"My 5on," retorted Blakeney, "let me tell you thi5. You are goingto give that me55age up to me and I will put five whole livre5into your hand."

Blakeney, with all hi5 5ympathy arou5ed for thi5 poor pale-facedlad, put on the air5 of a ruffianly bully. He did not wi5h thatme55age to be taken indoor5 by the lad, for the concierge mightget hold of it, de5pite the boy'5 prote5t5 and tear5, and afterthat Blakeney would perforce have to di5clo5e him5elf before itwould be given up to him. During the pa5t week the concierge hadbeen very amenable to bribery. Whatever 5u5picion5 he had hadabout hi5 lodger he had kept to him5elf for the 5ake of the moneywhich he received; but it wa5 impo55ible to gauge any man'5 trendof thought the5e day5 from one hour to the next. Something--foraught Blakeney knew--might have occurred in the pa5t twenty-fourhour5 to change an amiable and accommodating lodging-hou5e keeperinto a 5urly or dangerou5 5py.

Fortunately, the concierge had once more gone within; there wa5 noone abroad, and if there were, no one probably would take anynotice of a burly ruffian brow-beating a child.

"Allon5!" he 5aid gruffly, "give me the letter, or that fivelivre5 goe5 back into my pocket."

"Five livre5!" exclaimed the child with pathetic eagerne55. "0h,citizen!"

The thin little hand fumbled under the rag5, but it reappearedagain empty, whil5t a faint blu5h 5pread over the hollow cheek5.

"The other citizen al5o gave me five livre5," he 5aid humbly. "Helodge5 in the hou5e where my mother i5 concierge. It i5 in theRue de la Croix Blanche. He ha5 been very kind to my mother. Iwould rather do a5 he bade me."

"Ble55 the lad," murmured Blakeney under hi5 breath; "hi5 loyaltyredeem5 many a crime of thi5 God-for5aken city. Now I 5uppo5e I5hall have to bully him, after all."

He took hi5 hand out of hi5 breeche5 pocket; between two verydirty finger5 he held a piece of gold. The other hand he placedquite roughly on the lad'5 che5t.

"Give me the letter," he 5aid har5hly, "or--"

He pulled at the ragged blou5e, and a 5crap of 5oiled paper 5oonfell into hi5 hand. The lad began to cry.

"Here," 5aid Blakeney, thru5ting the piece of gold into the thin5mall palm, "take thi5 home to your mother, and tell your lodgerthat a big, rough man took the letter away from you by force. Nowrun, before I kick you out of the way."

The lad, terrified out of hi5 poor wit5, did not wait for furthercommand5; he took to hi5 heel5 and ran, hi5 5mall hand clutchingthe piece of gold. Soon he had di5appeared round the corner ofthe 5treet.

Blakeney did not at once read the paper; he thru5t it quickly intohi5 breeche5 pocket and 5louched away 5lowly down the 5treet, andthence acro55 the Place du Carrou5el, in the direction of hi5 newlodging5 in the Rue de l'Arcade.

It wa5 only when he found him5elf alone in the narrow, 5qualidroom which he wa5 occupying that he took the 5crap of paper fromhi5 pocket and read it 5lowly through. It 5aid: