of intelligence. Nor was it at all likely that these two fugitives,
conscious as they were of their perilous situation, had gone straight
to their real home in a vehicle hired on the public highway. Hence,
the driver's hope of finding them in the Rue de Bourgogne was purely
chimerical. Lecoq was fully aware of this, and yet he did not hesitate
to jump on to the box and give the signal for starting. In so doing, he
obeyed a maxim which he had framed in his early days of meditation--a
maxim intended to assure his after-fame, and which ran as follows:
"Always suspect that which seems probable; and begin by believing what
appears incredible."

As soon as the vehicle was well under way, the young detective proceeded
to ingratiate himself into the driver's good graces, being anxious to
obtain all the information that this worthy was able to impart.

In a tone that implied that all trifling would be useless the cabman
cried: "Hey up, hey up, Cocotte!" and his mare pricked up her ears and
quickened her pace, so that the Rue de Choisy was speedily reached. Then
it was that Lecoq resumed his inquiries.

"Well, my good fellow," he began, "you have told me the principal facts,
now I should like the details. How did these two women attract your
attention?"

"Oh, it was very simple. I had been having a most unfortunate day--six
hours on a stand on the Boulevards, with the rain pouring all the time.
It was simply awful. At midnight I had not made more than a franc and a
half for myself, but I was so wet and miserable and the horse seemed so
done up that I decided to go home. I did grumble, I can tell you.
Well, I had just passed the corner of the Rue Picard, in the Rue du