ent is known at these suburban stations, he
refrained from an inquiry which would have made him a laughing-stock.

Since Cesarine had returned, the conflict of duty and passion would be
resumed and he felt sure that he had been defeated before. Reflecting
profoundly, he could come to no other conclusion than that he ought to
shun the dangerous traitress.

As he lifted his head, less troubled after arriving at this resolution,
he was not sorry to see that Clemenceau had silently entered the room.

"Oh, is it you, my dear master?" he exclaimed.

It was not easy on that placid brow to read whether he knew of
Cesarine's return or not.

"Well, are you satisfied with your test this morning?" inquired he.
"Have you succeeded with the bullets of the new shape?"

"I believe so," answered Antonino, "for the modifications which you
suggested, improved it in every point they dealt with. They go forth
clean and the windage is much reduced."

"Is the range improved?"

"At fourteen hundred metres I put two elongated balls into an oak so
deeply that I could not dig them out with my knife. They struck very
closely to one another. It is a hundred metres greater distance.
Inserting the bullets by the mass of twenty-five and firing the two took
four seconds. I was less careful about marking where the others struck,
and one that I discharged on my return near the house broke and went
badly askew. With bullets made by regular moulders, such an accident
should not happen."

"Have you any left? Let me see."

Antonino took two bullets from his waistcoat pocket; they were unlike
the ordinary globules, and resembled the long, pointed cylinders of
modern guns. With a pair of pocket plyers, he broke one to exhibit the
interior to Clemenceau; it was composed of two metals in curiously
shaped segments and a chamber in one end contained a loose ball of
another and heavier metal, on the principle of the quick-silver
enhancing the force of the blow of the "loaded" executioner's sword. All
had a novel aspect, but the chief inventor was familiar with the
arrangement.

"By the cavity in it I have reduced the weight of three to two," went on
Antonino. "I am in hopes to put in fifty or sixty bullets at a time
without making the arm too heavy, and that would suffice, considering
that the replacement of the mass of projectiles requires no appreciable
time, while the supply of explosive, liquefied air suffices for three
hundred discharges. The rep