!"

"Yes, Monsieur le----"

"Where is it? You said you came straight to the Commissariat,--you
haven't had time to get drunk. Show me the piece! Come!"

"I drove to--I----"

"Come! Out with it!"

"But, Monsieur le Commissaire----"

"You haven't got a five-franc piece. Come, now; say!"

"No, monsieur. I----"

"Lie No. 2."

"But, monsieur, I stopped at the wine-shop of----"

"Then you didn't drive straight to the Commissariat?"

"I went----"

"Did you, or did you not? Yes or no!"

"No, monsieur."

"So! Lie No. 3."

The commissary got up full of wrath, and grasping the unfortunate
cabby by the shoulder, spun him around with such force as to make the
man's head swim.

"Dubat!"

"Monsieur?"

"Take this idiot to the post. I'll enter a complaint against him
before the Correctionnelle in the morning. He shall forfeit his
license for this amusement. Gentlemen, pardon me for this unnecessary
intrusion. Either this fool Perriot has lied or has led us to the
wrong number. I'll give him time to decide which. Allons!"

Led by the irate official the squad departed, Monsieur Perriot being
hustled unceremoniously between two agents.

The young men left behind looked at each other for a minute without
speaking, then broke into a chorus of laughter.

It was such a good one on the police.

"Ah!" exclaimed Villeroy, "if we only had that stiff here for a fact!"

"This joke on the agents must be got into the newspapers," said
Lerouge. "It's too good to keep all to ourselves."

"Fact!" cried Massard, who had thrown himself on the cot.

"The joke is on Monsieur Perriot, I think," observed Villeroy.

"Whoever it is on," put in young Massard, "it is a better joke than
you fellows imagine." And Massard went off into a paroxysm of laughter
by himself.

"Que diable?"

"Oh! oh! oh!" roared Massard.

He had discovered the missing sheet and blanket and the grisette's
hat. His companions regarded him attentively. But the young man merely
went into fresh convulsions of merriment.

Lerouge suddenly raised his hand for silence. There was a low,
half-timid rap at the door. It created the impression of some woman of
the street.

"Come in!" cried Villeroy.

"Let her in," said Lerouge.

By which time the door had been opened and a tall, thin gentleman
entered and immediately closed the door behind him.

"In-Inspector Loup!" ejaculated Lerouge.

"What! more police?" inquired Villeroy, sarcastically. "We are too