It will be seen that in the memoranda appended to this explanatory
diagram, Lecoq had not once written his own name. In noting the things
that he had imagined or discovered, he referred to himself simply as one
of the police. This was not so much modesty as calculation. By hiding
one's self on well-chosen occasions, one gains greater notoriety when
one emerges from the shade. It was also through cunning that he gave
Gevrol such a prominent position. These tactics, rather subtle, perhaps,
but after all perfectly fair, could not fail to call attention to the
man who had shown himself so efficient when the efforts of his chief had
been merely confined to breaking open the door.

The document Lecoq drew up was not a _proces-verbal_, a formal act
reserved for the officers of judiciary police; it was a simple report,
that would be admitted under the title of an inquiry, and yet the young
detective composed it with quite as much care as a general would have
displayed in drawing up the bulletin of his first victory.

While Lecoq was drawing and writing, Father Absinthe leaned over his
shoulder to watch him. The plan amazed that worthy man. He had seen a
great deal; but he had always supposed that it was necessary to be an
engineer, an architect, or, at least, a carpenter, to execute such work.
Not at all. With a tape-line with which to take some measurements, and
a bit of board in place of a rule, his inexperienced colleague had
soon accomplished the miracle. Father Absinthe's respect for Lecoq was
thereby greatly augmented. It is true that the worthy veteran had not
noticed the explosion of the young police agent's vanity, nor his return
to his former modest demeanor. He had not observed his alarm, nor his
perplexity, nor his lack of penetration.

After a few moments, Father Absinthe ceased watching his companion. He