“Listen!” replied Fandor. “Some minutes ago, I was alone in this room; Jacques Dollon entered the room, because I bear on my neck the imprint of his thumb. Jacques Dollon was Fantômas, because he declared it himself when he believed he would emerge victorious from the struggle.

Jacques Dollon-Fantômas, has not left this room, either by door or window. On the other hand, you have entered the room – you Monsieur Barbey, you Monsieur Nanteuil, and you Juve. Since these individuals have entered the room, and no one has left it, it necessarily follows that the personage, Jacques Dollon-Fantômas, must have entered among you, and that he has remained here, between these four walls.”

Simultaneously, Barbey and Nanteuil raised protesting voices: but Juve continued to smile.

“Do you believe then...”

But Jérôme Fandor did not allow him to finish.

“I do not think anything,” said he. “I know that I, Jérôme Fandor, am I, and that I am not Jacques Dollon!...

Juve knows that he is Juve, and that he is not Jacques Dollon. You, Monsieur Barbey; you, Monsieur Nanteuil, you know who you are, and who you are not! None of us can leave imprints similar to those of Jacques Dollon. But, I also know that Jacques Dollon has entered this room, and that he has not left it – this is all that I know!” To this extraordinary declaration, Monsieur Nanteuil, with an incredulous shrug of the shoulders, exclaimed:

“This is downright madness, monsieur!”

But Juve congratulated Fandor.

“That’s logic, my boy! You are going strong, lad!” Fandor continued:

“It follows, that if Jacques Dollon has not left the room, he must be here in this room. And he must be arrested.

In order to arrest him, we must beg Monsieur Havard to come here as fast as he possibly can! Jacques Dollon is Fantômas, or, I should say, Fantômas is Jacques Dollon.

Monsieur Havard will not hesitate to put himself to any inconvenience in order to effect such a capture! I am going to call him up at once, messieurs, thanks to this telephone!” And profiting by the bewilderment of those listening, Fandor, then and there, telephoned to Police Headquarters; he spoke to one of the officials, who undertook to inform his chief that he was wanted at the telephone on most urgent business.