The Press., 1893-08-10

ttcut0TS OJ B0Uf SeUfCh."
 sBy no means if when the article is deposited sufficient wadding of cotton be placed around it. Besides, in our case we were obliged to proceed without noise." 'F<sl 's@s.s# "But you could not have removed you could not have taken to pieces all articles of furniture in which it would have been possible to make deposit in the manner you mention A letter may be compressed into thin spiral roll not differing much in shape or bulk from a large knitting needle, and in this form it might be inserted into the rung of a chair, for example. You did not take to pieces all the chairs?'
 Certainly not; but we did better-we examined the rungs of every chair in the hotel, and indeed the jointings of every description of furniture, by the aid of most powerful microscope Had there been any traces of recent disturb ance we should not have failed to de- tect it instantly. A single grain of gim- let dust, for example, would have been as obvious as an apple. Any disorder in the gluing, any unusual gaping in the joints, would have sufficed to insure de- tection."
 "I presume you looked to the mirrors between the boards and the plates, and you probed the beds and the bedclothes as well as the curtains and carpets.r +
 That, of course. And when we had absolutely completed every particle of the furniture in this way, then we ex- amined the house itself. We divided it's entire surface into compartments, which we numbered, so that none might be missed; then we scrutinized each indi- vidual squareinch throughout the prem ises, including the two houses immedi- ately adjoining, with the microscope as before"
 1.-The two houses adjoiningr' l ex- claimed You must have had great deal of trouble"
 We had. but the reward offered is prodigious." '-
 "You include the grounds about the houses?"
 "All the grounds are paved with brick. They gave us comparatively little trouble. We examined the moss be- tween the bricks and found it undis- turbed."
 "You looked among D-'s papers, of course, and into the books of the i- brary?" "
 Certainly. We opened every package and parcel. We not only opened every book, but we turned over every leaf in each volume, not contenting ourselves with mere shake, according to the fash ion of some of our police officers. We also measured the thickness of every book cover with the most accurate meas urements and applied to each the most jealous scrutiny of the microscope. Had any of the bindings been recently med d1ed with it would have been utterly impossible that the fact should have es- capped observation. Some five or six vol umes just from the hands of the binder we carefully probed longitudinally with the needles" ss.<z
 "You explored the floors beneath the carpets?'' '- '@ E'f
 Beyond doubt. We removed every carpet and examined the boards with the microscope" |
 And the paper on the wallss'' .
 "Yes." .',
 "You looked into the cellars5' l..
 ''We did,
 .sThen,''' said, you have been mak- ing a miscalculation, and the letter is not 1pon the premises, as you suppose"
 's'I fear you are right there,'' said the prefect. 'And now, Dupin. what would you advise me to do?'
 ''To make a thorough research of the premises" ~
 "That is absolutely needless, {" replied ;G-. Il am not more sure that 1 breathe than am that the letter is net at the hotel" = r ''I have no better advice to give you, , said Dupin. "You have of course an accurate description of the letter." : ''Oh, yesv' And here the prefect, pro- ducing memorandum book, proceeded to read aloud minute account of the internal, and especially of the external, appearance of the missing document. Soon after finishing the perusal of this description he took his departure. more entirely depressed in spirits than had ever known the good gentleman before. . In about month afterward he paid us another visit and found us occupied very nearly as before. He took pipe and chair and entered into some Ordi- nary conversation. At length said: 'Well, but. G., what of the pur- , Joined letter? presume that you have at last made up your mind that there is no such thing as overreaching the minis. ter?'
 ''Confound him, say Ives. made the re-examination. however, as Dupin TLo>a1nss'e Do1sona-