"Let them wait in the kitchen and the servants' offices," said M.
Formery. He stood silent, buried in profound meditation, for a
couple of minutes. Then he turned to the Duke and said, "What was
that you said about a theft of motor-cars at Charmerace?"

"When he received the letter from Arsene Lupin, M. Gournay-Martin
decided to start for Paris at once," said the Duke. "But when we
sent for the cars we found that they had just been stolen. M.
Gournay-Martin's chauffeur and another servant were in the garage
gagged and bound. Only an old car, a hundred horse-power Mercrac,
was left. I drove it to Paris, leaving M. Gournay-Martin and his
family to come on by train."

"Very important--very important indeed," said M. Formery. He thought
for a moment, and then added. "Were the motor-cars the only things
stolen? Were there no other thefts?"

"Well, as a matter of fact, there was another theft, or rather an
attempt at theft," said the Duke with some hesitation. "The rogues
who stole the motor-cars presented themselves at the chateau under
the name of Charolais--a father and three sons--on the pretext of
buying the hundred-horse-power Mercrac. M. Gournay-Martin had
advertised it for sale in the Rennes Advertiser. They were waiting
in the big hall of the chateau, which the family uses as the chief
living-room, for the return of M. Gournay-Martin. He came; and as
they left the hall one of them attempted to steal a pendant set with
pearls which I had given to Mademoiselle Gournay-Martin half an hour
before. I caught him in the act and saved the pendant."