"Hands off, Mr. Officer--if you are an officer," cried Gerard, in the first shock of the surprise, as he glanced at the gentlemanly appearance of the other, who wore plain clothes. "You shall not touch me, unless you can show legal authority. This is a shameful trick. Colonel--excuse me for speaking plainly--as I owe nothing to you, I do not see that you have any right, or power, to bring about my arrest." The group would have made a fine study: especially Gerard, his head thrown back in defiance, and looking angrily at every one. "Did you hear me?" cried the colonel. "I must do my duty," said the police-officer, approaching Gerard. "And for authority--you need not suppose I should act without it." "Allow me to understand a little, first," remarked Gerard, haughtily eluding the officer. "What is it for? What is the sum total?" "Two hundred and fifty pounds," growled the colonel. "But if you are thinking to compromise it in that way, young sir, you will find yourself mistaken." "Oh, no fear," retorted Gerard; "I have not two hundred and fifty pence. Let me see: it must be Dobbs's. A hundred and sixty--how on earth do they slide the expenses up? I did it, sir, to oblige a friend." "The deuce you did!" echoed the colonel, who understood nothing of the speech except the last sentence. "I never saw a cooler villain in all my experience!" "He was awfully hard up," went on Gerard, "as much so as I am now; and I did it. I don't deny having done such things on my own account, but from this particular one I did not benefit a shilling." His calm assurance, and his words, struck them with consternation. You see, he and they were at cross-purposes. "Dobbs said he'd take care I should be put to no inconvenience--and this comes of it! That's trusting your friends. He vowed to me, this very week, that he had provided for the bill." "He thinks it is only an affair of debt!" screamed Frances Chenevix. "Oh, Gerard what a relief! We thought you were confessing." "You are not arrested for debt, sir," explained the officer. "You are apprehended for--in short, it is a case of felony." "Felony!" echoed Gerard Hope. "Oh, indeed! Could you not make it murder?" he added, with sarcasm. "Off with him to Marlborough Street, officer," cried the exasperated colonel; "I'll come with you, and prefer the charge. He scoffs at it, does he?" "Yes, that I do," answered Gerard. "Whatever pitfalls I may have walked into in the way of debt and carelessness, I have not gone in for felony." "You are accused, sir," said the officer, "of stealing a diamond bracelet." "Hey!" uttered Gerard, a flash of intelligence rising to his face, as he glanced at Alice. "I might have guessed it was the bracelet affair, if I had had my recollection about me." "Oh, oh," triumphed the colonel, in mocking jocularity. "So you expected it was the bracelet, did you? We shall have it all out presently."