their possible to be present, begging cards of
admittance, a favour which could be granted to a very limited number.

As soon as the interest aroused by the appearance of the members of
the Council of War had died down the crowd's attention was
concentrated on the hero of this sensational adventure: his doings had
been the one prevailing topic of conversation during the past few
days.

Jerome Fandor, modest, reserved, appeared indifferent to the mute
questioning of the hundreds of eyes focussed on him. Our journalist
wore Corporal Vinson's uniform. He had begged the authorities to let
him appear in civilian clothes: demands and entreaties had been so
much breath wasted.

The counsel assigned him was a shining light of the junior bar, Maitre
Durul-Berton.

The audience on the whole was favourably disposed towards this
well-known contributor to _La Capitale_. They knew that on many
occasions this well-informed journalist had rendered immense services
to honest folk and to society in general by placing his intelligence
and energy at the service of every good cause.

Then there was one strong indisputable point in his favour. Though he
had escaped from prison with the help of an unknown person, he had
returned, had given himself up, declaring he would not leave the
Council of War except by the big door with head held high, his
innocence established.

The president announced:

"We shall now call the names of the witnesses."

There was silence in the court-room while a sergeant who filled the
office of crier to the court, read out the names from a list in his
hands. The call-over lasted ten minutes. Most of the witnesses were
officers and men belonging to the garrisons of Verdun and Chalons.

Among these witnesses as they defiled before the tribunal Fandor
recognised some whose faces were graven on his memory during his brief
sojourn in the Saint Benoit barracks.

The first call resounded through the court-room:

"Inspector Juve!"

Juve approached the tribunal, proved he was present, then, in
conformity with the law, left the court-room, as did the other
witnesses called.

The presence of Juve reassured and comforted Fandor. Had not Juve said
to him:

"You must face your judges, little son; but I am greatly deceived if a
certain incident which will occur in the course of the hearing will
not alter the speech for the government from the first to the last!"

More than this Juve could not be got to say: he h