she saw was not the King.

"What did you do, Mademoiselle?"

This time M. Giraud spoke up:

"Mlle. Marie was wrong in what she did, but under the stress of emotion
she raised the whole hotel and made such a row that M. Louis advised her
to come and see me."

"Very good, and then?"

"Why, M. Annion, I hurried to the Royal Palace and made an
investigation, where I confirmed what Mademoiselle had told me. I then
decided I had better lay the matter before you."

M. Annion sat deep in thought for a few moments. Then he burst out:

"Hang it! Your accusation of imposture is absurd, Mademoiselle, utterly
impossible!" Then, turning to M. Vicart, he added:

"Haven't we the formal declaration, irrefutable, of that Secret Service
man ... Glaschk..."

"Wulfenmimenglaschk."

"That's it!... Have you seen him, M. Giraud?"

"I have, but I couldn't get anything out of him; he was three-quarters
drunk, and furious with his Majesty who had just struck him."

M. Annion stared in amazement.

"But Frederick-Christian was his friend--his intimate friend ... they
were pals ... and you say he struck him?"

Crossing quickly to the telephone, he called up:

"Hello! Are inspectors 42, 59 and 63 there? What? Then send them up."

"You did well to come to me, M. Giraud; we must clear up this business
at any cost.... I've just sent for the three inspectors whom I detailed
this morning to watch his Majesty Frederick-Christian...."

Then glancing at Marie Pascal:

"You'll hear what they have to say, Mademoiselle." A few minutes later
the three men entered the office.

"Well, what is new? You've been shadowing him?"

"Yes, Monsieur."

"Anything to report?"

"Nothing much, Monsieur, only in regard to the conduct of the King. It
seems that since this morning he has quite changed. Frederick-Christian,
instead of keeping himself shut up as of late, now sees his friends
again and has resumed his haughty manner and his fault-finding with the
servants."

"What friends has he seen?"

"A young attache of the Embassy arrived immediately after luncheon, and
the director of his bank."

"And these men found nothing unusual?"

"No, chief, nothing at all."

M. Annion turned to Marie Pascal.

"You see, Mademoiselle, that is conclusive, isn't it? What probably
happened was that the King had a fit of nerves, due to the death of his
mistress, and then his return to his normal life misled you...."

Marie Pascal interrupted:

"No, Mo