“An accomplice?  No, Judge, he was a victim.  Ah, Tremorel is a great rascal!  Don’t you see now why he put forward the hands?  At first I didn’t perceive the object of advancing the time five hours; now it is clear.  In order to implicate Guespin the crime must appear to have been committed after midnight, and—­”

He suddenly checked himself and stopped with open mouth and fixed eyes as a new idea crossed his mind.  The judge, who was bending over his papers trying to find something to sustain his position, did not perceive this.

“But then,” said the latter, “how do you explain Guespin’s refusal to speak and to give an account of where he spent the night?”

M. Lecoq had now recovered from his emotion, and Dr. Gendron and M. Plantat, who were watching him with the deepest attention, saw a triumphant light in his eyes.  Doubtless he had just found a solution of the problem which had been put to him.

“I understand,” replied he, “and can explain Guespin’s obstinate silence.  I should be perfectly amazed if he decided to speak just now.”

M. Domini misconstrued the meaning of this; he thought he saw in it a covert intention to banter him.

“He has had a night to reflect upon it,” he answered.  “Is not twelve hours enough to mature a system of defence?”

The detective shook his head doubtfully.

“It is certain that he does not need it,” said he.  “Our prisoner doesn’t trouble himself about a system of defence, that I’ll swear to.”

“He keeps quiet, because he hasn’t been able to get up a plausible story.”

“No, no; believe me, he isn’t trying to get up one.  In my opinion, Guespin is a victim; that is, I suspect Tremorel of having set an infamous trap for him, into which he has fallen, and in which he sees himself so completely caught that he thinks it useless to struggle.  The poor wretch is convinced that the more he resists the more surely he will tighten the web that is woven around him.”

“I think so, too,” said M. Plantat.

“The true criminal, Count Hector,” resumed the detective, “lost his presence of mind at the last moment, and thus lost all the advantages which his previous caution had gained.  Don’t let us forget that he is an able man, perfidious enough to mature the most infamous stratagems, and unscrupulous enough to execute them.  He knows that justice must have its victims, one for every crime; he does not forget that the police, as long as it has not the criminal, is always on the search with eye and ear open; and he has thrown us Guespin as a huntsman, closely pressed, throws his glove to the bear that is close upon him.  Perhaps he thought that the innocent man would not be in danger of his life; at all events he hoped to gain time by this ruse; while the bear is smelling and turning over the glove, the huntsman gains ground, escapes and reaches his place of refuge; that was what Tremorel proposed to do.”