"Why, sir, M. Mahon has lived here only a month or six weeks. He can scarcely be very well off, for when he moved in I did not see any fine furniture go up. I believe for that matter he is an old cavalry officer, and, in the army nowadays, folks scarcely make fortunes." "That's true enough," assented Fandor. "Anyhow he is a very charming man, an ideal lodger. To begin with, he is infirm, almost paralysed in both legs. I believe he never goes out of an evening. And then he never has any visitors except two young fellows who are serving their time in the army." "Are they with him now?" "No, sir, they never come till three or four in the afternoon." Fandor slipped a coin into the woman's hand and went upstairs. He rang at the door and was surprised at a strange, soft rolling sound. "Oh, I know," he thought; "the poor man must move about his rooms in a rubber-tired wheel chair." He was not mistaken. Scarcely was the door opened when he caught sight of an old man of much distinction seated in a wheel chair. This invalid greeted the journalist pleasantly. "M. Fandor?" "The same, sir." M. Mahon pushed forward his chair and motioned to his visitor to come in. Fandor entered a room in which the curtains were closely drawn and which was brilliantly illuminated with electric lights, although it was the middle of the afternoon. Was it a trap? The journalist instinctively hesitated in the doorway. But behind him a cordial voice called: "Come in, you all kinds of an idiot!" The door clicked behind him and the invalid, getting out of his chair, burst into a fit of laughter. "Juve! Juve!" "As you see!" "Bah, what farce are you playing here? Why this lit-up room?" "All for very good reasons. If you will be kind enough to take a seat, I will explain." Fandor dropped into a chair staring at Juve, who continued: "When you came back the other day and told me that unlikely yarn about Lady Beltham being alive, I decided to try new methods. First of all, I became a cavalry officer, then I got this wheel chair and moved into this apartment." As Juve paused, Fandor, more and more amazed, inquired: "But your reason for all this!" "Just wait! The day after the Dixon business, I put three of my best men on the track of the American. I had a notion he would want to see Josephine again, and I was not mistaken. She came back to justify herself in his eyes. The story ended as might have been foreseen. Michel, who brought me the news, said that Josephine had agreed to become Dixon's mistress." "The deuce!" "Oh, there is nothing to be surprised at that. Michel made arrangements to learn all the details. Josephine is to live at 33 C in Boulevard Pereire South; that is, to the right of the railway line, fourth floor. Here we are at 24 B Boulevard Pereire North, to left of the railway, fifth floor, and just opposite." "And what does this old M. Mahon do, Juve?" Juve smiled. "You are going to see, my lad."