r.

"Who did it?" asked the doctor, again.

Then Wyck told him the story, at least his own version of it, and in
such a manner that the doctor's indignation was at once aroused.

"Come down to the Police Station and I will go with you. It's horrible
that such a thing should be allowed. You must punish these ruffians."

The doctor drove him to the nearest Police Station and shewed the
branding to the Inspector, who was thunderstruck at the sight and would
scarcely believe the details told him by Wyck.

"Will you issue warrants?" asked the doctor.

"No, we can't do that. You must charge them with inflicting grievous
bodily harm and we must issue an information."

"Where are these men now?"

"I have no idea. They kept me prisoner for three days and I daresay are
far away by this time," answered Wyck.

The Inspector took down full particulars, to be forwarded to the
detective department with instructions to wire details all over the
Colonies without delay.

The Melbourne Press is as enterprising as that of other cities, and
scarcely an hour had gone by since Wyck laid the information, when the
news-boys were shouting, "Terrible assault on a gentleman. Ear-marked on
both ears." The boys bought both the _Herald_ and the _Standard_, and
read the following paragraph:

ASSAULT ON A GENTLEMAN.

At a quarter to five this evening a gentleman named Villiers
Wyckliffe, accompanied by Dr. Moloney, called at the police-station
and reported himself as being the victim of a terrible assault by
which he will be marked for life. It appears from particulars to
hand, which are very meagre, that two men named Morris and Winter
have followed him for some months in order to be revenged for some
fancied wrong. They decoyed him into a house and committed the
assault complained of. We learn that information has been sworn,
and the matter is in the hands of the detectives.

"Shall we call for the warrants, Hal?" asked Reg, playfully.

"No; let's give the detectives a chance."

At dinner they discussed their probable arrest, but no detectives
appeared, so quite unconcerned they went off to a theatre with their
friends.

The following morning both the _Age_ and the _Argus_ had each long
columns referring to the assault. Both had interviewed Wyck, and that
gentleman had glorified himself and posed as the martyr of a horrible
conspiracy. The affair became the sens