not know where to begin. From all you have said I
realised that Fantomas was a most extraordinarily clever man; I did not
know anyone who could be cleverer than you; and so I watched you! It was
merely logical!"

Far from being angry, Juve was rather flattered.

"I am amazed by what you have just told me, my boy," he said with a
smile. "In the first place your reasoning is not at all bad. Of course
it is obvious that I cannot suspect myself of being Fantomas, but I
quite admit that if I were in your place I might make the supposition,
wild as it may seem. And, in the next place, you have shadowed me
without my becoming aware of the fact, and that is very good indeed: a
proof that you are uncommonly smart." He looked at the lad attentively
for a few moments, and then went on more gravely: "Are you satisfied now
that your hypothesis was wrong? Or do you still suspect me?"

"No, I don't suspect you now," Fandor declared; "not since I saw you
come into this house; Fantomas certainly would not have come to search
Gurn's rooms because----"

He stopped, and Juve, who was looking at him keenly, did not make him
finish what he was saying.

"Shall I tell you something?" he said at last. "If you continue to
display as much thought and initiative in the career you have chosen as
you have just displayed, you will very soon be the first newspaper
detective of the day!" He jumped up and led the boy off. "Come along:
I've got to go to the Law Courts at once."

"You've found out something fresh?"

"I'm going to ask them to call an interesting witness in the Gurn
affair."

* * * * *

Rain had been falling heavily all the morning and afternoon, but within
the last few minutes it had almost stopped. Dollon, the steward, put his
hand out of the window and found that only a few drops were falling now
from the heavy grey sky.

He was an invaluable servant, and a few months after the death of the
Marquise de Langrune, the Baronne de Vibray had gladly offered him a
situation, and a cottage on her estate at Querelles.

He walked across the room, and called his son.

"Jacques, would you like to come with me? I am going down to the river
to see that the sluices have been opened properly. The banks are
anything but sound, and these rains will flood us out one of these
days."

The steward and his son went down the garden towards the stream which
formed one boundary of Mme. de Vibray's park.

"Look,