. Without letting go
of the youth, the green man bent forward to the sergeant and had a brief
but animated conversation with him.

"Yes, sir, that's all," the sergeant said respectfully; "I haven't
anyone else."

The green man stamped his foot in wrath.

"Good Lord! Gurn has got away!"

* * * * *

Towards the rue Montmartre the green man rapidly dragged his companion,
who was trembling in every limb, and utterly at a loss to guess what the
future held in store for him. Suddenly the green man halted, just under
the light of a street lamp outside the church of Saint-Eustache. He
stood squarely in front of his prisoner and looked him full in the
eyes.

"I am Juve," he said, "the detective!" and as the young man stared at
him in silent dismay, Juve went on, emphasising each of his words, and
with a sardonic smile flickering over his face. "And you, Mademoiselle
Jeanne--you are Charles Rambert!"

XVIII. A PRISONER AND A WITNESS

Juve had spoken in a tone of command that brooked no reply. His keen
eyes seemed to pierce through Paul and read his inmost soul. The winking
light of the street lamp shed a wan halo round the lad, who obviously
wanted to move away from its radius, but Juve held him fast.

"Come now, answer! You are Charles Rambert, and you were Mademoiselle
Jeanne?"

"I don't understand," Paul declared.

"Really!" sneered Juve. He hailed a passing cab. "Get in," he ordered
briefly, and pushing the lad in before him he gave an address to the
driver, entered the cab and shut the door. Juve sat there rubbing his
hands as if well pleased with his night's work. For several minutes he
remained silent, and then turned to his companion.

"You think it is clever to deny it," he remarked, "but do you imagine it
isn't obvious to anyone that you are Charles Rambert, and that you were
disguised as Mademoiselle Jeanne?"

"But you are wrong," Paul insisted. "Charles Rambert is dead."

"So you know that, do you? Then you admit that you know whom I am
talking about?"

The lad coloured and began to tremble. Juve looked out of the window,
pretending not to notice him, and smiled gently. Then he went on in a
friendly tone. "But you know it's stupid to deny what can't be denied.
Besides, you should remember that if I know you are Charles Rambert I
must know something else as well; and therefore----"

"Well, yes," Paul acknowledged, "I _am_ Charles Rambert, and I was
disguised