eight strokes. Renine closed the case and continued his inspection without
putting his telescope down. A wide arch led from the drawing-room to a
smaller apartment, a sort of smoking-room. This also was furnished, but
contained a glass case for guns of which the rack was empty. Hanging on
a panel near by was a calendar with the date of the 5th of September.

"Oh," cried Hortense, in astonishment, "the same date as to-day!... They
tore off the leaves until the 5th of September.... And this is the
anniversary! What an astonishing coincidence!"

"Astonishing," he echoed. "It's the anniversary of their departure ...
twenty years ago to-day."

"You must admit," she said, "that all this is incomprehensible.

"Yes, of course ... but, all the same ... perhaps not."

"Have you any idea?"

He waited a few seconds before replying:

"What puzzles me is this telescope hidden, dropped in that corner, at
the last moment. I wonder what it was used for.... From the ground-floor
windows you see nothing but the trees in the garden ... and the same, I
expect, from all the windows.... We are in a valley, without the least open
horizon.... To use the telescope, one would have to go up to the top of the
house.... Shall we go up?"

She did not hesitate. The mystery surrounding the whole adventure excited
her curiosity so keenly that she could think of nothing but accompanying