. Lift your head, Lupin. You have been the
champion of outraged morality. Be proud of your work. And now take a
chair, stretch out your legs and have a rest. You've deserved it."

When Prasville returned, he found Lupin sound asleep and had to tap him
on the shoulder to wake him.

"Is it done?" asked Lupin.

"It's done. The pardon will be signed presently. Here is the written
promise."

"The forty thousand francs?"

"Here's your cheque."

"Good. It but remains for me to thank you, monsieur."

"So the correspondence..."

"The Stanislas Vorenglade correspondence will be handed to you on the
conditions stated. However, I am glad to be able to give you, here and
now, as a sign of my gratitude, the four letters which I meant to send
to the papers this evening."

"Oh, so you had them on you?" said Prasville.

"I felt so certain, monsieur le secretaire-general, that we should end
by coming to an understanding."

He took from his hat a fat envelope, sealed with five red seals, which
was pinned inside the lining, and handed it to Prasville, who thrust it
into his pocket. Then he said:

"Monsieur le secretaire-general, I don't know when I shall have the
pleasure of seeing you again. If you have the least communication
to make to me, one line in the agony column of the Journal will be
sufficient. Just head it, 'M. Nicole.' Good-day to you."

And he withdrew.

Prasville, when he was alone, felt as if he were waking from a nightmare
during which he had performed incoherent actions over which his
conscious mind had no control. He was almost thinking of ringing and
causing a stir in the passages; but, just then, there was a tap at the
door and one of the office-messengers came hurrying in.

"What's the matter?" asked Prasville.

"Monsieur le secretaire-general, it's Monsieur le Depute Daubrecq asking
to see you... on a matter of the highest importance."

"Daubrecq!" exclaimed Prasville, in bewilderment. "Daubrecq here! Show
him in."

Daubrecq had not waited for the order. He ran up to Prasville, out of
breath, with his clothes in disorder, a bandage over his left eye, no
tie, no collar, looking like an escaped lunatic; and the door was not
closed before he caught hold of Prasville with his two enormous hands:

"Have you the list?"

"Yes."

"Have you bought it?"

"Yes."

"At the price of Gilbert's pardon?"

"Yes."

"Is it signed?"

"Yes."

Daubrecq made a furious gesture:

"You fool! You fool! Y