politely showed him out, saying
in a low voice: "My dear Mr. Lyon, it will be for your great interest to
make appointment without the boor."

"Lyon will do nothing of the kind, you little villain," I said, as I saw
he was shrewdly arranging for future business. "The 'boor,' as you are
pleased to term me, has the whole charge of this business, and you will
transact it with him or nobody."

Le Compte flushed, closed the door without another word, locked it, and
put the key in his pocket.

I turned on him savagely with: "My friend, what do you mean? If you make
a single treacherous motion, you'll never get out of this room alive!"

I was now thoroughly mad, and am sure that the little jackanapes saw it
and felt that I might possibly serve him as he deserved, for he quickly
and tremblingly said, "Oh, if that is the case, I have no objection if
you the key hold; but in clairvoyant state we shall be alone and
locked."

There was a bed in the room, and I suggested that he looked flurried
and had better take a rest upon it while going on with his story; but he
seated himself at the opposite side of the table, and began putting his
hands upon his eyes and drawing them away with an indescribably
graceful, though rapid gesture. This he continued for some little time,
when he brought his hands down upon the table with considerable force.
Then he began the old humbug about my having had trouble with some one,
somewhere in the United States, at some time or other about something;
that there was another man of uncertain size, peculiar complexion,
unusual hair, singular face, and a strange, general appearance; and that
this difficulty was about money, he thought it would amount to from five
hundred to one thousand dollars, and that I would receive this sum
within a few weeks. As I said that this was absolutely true, he was
greatly encouraged, and went on for some time in an equally silly and
foolish manner. I stood it as long as I could, and finally said:

"See here, my friend, you and I must talk business!" upon which he was
wide awake and quite ready to enter into earthly conversation.

"Well, sir, what _could_ you want?"

"I want this nonsense stopped," I replied rising, at which he also
jumped up nimbly.

"Well," he said, "this woman"--evidently referring to Mrs. Winslow,
though no name had been mentioned--"once lived in Iowa with wrong
names!"

"Oh, nonsense!" I replied, "I know that already."

"But," he continued q