ke him gently:

"It's I--Isidore--and a friend--don't be afraid--get up--not a word."

The father dressed himself, but, as they were leaving the room, he
whispered:

"I am not alone in the castle--"

"Ah? Who else? Ganimard? Shears?"

"No--at least, I have not seen them."

"Who then?"

"A young girl."

"Mlle. de Saint-Veran, no doubt."

"I don't know--I saw her several times at a distance, in the park--and,
when I lean out of my window, I can see hers. She has made signals to
me."

"Do you know which is her room?"

"Yes, in this passage, the third on the right."

"The blue room," murmured Valmeras. "It has folding doors: they won't
give us so much trouble."

One of the two leaves very soon gave way. Old Beautrelet undertook to
tell the girl.

Ten minutes later, he left the room with her and said to his son:

"You were right--Mlle. de Saint-Veran--;"

They all four went down the stairs. When they reached the bottom,
Valmeras stopped and bent over the man. Then, leading them to the
terrace-room:

"He is not dead," he said. "He will live."

"Ah!" said Beautrelet, with a sigh of relief.

"No, fortunately, the blade of my knife bent: the blow is not fatal.
Besides, in any case, those rascals deserve no pity."

Outside, they were met by the dogs, which accompanied them to the
postern. Here, Beautrelet found his two friends and the little band
left the park. It was three o'clock in the morning.

* * * * *

This first victory was not enough to satisfy Beautrelet. As soon as he
had comfortably settled his father and Mlle. de Saint-Veran, he asked
them about the people who lived at the castle, and, particularly, about
the habits of Arsene Lupin. He thus learnt that Lupin came only every
three or four days, arriving at night in his motor car and leaving
again in the morning. At each of his visits, he called separately upon
his two prisoners, both of whom agreed in praising his courtesy and his
extreme civility. For the moment, he was not at the castle.

Apart from him, they had seen no one except an old woman, who ruled
over the kitchen and the house, and two men, who kept watch over them
by turns and never spoke to them: subordinates, obviously, to judge by
their manners and appearance.

"Two accomplices, for all that," said Beautrelet, in conclusion, "or
rather three, with the old woman. It is a bag worth having. And, if we
lose no time--"

He jumped on his bicyc