"No. It is incomprehensible. There must have been some confusion
in the orders given." And Matrena reddened, for she loathed a lie
and it was in tribulation of spirit that she used this fable under
Rouletabille's directions.

"Oh, well, all the better," said the general. "It will give me
pleasure to see my home ridded for a while of such people."

Athanase was naturally of the same mind as the general, and when
Thaddeus and Ivan Petrovitch and the orderlies offered to pass the
night at the villa and take the place of the absent police, Feodor
Feodorovitch caught a gesture from Rouletabille which disapproved
the idea of this new guard.

"No, no," cried the general emphatically. "You leave at the usual
time. I want now to get back into the ordinary run of things, my
word! To live as everyone else does. We shall be all right.
Koupriane and I have arranged the matter. Koupriane is less sure
of his men, after all, than I am of my servants. You understand
me. I do not need to explain further. You will go home to bed
- and we will all sleep. Those are the orders. Besides, you must
remember that the guard-post is only a step from here, at the corner
of the road, and we have only to give a signal to bring them all
here. But - more secret agents or special police - no, no!
Good-night. All of us to bed now!"

They did not insist further. When Feodor had said, "Those are the
orders," there was room for nothing more, not even in the way of
polite insistence.