Obrigkeit, wird heute, vor hiesiger ehrenwerthen Burgerschaft, zum
erstenmal aufgefuhrt--Genovesa, oder--"

This opening of the prisoner's German harangue may be thus rendered:
"With the permission of the local authorities there will now be
presented before the honorable citizens, for the first time--Genevieve,
or the--"

"Enough," said the magistrate, harshly. He rose, perhaps to conceal his
chagrin, and added: "We will send for an interpreter to tell us whether
you speak English as fluently."

On hearing these words, Lecoq modestly stepped forward. "I understand
English," said he.

"Very well. You hear, prisoner?"

But the man was already transformed. British gravity and apathy were
written upon his features; his gestures were stiff and constrained,
and in the most ponderous tones he exclaimed: "Walk up! ladies and
gentlemen, walk up! Long life to the queen and to the honorable mayor
of this town! No country, England excepted--our glorious England!--could
produce such a marvel, such a paragon--" For a minute or two longer he
continued in the same strain.

M. Segmuller was leaning upon his desk, his face hidden by his hands.
Lecoq, standing in front of the prisoner, could not conceal his
astonishment. Goguet, the smiling clerk, alone found the scene amusing.

XI

The governor of the Depot, a functionary who had gained the reputation
of an oracle by twenty years' experience in prisons and with
prisoners--a man whom it was most difficult to deceive--had advised the
magistrate to surround himself with every precaution before examining
the prisoner, May.

And yet this man, characterized as a most dangerous criminal, and the
very announcement of whose coming had made the clerk turn pale, had
proved to be a practical, harmless, and jovial philosopher, vain of his
eloquence, a bohemian whose existence depended upon his ability to turn
a compliment; in short, a somewhat erratic genius.

This was certainly strange, but the seeming contradiction did not cause
M. Segmuller to abandon the theory propounded by Lecoq. On the contrary,
he was more than ever convinced of its truth. If he remained silent,
with his elbows leaning on the desk, and his hands clasped over his
eyes, it was only that he might gain time for reflection.

The prisoner's attitude and manner were remarkable. When his English
harangue was finished, he remained standing in the centre of the room, a
half-pleased, half-anxious expression on his