He generally lives on the first floor of the donjon, a big room that once served for an oratory.

He lives like a bear, never goes out without his gun, and is only pleasant with the girls.

The women, for twelve miles round, are all setting their caps for him.

For the present, he is paying attention to Madame Mathieu, whose husband is keeping a lynx eye upon her in consequence." After passing the donjon, which is situated at the extreme end of the left wing, we went to the back of the chateau.

Rouletabille, pointing to a window which I recognised as the only one belonging to Mademoiselle Stangerson's apartment, said to me: "If you had been here, two nights ago, you would have seen your humble servant at the top of a ladder, about to enter the chateau by that window." As I expressed some surprise at this piece of nocturnal gymnastics, he begged me to notice carefully the exterior disposition of the chateau.
We then went back into the building.
"I must now show you the first floor of the chateau, where I am living," said my friend.
To enable the reader the better to understand the disposition of these parts of the dwelling, I annex a plan of the first floor of the right wing, drawn by Rouletabille the day after the extraordinary phenomenon occurred, the details of which I am about to relate.
boudoir ___ ____ ___________ _______\___ ________4________ _______ _________ __ | | | | | | | | Mlle.