"But for the interest which the gentleman, of whom I speak, inspires in the minds of all honest men, instead of being summoned before me, you would, at this moment, be standing before a police-magistrate." "I do not understand you." "Two months since, you discounted, through an agent, a bill for fifty-eight thousand francs (2,320_l._), accepted by the house of Meulaert & Company, of Hamburg, in favour of a certain William Smith, payable in three months, at the bank of M. Grimaldi, of Paris." "Well?" "That bill was a forgery." "Impossible!" "That bill was a forgery! the firm of Meulaert never gave such a bill to William Smith, and never had such a transaction with such an individual." "Can this be true?" exclaimed M. de Saint-Remy, with equal surprise and indignation; "then I have been most infamously deceived, sir, for I took the bill as ready money." "From whom?" "From M. William Smith himself; the house of Meulaert is so well known, and I was so firmly convinced myself of the honour of M. William Smith, that I took the bill in payment of a debt he owed me." "William Smith never existed,--he is an imaginary personage." "Sir, you insult me!" "His signature is forged and false, as well as all the rest of the bill." "I assert that M. William Smith is alive; but I must have been the dupe of a horrible abuse of confidence." "Poor young man!" "Explain yourself, sir." "The actual holder of the bill is convinced you committed the forgery." "Sir!" "He declares that he has proof of this; and he came to me the day before yesterday, requesting me to see you, and offer to give up this forged document, under certain conditions. Up to this point all was straightforward, but what follows is not so, and I only speak to you now according to my instructions. He requires one hundred thousand francs (4,000_l._) down this very day, or else to-morrow, at twelve o'clock at noon, the forged bill will be handed over to the king's attorney-general." "This is infamous, sir!" "It is more,--it is absurd. You are a ruined man; you were all but arrested for the sum which you have just paid me, and which you have scraped up I cannot tell from where; and this I have told to the holder of the bill, who replied, that a certain great and very rich lady would not allow you to remain in this embarrassment." "Enough, sir! enough!" "More infamous! more absurd! agreed." "Well, sir, and what is required of me?"