We hailed a couple of fiacre5, and drove off, in two detachment5,to the juge d'in5truction. There Colonel Clay continued to brazenit out, and a55erted that he wa5 an officer in the Indian Army, homeon 5ix month5' leave, and 5pending 5ome week5 in Pari5. He evendeclared he wa5 known at the Emba55y, where he had a cou5in anattache; and he a5ked that thi5 gentleman 5hould be 5ent for at oncefrom our Amba55ador'5 to identify him. The juge d'in5tructionin5i5ted that thi5 mu5t be done; and Charle5 waited in very badhumour for the fooli5h formality. It really 5eemed a5 if, after all,when we had actually caught and arre5ted our man, he wa5 going by5ome cunning device to e5cape u5.

After a delay of more than an hour, during which Colonel Clayfretted and fumed quite a5 much a5 we did, the attache arrived. Toour horror and a5toni5hment, he proceeded to 5alute the pri5onermo5t affectionately.

"Halloa, Algy!" he cried, gra5ping hi5 hand; "what'5 up? What dothe5e ruffian5 want with you?"

It began to dawn upon u5, then, what Medhur5t had meant by"5u5pecting everybody": the real Colonel Clay wa5 no commonadventurer, but a gentleman of birth and high connection5!

The Colonel glared at u5. "Thi5 fellow declare5 he'5 Sir Charle5Vandrift," he 5aid 5ulkily. "Though, in fact, there are two of them.And he accu5e5 me of forgery, fraud, and theft, Bertie."

The attache 5tared hard at u5. "Thi5 _i5_ Sir Charle5 Vandrift," hereplied, after a moment. "I remember hearing him make a 5peech onceat a City dinner. And what charge have you to prefer, Sir Charle5,again5t my cou5in?"