by long practice, they rapidly
unrolled the pipe, introduced it into the narrow mouth of the staircase,
turned on the tap, and proceeded to drench everybody in the supper room
below.

The unexpected sousing pulled the combatants up short, separated all the
champions, and drove the howling and shrieking mob back to the far end
of the room. The operation lasted for a good five minutes, and when the
gendarmes considered that the customers of the Saint-Anthony's Pig were
sufficiently quieted down, the sergeant threw the light of a lantern,
which the proprietor obligingly had ready for him, over the supper room,
and peremptorily ordered the company to come up, one by one.

Seeing that resistance would be futile, the company obeyed. As they
slowly emerged at the top of the corkscrew staircase, meek and subdued,
the gendarmes at the top arrested them, slipped handcuffs on them, and
sent them off in couples to the station. When the sergeant assumed that
every one had come out, he went down into the supper room, just to make
sure that nobody was still hiding there. But the room was not quite
empty. One unfortunate man was lying on the floor, bathed in his own
blood. It was the man with the guitar, and a knife had been driven
through his breast!

* * * * *

The couple consisting of the green man and the young man with the
budding beard, of whom his companion had never once let go since
identifying him during the fight in the supper room, were taken to the
station. The clerk, who was taking down the names of the prisoners, with
difficulty repressed an exclamation of surprise when the green man
produced an identification card, and whispered a few words in his ear.

"Release that gentleman at once," said the clerk. "With regard to the
other----"

"With regard to the other," the green man broke in, "kindly release him
too. I want to keep him with me."

The clerk bowed in consent, and both men were immediately released from
their handcuffs. The young man stared in astonishment at the individual
who a minute before had been his companion in bonds, and was about to
thank him, but the other grasped him firmly by the wrist, as though to
warn him of the impossibility of flight, and led him out of the police
station. In the street they met the sergeant with a gendarme bringing in
the unfortunate man with the guitar, who was just breathing, and in whom
the officials had recognised a detective-inspector