ou
have many, perhaps too many, in your possession. I see that there will
be many tiresome interventions and much dangerous curiosity. If I were
in your place I would tear up all those documents. Believe me, the best
of proofs is none at all. That is the only one which nobody discusses."

Alas! General Panther did not realise the wisdom of this advice. The
future was only too thoroughly to justify Greatauk's perspicacity. La
Trinite demanded the documents belonging, to the Pyrot affair. Peniche,
his Minister of War, refused them in the superior interests of the
national defence, telling him that the documents under General Panther's
care formed the hugest mass of archives in the world. La Trinite studied
the case as well as he could, and, without penetrating to the bottom of
the matter, suspected it of irregularity. Conformably to his rights
and prerogatives he then ordered a fresh trial to be held. Immediately,
Peniche, his Minister of War, accused him of insulting the army and
betraying the country and flung his portfolio at his head. He was
replaced by a second, who did the same. To him succeeded a third, who
imitated these examples, and those after him to the number of seventy
acted like their predecessors, until the venerable La Trinite groaned
beneath the weight of bellicose portfolios. The seventy-first Minister
of War, van Julep, retained office. Not that he was in disagreement with
so many and such noble colleagues, but he had been commissioned by them
generously to betray his Prime Minister, to cover him with shame and
opprobrium, and to convert the new trial to the glory of Greatauk, the
satisfaction of the Anti-Pyrotists, the profit of the monks, and the
restoration of Prince Crucho.

General van Julep, though endowed with high military virtues, was not
intelligent enough to employ the subtle conduct and exquisite methods of
Greatauk. He thought, like General Panther, that tangible proofs against
Pyrot were necessary, that they could never ave too many of them, that
they could never have even enough. He expressed these' sentiments to his
Chief of Staff, who was only too inclined to agree with them.

"Panther," said he, "we are at the moment when we need abundant and
superabundant proofs."

"You have said enough, General," answered Panther, "I will complete my
piles of documents."

Six months later the proofs against Pyrot filled two storeys of the
Ministry of War. The ceiling fell in beneath the weight