bbery, after having
made his worthy old father believe that he wished to blow out his
brains. A police agent of my acquaintance, knowing that I had been long
on the traces of the vicomte, asked me if I could not give him
information so that he could 'grab' the dandy. I had learned (too late
for myself) that he had 'run to earth' in a farm at Arnouville, five
leagues from Paris; but when we got there the bird had flown!"

"But next day he paid that acceptance,--thanks, as I have heard say, to
some rich woman!"

"Yes, general; but still I knew the nest, and he might have gone there
again, and so I told my friend in the police. He proposed to me to give
him a friendly cast of my office and show him the farm, and as I had
nothing to do and it was a rural trip, I agreed."

"Well, and the vicomte?"

"Not to be found. After having lurked about the farm for some time, we
gained admittance, and returned as wise as we went; and this is why I
could not come to your orders sooner, general."

"I was sure it was something of this sort, my good fellow."

"But, if I may be allowed to ask, how the devil did you get here?"

"Wretches, my dear fellow, a set of wretches who, for a miserable sixty
thousand francs of which they declare I have wronged them, have charged
me with a breach of trust and compelled me to resign my office."

"Really, general! Well, that's unfortunate! And shall I then work for
you no longer?"

"I am on half pay now, Bourdin,--on the retired list."

"But who are these vindictive persons?"

"Why, only imagine, one of the most savage of all is a liberated
convict, who employed me to recover the amount of a bill of seven
hundred miserable francs, for which it was requisite to bring an action.
Well, I brought the action, and got the money and used it; and because,
in consequence of some unsuccessful speculations, I swamped that money
and several other sums, all these blackguards have assailed me with
warrants; and so you find me here, my dear fellow, neither more nor less
than a malefactor."

"And does it not alarm you, general?"

"Yes; but the oddest thing of all is that this convict wrote me word
some days ago that this money being his sole resource for bad times, and
these bad times having arrived (I don't know what he means by that), I
was responsible for the crimes he might commit in order to escape from
starvation."

"Amusing, 'pon my soul!"

"Very; and the fellow is capable of saying this, but f