A few paces away a knot of people stood before a gate which a sergent-de-ville guarded.
"But here we are at the villa," said Hanaud.
They all looked up and, from a window at the corner upon the first floor a man looked out and drew in his head.
"That is M.Besnard, the Commissaire of our police in Aix," said Perrichet.
"And the window from which he looked," said Hanaud, "must be the window of that room in which you saw the bright light at half-past nine on your first round ?" "Yes, m'sieur," said Perrichet; "that is the window." They stopped at the gate.

Perrichet spoke to the sergent-de-ville, who at once held the gate open.

The party passed into the garden of the villa..