“In fine, my individual goes down the boulevard as far as the opera, turns to the right, crosses the open square, and goes down the first street to the left.  Here a cab passes; he hails it; orders the driver to take us to Vincennes.  We get in; and his first care is to let down the curtains.  Then he looks at me with a smile, holds out his hand, and says, ‘Well, old man! how are you?’

“At first, when I saw myself so well received, I was quite overcome.  Then reflecting, I thought, ’It is not natural for him to be so soft.  He is getting ready for some trick.  Keep your eyes open, Bagnolet.’

“‘Then you are not angry that I spoke to you; eh?’ He laughs, and says, ‘No.’

“Then I, ’However, you hadn’t exactly a wedding-air when I spoke to you, and I thought you were looking for a way to get rid of me unceremoniously.’  But he said very seriously, ’Look here, I am going to talk to you quite openly!  For a moment I was surprised; but I was not annoyed.  I have long foreseen something of the kind would happen; and I know that every time I go out I run the risk of meeting a former comrade.  You are not the first who has recognized me, and I am prepared to save myself all annoyance.  If I wanted to get rid of you, this very evening you would have lost all trace of me, thanks to a little contrivance I have arranged.  Besides, as you are in Paris without leave, before twenty-four hours are over, you would be in jail.’  He told me all this so calmly, that I felt it was so, and that the scamp had some special trick.

“‘Then,’ I said, ‘you rather like meeting an old friend, eh?’

“He looked me straight in the face and replied, ’Yes; and the proof of it is, that if you were not here, sitting at my side, and if I had known where to find you, I should have gone in search of you.  I have something to do for you.’”

Henceforth Bagnolet had reason to be satisfied.

Although the magistrate preserved his impassive appearance, Daniel and the chief surgeon listened with breathless attention, feeling that the prisoner had come to the really important part of his confession, from which, no doubt, much light would be obtained.  Lefloch himself listened with open mouth; and one could follow on his ingenuous countenance all the emotions produced by the recital of the criminal, who, but for him, would probably have escaped justice.

“Naturally,” continued Crochard, “when he talked of something to do, I opened my ears wide.  ‘Why,’ I said, ’I thought you had retired from business.’  And I really thought he had.  ‘You are mistaken,’ he replied.  ’Since I left that place you know of, I have been living nicely.  But I have not put anything aside; and if an accident should happen to me, which I have reason to fear, I would be destitute.’

“I should have liked very much to know more; but he would not tell me anything else concerning himself; and I had to give him my whole history since my release.  Oh! that was soon done.  I told him how nothing I had undertaken had ever succeeded; that, finally, I had been a waiter in a drinking-shop; that they had turned me out; and that for a month now I had been walking the streets, having not a cent, no clothes, no lodgings, and no bed but the quarries.