rom those who took him out of the
Temple prison."

"And you never exchanged him for another person, or allowed him to be
separated from you?"

Bellenger swore with ghastly lips--"Never, on my hopes of salvation,
monsieur the abbe!"

"Admitting that somebody gave you this child to keep--by the way, how
old is he?"

"About twenty years, monsieur."

"What right had you to assume he was the dauphin?"

"I had received a yearly pension, monsieur, from his Majesty himself,
for the maintenance of the prince."

"You received the yearly pension through my hand, acting as his
Majesty's almoner, His Majesty was ever too bountiful to the
unfortunate. He has many dependents. Where have you lived with your
charge?"

"We lived in America, sometimes in the woods; and sometimes in towns."

"Has he ever shown hopeful signs of recovering his reason?"

"Never, monsieur the abbe."

Having touched thus lightly on the case of the idiot, Abbe Edgeworth
turned to me.

The king's face retained its granite hardness. But Bellenger's passed
from shade to shade of baffled confidence; recovering only when the
priest said,

"Now look at this young man. Have you ever seen him before?"

"Yes, monsieur, I have; both in the American woods, and in Paris."

"What was he doing in the American woods?"

"Living on the bounty of one Count de Chaumont, a friend of
Bonaparte's."

"Who is he?"

"A French half-breed, brought up among the Indians."

"What name does he bear?"

"He is called Lazarre."

"But why is a French half-breed named Lazarre attempting to force
himself on the exiled court here in Mittau?"

"People have told him that he resembles the Bourbons, monsieur."

"Was he encouraged in this idea by the friend of Bonaparte whom you
mentioned?"

"I think not, monsieur the abbe. But I heard a Frenchman tell him he was
like the martyred king, and since that hour he has presumed to consider
himself the dauphin."

"Who was this Frenchman?"

"The Duke of Orleans, Louis Philippe de Bourbon, monsieur the abbe."

There was an expressive movement among the courtiers.

"Was Louis Philippe instrumental in sending him to France?"

"He was. He procured shipping for the pretender."

"When the pretender reached Paris, what did he do?"

"He attempted robbery, and was taken in the act and thrown into Ste.
Pelagie. I saw him arrested."

"What were you doing in Paris?"

"I was following and watching this dangerous pretender, monsie