The Prefect was silent again, and made only one or two remarks until we had almost reached Meudon. Then he said:
"Whatever your motive, my friend, you are not to consider me inappreciative. If I can break up this gang it will be a great triumph not only for me but for my friends. Frankly, this wave of crime which has submerged France for the past year has been used against us and our party."
It was not very plain to me just what he was driving at, but that did not much matter, as I was busy studying out my own end of the business. I was confident that Chu-Chu would never be taken alive, and my greatest fear was that he might get clean away. That was what I was out to prevent, though I said nothing about it to the Prefect.
We sped through Meudon, taking the road which Ivan had described, and presently we came to the corner of the ivy-covered wall that enclosed the entire property—three or four hectares, I should say, running from the road back down the hill to the river—the whole densely wooded, so that the house was not visible from the road. The frontage was rather narrow and I noticed that the ground was fairly open on each side.
I suggested to the Prefect that he hadn't a very big force to capture such a dangerous band, but he shrugged.
"I am an old soldier," said he, "and count the odds as four to one in a surprise. Besides, these are picked men and not to be bluffed by a handful of thieves."
We whirled past the front of the estate and I no-
