“They came to the railway station all right,” said Germaine. “But you know the little inn half-way between the railway station and the château? They stopped to drink there, and at eleven o’clock next morning one of the villagers found all seven of them, along with the footman who was guiding them to the château, sleeping like logs in the little wood half a mile from the inn. Of course the innkeeper could not explain when their wine was drugged. He could only tell us that a motorist, who had stopped at the inn to get some supper, had called the soldiers in and insisted on standing them drinks. They had seemed a little fuddled before they left the inn, and the motorist had insisted on driving them to the château in his car. When the drug took effect he simply carried them out of it one by one, and laid them in the wood to sleep it off.”
“Lupin seems to have made a thorough job of it, anyhow,” said the Duke.
“I should think so,” said Germaine. “Guerchard was sent down from Paris; but he could not find a single clue. It was not for want of trying, for he hates Lupin. It’s a regular fight between them, and so far Lupin has scored every point.”
“He must be as clever as they make ’em,” said the Duke.
“He is,” said Germaine. “And do you know, I shouldn’t be at all surprised if he’s in the neighbourhood now.”
“What on earth do you mean?” said the Duke.
“I’m not joking,” said Germaine. “Odd things are happening. Some one has been changing the place of things. That silver statuette now—it was on the cabinet, and we found it moved to the piano. Yet nobody had touched it. And look at this window. Some one has broken a pane in it just at the height of the fastening.”
“The deuce they have!” said the Duke.
CHAPTER IV
THE DUKE INTERVENES
The Duke rose, came to the window, and looked at the broken pane. He stepped out on to the terrace and looked at the turf; then he came back into the room.