"this is the gentleman to whom you should put your question, monsieur.
let me introduce mifroid, the commissary of police.""ah, m.le vicomte de chagny! delighted to meet you, monsieur,"said the commissary."would you mind coming with me?...and now where are the managers?...where are the managers?"mercier did not answer, and remy, the secretary, volunteered the information that the managers were locked up in their office and that they knew nothing as yet of what had happened.
"you don't mean to say so! let us go up to the office!"and m.mifroid, followed by an ever-increasing crowd, turned toward the business side of the building.mercier took advantage of the confusion to slip a key into gabriel's hand:
"this is all going very badly," he whispered."you had better let mother giry out."and gabriel moved away.
they soon came to the managers' door.mercier stormed in vain:
the door remained closed.
"open in the name of the law!" commanded m.mifroid, in a loud and rather anxious voice.
at last the door was opened.all rushed in to the office, on the commissary's heels.
raoul was the last to enter.as he was about to follow the rest into the room, a hand was laid on his shoulder and he heard these words spoken in his ear:
"erik's secrets concern no one but himself!"he turned around, with a stifled exclamation.the hand that was laid on his shoulder was now placed on the lips of a person with an ebony skin, with eyes of jade and with an astrakhan cap on his head:
the persian! the stranger kept up the gesture that recommended discretion and then, at the moment when the astonished viscount was about to ask the reason of his mysterious intervention, bowed and disappeared.