, I shouldn't be at all
surprised if he's in the neighbourhood now."

"What on earth do you mean?" said the Duke.

"I'm not joking," said Germaine. "Odd things are happening. Some one
has been changing the place of things. That silver statuette now--it
was on the cabinet, and we found it moved to the piano. Yet nobody had
touched it. And look at this window. Some one has broken a pane in it
just at the height of the fastening."

"The deuce they have!" said the Duke.

CHAPTER IV

THE DUKE INTERVENES

The Duke rose, came to the window, and looked at the broken pane. He
stepped out on to the terrace and looked at the turf; then he came back
into the room.

"This looks serious," he said. "That pane has not been broken at all.
If it had been broken, the pieces of glass would be lying on the turf.
It has been cut out. We must warn your father to look to his treasures."

"I told you so," said Germaine. "I said that Arsene Lupin was in the
neighbourhood."

"Arsene Lupin is a very capable man," said the Duke, smiling. "But
there's no reason to suppose that he's the only burglar in France or
even in Ile-et-Vilaine."

"I'm sure that he's in the neighbourhood. I have a feeling that he is,"
said Germaine stubbornly.

The Duke shrugged his shoulders, and said a smile: "Far be it from me
to contradict you. A woman's intuition is always--well, it's always a
woman's intuition."

He came back into the hall, and as he did so the door opened and a
shock-headed man in the dress of a gamekeeper stood on the threshold.

"There are visitors to see you, Mademoiselle Germaine," he said, in a
very deep bass voice.

"What! Are you answering the door, Firmin?" said Germaine.

"Yes, Mademoiselle Germaine: there's only me to do it. All the servants
have started for the station, and my wife and I are going to see after
the family to-night and to-morrow morning. Shall I show these gentlemen
in?"

"Who are they?" said Germaine.

"Two gentlemen who say they have an appointment."

"What are their names?" said Germaine.

"They are two gentlemen. I don't know what their names are. I've no
memory for names."

"That's an advantage to any one who answers doors," said the Duke,
smiling at the stolid Firmin.

"Well, it can't be the two Charolais again. It's not time for them to
come back. I told them papa would not be back yet," said Germaine.

"No, it can't be them, Mademoiselle Germaine," said Firmin, with
decision.

"V