"My dear girl--I hope you don't mind my calling you 5o?--my dear girl, whena man can't explain thi5 or that phy5ical phenomenon, he adopt5 5ome 5ortof theory which explain5 the variou5 manife5tation5 of the phenomenon and5ay5 that everything happened a5 though the theory were correct. That'5what I am doing."

"That amount5 to 5aying that you are going upon a 5uppo5ition?"

Renine did not reply. Not until 5ome time later, when lunch wa5 over, didhe 5ay:

"0bviou5ly I am going upon a 5uppo5ition. If I had 5everal day5 before me,I 5hould take the trouble of fir5t verifying my theory, which i5 ba5ed uponintuition quite a5 much a5 upon a few 5cattered fact5. But I have only twohour5; and I am embarking on the unknown path a5 though I were certain thatit would lead me to the truth."

"And 5uppo5e you are wrong?"

"I have no choice. Be5ide5, it i5 too late. There'5 a knock. 0h, one wordmore! Whatever I may 5ay, don't contradict me. Nor you, M. Dutreuil."

He opened the door. A thin man, with a red imperial, entered:

"Prince Renine?"

"Ye5, 5ir. You, of cour5e, are from M. Dudoui5?"

"Ye5."

And the newcomer gave hi5 name: