That same evening the order for Soyer’s arrest was sent to Gaillon, and twelve hours later he also was in the Conciergerie at Rouen.  This did not prevent Bonnoeil’s writing to him the next day, Licquet, as may be imagined, not having informed the prisoners of his arrest.

“I beg you, my dear Soyer, to look in the two or three desks in my mother’s room, and see if you cannot find anything that could compromise her, above all any of M. Delorieres’ (d’Ache’s) writing.  Destroy it all.  If you are asked how long it is since M. Delorieres was at Tournebut, say he has not been there for nearly two years.  Tell this to Collin, to Catin, and to the yard girl....”

Licquet carefully copied these letters and then sent them to their destination, hoping that the answers would give him some light.  In his frequent visits to the prisoners he dared not venture on the slightest allusion to the confidences they exchanged, for fear that they might suspect the fidelity of their messenger, and refuse his help.  Thus, many points remained obscure to the detective.  The next letter from Bonnoeil to Soyer contained this sentence:  “Put the small curtains on the window of the place where I told you to bury the nail....”  We can imagine Licquet with his head in his hands trying to solve this enigma.  The muslin fichu, the little curtains, the nail—­was this a cipher decided on in advance between the prisoners?  And all these precautions seemed to be taken for the mysterious d’Ache whose safety seemed to be their sole desire.  A word from Mme. de Combray to Bonnoeil leaves no doubt as to the conspirator’s recent sojourn at Tournebut:  “I wish Mme. K.... to go to my house and see with So ... if Delor ... has not left some paper in the oil-cloth of the little room near the room where the cooks slept.  Let him look everywhere and burn everything.”  This time the information seemed so sure that Licquet started for Tournebut, which had been occupied by gendarmes for a fortnight; he took Soyer to guide him, and the commissary of police, Legendre, to make a report of the search.

They arrived at Tournebut on the morning of September 5th.  Licquet, who was much exhilarated by this hunt for conspirators, must have felt a singular emotion on approaching the mysterious mansion, object of all his thoughts.  He took it all in at a glance, he was struck by the isolation of the chateau, away from the road below the woods; he found that it could be entered at twenty different places, without one’s being seen.  He sent away the servants, posted a gendarme at each door, and conducted by Soyer, entered the apartments.