refet, whereas the discovery of the turquoise constitutes
in your eyes an extremely serious proof against me, to me it is a
revelation of the highest importance. I will tell you why. That turquoise
must have fallen from my ring last evening and rolled on the carpet.

"Now there are only four persons," he continued, "who can have noticed
this fall when it happened, picked up the turquoise and, in order to
compromise the new adversary that I was, slipped it into the safe. The
first of those four persons is one of your detectives, Sergeant Mazeroux,
of whom we will not speak. The second is dead: I refer to M. Fauville. We
will not speak of him. The third is Silvestre, the manservant. I should
like to say a few words to him. I shall not take long."

Silvestre's examination, in fact, was soon over. He was able to prove
that, pending the return of Mme. Fauville, for whom he had to open the
door, he had not left the kitchen, where he was playing at cards with the
lady's maid and another manservant.

"Very well," said Perenna. "One word more. You must have read in this
morning's papers of the death of Inspector Verot and seen his portrait."

"Yes."

"Do you know Inspector Verot?"

"No."

"Still, it is probable that he came here yesterday, during the day."

"I can't say," replied the servant. "M. Fauville used to receive many
visitors through the garden and let them in himself."

"You have no more evidence to give?"

"No."

"Please tell Mme. Fauville that Monsieur le Prefet would be very much
obliged if he could have a word with her."

Silvestre left the room.

The examining magistrate and the public prosecutor had drawn nearer in
astonishment.

The Prefect exclaimed:

"What, Monsieur! You don't mean to pretend that Mme. Fauville is
mixed up--"

"Monsieur le Prefet, Mme. Fauville is the fourth person who may have seen
the turquoise drop out of my ring."

"And what then? Have we the right, in the absence of any real proof,
to suppose that a woman can kill her husband, that a mother can
poison her son?"

"I am supposing nothing, Monsieur le Prefet."

"Then--?"

Don Luis made no reply. M. Desmalions did not conceal his irritation.
However, he said:

"Very well; but I order you most positively to remain silent. What
questions am I to put to Mme. Fauville?"

"One only, Monsieur le Prefet: ask Mme. Fauville if she knows any one,
apart from her husband, who is descended from the sisters Roussel."

"Why t