to help no. 25, the Rambert woman, to escape."

Berthe was so utterly astonished that she overcame her fright
sufficiently to stammer out a question:

"But what--but who----?"

Lower still, but yet more peremptorily, the voice became audible again.

"Fantomas forbids you to do it! And if you disobey, you die!"

The nurse dropped back upon the bench half fainting with fright, and the
row in the supper room grew worse. Three men were fighting now, the
green man being at grips with two at once. The green man did not seem to
feel the blows rained on him, but with a strength that was far beyond
the ordinary he gripped hold of an arm and slid his hands along the
sleeve, never letting go of the arm, until he reached the wrist, when
wrenching open the clenched fist he slipped his fingers on to the palm
of the hand. A little exclamation of triumph escaped him, and
simultaneously the owner of the hand uttered an exclamation of pain, for
the green man's fingers had touched a still raw wound upon the hollow of
the palm.

But at that instant his leg was caught between two powerful knees, and
the slightest pressure more would have broken it. The green man was
forced to let go the hand he held; he fell to the ground with his
adversary upon him, and for a moment thought that he was lost. But at
the same moment his adversary let go of him in turn, having been taken
by surprise by yet a third combatant who joined in the fray and
separated the first two, devoting himself to a furious assault upon the
man whom the green man had tried to capture. The green man passed a
rapid hand over the individual who had just rescued him from the fierce
assault, and was conscious of a shock of surprise as he identified the
young man with the budding beard; thereupon he collared him firmly by
the neck and did not let him go.

* * * * *

In the crush the combatants had been forced towards the staircase, and
at this narrow entrance into the hall bodies were being trampled
underfoot and piercing screams rent the air. Francois Bonbonne had not
made the least attempt to interfere. He knew exactly the proper
procedure when trouble of this sort broke out, and he had gone to the
corner of the street and sent the constable on duty there to the nearest
police station for help. Directly the first gendarmes arrived, Francois
Bonbonne led them behind the counter in the shop and showed them the
fire hose; with the skill acquired