Aventin made a little gesture of uncertainty.

"I can't answer in the affirmative, M. Juve. I did not notice that; and,
besides, when I got into the compartment, the shade was pulled down over
the lamp, and the curtains were drawn across the windows. I hardly saw
how the things were arranged. And then, when I got out at Limoges I was
in a hurry, and only thought about finding my ticket and jumping on to
the platform. But I do not think the other fellow did take his place
while I was asleep. I did not hear a sound, and yet I did not sleep at
all heavily."

"So you travelled in a first-class compartment in the slow train from
Paris to Luchon on the night of the 23rd of December, and in that
compartment there was the luggage of a traveller whom you did not
see--who may not have been there?"

"Yes," said Gervais Aventin, and, as the detective sat silent for a
moment, he enquired: "Is my information too vague to be of any use to
you?"

Juve was wondering inwardly why the dickens Etienne Rambert was not in
that compartment when, according to the depositions of the guard, he
must have been there; but he said nothing of this. Instead, he said:

"Your information is most valuable, sir. You have told me everything I
wanted to know."

Gervais Aventin displayed still more surprise.

"Well," he said, "by way of return, M. Juve, tell me something which
puzzles me. How did you know I travelled by that train that night?"

The detective drew out his pocket-book, and from an inner pocket
produced a first-class ticket, which he held out to the engineer.

"That is very simple," he replied. "Here is your ticket. I wanted to
know exactly who everyone was who travelled in that first-class
compartment, so I sent for all the first-class tickets which were given
up by passengers who left the train at the different stations. That's
how I got yours: it had been issued at Vierzon, the station where you
got in, so I interrogated the clerk at the booking-office who gave me a
description of you; then I sent down an inspector to Vierzon to make
discreet enquiries, and he got me all the information I required. All I
had to do then was to write and ask you to come here to-day; and the
regrettable story of your broken relations with the lady was an ample
guarantee to me that you would be punctual at the appointment!"

XIX. JEROME FANDOR

Whistling a quick-step, sure sign with him of a light heart, Juve opened
the door of the little r