say, that is so." And he turned again to Servettaz.

"It was a powerful car?" he asked.

"Sixty horse-power," said Servettaz.

Hanaud turned to the Commissaire.

"You have the number and description, I suppose? It will be as
well to advertise for it. It may have been seen; it must be
somewhere."

The Commissaire replied that the description had already been
printed, and Hanaud, with a nod of approval, examined the ground.
In front of the garage there was a small stone courtyard, but on
its surface there was no trace of a footstep.

"Yet the gravel was wet," he said, shaking his head. "The man who
fetched that car fetched it carefully."

He turned and walked back with his eyes upon the ground. Then he
ran to the grass border between the gravel and the bushes.

"Look!" he said to Wethermill; "a foot has pressed the blades of
grass down here, but very lightly--yes, and there again. Some one
ran along the border here on his toes. Yes, he was very careful."

They turned again into the main drive, and, following it for a few
yards, came suddenly upon a space in front of the villa. It was a
small toy pleasure-house, looking on to a green lawn gay with