American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-04-05

| streets les gdDlSns de -LOndTes Call on
: There goes Sergeant Smith, that is Sc
, near in what way can be of any servit
} to you. Only before you begin, let n
beg of you to tell me everything-ar
family difficulty, any scandal to be avoi
ed, or whatever else may seem stur
bling-block in your road. On these co.
di;ions may be able to assist You. b.
J if you keep back anything from me, il
probable that l may injure instead of 70
warding your interests"
Our coffee finished we strolled out, an
while we were walking up and down Il
Boulevard DIES Capucins l told him IL
whole story from first to last, of whil
the reader has already had an outline. r
seemed to take in the whole affair at ono
and 30 recollect the most trivial detail
respecting it. He told me that he kne
something of Mr. Nual and Monsieu
Treves, having had more than once I
'look up" the latter in the way of bus
ness. In the work to be done he SCENE
to determine at once what was the be:
line of action. Of this mention will b
made presently. One of his plans il
volved a change of costume and disguise
upon which l remarked that rogues VIII
were ever on the alert would be prett
sure to discover any attempt made by tn
same individual to disguise himself i
more than one character. Upon thi
Monsieur Bergnet laughed-like every
thing else he did, his laugh was genial
but gentle and inoffensive-and said
"Look here, mon cher Monsieur, you othe
Englishmen are fond of betting. 1 viii
bet Monsieur one hundred francs tina
within the next forty-eight hours
although he has been warned of what
am going to do, will speak to Monsieur
| g., =. 6
each time, and on every occasion in
different costume. If upon one of thes'
occasions Monsieur recognizes me then
will forfeit my one hundred francs"
As matter of course l smiled at what
NJ. Bergnet said, believing at first he wa:
merely Joking, and afterward that hi
was merely Boosting of the faculties he
had in his own peculiar line. But he in
sisted upon holding to the bet, and fol
the purpose of pleasing him, not for any
other reason, agreed to stake the amount
he mentioned. At the Grand Hotel we
parted, agreeing to meet the following
evening and talk over matters.
After NJ Bergnet had left me, l recOl-
lected that l wanted to purchase pair OF
boots, my own being somewhat heavy foI
the dry climate and clean streets of Paris.
l therefore walked as far as the shop of a
shoemaker with whom l had dealt for
merry in the Rue de Rivoli. 1t was get
ting late, and the assistants were com
mencing to put up the shutters. l did
not, therefore, wait to get what wanted,
but giving the number of my room at
the Grand Hotel, asked them to send me
half dozen pairs Of boots to select from
next morning SO that [ could try them
on before dressing.
The next morning, accordingly, before
| vas out of bed, one of those male house
maids who do out the bedrooms of every
FIench hotel, knocked at my door and
told me that person from my bottier had
called with shoes and boots, as directed
the day before. Jumped up, pulled on
my dressing gown, and admitted the man.
He WAS one of those very decidedly
French workmen that one only sees in
Paris; and wore one of those curl
Gus blue aprons coming up over
his chest that are, believe, Il specially of
the French operative shoemaker. On
coming into the room he called my at
tention 10 the hour, $50, as indicated by
the time piece on the chimney, remarking
that he believed the pendule was slow,
but that the pendule in hotels never went
well. l then proceeded to try on the
boots, some of which were too large,
others too small, and at last the boot
makers man advised me to have a pair
made, and proceeded to measure me for
them. Altogether, he was about twenty
minutes in the room, during which he
stood before me, moved here and there,
and gave me every opportunity OF look
ing at him sideways or full in the face
When he had finished measuring me, and
bad gathered the various boots and shoes
he had brought into the bag, he startled
me by asking me whether knew a Ger
tain Monsieur Bergnet. Before answer
ed, and before l had the slightest glim
mering of the truth. the man pulled off a
very natural looking black wig, as well as
an equally natural looking short cropped
beard ami mustache, and there stood my
friend, the employee of the police secrete in
the civil department. He was amused at
the amaZenent depicted on my counte
nance, but merely said: eau revoir,
Monsieur; you will admit that have won
one point out of four toward gaining the
bet" Before could reply he had gone.
CHAPTER v.-THE WAGER.
1t may be supposed that l was natural
ly somewhat out of temper with myself
for having allowed myself to be taken in
so soon after Bergnet had made the bet
with me. l made a very determined res
olution to look closely at every one that
should come near me for the next two
days. Not that l wished to win NJ. Berg
nets money, nor would have taken it if
l had found him out in his disguise. But
still no Englishman likes to get worsted
in wager, more particularly when the
loss of it indicates that he is not SO OBJ
servant as he might be- When the man
chambermaid answered my bell l looked
at him, half expecting that it was again
M. Bergnet in disguise. This, however.
only proved to be an idea, for the man
was the same as had taken my clothes to
brush them half an hour before. But this
did not prevent me, as l went down
stairs, from looking at every one l met as
if he was police agent trying to hide his
real character from me. In the vestibule
of the hotel found young man waiting
to deliver into my hands an important
letter from London, which had been sent
under cover to my bankers in Paris, in
which house the young man was
a clerk. 1 am afraid he must
have thought me mad, for. in
stead of opening my letter, stared in
to his face, determined to see whether l
could by any chance detect any likeness
to Bergnet. But there was no margin for
deception; the young man was SO thor
oughly English in his appearance, and so
much taller than the detective officer,
that l very soon saw the latter was not
trying again to take me in. However, |
wandered forth, determined not to be
caught again. But l was very soon taught
that my own motherwit was as nothing
when compared to that of my French
friend.
The arrangement between Bergnet and
myself was that we were to meet after
breakfast, say about 1 p. m, in the open
space OF Inc Palais Royal, and that who
ever should arrive first would wait for the
other, on one of the chairs opposite the
Cafe Velour. Ii was getting on toward
II, when the idea struck me that would
break fast at the said caFa and tbon with