's only a matter of two hundred
miles." He paused, and then said in an anxious tone: "All the same I
don't like leaving you and Germaine in the chateau.--these rogues have
probably only taken the cars out of reach just to prevent your getting
to Paris. They'll leave them in some field and come back."

"You're not going to leave us behind. I wouldn't spend the night in the
chateau for a million francs. There's always the train," said the
millionaire.

"The train! Twelve hours in the train--with all those changes! You
don't mean that you will actually go to Paris by train?" said the Duke.

"I do," said the millionaire. "Come along--I must go and tell Germaine;
there's no time to waste," and he hurried off to the chateau.

"Get the lamps lighted, Jean, and make sure that the tank's full. As
for the engine, I must humour it and trust to luck. I'll get her to
Paris some