mains for me to do mine. When a man enters the house
of another under false pretenses, and compromises the reputation of
his daughter, we old army men have a very expeditious way of making him
answer for it. It is just three o'clock now; at five you will find me
and one of my friends--"

He stopped, and looked round cautiously--then whispered the rest in
Danville's ear--threw open the door, and pointed downstairs.

"Our work here is done," said Lomaque, laying his hand on Trudaine's
arm. "Let us give Danville time to get clear of the house, and then
leave it too."

"My sister! where is she?" asked Trudaine, eagerly.

"Make your mind easy about her. I will tell you more when we get out."

"You will excuse me, I know," said General Berthelin, speaking to all
the persons present, with his hand on the library door, "if I leave you.
I have bad news to break to my daughter, and private business after that
to settle with a friend."

He saluted the company, with his usual bluff nod of the head, and
entered the library. A few minutes afterward, Trudaine and Lomaque left
the house.

"You will find your sister waiting for you in our apartment at the
hotel," said the latter. "She knows nothing, absolutely nothing, of what
has passed."

"But the recognition?" asked Trudaine, amazedly. "His mother saw her.
Surely she--"

"I managed it so that she should be seen, and should not see. Our former
experience of Danville suggested to me the propriety of making the
experiment, and my old police-office practice came in useful in carrying
it out. I saw the carriage standing at the door, and waited till the old
lady came down. I walked your sister away as she got in, and walked her
back again past the window as the carriage drove off. A moment did it,
and it turned out as useful as I thought it would. Enough of that! Go
back now to your sister. Keep indoors till the night mail starts for
Rouen. I have had two places taken for you on speculation. Go! resume
possession of your house, and leave me here to transact the business
which my employer has intrusted to me, and to see how matters end with
Danville and his mother. I will make time somehow to come and bid you
good-by at Rouen, though it should be only for a single day. Bah! no
thanks. Give us your hand. I was ashamed to take it eight years ago--I
can give it a hearty shake now! There is your way; here is mine. Leave
me to my business in silks and satins, and go you back to your s