intly concerned, although the
exact degrees of guilt cannot quite be apportioned," said the
detective.

"And all three are at large!" added the Judge.

"If you will issue warrants for arrest, M. le Juge, we can take
them--two of them at any rate--when we choose."

"That should be at once," remarked the Commissary, eager, as
usual, for decisive action.

"Very well. Let us proceed in that way. Prepare the warrants," said
the Judge, turning to his clerk. "And you," he went on, addressing
M. Flocon, "dear colleague, will you see to their execution? Madame
is at the Hotel Madagascar; that will be easy. The Italian Ripaldi
we shall hear of through your inspector Block. As for the maid,
Hortense Petitpre, we must search for her. That too, sir, you will
of course undertake?"

"I will charge myself with it, certainly. My man should be here by
now, and I will instruct him at once. Ask for him," said M. Flocon
to the guard whom he called in.

"The inspector is there," said the guard, pointing to the outer
room. "He has just returned."

"Returned? You mean arrived."

"No, monsieur, returned. It is Block, who left an hour or more
ago."

"Block? Then something has happened--he has some special
information, some great news! Shall we see him, M. le Juge?"

When Block appeared, it was evident that something had gone wrong
with him. His face wore a look of hot, flurried excitement, and
his manner was one of abject, cringing self-abasement.

"What is it?" asked the little Chief, sharply. "You are alone.
Where is your man?"

"Alas, monsieur! how shall I tell you? He has gone--disappeared! I
have lost him!"

"Impossible! You cannot mean it! Gone, now, just when we most want
him? Never!"

"It is so, unhappily."

"Idiot! _Triple_ idiot! You shall be dismissed, discharged from
this hour. You are a disgrace to the force." M. Flocon raved
furiously at his abashed subordinate, blaming him a little too
harshly and unfairly, forgetting that until quite recently there
had been no strong suspicion against the Italian. We are apt at
times to expect others to be intuitively possessed of knowledge
that has only come to us at a much later date.

"How was it? Explain. Of course you have been drinking. It is
that, or your great gluttony. You were beguiled into some
eating-house."

"Monsieur, you shall hear the exact truth. When we started more
than an hour ago, our fiacre took the usual route, by the Quais
and along the riverside