"Just as I said,--just as I foretold,--the certificate forged, without
giving themselves the trouble to falsify the register," broke in Layton.
"We have seen the book at Meisner, and it records the death of a certain
serving-woman, Esther Baumhardt, who was buried there seven years ago.
All proves that these people, in planning this knavery, calculated on
never meeting an opponent."

"Where is this Mr. Trover?" said Alfred. "I thought we should find him
here in all the abandonment of friendly ease."

"He dined at the cottage with his other friends," said Winthrop, "for
the which I owe him all my gratitude, for I own to you I had sore
misgivings about sitting down with him."

"I could n't have done it," broke in the old doctor. "My first mouthful
would have choked me. As it is, while I wait to denounce his guilt, I
have an uneasy sense of complicity, as though I knew of a crime and had
not proclaimed it to the world."

"Well, sir," said Quackinboss, and with a sententious slowness, "I ain't
minded like either of you. _My_ platform is this: Rogues is varmin;
they are to the rest of mankind what wolves and hyenas is to the
domestic animals. Now, it would not be good policy or good sport to
pison these critturs. What they desarve is to be hunted down! It is a
rare stimulus to a fellow's blood to chase a villain. Since I have been
on this trail I feel a matter of ten years younger."

"And I am impatient to follow up the chase," said the doctor, who in his
eagerness walked up and down the room with a fretful anxiety.

"Remember," said Alfred, "that however satisfied we ourselves may be
on every point of these people's culpability, we have no authority to
arrest them, or bring them to justice. We can set the law in motion, but
not usurp its action."

"And are they to be let go free?" asked Quackinboss. "Is it when we have
run 'em to earth we 're to call off the dogs and go home?"

"He's right, though, Colonel," said Winthrop. "Down in our country,
mayhap, we 'd find half a dozen gentlemen who'd make Mr. Trover's trial
a very speedy affair; but here we must follow other fashions."

"Our detective friend says that he'll not leave them till you have
received authority from home to demand their extradition," said the
doctor. "I take it for granted forgery is an offence in every land in
Europe, and, at all events, no State can have any interest in wishing to
screen them."

While they thus talked, Alfred Layton rang the