That very evening one of the most skillful members of the detective force, Rétiveau, better known in the Rue de Jerusalem under the name of Maitre Magloire, was put on M. Jandidier’s track, supplied with an excellent photograph of the merchant.
II.
The very day after M. Jandidier’s disappearance, Maitre Magloire appeared at the Palais de justice to report what he had done to the magistrate in charge of the affair.
“Ah! there you are, Monsieur Magloire,” said the magistrate; “so you’ve discovered something?”
“I am on the trail, monsieur.”
“Speak.”
“To begin with, Monsieur Jandidier did not leave home at half past six o’clock, but precisely seven.”
“Precisely?”