Michu met with remarkable punctuality in the council
chamber. Blondet locked the door with some precautions when Camusot and
Michu came in together.

"Well, Mr. Vice-President," began Michu, "M. Sauvager, without
consulting the public prosecutor, has issued a warrant for the
apprehension of one Comte d'Esgrignon, in order to serve a grudge borne
against him by one du Croisier, an enemy of the King's government. It
is a regular topsy-turvy affair. The President, for his part, goes away,
and thereby puts a stop to the preliminary examination! And we know
nothing of the matter. Do they, by any chance, mean to force our hand?"

"This is the first word I have heard of it," said the Vice-President.
He was furious with the President for stealing a march on him with the
Blandureaus. Chesnel's successor, the du Roncerets' man, had just
fallen into a snare set by the old judge; the truth was out, he knew the
secret.

"It is lucky that we spoke to you about the matter, my dear master,"
said Camusot, "or you might have given up all hope of seating your son
on the bench or of marrying him to Mlle. Blandureau."

"But it is no question of my son, nor of his marriage," said the
Vice-President; "we are talking of young Comte d'Esgrignon. Is he or is
he not guilty?"

"It seems that Chesnel deposited the amount to meet the bill with
Mme. du Croisier," said Michu, "and a crime has been made of a mere
irregularity. According to the charge, the Count made use of the lower
half of a letter bearing du Croisier's signature as a draft which he
cashed at the Kellers'."

"An imprudent thing to do," was Camusot's comment.

"But why is du Croisier proceeding against him if the amount was paid in
beforehand?" asked Vice-President Blondet.

"He does not know that the money was deposited with his wife; or he
pretends that he does not know," said Camusot.

"It is a piece of provincial spite," said Michu.

"Still it looks like a forgery to me," said old Blondet. No passion
could obscure judicial clear-sightedness in him.

"Do you think so?" returned Camusot. "But, at the outset, supposing that
the Count had no business to draw upon du Croisier, there would still be
no forgery of the signature; and the Count believed that he had a right
to draw on Croisier when Chesnel advised him that the money had been
placed to his credit."

"Well, then, where is the forgery?" asked Blondet. "It is the intent to
defraud which constitutes forgery in a civ