r day, that he was certain the death of
Captain Brocq must be credited to--whose account do you think?... Why
to Fantomas! And clac! Since then I have not heard a word from him!
Juve is pursuing Fantomas! Now, Fandor, how can I tolerate this?"

Fandor considered Juve had a perfect right to take his own initiative
in this particular matter--he had earned the right if ever a man had.
He answered his aggrieved chief with a question.

"But suppose Juve is right?"

"Right?... But he deceives himself.... I have proof of it!"

"You have proof of it?... But who then, according to you, Chief, has
killed Brocq?"

"My dear fellow," said Monsieur Havard, in a positive tone, "for a
logical mind that reasons coolly, for one who does not bewilder
himself in a network of Fantomas hypotheses, he who killed Brocq is
assuredly he who has killed Nichoune! Brocq, I imagine, was killed by
someone lying in wait on the top of the Arc de Triomphe. An
accomplice, during this time, or some hours before--it matters
little--had stolen the document the Ministry are looking for.... Brocq
knew Corporal Vinson ... you are aware of that, Fandor?"

"Yes, yes! Please continue!"

"Good. Vinson had the murdered Nichoune as his mistress.... Do you not
think the link between these two names is evident?... Brocq and
Nichoune have died by the same hand."...

"But all this does not exclude Fantomas as the guilty person!"

"You go too fast, Fandor. I know who killed Nichoune!"

"Oh! I say!"

"But I do. Deuce take it, you do not suppose I go by what these
officers of the Second Bureau are doing in the way of a search, do
you?... They fancy they are detectives!"

"Oh, that is going too far, surely!" expostulated Fandor.

"No," asserted Monsieur Havard. "Who did the deeds?... I know. The
investigations of my own agents, the information obtained through the
Public Prosecutor and the magistrates, point to one person--Vagualame--an
old sham beggar, who has relations of sorts with the Second Bureau."

Fandor could scarcely keep his countenance: he nearly burst into
derisive laughter. Vagualame guilty! Monsieur Havard evidently had not
all the facts. Could he possibly realise that Vagualame was one of
Colonel Hofferman's most trusted men?

Jealous of the Second Bureau and all its works, Monsieur Havard meant
to carry off the honours this time: he was going to arrest Vagualame
as the murderer of both Captain Brocq and Nichoune! And then what a
jolly blu