look about it which did not escape the shrewd lawyers. But the originals were all forwarded to Donald Kent for his examination and use, as were also the family heirlooms and articles of vertu which the peddler had secured, as well as the articles sent.

E left Donald Kent in the cottage of the keeper of the Chateau

WE

Vieux. He had passed an excited and restless night, and was glad when the sun came forth to smile upon the landscape and blaze in varied flames upon the colored windows of the old castle. He had agreed with the old keeper to have another look at the ruin before he should leave the neighborhood. The old man had some duties to perform in the village below the bluff, and as he would like to do his errands in the cool of the morning, he requested Donald to take the key himself, and when he would be through looking, to return the key to its place, which Donald promised to do, but said he hoped to see his friend again, at the same time slipping a small gold coin into the old man's hand, and bidding him good-bye.

It was not long before Donald Kent found himself in the damp old castle, which now appeared more lonely than before, as he knew he was the only human being in or about the ivy-shrouded old pile. He had plenty of time to study the architecture, and peer into dark closets. But the first thing which claimed his attention was the old papers and letters, yellow with age and covered with the accumulated dust of years. He was there for the purpose of getting information, and what more likely to give him the information he wanted than these same old letters, which had been kicked about unheeded for more than half a century.

The letters were mostly written to the former lord of the castle,— some upon political matters, and some pertaining to personal affairs. Donald read a great many, until it became somewhat tiresome. Still

he persevered, which he would not have done had he not had strong hopes that something would develop to his advantage. No one had ever visited the castle before with the same incentive,--not even the officers of the law who went to arrest the occupant so many years before, and who carelessly pulled over the papers, expecting, no doubt, to find proof of his disloyalty among them.

Seiz

All of a sudden the word "Boston" arrested his attention. ing the dirty old scrap, he tried to read what was written upon it, and with difficulty made out that the writer was living not far from Boston, and advising his friend, Marquis de Brue, to come directly to that place with his wife and child.

The writer continued, saying it was a fearful thing to be driven forth to suffer so much just because one happened to think and feel differently upon political matters. It was especially cruel for his wife and daughter,-poor little Annette, who could know nothing of what it was for; to be deprived of their beautiful home and cast out upon the world. Still it would be better to lose his property than lose his head. "For," said the writer, "the property may be restored, but it would be difficult to furnish a new head to the same body."

The signature was torn off, but the letter itself was of great importance. That, with a number of others, were secured by Donald, who wrote a note and left it for the keeper, saying that he had taken some old scraps of paper and one or two old letters which, if it would be agreeable, he would be glad to keep as mementoes. Thanking the old man for his kindness, he signed his name and took his departure.

When Donald Kent reached his hotel in town that night, he found two quite large packages marked with his name, which the express had delivered in his absence. They had been sent all the way from Boston, United States of America. He ordered the packages sent to his room. and there with a hammer and chisel he opened them.

The first thing that arrested his attention was the silver tankard, which he had seen several times at Mrs. Tartar's. Then came some more relics which had been purchased at the Dubrow sale, and lastly came the letter which was found in the bottom of the tankard, with a note from Messrs. Stern & Strong, stating just the particulars as to how it was found and by whom, giving no names, but saying that it

was discovered by the son of the woman who had purchased the article, which to Donald Kent was equivalent to telling name and all.

But it was something of a mystery to Donald as to how the tankard and the letter could have been secured, knowing the parties so well. Upon reading Messrs. Stern & Strong's letter the whole mystery was solved.

They wrote Donald that a certain Frenchman who claimed to be acting for the heirs, who was none other than their client, had furnished the money in the beginning and up to the present time to make the researches; this same man who had promised so much had only been able to produce the letter, saying all the other articles, which would be strong, corroborative, proof had been stolen.

The lawyers further wrote that in their opinion a great fraud was being attempted, that their client was the perpetrator, and that he was trying to make them a party to it. As a proof that it was so, they forwarded two or three letters which they said they had every reason to believe were forgeries.

"Furthermore," wrote they, "the man has never brought forward the pretended heirs until within a few days, which is very suspicious to say the least. The manner of securing the letter was against him, which was evidently placed in the tankard as the safest place to keep it; no one for a moment supposing that the article had a false bottom unless they handled it, and it happened to fall out, as was in reality, the case." They wrote that while they had acted in good faith thus far with the man whom they now believed to be a bad and dangerous person, they felt like abandoning his case, now that they were so well convinced that he was an impostor.

They wished to know if any new developments had been made which promised speedy solution of the matter. If not, perhaps, it would be better to give up and return home. Certainly one letter with no corroborative proofs was rather a weak reed to rest upon in a case of such magnitude, where there was so much at stake. They also gave him some good legal advice pertaining to international law; also the law of tenure and recovery.

Donald had already given these matters much thought and study, and the conclusions he had come to did not differ greatly from theirs.

But he was in no wise inclined to abandon a matter that was so near a favorable termination as was the case he had in hand. Besides he thought that something was due a community. That instead of letting such villians go unpunished, simply because they had found out too late that they were attempting to commit a great wrong and fraud not only upon good, worthy people, but upon a friendly nation.

He wrote his principals that as ready as he might be to abandon the suit, as far as their original client went, he could not think of giving it up in the interest of the bona fide heirs; that they might withdraw from the case as hopeless, as far as their client was concerned, and join him in contesting it for another party, or they might abandon it altogether. He then told them of the new discoveries which he had made, and concluded by saying that with what he had gathered in his three years residence there, with recent new developments, and the important proofs which he had received from them, he felt safe in going ahead and making his demand. And with that view of the matter, if they thought it advisable, he would communicate with the United States minister plenipotentiary to the empire, and also to the Consul at Marseilles, immediately upon receipt of letters from them signifying their concurrence.

He said that he was just as sure as he could be that their client was a disreputable adventurer as well as a villain. But he had unintentionally put them in possession of facts, whereby honest, worthy people might get what rightfully belonged to them. Though his plan was to rob unwittingly, he might become a benefactor, and it was but just and honorable that his pretended claim should be properly represented.

He believed with them that a single letter, unsupported by any other facts, no matter how important as an adjunct, would be of but little account in a case like the one they had in charge. He was well satisfied that the other letters and documents which he presented, were frauds, and that if they produced them before any Court of Justice or commission they would injure the case and perhaps make him appear ridiculous.

He said one thing was certain, and that was that the genuine letter had been stolen, and in his opinion it had been twice stolen, for he did not believe Mons. Trecher was the original thief. But just how the latter individual obtained it, it was hard to say.