poof."

"I should be glad if you would explain," said Day icily.

"Well, the doctor's not exactly correct," said Holgate, still smiling,
and he had the vast impudence to smile at me. "For what I proposed was
to seize the property of Prince Frederic of Hochburg, I think it is."

"Ah!" said Day, letting the exclamation escape softly through his lips,
and he cast his nervous glance at me.

"You see, sir, the doctor has got some cock-and-bull tale into his
head," went on Holgate easily, "about Mr. Morland being Prince
Frederic, and the ladies I don't know whom, and so I suggested that,
that being so, we should take care of the prince's millions for him,
and get a tidy sum all round. I daresay it wasn't a very funny joke;
indeed, I thought he would have seen through it all along. But I
suppose he didn't. The doctor's rather serious."

I started up. "Captain Day," said I, "this man lies. The proposal was
serious enough, and he knows it. Mr. Morland is Prince Frederic. I
should advise you to ask Mr. Pye."

"So be it," said Day, with a gesture of helplessness, and thus Pye was
summoned to the strange conclave. Day took up his book again. "Pray sit
down, Mr. Holgate," he said politely; "this is not the criminal dock
yet," which seemed to augur badly for my case.

The little clerk, on entering, fixed his glasses on his nose more
firmly with two fingers and cast an inquisitive look at us.

"Mr. Pye," said the captain, in his impeccable distant voice, "I am
informed that Mr. Morland is not Mr. Morland, but some one else, and I
have been referred to you. Is this so?"

Pye glanced at me. "Mr. Morland is the name of the gentleman for whom
my firm is acting," he said suavely.

"And not any one else?" said Day.

"Not according to my knowledge," said the clerk.

"Not according to his instructions, sir," I burst out indignantly. "He
knows the facts, I'm certain. And if not, I can prove my point readily
enough."

"The point is," said Day drily, "whether Mr. Holgate is guilty of the
extraordinary charge you have preferred."

"Well, sir, it is material that I acquainted him with the identity of
Mr. Morland in Mr. Pye's presence," I replied hotly, feeling my ground
moving from under me.

Day looked at Pye. "That is true, sir," said the clerk. "Dr. Phillimore
stated in my presence that he had discovered that Mr. Morland was--I
think he said Prince Frederic of Hochburg."

Day was silent. "I think this is pretty much a mare's