— 11 — A SUPPER PARTY
AT PASSYOn that same day when Charles Desgrez told the Chief of Police what Solange had learned from M. de Saint-Maurice, de La Reynie was completely at a loss as to how to make use of the information that Solange had so cleverly obtained. He had several good spies in his employment, but hesitated to employ them in this instance. He had seen M. Colbert at the palace of Versailles; he had only just returned from that interview, and the Minister had told him that the King took the affair very seriously and wished it to be most thoroughly investigated; he also wished it kept, for the present at least, secret, so that the criminals might be lured into betraying themselves.
“I could not see His Majesty himself,” continued La Reynie. “He is not well. M. Aquin is in attend
