“Good heavens! Then they HAVE stolen it,” cried the millionaire hoarsely, in a panic-stricken voice. “But they can’t have—this safe hasn’t been touched,” said the Duke. “But the coronet never was in that safe. It was—have they entered my bedroom?” said the millionaire. “No,” said M. Formery. “They don’t seem to have gone through any of the rooms except these two,” said the Duke. “Ah, then my mind is at rest about that. The safe in my bedroom has only two keys. Here is one.” He took a key from his waistcoat pocket and held it out to them. “And the other is in this safe.” The face of M. Formery was lighted up with a splendid satisfaction. He might have rescued the coronet with his own hands. He cried triumphantly, “There, you see!” “See? See?” cried the millionaire in a sudden bellow. “I see that they have robbed me—plundered me. Oh, my pictures! My wonderful pictures! Such investments!” CHAPTER XII THE THEFT OF THE PENDANT They stood round the millionaire observing his anguish, with eyes in which shone various degrees of sympathy. As if no longer able to bear the sight of such woe, Sonia slipped out of the room. The millionaire lamented his loss and abused the thieves by turns, but always at the top of his magnificent voice. Suddenly a fresh idea struck him. He clapped his hand to his brow and cried: “That eight hundred pounds! Charolais will never buy the Mercrac now! He was not a bona fide purchaser!” The Duke’s lips parted slightly and his eyes opened a trifle wider than their wont. He turned sharply on his heel, and almost sprang into the other drawing-room. There he laughed at his ease. M. Formery kept saying to the millionaire: “Be calm, M. Gournay-Martin. Be calm! We shall recover your masterpieces. I pledge you my word. All we need is time. Have patience. Be calm!” His soothing remonstrances at last had their effect. The millionaire grew calm: “Guerchard?” he said. “Where is Guerchard?” M. Formery presented Guerchard to him. “Are you on their track? Have you a clue?” said the millionaire. “I think,” said M. Formery in an impressive tone, “that we may now proceed with the inquiry in the ordinary way.” He was a little piqued by the millionaire’s so readily turning from him to the detective. He went to a writing-table, set some sheets of paper before him, and prepared to make notes on the answers to his questions. The Duke came back into the drawing-room; the inspector was summoned. M. Gournay-Martin sat down on a couch with his hands on his knees and gazed gloomily at M. Formery. Germaine, who was sitting on a couch near the door, waiting with an air of resignation for her father to cease his lamentations, rose and moved to a chair nearer the writing-table. Guerchard kept moving restlessly about the room, but noiselessly. At last he came to a standstill, leaning against the wall behind M. Formery.