"It's almost done," said Weber. "That's good news! I was a little anxious about my escape. Now I am easy in my mind. From the moment when Weber is chief of the detective-service . . . !" M. Weber did not reply to the gibe. At heart, he had a queer, complex feeling in the presence of his adversary, a feeling made up of the fear with which Lupin inspired him, the deference which he entertained for Prince Sernine and the respectful admiration which he had always shown to M. Lenormand. All this was mingled with spite, envy and satisfied hatred. They arrived at the Palais de Justice. At the foot of the "mouse-trap," a number of detectives were waiting, among whom M. Weber rejoiced to see his best two lieutenants, the brothers Doudeville. "Has M. Formerie come?" he asked. "Yes, chief, Monsieur le Juge d'Instruction is in his room." M. Weber went up the stairs, followed by Lupin, who had the Doudevilles on either side of him. "Geneviève?" whispered the prisoner. "Saved. . . ." "Where is she?" "With her grandmother." "Mrs. Kesselbach?" "In Paris, at the Bristol." "Suzanne?" "Disappeared." "Steinweg?" "Released." "What has he told you?" "Nothing. Won't make any revelations except to you." "Why?" "We told him he owed his release to you." "Newspapers good this morning?" "Excellent." "Good. If you want to write to me, here are my instructions." They had reached the inner corridor on the first floor and Lupin slipped a pellet of paper into the hand of one of the brothers. * * * * * M. Formerie uttered a delicious phrase when Lupin entered his room accompanied by the deputy-chief: "Ah, there you are! I knew we should lay hands on you some day or other!" "So did I, Monsieur le Juge d'Instruction," said Lupin, "and I am glad that you have been marked out by fate to do justice to the honest man that I am." "He's getting at me," thought M. Formerie. And, in the same ironical and serious tone as Lupin, he retorted, "The honest man that you are, sir, will be asked what he has to say about three hundred and forty-four separate cases of larceny, burglary, swindling and forgery, blackmail, receiving and so on. Three hundred and forty-four!" "What! Is that all?" cried Lupin. "I really feel quite ashamed." "Don't distress yourself! I shall discover more. But let us proceed in order. Arsène Lupin, in spite of all our inquiries, we have no definite information as to your real name." "How odd! No more have I!" "We are not even in a position to declare that you are the same Arsène Lupin who was confined in the Santé a few years back, and from there made his first escape." "'His first escape' is good, and does you credit." "It so happens, in fact," continued M. Formerie, "that the Arsène Lupin card in the measuring department gives a description of Arsène Lupin which differs at all points from your real description." "How more and more odd!"