"We cannot arrest de Naarboveck!"...
"Why?... What do you mean?"...
"Because, though I have the right to place my hand on the collar of Fantômas, I have no power to arrest de Naarboveck!"...
Fandor's reply to this was an uncomprehending stare.
"It's Greek to you, I see! Trust me, Fandor! At present I have no right to reveal this secret, but, take my word for it, Naarboveck is inviolable!"
Fandor understood that this was an official secret which Juve was not at liberty to divulge.
"Ye Gods!" he exclaimed.
"Bah! The game is not lost yet, Fandor, my boy! I have still a card to play against his, and I play it this very night.... Enough of that for the moment! I am dying to know how you, whom I believed peacefully reposing at Cherche-Midi, happen to be playing the part of Fantômas in deserted studios!"
Juve's coolness was infectious. Fandor was himself again. He told Juve the story of his escape. At the close he asked abruptly: