ing till that chair
crashed. Then I got up to investigate ... and found you lying there,
senseless. In falling your head must have struck the leg of the table."

"You came down here--alone?"

"I listened first, heard no sound, saw no light; but I had to know what
the noise meant..."

"Still, you came downstairs alone!"

"But naturally, monsieur."

"I don't believe," said Duchemin sincerely, "the world holds a woman
your peer for courage."

"Or curiosity?" she laughed. "At all events, I found you, but could do
nothing to rouse you. So I called Jean, and he helped me get you
upstairs again."

"Where does Jean sleep?"

"In the servants' quarters, on the third floor, in the rear of the
house."

"It must have taken you some time..."

"Several minutes, I fancy. Jean sleeps soundly."

"When you came back with him--or at any time--did you see or hear--?"

"Nothing out of the normal--nobody. Indeed, I at first believed you had
somehow managed to overexert yourself and had fainted--or had tripped
on something and, falling, hurt your head."

"Later, then, you found reason to revise that theory?"

"Not till early this morning."

"Please tell me..."

"Well, you see ... It all seemed so strange, I couldn't sleep when I
went back to bed, I lay awake, puzzled, uneasy. It was broad daylight
before I noticed that the screen which stands in front of my safe was
out of place. The safe is built into the solid wall, you know. I got up
then, and found the safe door an inch or so ajar. Whoever opened it
last night, closed it hastily and neglected to shoot the bolts."

"And your jewels, of course--?"

She pronounced with unbroken composure: "They have left me nothing,
monsieur."

Duchemin groaned and hung his head. "I knew it!" he declared. "No
credit to me, however. Naturally, whoever stole my candle and knocked
me out didn't break into the house for the fun of it ... I imagine
that, what with finding me insensible, waking Jean up, and getting me
back in my room, you must have been away from yours fully half an
hour."

"Quite that long."

"It couldn't have been better arranged for the thieves," he declared.
"If only I had stayed in my room--!"

"If you had, it might possibly have been worse--mightn't it? The
burglar--or burglars--knew precisely the location of the safe. They
were coming to my room, and if they had found me awake ... I think it
quite possible, my friend, that your appetite for cigarettes may have