“He’ll have less now,” said the inspector drily. “It’s generally the confidential ones who let their masters down.” The inspector and his men set about a thorough search of the house. They found the other rooms undisturbed. In half an hour they had established the fact that the burglars had confined their attention to the two drawing-rooms. They found no traces of them; and they did not find Victoire. The concierge could throw no light on her disappearance. He and his wife had been taken by surprise in their sleep and in the dark. They had been gagged and bound, they declared, without so much as having set eyes on their assailants. The Duke and the inspector came back to the plundered drawing-room. The inspector looked at his watch and went to the telephone. “I must let the Prefecture know,” he said. “Be sure you ask them to send Guerchard,” said the Duke. “Guerchard?” said the inspector doubtfully. “M. Formery, the examining magistrate, does not get on very well with Guerchard.” “What sort of a man is M. Formery? Is he capable?” said the Duke. “Oh, yes—yes. He’s very capable,” said the inspector quickly. “But he doesn’t have very good luck.” “M. Gournay-Martin particularly asked me to send for Guerchard if I arrived too late, and found the burglary already committed,” said the Duke. “It seems that there is war to the knife between Guerchard and this Arsène Lupin. In that case Guerchard will leave no stone unturned to catch the rascal and recover the stolen treasures. M. Gournay-Martin felt that Guerchard was the man for this piece of work very strongly indeed.” “Very good, your Grace,” said the inspector. And he rang up the Prefecture of Police. The Duke heard him report the crime and ask that Guerchard should be sent. The official in charge at the moment seemed to make some demur. The Duke sprang to his feet, and said in an anxious tone, “Perhaps I’d better speak to him myself.” He took his place at the telephone and said, “I am the Duke of Charmerace. M. Gournay-Martin begged me to secure the services of M. Guerchard. He laid the greatest stress on my securing them, if on reaching Paris I found that the crime had already been committed.” The official at the other end of the line hesitated. He did not refuse on the instant as he had refused the inspector. It may be that he reflected that M. Gournay-Martin was a millionaire and a man of influence; that the Duke of Charmerace was a Duke; that he, at any rate, had nothing whatever to gain by running counter to their wishes. He said that Chief-Inspector Guerchard was not at the Prefecture, that he was off duty; that he would send down two detectives, who were on duty, at once, and summon Chief-Inspector Guerchard with all speed. The Duke thanked him and rang off. “That’s all right,” he said cheerfully, turning to the inspector. “What time will M. Formery be here?”