the
accused's logic.

"Peuh!" declared he: "With fellows like you, who are perpetually
disguising themselves, changing their faces as I change my collars,
one never knows."... Suddenly Dumoulin's face lighted up.

"Tuesday, November 29th, you were in the shoes of Vinson--is that so?"

"Yes, Commandant."

"Very well. This same Tuesday, November 29th, you were at the Elysee
ball as Jerome Fandor! So you see!"

Dumoulin was triumphant.

"I had twenty-four hours' leave, Commandant--quite regular!" protested
Fandor.

"Ah!" growled the commandant, glancing knowingly at Lieutenant Servin,
who with impassive countenance was listening to this discussion:
"Don't talk to me about leave!... Heaven alone knows how easily you
spies succeed in obtaining leave!"

Fandor was about to protest vehemently against being numbered with the
spies, when the commandant started another subject.

"Added to this, there is something very serious in your case."

"Good Heavens! What now?" ejaculated Fandor.

Dumoulin looked mysterious.

"We will speak of it later on.... The next step is to confront you
with certain witnesses: Lieutenant Servin, see if the witnesses are
there!"

Fandor himself had demanded this confrontation. He did not deny having
assumed the personality of Corporal Vinson, dating from the day when
the corporal entered officially on his duties as a unit of the 257th
of the line, in garrison at Verdun. But the enquiry wished to
establish that, anterior to this, Fandor had already taken the place
of the real Vinson: the military authorities seemed to attach immense
importance to this point. Fandor had then decided that the simplest
way was to be brought face to face with soldiers who had known Vinson
at Chalons: they would state that the Vinson presented to them in the
person of Fandor was not the Vinson they had known.

Thereupon Dumoulin had sent for two men who, as orderlies at Chalons,
had lived side by side with Vinson.

There was a momentous silence while Lieutenant Servin went to the end
of the corridor and signed to the two waiting witnesses to come
forward. The two men entered the commandant's office, facing Dumoulin
in true military style.

Dumoulin, reading out the names of the two witnesses from a paper,
started his interrogation with a haughty air.

"Hiloire?"

"Present, Commandant."

"What is your name?"

The soldier opened his eyes wide, and thinking he had to give his
Christian name, stammer