It is not rash to guess, then, that it was some piece of the plunder of which the other two would have claimed their share—­and a piece of plunder belonging to Mlle. Celie.  Well, she has nothing but the diamond eardrops.  Suppose Vauquier is left alone to guard Mlle. Celie while the other two ransack Mme. Dauvray’s room.  She sees her chance.  The girl cannot stir hand or foot to save herself.  Vauquier tears the eardrops in a hurry from her ears—­and there I have my drop of blood just where I should expect it to be.  But now follow this!  Vauquier hides the earrings in her pocket.  She goes to bed in order to be chloroformed.  She knows that it is very possible that her room will be searched before she regains consciousness, or before she is well enough to move.  There is only one place to hide them in, only one place where they will be safe.  In bed with her.  But in the morning she must get rid of them, and a nurse is with her.  Hence the excuse to go to Mlle. Celie’s room.  If the eardrops are found in the pot of cold cream, it would only be thought that Mlle. Celie had herself hidden them there for safety.  Again it is conjecture, and I wish to make sure.  So I tell Vauquier she can go away, and I leave her unwatched.  I have her driven to the depot instead of to her friends, and searched.  Upon her is found the pot of cream, and in the cream Mlle. Celie’s eardrops.  She has slipped into Mlle. Celie’s room, as, if my theory was correct, she would be sure to do, and put the pot of cream into her pocket.  So I am now fairly sure that she is concerned in the murder.

“We then went to Mme. Dauvray’s room and discovered her brilliants and her ornaments.  At once the meaning of that agitated piece of hand-writing of Mlle. Celie’s becomes clear.  She is asked where the jewels are hidden.  She cannot answer, for her mouth, of course, is stopped.  She has to write.  Thus my conjectures get more and more support.  And, mind this, one of the two women is guilty—­ Celie or Vauquier.  My discoveries all fit in with the theory of Celie’s innocence.  But there remain the footprints, for which I found no explanation.

“You will remember I made you all promise silence as to the finding of Mme. Dauvray’s jewellery.  For I thought, if they have taken the girl away so that suspicion may fall on her and not on Vauquier, they mean to dispose of her.  But they may keep her so long as they have a chance of finding out from her Mme. Dauvray’s hiding-place.  It was a small chance but our only one.  The moment the discovery of the jewellery was published the girl’s fate was sealed, were my theory true.

“Then came our advertisement and Mme. Gobin’s written testimony.  There was one small point of interest which I will take first:  her statement that Adele was the Christian name of the woman with the red hair, that the old woman who was the servant in that house in the suburb of Geneva called her Adele, just simply Adele.  That interested me, for Helene Vauquier had called her Adele too when she was describing to us the unknown visitor.  ‘Adele’ was what Mme. Dauvray called her.”