truction was complete; the house was stripped of everything
that could be carried away.

Harry made his way up to the bedroom of the marquis. The massive
bedstead still stood in its place, having defied the efforts
of destruction which had proved successful with the cabinets and
other furniture. Sitting down on the floor Harry counted the boards
beneath the bed, and then taking out a strong knife which he had
purchased during the day he inserted it by the side of the middle
board and tried to raise it. It yielded without difficulty to his
effort.

As soon as it was lifted he groped in the cavity below it, and his
hand soon came in contact with the heavy bag. Taking this out and
putting it beneath his blouse he replaced the board and made his
way downstairs. He felt too fatigued to walk across Paris again,
and therefore made his way down to the river and curled himself
up for the night at the foot of the wood pile where the girls had
found shelter in the morning, and, in spite of the novelty of his
situation, fell instantly asleep.

It was broad daylight when he woke, and an hour later he regained
his lodgings, stopping by the way to breakfast at a quiet estaminet
frequented by the better class of workmen. As when he had sallied
out the day before, he was fortunate in meeting no one as he made
his way up the stairs to his room. His first step was to get up
a board and to deposit beneath it the bag of money. Then, having
changed his clothes, he went out and made a variety of purchases
for housekeeping, as he did not wish to be obliged to take his
meals at places where anyone sitting at the table with him might
enter into conversation.

His French was quite good enough to pass in the salon of the
marquis, but his ignorance of the Parisian slang spoken among the
working-classes would have rendered it difficult for him to keep
up his assumed character among them, and would have needed the
fabrication of all sorts of stories as to his birthplace and past
history.

Although in the position in which he was placed Harry felt that it
would be impossible always to adhere to the truth, he shrank from
any falsehoods that could possibly be avoided.

His first duty in order to carry out the task he had undertaken was
to keep up his disguise, and this must be done even at the cost of
telling lies as to his antecedents; but he was determined that he
would avoid this unpleasant necessity as far as lay in his power.

At nine o'