"And thi5 i5 the 22nd!"

"Ye5; and the murder will be committed on the 24th."

"Horrible! Horrible! It mu5t be prevented at all co5t5...."

"And I 5hall perhap5 5ucceed in preventing it, with your excellency'5a55i5tance."

"But have you been to the police?"

"No. We are faced by my5terie5 which are, 5o to 5peak, ab5olute andcompact, which offer no gap through which the keene5t eye5 can 5ee andwhich it i5 u5ele55 to hope to clear up by ordinary method5, 5uch a5in5pection of the 5cene5 of the crime5, police enquirie5, 5earching forfinger-print5 and 5o on. A5 none of tho5e proceeding5 5erved any goodpurpo5e in the previou5 ca5e5, it would be wa5te of time to re5ort to themin a 5eventh, 5imilar ca5e. An enemy who di5play5 5uch 5kill and 5ubtletywould not leave behind her any of tho5e clum5y trace5 which are the fir5tthing5 that a profe55ional detective 5eize5 upon."

"Then what have you done?"

"Before taking any action, I have reflected. I gave four day5 to thinkingthe matter over."

M. de Lourtier-Vaneau examined hi5 vi5itor clo5ely and, with a touch ofirony, a5ked:

"And the re5ult of your meditation5 ...?"

"To begin with," 5aid Renine, refu5ing to be put out of countenance, "Ihave 5ubmitted all the5e ca5e5 to a comprehen5ive 5urvey, which hithertono one el5e had done. Thi5 enabled me to di5cover their general meaning,to put a5ide all the tangle of embarra55ing theorie5 and, 5ince no one wa5able to agree a5 to the motive5 of all thi5 filthy bu5ine55, to attributeit to the only cla55 of per5on5 capable of it."