pledge.

One glance at the interior of the tavern, however, told us that all
our hopes were in vain. Legros, the landlord, was even then turning
the blouse over and over, whilst his hideous hag of a wife was talking
to the police inspector, who was showing her the paper that announced
the offer of two thousand five hundred francs for the recovery of a
valuable bracelet, the property of Mlle. Mars, the distinguished
tragedienne.

We only waited one minute with our noses glued against the windows of
the Trois Tigres, just long enough to see Legros extracting the
leather case from the pocket of the blouse, just long enough to hear
the police inspector saying peremptorily:

"You, Legros, ought to be able to let the police know who stole the
bracelet. You must know who left that blouse with you last night."

Then we both fled incontinently down the street.

Now, Sir, was I not right when I said that honour and loyalty are the
essential qualities in our profession? If Theodore had not been such a
liar and such a traitor, he and I, between us, would have been richer
by three thousand francs that day.

CHAPTER VII

AN OVER-SENSITIVE HEART

1.

No doubt, Sir, that you have noticed during the course of our
conversations that Nature has endowed me with an over-sensitive heart.
I feel keenly, Sir, very keenly. Blows dealt me by Fate, or, as has
been more often the case, by the cruel and treacherous hand of man,
touch me on the raw. I suffer acutely. I am highly strung. I am one of
those rare beings whom Nature pre-ordained for love and for happiness.
I am an ideal family man.

What? You did not know that I was married? Indeed, Sir, I am. And
though Madame Ratichon does not perhaps fulfil all my ideals of
exquisite womanhood, nevertheless she has been an able and willing
helpmate during these last years of comparative prosperity. Yes, you
see me fairly prosperous now. My industry, my genius--if I may so
express myself--found their reward at last. You will be the first to
acknowledge--you, the confidant of my life's history--that that reward
was fully deserved. I worked for it, toiled and thought and struggled,
up to the last; and had Fate been just, rather than grudging, I should
have attained that ideal which would have filled my cup of happiness
to the brim.

But, anyway, the episode connected with my marriage did mark the close
of my professional career, and is therefore worthy of record. Since
that d