esented to the Supreme
Court by the Keeper of Seals, it fell to Chaussepied to examine it and
cover its defects, in case any existed. Although as upright and honest
as a man can be, and trained by long habit to exercise his magistracy
without fear or favour, he expected to find in the documents he
submitted to him proofs of certain guilt and obvious criminality. After
lengthened difficulties and repeated refusals on the part of General
Julep, Justice Chaussepied was allowed to examine the documents.
Numbered and initialed they ran to the number of fourteen millions six
hundred and twenty-six thousand three hundred and twelve. As he studied
them the judge was at first surprised, then astonished, then stupefied,
amazed, and, if I dare say so, flabbergasted. He found among the
documents prospectuses of new fancy shops, newspapers, fashion-plates,
paper bags, old business letters, exercise books, brown paper, green
paper for rubbing parquet floors, playing cards, diagrams, six thousand
copies of the "Key to Dreams," but not a single document in which any
mention was made of Pyrot.

XI. CONCLUSION

The appeal was allowed, and Pyrot was brought down from his cage. But
the Anti-Pyrotists did not regard themselves as beaten. The military
judges re-tried Pyrot. Greatauk, in this second affair, surpassed
himself. He obtained a second conviction; he obtained it by declaring
that the proofs communicated to the Supreme Court were worth nothing,
and that great care had been taken to keep back the good ones, since
they ought to remain secret. In the opinion of connoisseurs he had never
shown so much address. On leaving the court, as he passed through the
vestibule with a tranquil step, and his hands behind his back, amidst a
crowd of sight-seers, a woman dressed in red and with her face covered
by a black veil rushed at him, brandishing a kitchen knife.

"Die, scoundrel!" she cried. It was Maniflore. Before those present
could understand what was happening, the general seized her by the
wrist, and with apparent gentleness, squeezed it so forcibly that the
knife fell from her aching hand.

Then he picked it up and handed it to Maniflore.

"Madam," said he with a bow, "you have dropped a household utensil."

He could not prevent the heroine from being taken to the police-station;
but he had her immediately released and afterwards he employed all his
influence to stop the prosecution.

The second conviction of Pyrot was Gre