gnised the cogency of this reasoning and nodded.

"Continue," he said.

"She was a dark, slim girl, of about twenty. They gave me no trouble.
She scarcely left the house except for the marketing. But her father was
away a great deal."

"Did he bring much baggage?"

"Two pieces of hand-baggage, sir, and that box yonder by the window. The
box was very heavy--almost as if filled with iron--and we had great
difficulty in getting it up the stairs, even with the assistance of the
truck-man."

"Did you enter this room while he was here?"

"No, sir; I entered neither of the rooms. My rule is never to interfere
in the affairs of my tenants--they do not like it. But on one occasion,
as I passed the door, I heard him at work on his invention."

"Heard him, you say?"

"Yes, sir; there was a deep humming noise as of a huge top, or perhaps
of a motor. It occurred to me that it was a flying-machine which he was
inventing. Then, on Sunday, came a telegram."

"A telegram?"

"Yes, sir; I brought it up myself. He read it and his face grew very
grave. He informed me that he would be compelled to depart next
day--that his sister was dying. But he assured me that he would return
as soon as possible to continue his experiments, and that I was to hold
the apartment for him--at least until the month for which he had paid
had expired."

"And he did depart?"

"Yes, sir; quite early in the morning. I called a cab and assisted to
carry down his baggage. The box, as you see, remains against his return,
also his apparatus," and he indicated the batteries.

"Oh, certainly," agreed Lepine, with irony, "there can be no doubt of
his intention to return." And then his face grew dark and his eyes
flashed. "How does it happen," he demanded sternly, "that you did not
cause him to fill out a registration blank for the police?"

The little man twisted his hands nervously.

"In that I admit I was most culpable, sir," he said. "But when I looked
in my desk for a blank, I found that I had none. Every day I intended
going to the Prefecture to get a new supply, but every day something
occurred to prevent me. And then came the day of his departure."

Lepine's face was very stern.

"You have, indeed, been culpable," he said, "and I shall see that you
are punished. You have broken one of the laws of your country. You have
aided a malefactor!"

The little man's face was livid.

"Oh, do not say so, sir!" he protested. "There must be some mistake