# Comte de Gesvres — The Hollow Needle character guide

> Comte de Gesvres in The Hollow Needle by Maurice Leblanc.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** the Comte de Gesvres, M. de Gesvres, Recognizing M. de Gesvres, de Gesvres, M. le Comte de Gesvres, The Comte de Gesvres, Monsieur le Comte

**First appearance:** 0002-iii-the-corpse

## Snapshot

The nobleman whose estate is robbed in the night, drawing judges, inspectors, and a schoolboy detective onto his grounds.

## Who they are

The Comte de Gesvres presides over a country house of lawns, thickets, and the tragic ruins of an old abbey, a setting whose peace is broken by intruders and a shot. His room adjoins the boudoir where the thieves worked, and his daughter's fear for him shapes the household's first, hesitant response. Around his stolen property the investigation assembles, and his name becomes the doorway through which Beautrelet and Ganimard enter the larger riddle of the Needle.

## Relationships

### [Isidore Beautrelet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hollow_needle_se/characters/isidore_beautrelet)

_professional_

The Comte de Gesvres, as a victim of Lupin's theft, cooperates with Beautrelet in the investigation.

### [Isidore Beautrelet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hollow_needle_se/characters/isidore_beautrelet)

_professional_

The Comte de Gesvres, as a victim of Lupin's theft, cooperates with Beautrelet in the investigation.

### [Isidore Beautrelet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hollow_needle_se/characters/isidore_beautrelet)

_professional_

The Comte de Gesvres, as a victim of Lupin's theft, cooperates with Beautrelet in the investigation.

## In the story

### [The Shot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hollow_needle_se/chapters/i-the-shot)

Owner of the château; recounts being attacked and fainting during the burglary.

### [The Corpse](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hollow_needle_se/chapters/iii-the-corpse)

Owner of the château, provides the key and pickaxe, and descends into the crypt.

### [IV: Face to Face](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hollow_needle_se/chapters/iv-face-to-face)

Entrusted Beautrelet to the care of Dieppe doctors after the attack.

### [VI: An Historic Secret](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hollow_needle_se/chapters/vi-an-historic-secret)

Settled in Nice for the winter with his daughter Suzanne, watching over the colony around the villa.

### [X: The Treasures of the Kings of France](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hollow_needle_se/chapters/x-the-treasures-of-the-kings-of-france)

Mentioned indirectly as part of the earlier events; not present in this chapter.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hollow_needle_se/characters/comte_de_gesvres
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hollow_needle_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hollow_needle_se/characters