ally established that he ever was
on board that ship. Of course, I know his name was in the list of
passengers, but a child could have contrived a device of that sort.
Besides, all the circumstances attending that disaster are still an
utter mystery. My belief is that a Fantomas would be perfectly capable
of causing an explosion on a ship and blowing up a hundred and fifty
people, if thereby he could dispose of one of his identities, especially
such a terribly compromising identity as that of Etienne Rambert."

The President dismissed the theory with a word.

"Pure romance!" he said. "And what about the murder of Dollon? I should
like, further, to remind you that the fragment of map which, according
to you, was the real reason for this man's death, was found on his
body, and does not correspond in the least with the hole cut in the map
you found in Gurn's rooms."

"As for that," Juve said with a smile, "the explanation is obvious. If
Gurn, whom I charge with the murder of Dollon, had been content merely
to abstract the real fragment, he would so to speak have set his
signature to the crime. But he was much too clever for that: he was
subtle enough to abstract the compromising fragment and substitute
another fragment for it--the one found on the body."

"Perhaps," said the President; "that is possible, but I repeat, Gurn was
in prison at the time."

"True! True!" said Juve, throwing up his hands. "I am prepared to swear
that it was Gurn who did the murder, but I cannot yet explain how he did
it, since he was in solitary confinement in the Sante."

Silence fell upon the court; Juve refrained from saying anything more,
but a sarcastic smile curled his lip.

"Have you anything else to say?" the President asked after a pause.

"Nothing: except that anything is possible to Fantomas."

The President turned to the prisoner.

"Gurn, have you anything to say, any confession to make? The jury will
listen to you."

Gurn rose to his feet.

"I do not understand a word of what the detective has just been saying,"
he said.

The President looked at Juve again.

"You suggest that there shall be a supplementary investigation?"

"Yes."

"Mr. Solicitor-General, have you any application to make on that
subject?" the President asked the Public Prosecutor.

"No," said the functionary. "The witness's allegations are altogether
too vague."

"Very well. The Court will deliberate forthwith."

The judges gathered round the