en about the face. She's
quite sixty years old; whereas, yesterday's visitor was short and fair,
and not more than forty-five."

"If that's the case," interrupted M. Segmuller, "this visitor must be
one of our fugitives."

"I don't think so."

"Who do you suppose she was, then?"

"Why, the landlady of the Hotel de Mariembourg--that clever woman who
succeeded so well in deceiving me. But she had better take care! There
are means of verifying my suspicions."

The magistrate scarcely heard Lecoq's last words, so enraged was he at
the inconceivable audacity and devotion displayed by so many people:
all of whom were apparently willing to run the greatest risks so long as
they could only assure the murderer's incognito.

"But how could the accomplice have known of the existence of this
permit?" he asked after a pause.

"Oh, nothing could be easier, sir," replied Lecoq. "When the Widow
Chupin and the accomplice had that interview at the station-house near
the Barriere d'Italie, they both realized the necessity of warning
Polyte. While trying to devise some means of getting to him, the old
woman remembered her sister's visiting card, and the man made some
excuse to borrow it."

"Yes, such must be the case," said M. Segmuller, approvingly. "It will
be necessary to ascertain, however--"

"And I will ascertain," interrupted Lecoq, with a resolute air, "if you
will only intrust the matter to me, sir. If you will authorize me I
will have two spies on the watch before to-night, one in the Rue de
la Butte-aux-Cailles, and the other at the door of the Hotel de
Mariembourg. If the accomplice ventured to visit Toinon or Madame Milner
he would be arrested; and then we should have our turn!"

However, there was no time to waste in vain words and idle boasting.
Lecoq therefore checked himself, and took up his hat preparatory to
departure. "Now," said he, "I must ask you, sir, for my liberty; if
you have any orders, you will find a trusty messenger in the corridor,
Father Absinthe, one of my colleagues. I want to find out something
about Lacheneur's letter and the diamond earring."

"Go, then," replied M. Segmuller, "and good luck to you!"

Good luck! Yes, indeed, Lecoq looked for it. If up to the present moment
he had taken his successive defeats good-humoredly, it was because he
believed that he had a talisman in his pocket which was bound to insure
ultimate victory.

"I shall be very stupid if I can't discover the owner o