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.