which I am
still the only one to perceive, and which are not yet clear to me, I
must neglect no precaution."

"Of course, you know best," said the Duke. "But still, a child like
that--you're frightening her out of her life."

Guerchard shrugged his shoulders, and went quietly out of the room.

The Duke sat down in an easy chair, frowning and thoughtful. Suddenly
there struck on his ears the sound of a loud roaring and heavy bumping
on the stairs, the door flew open, and M. Gournay-Martin stood on the
threshold waving a telegram in his hand.

M. Formery and the inspector came hurrying down the stairs behind him,
and watched his emotion with astonished and wondering eyes.

"Here!" bellowed the millionaire. "A telegram! A telegram from the
scoundrel himself! Listen! Just listen:"

"A thousand apologies for not having been
able to keep my promise about the coronet.
Had an appointment at the Acacias. Please
have coronet ready in your room to-night. Will
come without fail to fetch it, between a quarter
to twelve and twelve o'clock."

"Yours affectionately,"

"ARSENE LUPIN."

"There! What do you think of that?"

"If you ask me, I think he's humbug," said the Duke with conviction.

"Humbug! You always think it's humbug! You thought the letter was
humbug; and look what has happened!" cried the millionaire.

"Give me the telegram, please," said M. Formery quickly.

The millionaire gave it to him; and he read it through.

"Find out who brought it, inspector," he said.

The inspector hurried to the top of the staircase and called to the
policeman in charge of the front door. He came back to the drawing-room
and said: "It was brought by an ordinary post-office messenger, sir."

"Where is he?" said M. Formery. "Why did you let him go?"

"Shall I send for him, sir?" said the inspector.

"No, no, it doesn't matter," said M. Formery; and, turning to M.
Gournay-Martin and the Duke, he said, "Now we're really going to have
trouble with Guerchard. He is going to muddle up everything. This
telegram will be the last straw. Nothing will persuade him now that
this is not Lupin's work. And just consider, gentlemen: if Lupin had
come last night, and if he had really set his heart on the coronet, he
would have stolen it then, or at any rate he would have tried to open
the safe in M. Gournay-Martin's bedroom, in which the coronet actually
is, or this safe here"--he went to the safe and rapped on the door