the house."

"When was this?" asked Lemerre.

The man pointed to a lad who leaned against the balustrade above the
lake, hot and panting for breath.

"He came on his bicycle. He has just arrived."

"Follow me," said Lemerre.

Six yards from where they stood a couple of steps led down from the
embankment on to a wooden landing-stage, where boats were moored.
Lemerre, followed by the others, walked briskly down on to the
landing-stage. An electric launch was waiting. It had an awning and was
of the usual type which one hires at Geneva. There were two sergeants
in plain clothes on board, and a third man, whom Ricardo recognised.

"That is the man who found out in whose shop the cord was bought," he
said to Hanaud.

"Yes, it is Durette. He has been here since yesterday."

Lemerre and the three who followed him stepped into it, and it backed
away from the stage and, turning, sped swiftly outwards from Geneva.
The gay lights of the shops and the restaurants were left behind, the
cool darkness enveloped them; a light breeze blew over the lake, a
trail of white and tumbled water lengthened out behind and overhead, in
a sky of deepest blue, the bright stars shone like gold.

"If only we are in time!" said Hanaud, catching his breath.

"Yes," answered Lemerre; and in both their voices there was a strange
note of gravity.

Lemerre gave a signal after a while, and the boat turned to the shore
and reduced its speed. They had passed the big villas. On the bank the
gardens of houses--narrow, long gardens of a street of small
houses--reached down to the lake, and to almost each garden there was a
rickety landing-stage of wood projecting into the lake. Again Lemerre
gave a signal, and the boat's speed was so much reduced that not a
sound of its coming could be heard. It moved over the water like a
shadow, with not so much as a curl of white at its bows.

Lemerre touched Hanaud on the shoulder and pointed to a house in a row
of houses. All the windows except two upon the second floor and one
upon the ground floor were in absolute darkness, and over those upper
two the wooden shutters were closed. But in the shutters there were
diamond-shaped holes, and from these holes two yellow beams of light,
like glowing eyes upon the watch, streamed out and melted in the air.

"You are sure that the front of the house is guarded?" asked Hanaud
anxiously.

"Yes," replied Lemerre.

Ricardo shivered with excitement. The launch slid n