ard opened it. There stood a
cyclist member of the police force. He saluted respectfully, and told
his chief that he had come with a message from Michel.

"The message?"

"That the arrest is successful, chief."

"Which?"

"That of the band of Numbers, chief."

"Good! Whom have you bagged?"

"Almost the whole lot, chief!"

"That is to say?"

"Mother Toulouche, Beard, Mimile, otherwise Emilet, and the Cooper--and
a few more whose names are not known."

Fandor said, laughing:

"Not Cranajour, I am certain."

"No. Cranajour has escaped," answered the policeman.

Turning to Monsieur Havard, he asked:

"You have no instructions, chief?"

"No. Tell me, how did the capture go?"

"Perfectly, chief. They were assembled in Mother Toulouche's store. They
went like lambs."

"Good!... Good!"

Monsieur Havard gave the policeman some orders. The cyclist leaped into
the saddle and disappeared.

"How did you guess that Cranajour was still at liberty?" asked Monsieur
Havard.

Fandor smiled.

"Good business! You take me to be more stupid than I am. It is
Cranajour's information which has enabled you to arrest the band of
Numbers. Consequently!..."

"Cranajour's information? You are mad, Fandor!... Whatever makes you
imagine that Cranajour belongs to our force?"

Fandor looked Monsieur Havard straight in the eye and said coolly:

"Juve has never told me that he had sent in his resignation!"

Monsieur Havard looked searchingly at our journalist, before remarking:

"Come now! What is this you are telling me? Poor Juve?..."

Fandor wished to save the chief of the detective department from telling
useless falsehoods.

"Monsieur Havard! Monsieur Havard! Interrogate the members of the band
of Numbers, and don't trouble about how I got my information ... but, be
sure of one thing, there are dead men of whom I could tell tales, of
whose existence I am as well aware of as you yourself!"

As the chief stared at the journalist, looking more and more astonished,
Fandor added:

"And I do not refer to Dollon! I am referring to Juve, to my dear friend
Juve, the king of detectives!"

XXIV

AT SAINT LAZARE

"Hop along there! See if you can't hurry up a bit!"

The warder opened the door of Elizabeth's Dollon's cell and pushed in an
old woman--a horrid looking creature.

"In with you!" commanded the warder in a harsh tone. "You are to stay
here till to-morrow. We will find another place for you when we g