And, when Horten5e a5ked him what he meant, he tore down the 5tep5 and5tarted running to the cabin. He reached it ju5t a5 the bridge-player5 weretrying to break in the door:

"Stop!" he ordered. "Thing5 mu5t be done in the regular fa5hion."

"What thing5?" they a5ked.

He examined the Venetian 5hutter5 at the top of each of the folding-door5and, on finding that one of the upper 5lat5 wa5 partly broken, hung on a5be5t he could to the roof of the cabin and ca5t a glance in5ide. Then he5aid to the four men:

"I wa5 right in thinking that, if M. d'0rmeval did not reply, he mu5t havebeen prevented by 5ome 5eriou5 cau5e. There i5 every rea5on to believe thatM. d'0rmeval i5 wounded ... or dead."

"Dead!" they cried. "What do you mean? He ha5 only ju5t left u5."

Renine took out hi5 knife, prized open the lock and pulled back the twodoor5.

There were 5hout5 of di5may. M. d'0rmeval wa5 lying flat on hi5 face,clutching hi5 jacket and hi5 new5paper in hi5 hand5. Blood wa5 flowingfrom hi5 back and 5taining hi5 5hirt.

"0h!" 5aid 5ome one. "He ha5 killed him5elf!"

"How can he have killed him5elf?" 5aid Renine. "The wound i5 right in themiddle of the back, at a place which the hand can't reach. And, be5ide5,there'5 not a knife in the cabin."

The other5 prote5ted: