"Also, quite impossible, since you have told us that the lapse of time between the ringing of the bell and your entrance to the room was not more than three minutes. Therefore, if the baron rang before the attack, we are forced to the conclusion that the struggle, the murder and the flight of the assassin, all occurred within the short space of three minutes. I repeat: that is impossible."
"And yet," said the magistrate, "some one rang. If it were not the baron, who was it?"
"The murderer."
"For what purpose?"
"I do not know. But the fact that he did ring proves that he knew that the bell communicated with the servant's room. Now, who would know that, except an inmate of the house?"
Ganimard was drawing the meshes of his net closer and tighter. In a few clear and logical sentences, he
