She whispered:
“The money. … I’ve been robbed. … All the notes gone. …”
And she fainted away.
What had happened? Gabriel said—and, as soon as she was able to speak, Mme. Dugrival completed her nephew’s story—that he was startled from his sleep by finding himself attacked by two men, one of whom gagged him, while the other fastened him down. He was unable to see the men in the dark, but he heard the noise of the struggle between them and his aunt. It was a terrible struggle, Mme. Dugrival declared. The ruffians, who obviously knew their way about, guided by some intuition, made straight for the little cupboard containing the money and, in spite of her resistance and outcries, laid hands upon the bundle of banknotes. As they left, one of them, whom she had bitten in the arm, stabbed her with a knife, whereupon the men had both fled.
“Which way?” she was asked.
“Through the door of my bedroom and afterward, I suppose, through the hall-door.”
“Impossible! The porter would have noticed them.”
For the whole mystery lay in this: how had the ruffians entered the house and how did they manage to leave it? There was no outlet open to them. Was it one of the tenants? A careful inquiry proved the absurdity of such a supposition.
What then?
Chief-inspector Ganimard, who was placed in special charge of the case, confessed that he had never known anything more bewildering:
“It’s very like Lupin,” he said, “and yet it’s not Lupin. … No, there’s more in it than meets the eye, something very doubtful and suspicious. … Besides, if it were Lupin, why should he take back the fifty thousand francs which he sent? There’s another question that puzzles me: what is the connection between the second robbery and the first, the one on the racecourse? The whole thing is incomprehensible and I have a sort of feeling—which is very rare with me—that it is no use hunting. For my part, I give it up.”
The examining-magistrate threw himself into the case with heart and soul. The reporters united their efforts with those of the police. A famous English sleuthhound crossed the Channel. A wealthy American, whose head had been turned by detective-stories, offered a big reward to whosoever should supply the first information leading to the discovery of the truth. Six weeks later, no one was any the wiser. The public adopted Ganimard’s view; and the examining-magistrate himself grew tired of struggling in a darkness which only became denser as time went on.
And life continued as usual with Dugrival’s widow. Nursed by her nephew, she soon recovered from her wound. In the mornings, Gabriel settled her in an easy-chair at the dining-room window, did the rooms and then went out marketing. He cooked their lunch without even accepting the proffered assistance of the porter’s wife.
Worried by the police investigations and especially by the requests for interviews, the aunt and nephew refused to see anybody. Not even the portress, whose chatter disturbed and wearied Mme. Dugrival, was admitted. She fell back upon Gabriel, whom she accosted each time that he passed her room:
“Take care, M. Gabriel, you’re both of you being spied upon. There are men watching you. Why, only last night, my husband caught a fellow staring up at your windows.”
“Nonsense!” said Gabriel. “It’s all right. That’s the police, protecting us.”
One afternoon, at about four o’clock, there was a violent altercation between two costermongers at the bottom of the street. The porter’s wife at once left her room to listen to the invectives which the adversaries were hurling at each other’s heads. Her back was no sooner turned than a man, young, of medium height and dressed in a grey suit of irreproachable cut, slipped into the house and ran up the staircase.
When he came to the third floor, he rang the bell. Receiving no answer, he rang again. At the third summons, the door opened.
“Mme. Dugrival?” he asked, taking off his hat.
“Mme. Dugrival is still an invalid and unable to see anyone,” said Gabriel, who stood in the hall.
“It’s most important that I should speak to her.”
“I am her nephew and perhaps I could take her a message. …”
“Very well,” said the man. “Please tell Mme. Dugrival that an accident has supplied me with valuable information concerning the robbery from which she has suffered and that I should like to go over the flat and ascertain certain particulars for myself. I am accustomed to this sort of inquiry; and my call is sure to be of use to her.”
Gabriel examined the visitor for a moment, reflected and said:
“In that case, I suppose my aunt will consent … Pray come in.”
He opened the door of the dining-room and stepped back to allow the other to pass. The stranger walked to the threshold, but, at the moment when he was crossing it, Gabriel raised his arm and, with a swift movement, struck him with a dagger over the right shoulder.
A burst of laughter rang through the room:
“Got him!” cried Mme. Dugrival, darting up from her chair. “Well done, Gabriel! But, I say, you haven’t killed the scoundrel, have you?”
“I don’t think so, aunt. It’s a small blade and I didn’t strike him too hard.”
The man was staggering, with his hands stretched in front of him and his face deathly pale.
“You fool!” sneered the widow. “So you’ve fallen into the trap … and a good job too! We’ve been looking out for you a long time. Come, my fine fellow, down with you! You don’t care about it, do you? But you can’t help yourself, you see.
