ppy love, that you owe the honour of looking through
this peephole in my company. But this fellow will sleep for a couple of
hours, do not lose sight of him; I am going to smoke a cigarette in the
courtyard."

Albert slept four hours. On awaking his head seemed clearer than it had
been ever since his interview with Noel. It was a terrible moment for
him, when, for the first time he became fully aware of his situation.

"Now, indeed," said he, "I require all my courage."

He longed to see some one, to speak, to be questioned, to explain. He
felt a desire to call out.

"But what good would that be?" he asked himself. "Some one will be
coming soon." He looked for his watch, to see what time it was, and
found that they had taken it away. He felt this deeply; they were
treating him like the most abandoned of villains. He felt in his
pockets: they had all been carefully emptied. He thought now of his
personal appearance; and, getting up, he repaired as much as possible
the disorder of his toilet. He put his clothes in order, and dusted
them; he straightened his collar, and re-tied his cravat. Then pouring
a little water on his handkerchief, he passed it over his face, bathing
his eyes which were greatly inflamed. Then he endeavoured to smooth his
beard and hair. He had no idea that four lynx eyes were fixed upon him
all the while.

"Good!" murmured the young detective: "see how our cock sticks up his
comb, and smooths his feathers!

"I told you," put in Balan, "that he was only staggered. Hush! he is
speaking, I believe."

But they neither surprised one of those disordered gestures nor one of
those incoherent speeches, which almost always escape from the feeble
when excited by fear, or from the imprudent ones who believe in the
discretion of their cells. One word alone, "honour," reached the ears of
the two spies.

"These rascals of rank," grumbled Balan, "always have this word in their
mouths. That which they most fear is the opinion of some dozen friends,
and several thousand strangers, who read the 'Gazette des Tribunaux.'
They only think of their own heads later on."

When the gendarmes came to conduct Albert before the investigating
magistrate, they found him seated on the side of his bed, his feet
pressed upon the iron rail, his elbows on his knees, and his head buried
in his hands. He rose, as they entered, and took a few steps towards
them; but his throat was so dry that he was scarcely able to speak. He
a