ecognise him, but held their tongues. As yet, certainly, there was
not a word in the newspapers to set his adversaries upon his track.

It was in a corner of the smoking-room at the Grosvenor, a hot gloomy
apartment overlooking Victoria Station, that I introduced Wareham to the
novelist. The former had already formed some opinion, but a few points
remained for consideration. The chief of these, as Wareham explained, was
how far the French Republic might claim jurisdiction over Frenchmen.

In matters of process some countries asserted a measure of authority over
their subjects wherever they might be; and the question was, what might
be the law of France in that respect? Of course M. Zola could not be
extradited. The offence for which he had been sentenced did not come
within the purview of the Extradition Act. Again (in reply to a query
from M. Zola), there was no diplomatic channel through which a French
criminal libel judgment could be signified in England. But suppose that
French detectives should discover M. Zola's whereabouts, and suppose a
French process-server should quietly come to England with a couple of
witnesses, and by some craft or good luck should succeed in placing a
copy of the Versailles judgment in M. Zola's hands?

Unless a breach of the Queen's peace were committed, it might be
difficult for the English authorities to interfere. There appeared to be
no case or precedent in England applying to such a matter. In Germany a
foreign process-server would be liable to penal servitude. But, of
course, that was not to the point. Again, although the service by a
foreigner might not hold good in English law, that had nothing to do with
it. The process-server and his witnesses would immediately return to
France; they would there prove to the satisfaction of their employers
that they had served the judgment on M. Zola personally, and they would
be able to snap their fingers at English lawyers should the latter
complain that the thrusting of a document into a man's hand under such
circumstances was a technical assault. They would have gained their
point. Judgment would have been served, and in accordance with French law
M. Zola would be called upon to enter an appearance against it at
Versailles.

'Things must largely depend,' concluded Wareham, 'on whether French law
allows process to be served on a subject out of the jurisdiction. And
that is a point rather for French legal advisers than for me. Still I
shall