Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-04-03

| would pass away the TIME until Bergnet
should arrive, taking in the mean time
special care that should not be deceived
again, Or, at any rate, not SO easily as /
had been in the morning.
The forenoon, as IL often is in the
month of May in Paris, was warm,
though not unpleasantly hot, but quite
enough so to render q breakfast in the
| open air preferable to eating inside. l
therefore took up my quarters at one of
| the outside tables, and while ordering nv
omelette and outlet of the waiter, a seem
ingly very old gentleman came up and
seated himself at the next table to me.
calling for deDaie- tasse, and proceeding
to read copy of the Figaro which he
| had brought with him.
| Although few Englishmen have travel
ed more on the continent than myself,
| have the same objection which distin-
| cuisines my countrymen all over the world
| toward making new acquaintance.
might have sat a. my breakfast and the
| old gentleman might have read his Fsqaro
Tor the whole day without my making any
advances toward him. Having, however,
finished his coffee and taken out his
| portemonnaie to pay for it, some two or
| three pieces of money slipped from the
old gentleman's hand and rolled
stopped pee and helped fssi him t to look
for them; he thanked me, paid the wait
er, called for petit ye1re, and we natural
ly commenced talking together. Curl
ously enough, the conversation turned
upon the facility of detecting persons
who wished to disguise themselves; the
old gentleman maintaining that, as with
individuals, so with nations, no person
could hide his peculiarities, or the pecu-
| liarities of his race. "For instance" he
went on, 'let military man dress en-
| bourgeois, or civilian put on uniform;
| Frenchman have his clothes made in
| London, or an Englishman 60 to Pari-
| sian tailor; there was no doubt but that
| men of an ordinary observance could
easily distinguish what the individual
| really was. Thus" he continued, mo
| one could mistake Monsieur to be any,
thing but an Englishman, and one who
has most probably been in military en-
ployment in his own country. In the
same way, l." meaning himself, could
not pass for anything except a French
man, .t'a7oeur, and an unlnistakable fire.
| quenter of the boulevards"
He was such chatty, genial old gen
tleman that the time passed away imper-
ceptibly. We talked about the success
Of Schneider in London; about the EN-
peror's health; about the French elections,
and what not. | accepted a pinch of
snuff from him, and he tried one of my
regalla cigars. At last, az the time drew
near when Bergnet ought to have made
his appearance, | began to look at my
watch, and to glance round to see whether
the police agent had taken up his quar-
tiers on any of the chairs which were then
filling very fast with the usual after
breakfast cofee-drinking crowd Of we'll
dressed middle-clas Paris idlers. Seeing
was looking for some one, my compan-
ion said: perhaps Monsieur is expect
ing friend?" Yes" replied, 81 made
an appointment with gentleman to meet
me here about one o'clock, and I am
afraid l shall miss him in the crowd"
perhaps | can assist Monsieur" said the
old gentleman: els Monsieur's friend a
short soet little man? is his name Berg
net? because if SO, he is at Monsieur's dis
position"
With this the old gentleman took off his
hat, bringing away with it the gray false
side and back hair he wore; he straight
ened himself as he sat in his chair, and,
behold Monsieur Bergnet was before
me. had actually sat and talked to him
the least idea to whom il was that | was
speaking. Rather than be beaten again
which felt certain would be the case
II l continued to tempt fOrtune-I at once
gave in; paid NJ. Bergnet the five ma
poleons had lost, and begged that he
would subject me to no more humiliation
by taking me in again as to his appear
ance and disguise.
CHAPTER VI.-FOUND,
The day following that on which Berg
net had twice deceived ME by Disgusting
himself, he set to work in earnest to try
and recover the bonds Of which l was in
search. When [ learned from him, and,
indeed, saw with my own eyes, that he
called upon NJ. Treves, the French
money-lender, as an English gentleman
In difficulties who wanted to discount a
bill, as young Swiss who wanted en-
ployment as clerk, and as German
who had got some bank notes which he
wished to get rid of quietly, as being
stolen property; when | saw that in none
of these DISCUSSES he was found out, be-
gan to be less ashamed of myself for hav-
ing been taken in. Certainly, in some
matters the old saying in the Crimea,
They manage these things better IN
Franco" holds good. How it was brought
about l never knew Except that l had to
pay about 15 for the business), but within
week after put the matter into Berg
nets hands NJ. Treves' only clerk was ar
rested for completely of fraud in some
thing or other. I don't think he was
guilty, and l am quite sure he was not
detained very long by the police, for I
saw him the next day walking along the
boulevards as if enjoying a very agree
able holiday. But in the meantime NJ
Treves engaged a young Swiss with flaZen
hair as his employee, and that Swiss bore
very strong resemblance to my friend
Bergnet. This young SWISS clerk had a
friend who often came to see him at his
masters Office, and who must have been
twin brother to subordinate agent of
the police, who was very clever in all
blacksmiths work, and who had curl
Gus fancy for taking wax impressions Of
all the keys that he came across. Be that
as it may, the Swiss clerk had not been
more than week with N. Treves when I
was shown by NJ Bergnet copy of the
Endorsement which certain bonds, con-
tanned in the safe of the money-lender,
bore. This copy so far satisfied me that
there remained but one thing to be done,
and that was to get hold of the originals.
M.Bergnet had conducted the affair SO very
well that resolved to put myself entirely
IN his hands, although I doubt very much
whether at the Guildhall or Bow street
the way that | set to work would have
been considered quit justifable,
Acting therefor in1er advice and