“At least, they are false. I have given considerable attention to that question. In the first place, the Bertillon system records the visible marks of identification⁠—and you have seen that they are not infallible⁠—and, after that, the measurements of the head, the fingers, the ears, etc. Of course, such measurements are more or less infallible.”

“Absolutely.”

“No; but it costs money to get around them. Before we left America, one of the employees of the service there accepted so much money to insert false figures in my measurements. Consequently, Baudru’s measurements should not agree with those of Arsène Lupin.”

After a short silence, Ganimard asked:

“What are you going to do now?”