Was it possible that in examining the effects of Shaw and Asta the police had ascertained the address of their hiding-place in England? I stood in the centre of the room gazing at the heap of papers and letters upon the bed, apprehensive and bewildered. Returning below, I induced the big Swiss night-porter to rouse the manager; and some ten minutes later the latter came to me in trousers and coat, evidently not in a very good-humour at being disturbed. He seemed surprised to see me there, and I said with a laugh-- "I suppose you believed I had been arrested?" "Well," he replied, "the police took you away." "For interrogation only," I replied. "But I am in search of my friends." "And the police are in search of them also, I believe," he replied abruptly. "It does no good to the reputation of the hotel to have such visitors, m'sieur." "Then they have not been arrested!" I cried in delight. "No. Mademoiselle, I believe, must have recognised the inspector of the Surete from Paris as she was coming downstairs. She rushed back and told her father, and hastily seizing her dressing-case, while he took a small bag, they both descended the service stairs and made their exit by the back premises. There was a door below which is always kept locked, but Monsieur Shaw had somehow provided himself with a key in case of emergency, for we found it in the lock. When the police, after arresting you, went upstairs to take the pair, they found they had already flown. They must have rushed down to the station and caught the Paris night express, which was due just about the time they would arrive there." "And the police are furious," I said. "They must be." "They have, I believe, just missed a most important, capture." "What was the charge against them?" I inquired "Ah, they would not tell me," was his reply. "They seemed to be acting with great caution and secrecy. They made a careful examination of everything, and only left about three-quarters of an hour ago." And with that I was compelled to remain satisfied. CHAPTER TWENTY TWO. THE SECRET OF HARVEY SHAW. For three days I remained in Aix, awaiting some news or message from the fugitives--but none came. Tramu called and saw me twice, evidently astounded at the channel of escape which Shaw had so cunningly prepared. He had, no doubt, obtained an impression of one of the servants' master keys, and had one cut to fit the locked door which prevented visitors from passing out by any other way save by the front hall. He had anticipated that flight might be necessary, and the fact that he had prepared for it showed that he was both cunning and fearless. Asta's injunctions to me to say nothing showed plainly that they intended still to keep their hiding-place a secret. And if Shaw was the adventurer I believed, it was not likely that either he or she would carry anything by which to reveal their more respectable identity.