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About eleven Casimir arrived; he had caught an early train to Fontainebleau, and driven over to save time; and now his cab was stabled at Tentaillon’s, and he remarked, studying his watch, that he could spare an hour and a half. He was much the man of business, decisively spoken, given to frowning in an intellectual manner. Anastasie’s born brother, he did not waste much sentiment on the lady, gave her an English family kiss, and demanded a meal without delay.

‘You can tell me your story while we eat,’ he observed. ‘Anything good to-day, Stasie?’

He was promised something good. The trio sat down to table in the arbour, Jean-Marie waiting as well as eating, and the Doctor recounted what had happened in his richest narrative manner. Casimir heard it with explosions of laughter.

‘What a streak of luck for you, my good brother,’ he observed, when the tale was over. ‘If you had gone to Paris, you would have played dick- duck-drake with the whole consignment in three months. Your own would have followed; and you would have come to me in a procession like the last time. But I give you warning–Stasie may weep and Henri ratiocinate–it will not serve you twice. Your next collapse will be fatal. I thought I had told you so, Stasie? Hey? No sense?’

The Doctor winced and looked furtively at Jean-Marie; but the boy seemed apathetic.

‘And then again,’ broke out Casimir, ‘what children you are–vicious children, my faith! How could you tell the value of this trash? It might have been worth nothing, or next door.’

‘Pardon me,’ said the Doctor. ‘You have your usual flow of spirits, I perceive, but even less than your usual deliberation. I am not entirely ignorant of these matters.’

‘Not entirely ignorant of anything ever I heard of,’ interrupted Casimir, bowing, and raising his glass with a sort of pert politeness.

‘At least,’ resumed the Doctor, ‘I gave my mind to the subject–that you may be willing to believe–and I estimated that our capital would be doubled.’ And he described the nature of the find.

‘My word of honour!’ said Casimir, ‘I half believe you! But much would depend on the quality of the gold.’

‘The quality, my dear Casimir, was–‘ And the Doctor, in default of language, kissed his finger-tips.

‘I would not take your word for it, my good friend,’ retorted the man of business. ‘You are a man of very rosy views. But this robbery,’ he continued–‘this robbery is an odd thing. Of course I pass over your nonsense about gangs and landscape-painters. For me, that is a dream. Who was in the house last night?’

‘None but ourselves,’ replied the Doctor.

‘And this young gentleman?’ asked Casimir, jerking a nod in the direction of Jean-Marie.

‘He too’–the Doctor bowed.

‘Well; and if it is a fair question, who is he?’ pursued the brother-in- law.

‘Jean-Marie,’ answered the Doctor, ‘combines the functions of a son and stable-boy. He began as the latter, but he rose rapidly to the more honourable rank in our affections. He is, I may say, the greatest comfort in our lives.’

‘Ha!’ said Casimir. ‘And previous to becoming one of you?’

‘Jean-Marie has lived a remarkable existence; his experience his been eminently formative,’ replied Desprez. ‘If I had had to choose an education for my son, I should have chosen such another. Beginning life with mountebanks and thieves, passing onward to the society and friendship of philosophers, he may be said to have skimmed the volume of human life.’

‘Thieves?’ repeated the brother-in-law, with a meditative air.

The Doctor could have bitten his tongue out. He foresaw what was coming, and prepared his mind for a vigorous defence.

‘Did you ever steal yourself?’ asked Casimir, turning suddenly on Jean- Marie, and for the first time employing a single eyeglass which hung round his neck.

‘Yes, sir,’ replied the boy, with a deep blush.

Casimir turned to the others with pursed lips, and nodded to them meaningly. ‘Hey?’ said he; ‘how is that?’