A Royal Prisoner

  CHAPTER XXIV

  JUVE'S LIES

  M. Annion had left the Ministry quite late the evening before in a verybad humor. Not that he had any doubt about the deposition of MariePascal. The report of his inspectors had settled that point,supplemented by the visits to the King of the attache and the banker.

  "That young girl of the sixth floor," he said to himself, "who callsherself Marie Pascal, is either trying to hold up the sovereign or elseshe is crazy. In either case the important thing is to make her hold hertongue. Now there are two ways of doing this, through menacing her orthrough bribing her. I'll apply the first, and if that doesn't answerI'll try the second."

  As to the King, while his identity had been proved, he was none the lessa murderer.

  The question was whether to prevent the visit he wished to pay to thePresident of the Republic or to bring it about.

  M. Annion took the Rue des Saussaies at 7.30 and having reached home,dined quickly while he read the evening paper. The news was startling.

  An article reserved in tone, but giving sufficient details, announcedthe arrest of Fantomas, the mysterious criminal of the Palace Royal ofGlotzbourg, while attempting to steal the diamond which constituted theprivate fortune of Prince Frederick-Christian II.

  "Good God!" cried M. Annion, "Fantomas arrested, the diamond stolen, andJuve doesn't return or send any word!"

  The director of the Secret Service felt himself entangled in a networkof intrigues which seemed impossible to unravel. He seemed to besurrounded by an impenetrable mystery.

  Fantomas! And now the name of Fantomas was associated with the scandalbrought about by Frederick-Christian!

  M. Annion slept badly, haunted by a nightmare in which he was constantlypursuing an extraordinary Fantomas, whom he would seize and bind and whowould then suddenly vanish into thin air. At eight o'clock in themorning he appeared at his office. There a surprise awaited him. Uponhis desk lay a telegram. Rapidly tearing it open, he glanced at thetext.

  "Ah!... Good God! Can it be true! Fantomas dead! Fantomas dead inprison! I must be dreaming!"

  While he was rereading the astonishing news, the door of his officeopened and Juve walked in.

  "Juve!"

  "Myself, Chief."

  "Well!"

  "Well," replied Juve, calmly, "I've had a pretty good trip."

  Brandishing the telegram, M. Annion cried:

  "Fantomas is dead!"

  "Yes ... Fantomas is dead."

  "What have you found out?"

  "Oh, a thing or two ... rather interesting."

  "And the diamond?"

  "Stolen, Chief, disappeared."

  "Stolen by Fantomas?"

  "Yes, by Fantomas."

  "It was you who arrested him?"

  "Hum!--yes and no.... I was the cause of his arrest."

  "And the murder of Susy d'Orsel?"

  "It was committed by Fantomas."

  "You are sure of that?"

  "Certain, Chief."

  M. Annion rose and paced up and down in great excitement.

  "Now then, let's get the facts in the case, tell me in detail whatoccurred at Hesse-Weimar."

  Juve had had the foresight to prepare a report which would tell enoughto prove that the murderer of Susy d'Orsel was really Fantomas, and thusclear the name of the King. He gave no hint, however, that Fandor wasstill, as Juve thought, impersonating Frederick-Christian, and made nomention of his own adventures. He concluded by saying:

  "In a word, we have now only to establish the guilt of Fantomas andpublish the story of his crime, to absolve the King in the eyes ofall ... and that will mean the end of your troubles."

  "That is true!" replied the director joyfully, "and I may add it isentirely due to you, my dear Juve. Why, the other day, I was actually onthe point of arresting Frederick-Christian, which would have been anunpardonable blunder."

  "Really?"

  "Yes. For since your departure, the identity of the King has beenestablished beyond dispute. Yesterday I learned that the director of thebank had had an interview with him, and he also received a visit from anintimate friend, an attache of the Embassy."

  Juve heard these words with growing uneasiness. The King was Fandor. Howhad Fandor managed the affair?

  M. Annion continued:

  "And what do you think happened yesterday afternoon? I received a visitfrom a little idiot called Marie Pascal, who still insisted on theimposture. She asserted that the King was no longer the same."

  Juve felt his head swimming.

  Marie Pascal had paid one visit to Fandor, and now declared he was nolonger the same! So Fandor was not at the Royal Palace. Who had takenhis place?

  The real King?

  Was Fandor himself a victim?

  "By the way," pursued M. Annion, oblivious of Juve's trouble, "youdidn't happen to learn any details concerning the King's toilette atGlotzbourg?"

  "No, why?"

  "Oh, nothing of importance. I should like to have known whether it was afact that Frederick-Christian wore an 18-inch collar. It would merelyhave been another proof."

  The words literally stupefied the detective. If the man at the RoyalPalace wore 18-inch collars, he was certainly not Fandor, whose neckwas very slender. The journalist wore size 14-1/2.

  * * * * *

  One hour later--it was then half-past ten in the morning--Juve arrivedat the Royal Palace. He did not attempt to send up his card to the King,but contented himself with gathering what information he could fromamong his colleagues who were stationed about the hotel.

  "The deuce!" he cried, twenty minutes later. "It's true thatFrederick-Christian is really here. What has become of Fandor? Well, Ishall probably be able to get news of him at his own apartment. What Ihave to do now is to recover the diamond and catch Fantomas ... if thatis possible."