“Have no fear, dear Monsieur Barbey, it will not be laid in vain! Knowing the cunning, the cleverness of my adversaries, I have not the least doubt they know I am here; but I also know that the audacity of these criminals is such, that my presence here would not deter them from making their attempt. They believe themselves the stronger – but I hope to prove them wrong.”

“What is your plan of campaign tonight?” asked Monsieur Nanteuil.

“Before I reply to that, will you show me all the means of access to the house?”

“With the greatest pleasure.”

The three men left the dining-room, then went into the vestibule.

“Our courtyard gate is at the far end of the house, on the right,” said Nanteuil. “On the left, there are the Bank offices: they occupy this ground floor. The only entrance to them is through this vestibule. With this door closed, it is impossible to get in.”

“Not by the windows looking on to the street?” asked Fandor.

“No, those windows have heavy iron bars across them. To remove them would be difficult – very. As to the windows looking onto the garden, they are closed every evening – you can see for yourself – by strong wooden shutters fastened on the inside.”

“So the Bank offices are perfectly protected,” said Fandor.“We believe so. Now come upstairs to the floor above!... Here is a large corridor, and that door, on the right, opens into a library. The two rooms which come next are my own room and a dressing-room. The other rooms are unoccupied.”

“Does your room face the street or the garden?” asked Fandor.

“The garden.”

“And the windows?”

“The windows?”

“Yes. Would it be difficult, or impossible to climb up to them?”

“It would be difficult, but not impossible. No one ever enters the garden. If absolutely necessary, I suppose a ladder could be placed against them, a square of glass could be cut out, and the fastening could be undone... But come and see the room, you can then judge for yourself.” Fandor inspected the room most carefully. The banker was right. It would be comparatively easy to get into the room by the window; but the other entrances to the room could be easily watched, as they resolved themselves into one door, which opened onto the corridor.

Monsieur Nanteuil’s room was lightly furnished: he evidently favoured the modern method: it was a bare apartment, but it was hygienic.

“Ah,” said Fandor. “The bed has its back to the door, and faces the window. Very right. You have electric light, I see, near the fire-place, and above your bed. Then it is possible to switch on a bright light at any time... Most valuable!”

Having finished a minute inspection of the room, and, to the amusement of the bankers, having looked under the bed to make sure that no one had hidden himself beneath it, Fandor declared: