"But why?"

"Ah, that is one of the mysteries which we must try to solve. The man was French, you say?"

"He spoke English admirably."

"No word of French?"

"Not a single word. Yet he possessed an accent rather unusual."

"He might have been a foreigner—an Italian or German, for aught you know?" the detective suggested.

"No," I answered reflectively. "His gestures were French. I believe that he was actually French."

"And the bogus police agents?"

"They, too, were French, undoubtedly. It would have been impossible to deceive the Director of the Casino, himself a Frenchman."

"Mademoiselle is quite right. I will at once see Monsieur le Directeur and hear his statement. It is best," he added, "that the matter should remain a profound secret. Do not mention it, either of you, even to your nearest friends. Publicity might very probably render futile all our inquiries."