imminent danger of arrest though they were, they always returned with
idiotic obstinacy, obeying, as one might suppose, some mysterious law
of attraction. Hence, the district was for the police an immense trap,
constantly baited, and to which the game came of their own accord to be
caught.

The result of a tour of inspection of this locality was so certain, that
the officer in charge of the police post called to the squad as they
departed: "I will prepare lodgings for our guests. Good luck to you and
much pleasure!"

This last wish was pure irony, for the weather was the most disagreeable
that could be imagined. A very heavy snow storm had prevailed for
several days. It was now beginning to thaw, and on all the frequented
thoroughfares the slush was ankle-deep. It was still cold, however; a
damp chill filled the air, and penetrated to the very marrow of one's
bones. Besides, there was a dense fog, so dense that one could not see
one's hands before one's face.

"What a beastly job!" growled one of the agents.

"Yes," replied the inspector who commanded the squad; "if you had an
income of thirty thousand francs, I don't suppose you'd be here." The
laugh that greeted this common-place joke was not so much flattery as
homage to a recognized and established superiority.

The inspector was, in fact, one of the most esteemed members of the
force, a man who had proved his worth. His powers of penetration were
not, perhaps, very great; but he thoroughly understood his profession,
its resources, its labyrinths, and its artifices. Long practise had