It was so true, that M. de Tregars himself appeared at the same moment, and, leading Maxence into the little room which he used as a study, “Do you know,” he said whilst shaking him cordially by the hand, “that you are almost an hour behind time?” Maxence had, among others the detestable fault, sure indication of a weak nature, of being never willing to be in the wrong, and of having always an excuse ready. On this occasion, the excuse was too tempting to allow it to escape; and quick he began telling how he had been detained by M. Chapelain, and how he had heard from the old lawyer what had taken place at the Mutual Credit office. “I know the scene already,” said M. de Tregars. And, fixing upon Maxence a look of friendly raillery, “Only,” he added, “I attributed your want of punctuality to another reason, a very pretty one this time, a brunette.” A purple cloud spread over Maxence’s cheeks. “What!” he stammered, “you know?” “I thought you must have been in haste to go and tell a person of your acquaintance why, when you saw me yesterday, you uttered an exclamation of surprise.” This time Maxence lost all countenance. “What,” he said, “you know too?” M. de Tregars smiled. “I know a great many things, my dear M. Maxence,” he replied; “and yet, as I do not wish to be suspected of witchcraft, I will tell you where all my science comes from. At the time when your house was closed to me, after seeking for a long time some means of hearing from your sister, I discovered at last that she had for her music-teacher an old Italian, the Signor Gismondo Pulei. I applied to him for lessons, and became his pupil. But, in the beginning, he kept looking at me with singular persistence. I inquired the reason; and he told me that he had once had for a neighbor, at the Batignolles, a young working-girl, who resembled me prodigiously. I paid no attention to this circumstance, and had, in fact, completely forgotten it; when, quite lately, Gismondo told me that he had just seen his former neighbor again, and, what’s more, arm in arm with you, and that you both entered together the Hotel des Folies. As he insisted again upon that famous resemblance, I determined to see for myself. I watched, and I stated, _de visa_, that my old Italian was not quite wrong, and that I had, perhaps, just found the weapon I was looking for.” His eyes staring, and his mouth gaping, Maxence looked like a man fallen from the clouds. “Ah, you did watch!” he said. M. de Tregars snapped his fingers with a gesture of indifference. “It is certain,” he replied, “that, for a month past, I have been doing a singular business. But it is not by remaining on my chair, preaching against the corruption of the age, that I can attain my object. The end justifies the means. Honest men are very silly, I think, to allow the rascals to get the better of them under the sentimental pretext that they cannot condescend to make use of their weapons.”