Each drew his own conclusions from the strange story of the poste restante letter.

It seemed, indeed, that we now had a thread by means of which we should be able to follow up this extraordinary mystery.
"Then it is almost certain," said Monsieur Stangerson, "that my daughter did lose the key, and that she did not tell me of it, wishing to spare any anxiety, and that she begged whoever had found it to write to the poste restante.

She evidently feared that, by giving our address, inquiries would have resulted that would have apprised me of the loss of the key.

It was quite logical, quite natural for her to have taken that course--for I have been robbed once before." "Where was that, and when ?" asked the Chief of the Surete.
"Oh! many years ago, in America, in Philadelphia.

There were stolen from my laboratory the drawings of two inventions that might have made the fortune of a man.