They must
have," said the Duke.

"It looks like it," said Guerchard.

"The Charolais," said the Duke.

"It looks like it," said Guerchard.

"It must be," said the Duke. "This IS interesting--if only we could get
an absolute proof."

"We shall get one presently," said Guerchard confidently.

"It is interesting," said the Duke in a tone of lively enthusiasm.
"These clues--these tracks which cross one another--each fact by
degrees falling into its proper place--extraordinarily interesting." He
paused and took out his cigarette-case: "Will you have a cigarette?" he
said.

"Are they caporal?" said Guerchard.

"No, Egyptians--Mercedes."

"Thank you," said Guerchard; and he took one.

The Duke struck a match, lighted Guerchard's cigarette, and then his
own:

"Yes, it's very interesting," he said. "In the last quarter of an hour
you've practically discovered that the burglars came from
Charmerace--that they were the Charolais--that they came in by the
front door of this house, and carried the furniture out of it."

"I don't know about their coming in by it," said Guerchard. "Unless I'm
very much mistaken, they came in by the front door of M.
Gournay-Martin's house."

"Of course," said the Duke. "I was forgetting. They brought the keys
from Charmerace."

"Yes, but who drew the bolts for them?" said Guerchard. "The concierge
bolted them before he went to bed. He told me so. He was telling the
truth--I know when that kind of man is telling the truth."

"By Jove!" said the Duke softly. "You mean that they had an accomplice?"

"I think we shall find that they had an accomplice. But your Grace is
beginning to draw inferences with uncommon quickness. I believe that
you would make a first-class detective yourself--with practice, of
course--with practice."

"Can I have missed my true career?" said the Duke, smiling. "It's
certainly a very interesting game."

"Well, I'm not going to search this barracks myself," said Guerchard.
"I'll send in a couple of men to do it; but I'll just take a look at
the steps myself."

So saying, he opened the front door and went out and examined the steps
carefully.

"We shall have to go back the way we came," he said, when he had
finished his examination. "The drawing-room door is locked. We ought to
find M. Formery hammering on it." And he smiled as if he found the
thought pleasing.

They went back up the stairs, through the opening, into the
drawing-room of M. Gournay-Mart