rro, alias the Reverend Richard
Peploe Brabazon, on a charge of obtaining money under false
pretences from Sir Charles Vandrift, K.C.M.G., M.P., on his sworn
information, now here subscribed to." For Charles had had the
thing drawn out in readiness beforehand.

Our prisoner drew himself up. "Look here, officer," he said, in an
offended tone, "there's some mistake here in this matter. I have
never given an alias at any time in my life. How do you know this
is really Sir Charles Vandrift? It may be a case of bullying
personation. My belief is, though, they're a pair of escaped
lunatics."

"We'll see about that to-morrow," the constable said, collaring him.
"At present you've got to go off with me quietly to the station,
where these gentlemen will enter up the charge against you."

They carried him off, protesting. Charles and I signed the
charge-sheet; and the officer locked him up to await his examination
next day before the magistrate.

We were half afraid even now the fellow would manage somehow to
get out on bail and give us the slip in spite of everything;
and, indeed, he protested in the most violent manner against the
treatment to which we were subjecting "a gentleman in his position."
But Charles took care to tell the police it was all right; that he
was a dangerous and peculiarly slippery criminal, and that on no
account must they let him go on any pretext whatever, till he had
been properly examined before the magistrates.

We learned at the hotel that night, curiously enough, that there
really _was_ a Dr. Polperro, a distinguished art critic, whose
name, we didn't doubt, our impostor had been assuming.

Next morning, when we reached the court, an inspector met us with a
very long face. "Look here, gentlemen," he said, "I'm afraid you've
committed a very serious blunder. You've made a precious bad mess of
it. You've got yourselves into a scrape; and, what's worse, you've
got us into one also. You were a deal too smart with your sworn
information. We've made inquiries about this gentleman, and we find
the account he gives of himself is perfectly correct. His name _is_
Polperro; he's a well-known art critic and collector of pictures,
employed abroad by the National Gallery. He was formerly an official
in the South Kensington Museum, and he's a C.B. and LL.D., very
highly respected. You've made a sad mistake, that's where it is; and
you'll probably have to answer a charge of false imprisonment, in
which I'