Year: 1873

mering of the truth, the man pulled off a
very Ratural-looking black wig, as well as
an equally natural looking short-cropped
beard ani mustache, and there stood my
friend, the employe of the police secrete in
the civil department. He was amused at
the amazement depicted on nay 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 y.-THE WAGER


1t may be supposed that | 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. made a very determined res
olution to look closely at every one that
should come near me for the next two
days. Not that | wished to win NJ Berg
nets money, nor would have taken it if
| 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 looked
at him, half expecting that it was again
NJ. 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 | went down
stairs, from looking at every one | met as
II he was police agent trying to hide his
real character from nae. In the Vestihuie
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. l am afraid he must
have thought me mad, for, in
stead of opening my letter, | stared in
to his face, determined to see whether
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 | very soon saw the latter was not
trying again to take me in However,
wandered forth, determined not to be
caught again. But [ was very soon taught
that my own mother-wit 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 p. m., in the open
space Of the Palais Royal, and that who
ever should arrive first would wait for the
other, on one of the chairs opposite the
Cafe Velour. It was getting on toward
II, when the idea struck me that I would
breakfast at the said cafe, and then, with
cigar, coffee ana that mornings GG6gnan5,
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 d breakfast in the
open air preferable to eating inside I
therefore took up my quarters st one of
the outside tables, and while ordering my
omelette and outlet of the waiter, seem
ingly very old gentleman came up and
seated himself at the next table to me,
calling for a den5e tGsse, and proceeding g
to read d 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-
guishes my countrymen all over the world
toward making new acqualntances.
might have sat at my breakfast and the
old gentleman might have read his Figaro
for 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
toward my feet. | naturally
stopped and helped him to looA
for them; he thanked me, paid the wait
er, called for petit ge7re, 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 a military man dress en-
bourgeois, or civilian put on a uniform;
Frenchman have his clothes made III
London, or an Englishman go 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, "nO
one could mistake Monsieur to be any.
thing but al 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 Tor anything except French
man, faneur, and an unmistakable fTe
quenter of the boulevards."


He was such a chatty, genial old gen
tleman that the time passed away imper
ceptibly. We talked about the success
of Schneider in London; about the EN-
Deror'e health ahout the French elections
and what not | accepted q pinch o1
snuff from him, and he tried one of my
rcgalia cigars. At last, as 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-
ters on any of the chairs which were ther
filing very fast with the usual after
breakfast coffee drinking crowd Of well
dressed middle-class Paris idlers. Seeing
| was looking for some one, my compan
ion said: Perhaps Monsieur is expect
ing friend?" eyes" replied, 'I mad,
an appointment with a gentleman to NEE
me here about one o'clock, and | an
afraid l shall miss him in the crowd.
Perhaps | can assist Monsieur" said TIT
old gentleman: 'ls Monsieur's friend {
short srelt little man? is his name Berg
net? because if so, he is at Monsieur dis
position"


With this the old gentleman took off hi
hat, bringing away with it the gray falls
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 hin
/ for upward of an hour, without havin!