"A communication! a communication!" he repeated, with a horrified air.

Quick as lightning, Lecoq picked up the missile. "Ah," murmured he, "I
guessed that this man was in communication with his friends."

The young detective's evident delight changed the governor's stupor into
fury. "Ah! my prisoners are writing!" he exclaimed, wild with passion.
"My warders are acting as postmen! By my faith, this matter shall be
looked into."

So saying, he was about to rush to the door when Lecoq stopped him.
"What are you going to do, sir?" he asked.

"I am going to call all the employees of this prison together, and
inform them that there is a traitor among them, and that I must know who
he is, as I wish to make an example of him. And if, in twenty-four hours
from now, the culprit has not been discovered, every man connected with
this prison shall be removed."

Again he started to leave the room, and Lecoq, this time, had almost to
use force to detain him. "Be calm, sir; be calm," he entreated.

"I will punish--"

"Yes, yes--I understand that--but wait until you have regained your
self-possession. It is quite possible that the guilty party may be one
of the prisoners who assist in the distribution of food every morning."

"What does that matter?"

"Excuse me, but it matters a great deal. If you noise this discovery
abroad, we shall never discover the truth. The traitor will not be fool
enough to confess his guilt. We must be silent and wait. We will keep a
close watch and detect the culprit in the very act."

These objections were so sensible that the governor yielded. "So be it,"
he sighed, "I will try and be patient. But let me see the missive that
was enclosed in this bit of bread."

Lecoq could not consent to this proposal. "I warned M. Segmuller," said
he, "that there would probably be something new this morning; and he
will be waiting for me in his office. We must only examine the letter in
his presence."

This remark was so correct that the governor assented; and they at once
started for the Palais de Justice. On their way, Lecoq endeavored to
convince his companion that it was wrong to deplore a circumstance
which might be of incalculable benefit to the prosecution. "It was an
illusion," said he, "to imagine that the governor of a prison could be
more cunning than the prisoners entrusted to him. A prisoner is almost
always a match in ingenuity for his custodians."

The young detective had not finished spea