"Only to-day," frowned the detective. "I ought to have known it long ago."

"Hm! Aren't you building a good deal on that dream?"

"The dream? Heavens, man," snapped Coquenil, "I'm building _nothing_ on the
dream and nothing on the girl. She simply brought together two facts that
belong together. Why she did it doesn't matter; she did it, and my reason
did the rest. There is a connection between this Rio Janeiro offer and my
discharge from the force. I know it. I'll show you other links in the
chain. Three times in the past two years I have received offers of business
positions away from Paris, tempting offers. Notice that--_business
positions away from Paris!_ Some one has extraordinary reasons for wanting
me out of this city and _out of detective work_."

"And you think this 'some one' was responsible for your discharge from the
force?"

"I tell you I know it. M. Giroux, the chief at that time, was distressed at
the order, he told me so himself; he said it came from _higher up_."

The commissary raised incredulous eyebrows. "You mean that Paris has a
criminal able to overrule the wishes of a chief of police?"

"Is that harder than to influence the Brazilian Government? Do you think
Rio Janeiro offered me a hundred thousand francs a year just for my
beautiful eyes?"

"You're a great detective."

"A great detective repudiated by his own city. That's another point: why