and ages. Then, when I did, I did not wake till morning. The night
had passed absolutely quietly. Nothing out of the common had
happened. There had not been the slightest noise. I awoke Sonia and
my father. We dressed as quickly as we could, and rushed down to the
drawing-room."

She paused dramatically.

"Well?" said the Duke.

"Well, it was done."

"What was done?" said the Duke.

"Everything," said Germaine. "Pictures had gone, tapestries had
gone, cabinets had gone, and the clock had gone."

"And the coronet too?" said the Duke.

"Oh, no. That was at the Bank of France. And it was doubtless to
make up for not getting it that Lupin stole your portrait. At any
rate he didn't say that he was going to steal it in his letter."

"But, come! this is incredible. Had he hypnotized the corporal and
the six soldiers? Or had he murdered them all?" said the Duke.

"Corporal? There wasn't any corporal, and there weren't any
soldiers. The corporal was Lupin, and the soldiers were part of his
gang," said Germaine.