Fandor returned to the door of Elizabeth's room, knelt down and tried to look through the keyhole. The inside key was there, which seemed to confirm his agonising fear. "She has not gone out then?" He took a deep breath. "What a horrible smell of gas!" This time he did not hesitate. He rose, stepped back, sprang forward, and with a vigorous push from the shoulder, he drove the door off its hinges. "My God!" he shouted. In the centre of the room, Fandor had just seen Elizabeth Dollon lying unconscious. A tube, detached from a portable gas stove, was between her tightly closed lips! The tap was turned full on. He flung himself on his knees near the poor girl, pulled away the deadly tube, and put his ear to her heart. What joy, what happiness, he felt when he heard, very feeble but quite unmistakable beatings of Elizabeth's heart! "She lives!" What unspeakable relief Jerome Fandor felt! What thankfulness! The noise he had made breaking the door off its hinges brought the whole household running to the spot. As the manservant, followed by Madame Bourrat, followed in turn by Monsieur Barbey and Nanteuil, appeared in the doorway uttering cries of terror, Jerome called out: "No one is to come in!... It is an accident!" Then lifting Elizabeth in his strong arms, he carried her out of the room. "What she needs is air!" He hurried downstairs and out into the garden with his precious burden, followed by the terrified witnesses of the scene. "You have saved her life, monsieur!" cried Madame Bourrat in a tragic voice. She groaned. "Oh, what a scandal!" "Yes, I have saved her," replied Fandor as, panting with his exertions, he laid Elizabeth Dollon flat on a garden seat.... "But from whom?... It is certainly not attempted suicide! There is some mystery behind this business: it's a regular theatrical performance arranged simply for effect, and to mislead us," declared Fandor. Then, turning to the bankers, he said courteously but with an air of command: "Please lay information with the superintendent of police at once ... the nearest police station, you understand!" "Madame," he said, addressing the overwhelmed Madame Bourrat, "you will be good enough to look after Mademoiselle Dollon, will you not?... Take every care of her. There is not much to be done, however! I have seen many cases of commencing asphyxia: she will regain consciousness now, in a few minutes." Then, looking at the manservant, he said in a sharp tone: "Come with me! You will mount guard at the door of Mademoiselle Elizabeth's room, whilst I try to discover some clues, before the police arrive on the scene." To tell the truth, our young journalist felt embarrassed at the idea that Elizabeth Dollon was about to regain consciousness, and that he would have to submit to being thanked by her, when she knew who had saved her. Accompanied by the manservant, he went quickly upstairs and into Elizabeth's room.