“According to me,” declared M. Havard—“and again I tell you this officially—it would be well, Madame la Grande Duchesse, to arrest your subscription. It is, I repeat, really an insult to my office.” M. Havard paused, then proceeded: “However, you are free to act as you deem fit.... It is evident that after all ... In a word, madam, my visit had another object. I may disapprove of your subscription, I have no right to misappropriate its funds. The fact is I have received ... from an anonymous contributor a sum of ten thousand francs with the request to hand it to you; here is the money.” All the time the grand duchess and M. Havard were thus conversing, Jérôme could not help shuddering. He was barely a few yards from the man who was tracking him down with such determination! Lady Beltham was talking to M. Havard in an adjoining room, but hidden by the curtains, while he, Jérôme Fandor, who was supposed to be Fantômas’ accomplice, with the whole Criminal Bureau in pursuit of him, was only a few yards away! Was Lady Beltham going to betray him? She had adored Fantômas madly, she undoubtedly adored him still; did she not intend, to help in her lover’s work, to deliver up him, Fandor, to the Bureau? After all, she knew quite well that Jérôme Fandor was the only man—Juve being in gaol—capable of checkmating the brigand. How she must be tempted to denounce him to M. Havard! But no, no! he must, he ought to trust to her good faith; Lady Beltham was an enemy, but she was an honourable enemy! Then Fandor weighed the value to be attached to what M. Havard had said. He could well understand the annoyance the Head of the Criminal Department might reasonably feel about the subscription opened by Lady Beltham. But then, what was the meaning of this gift from an anonymous well-wisher transmitted through M. Havard’s hands? Must one not, in fact, gather that the Head of the Criminal Bureau, anxious above all measure to be rid of Fantômas, was equally desirous, while concealing his _modus operandi_, to contribute to the fund and so hasten the time when the grand duchess would have the million francs in hand and be in a position to secure the brigand’s disappearance? But Jérôme Fandor’s reflections were suddenly interrupted; he had heard Lady Beltham speaking again: “M. Havard, you may, as a police-officer, regret the opening of my subscription, which I can well understand hurts your professional interests; but as a woman, I confess I am afraid of Fantômas, I shudder at the thought of the atrocious crimes this brigand is still committing, and may go on committing. That is why I shall continue to accept all the sums of money given me with this object.” M. Havard in turn replied: