‘Now, Monsieur V----, what does this mean?’ he blustered, as I closed the door behind him. ‘It means, Monsieur le Général, that I have a question to ask you, but that I do not expect you to answer it for nothing.’ Garnier was visibly relieved to discover that I had not sent for him to extort blackmail. But his reply was not encouraging. ‘I fear that you have given yourself trouble uselessly. It is not my intention to sell any information of a kind which cannot be given openly.’ I knew the man I was dealing with too well to take this answer as final. ‘Without doubt you are right to remind me that a man like yourself ought to be approached with a great deal of circumspection,’ I returned, with a mixture of politeness and irony. Garnier’s face flushed. ‘I mean what I have said,’ he affirmed. ‘You must not suppose that you are dealing to-day with Colonel Garnier. In my position one has responsibilities to which there attaches itself a sentiment of honour, you understand, M. V----?’ My experience has not taught me that men become more scrupulous by being promoted from the rank of Colonel to that of General, but only that they become more greedy. I replied-- ‘I understand of course that one does not buy old coins at the same price from a general officer as from a field officer.’ Garnier’s face assumed a look of indecision. ‘For whom are you acting, this time?’ he demanded. ‘General, if any one had asked me formerly from where I had procured my Roman coins, what do you suppose my answer would have been?’ Garnier tugged thoughtfully at his moustache, as he frowned over a refusal which was, at the same time, a proof that he could trust me. [Illustration: “‘As to that--impossible!’ he exclaimed with vigour. ‘That is our secret--ours, you understand.’”] ‘Suppose you explain to me what information you are in search of?’ he said, throwing himself into a chair. I thought the battle was won, as I responded-- ‘It concerns the Dreyfus Case.’ To my surprise, Garnier bounded out of the seat into which he had just dropped. ‘As to that--impossible!’ he exclaimed with vigour. ‘That is our secret--_ours_, you understand.’ I listened to this declaration with secret dismay. It revealed to me that the fate of Dreyfus was in some manner connected with the interest of the heads of the French Army, in short, with Garnier’s own; and from his tone I suspected that I was questioning the arch-plotter. There was still the chance that he might be willing to part with the secret if he could be assured that it would not be used against him. ‘Suppose I required this information on behalf of a friendly monarch, who is himself a soldier, and who might be willing to pledge his word that it should not be made use of to your disadvantage?’ Garnier gazed at me as though he would have read the name of this monarch in my eyes.