" gasped the _savant_, passing before the witness.

"We were, indeed. I told Linggold what we were going to do, and he
promised to help me, being a first-rate French and German scholar; but I
told him we didn't want any help, and that he would get me into a scrape
if he meddled with the matter. I meant to have the letters mailed in
some place where none of us ever went. I told Linggold I wanted him to
take the letters and mail them at Cologne, and other places he went to
in his travels; and he promised to do so. I didn't think of such a thing
as his writing any letter after what I said. I left him then, and
haven't seen or heard from him since till now. He must have written the
letter right off, and mailed it at once, for it came on board the
Josephine that night."

"Do you mean to say that you didn't know this letter was to be written?"
demanded Mr. Hamblin, sharply.

"Yes, sir."

"When I asked you to give me a translation of it, were you not aware
that it was a forgery?"

"I supposed it was."

"You knew it was!"

"No, sir; I did not. I had no knowledge whatever in regard to the
writer. It did not occur to me, after what had passed between Linggold
and me, that he wrote the letter. I believed it was done by some fellow
on board. When the captain was arrested, all the fellows tried to find
out who had sent the letter, but no one would acknowledge it."

"Did you write any letters of this description, Duncan?" asked the
principal.

"No, sir. I had two conversations with the captain; and when he asked me
to do what I could to prevent any tricks being played upon the
professor, I determined not to have anything to do with the letters, or
any practical jokes of any kind. I can bring a dozen fellows to prove
that I said all I could to keep them from playing any tricks."

"What does your friend say in his letter?"

"He says the joke was so good he couldn't resist the temptation to send
the first letter to the professor himself, and wants to know why I
didn't send the letters to him that I promised?"

"Why didn't you?"

"After what the captain said, I persuaded the fellows not to write the
letters, and I did not write any myself. This letter is on the same kind
of paper as that," added Duncan, pointing to that which Paul had.

"Are you satisfied, Mr. Hamblin?" asked Mr. Lowington.

"No, sir, I am not," replied the professor, decidedly. "It appears that
there was an organized conspiracy against me in the conso