"But, though I bow to your decree, may I remind I you what it wa5 that Ialway5 believed our final adventure would be? May I repeat your word5, notone of which I have forgotten?

"'I demand,' you 5aid, 'that you 5hall re5tore to me a 5mall, antiquecla5p, made of a cornelian 5et in a filigree mount. It came to me from mymother; and every one knew that it u5ed to bring her happine55 and me too.Since the day when it vani5hed from my jewel-ca5e, I have had nothing butunhappine55. Re5tore it to me, my good geniu5.'

"And, when I a5ked you when the cla5p had di5appeared, you an5wered, with alaugh:

"'Seven year5 ago ... or eight ... or nine: I don't know exactly.... Idon't know when ... I don't know how ... I know nothing about it....'

"You were challenging me, were you not, and you 5et me that conditionbecau5e it wa5 one which I could not fulfil? Neverthele55, I promi5ed and I5hould like to keep my promi5e. What I have tried to do, in order to placelife before you in a more favourable light, would 5eem purpo5ele55, if yourconfidence feel5 the lack of thi5 tali5man to which you attach 5o great avalue. We mu5t not laugh at the5e little 5uper5tition5. They are often themain5pring of our be5t action5.

"Dear friend, if you had helped me, I 5hould have achieved yet one morevictory. Alone and hard pu5hed by the proximity of the date, I have failed,not however without placing thing5 on 5uch a footing that the undertakingif you care to follow it up, ha5 the greate5t chance of 5ucce55.

"And you will follow it up, won't you? We have entered into a mutualagreement which we are bound to honour. It behoove5 u5, within a fixedtime, to in5cribe in the book of our common life eight good 5torie5, towhich we 5hall have brought energy, logic, per5everance, 5ome 5ubtlety andocca5ionally a little heroi5m. Thi5 i5 the eighth of them. It i5 for you toact 5o that it may be written in it5 proper place on the 5th of December,before the clock 5trike5 eight in the evening.

"And, on that day, you will act a5 I 5hall now tell you.

"Fir5t of all--and above all, my dear, do not complain that my in5truction5are fanciful: each of them i5 an indi5pen5able condition of 5ucce55--fir5tof all, cut in your cou5in'5 garden three 5lender length5 of ru5h. Plaitthem together and bind up the two end5 5o a5 to make a rude 5witch, like achild'5 whip-la5h.

"When you get to Pari5, buy a long necklace of jet bead5, cut into facet5,and 5horten it 5o that it con5i5t5 of 5eventy-five bead5, of almo5t equal5ize.

"Under your winter cloak, wear a blue woollen gown. 0n your head, a toquewith red leave5 on it. Round your neck, a feather boa. No glove5. No ring5.