desires. There, Guy instinctively looked at a mirror and
examined the knot of his cravat. He did not notice that a gentleman with
a closely buttoned frock-coat, on seeing him, quietly rose from the
divan on which he had been sitting, and approached him, mechanically
pulling the skirts of his coat meanwhile, so as to smooth the creases.

He simply touched Monsieur de Lissac's shoulder with the tip of his
finger.

Guy turned round, expecting to recognize a friend.

"You are surely Monsieur de Lissac?" said the man in the frock-coat,
with the refined manners of a gentleman.

"Yes!" said Lissac, somewhat astonished at the coldness of his manner.

"Be good enough to accompany me, monsieur, I am a Commissioner of the
Judiciary Delegations!"

Lissac thought he misunderstood him.

"I confess that I don't quite understand you," he began, with a rather
significant smile.

"I am a Commissioner of Police," the other replied, "and I am ordered to
arrest you."

He suddenly exposed his insignia like the end of a sash, and by a very
polite gesture, with an amiable and engaging manner, pointed to the way
out by the side of the archway of the hotel.

"I have two of my men yonder, monsieur, but you will not place me under
the necessity of--"

"What is this, monsieur?" said Lissac. "I frankly confess that I
understand nothing of this enigma. I hope you will explain it to me."

All this was said in a conversational tone, _mezzo voce_, and
accompanied with smiles. No one could have guessed what these two men
were saying to each other. Only, Guy was very pale and his somewhat
haughty glance around him seemed to indicate that he was seeking some
support or witness.

He uttered a slight exclamation of satisfaction on perceiving the
journalist to whom he had just before spoken a few words before a little
canvas by Meissonier.

"My dear Brevans," he said in a loud voice, "here is an unpublished item
for your journal. This gentleman has laid his hand on my collar."

With a sly look he indicated the Commissioner of Police, who did not
budge.

"What! my dear fellow?"

"They have arrested me, that is all," said Lissac.

"Monsieur," the Commissioner quickly interrupted in a low voice, "no
commotion, please. For my sake--and for yours."

He lightly touched Lissac's buttonhole with the end of his finger, as if
to intimate that there was the explanation of his arrest, and Guy
suddenly became very red and stamped his foot.

"Idi