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Updated: June 9, 2025
Sonia raised the flap of the bureau, and taking from one of the drawers a small portfolio, turned over the papers in it and handed a letter to the Duke. "This is the envelope," she said. "It's addressed to M. Gournay-Martin, Collector, at the Chateau de Charmerace, Ile-et-Vilaine." The Duke opened the envelope and took out a letter. "It's an odd handwriting," he said.
"I beg your pardon, my dear," said Germaine boastfully. "Madame de Relzieres, my fiance's cousin, gave an At Home the other day in my honour. At it she introduced half Paris to me the Paris I'm destined to know, the Paris you'll see in my drawing-rooms." "But we shall no longer be fit friends for you when you're the Duchess of Charmerace," said Jeanne.
The mocking light deepened a little in the Duke's eyes. "Yes. But if I had been killed, everybody would have said, 'The Duke of Charmerace has been killed in a duel about Mademoiselle Gournay-Martin. That would have sounded very fine indeed," said the Duke; and a touch of mockery had crept into his voice. "Now, don't begin trying to annoy me again," said Germaine pettishly.
"After all, it's pitiful heartrending, you must admit it, that, on the very eve of his marriage, he was such a fool as to throw off the mask. And yet at bottom it's quite logical; it's Lupin coming out through Charmerace. He had to grab at the dowry at the risk of losing the girl," said Guerchard, in a reflective tone; but his eyes were intent on the face of the Duke.
"If, a few months after his father's death, Jacques had not found himself hard-up, and obliged to dispose of this chateau, to raise the money for his expedition to the South Pole; and if papa and I had not wanted an historic chateau; and lastly, if papa had not suffered from rheumatism, I should not be calling myself in a month from now the Duchess of Charmerace."
The Duke struck a match, lighted Guerchard's cigarette, and then his own: "Yes, it's very interesting," he said. "In the last quarter of an hour you've practically discovered that the burglars came from Charmerace that they were the Charolais that they came in by the front door of this house, and carried the furniture out of it." "I don't know about their coming in by it," said Guerchard.
Half-way up the flight he stooped, and picked up a little spray of flowers: "Fresh!" he said. "These have not been long plucked." "Salvias," said the Duke. "Salvias they are," said Guerchard. "Pink salvias; and there is only one gardener in France who has ever succeeded in getting this shade M. Gournay-Martin's gardener at Charmerace. I'm a gardener myself."
"Well, then, last night's burglars came from Charmerace. They must have," said the Duke. "It looks like it," said Guerchard. "The Charolais," said the Duke. "It looks like it," said Guerchard. "It must be," said the Duke. "This IS interesting if only we could get an absolute proof." "We shall get one presently," said Guerchard confidently.
The clothes of the Duke of Charmerace littered the floor; the kit-bag was open; and he was wearing the very clothes of Chief-Inspector Guerchard, his seedy top-hat, his cloak. He wore also Guerchard's sparse, lank, black hair, his little, bristling, black moustache. His figure, hidden by the cloak, seemed to have shrunk to the size of Guerchard's.
"That comes of having a good heart," said Victoire proudly. "Not even the Duke of Charmerace," said Charolais sadly. "And it would have been so easy when he was ill just one little draught. And he was in such a perfect place so out of the way no doctors." "You do have such disgusting ideas, Charolais," said Lupin, in a tone of severe reproof.
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