gnor Panco,' an
air of novelty came over Mr Pancks with this designation, 'to come and
help. I showed him, Rigaud, at his window, to Signor Panco, who was
often the spy in the day. I slept at night near the door of the house.
At last we entered, only this to-day, and now you see him! As he would
not come up in presence of the illustrious Advocate,' such was Mr
Baptist's honourable mention of Mr Rugg, 'we waited down below there,
together, and Signor Panco guarded the street.'

At the close of this recital, Arthur turned his eyes upon the impudent
and wicked face. As it met his, the nose came down over the moustache
and the moustache went up under the nose. When nose and moustache had
settled into their places again, Monsieur Rigaud loudly snapped his
fingers half-a-dozen times; bending forward to jerk the snaps at Arthur,
as if they were palpable missiles which he jerked into his face.

'Now, Philosopher!' said Rigaud.'What do you want with me?'

'I want to know,' returned Arthur, without disguising his abhorrence,
'how you dare direct a suspicion of murder against my mother's house?'

'Dare!' cried Rigaud. 'Ho, ho! Hear him! Dare? Is it dare? By Heaven, my
small boy, but you are a little imprudent!'

'I want that suspicion to be cleared away,' said Arthur. 'You shall
be taken there, and be publicly seen. I want to know, moreover,
what business you had there when I had a burning desire to fling you
down-stairs. Don't frown at me, man! I have seen enough of you to know
that you are a bully and coward. I need no revival of my spirits from
the effects of this wretched place to tell you so plain a fact, and one
that you know so well.'

White to the lips, Rigaud stroked his moustache, muttering, 'By Heaven,
my small boy, but you are a little compromising of my lady, your
respectable mother'--and seemed for a minute undecided how to act.
His indecision was soon gone. He sat himself down with a threatening
swagger, and said:

'Give me a bottle of wine. You can buy wine here. Send one of your
madmen to get me a bottle of wine. I won't talk to you without wine.
Come! Yes or no?'

'Fetch him what he wants, Cavalletto,' said Arthur, scornfully,
producing the money.

'Contraband beast,' added Rigaud, 'bring Port wine! I'll drink nothing
but Porto-Porto.'

The contraband beast, however, assuring all present, with his
significant finger, that he peremptorily declined to leave his post at
the door, Signor Panco offered hi