dispute between Germaine and the millionaire about which of their
watches was right. Firmin, whose watch apparently did not agree with
the watch of either of them, made his deep voice heard above theirs.
The Duke came to the conclusion that it must be a few minutes past
seven.

"It's seven or a few minutes past," he said sharply. "Well, I'm
going to take a car and hurry off to Paris. I ought to get there,
bar accidents, between two and three in the morning, just in time to
inform the police and catch the burglars in the very midst of their
burglary. I'll just get a few things together."

So saying, he rushed out of the hall.

"Excellent! excellent!" said the millionaire. "Your young man is a
man of resource, Germaine. It seems almost a pity that he's a duke.
He'd do wonders in the building trade. But I'm going to Paris too,
and you're coming with me. I couldn't wait idly here, to save my
life. And I can't leave you here, either. This scoundrel may be
going to make a simultaneous attempt on the chateau--not that
there's much here that I really value. There's that statuette that
moved, and the pane cut out of the window. I can't leave you two
girls with burglars in the house. After all, there's the sixty
horse-power and the thirty horse-power car--there'll be lots of room
for all of us."

"Oh, but it's nonsense, papa; we shall get there before the
servants," said Germaine pettishly. "Think of arriving at an empty
house in the dead of night."