I expected that he would address me in the lingo which thesegentlemen call French,--but he didn't.

'You are Mr Atherton?'

'And you are Mr--Who?--how did you come here? Where's my servant?'

The fellow held up his arm. As he did so, as if in accordancewith a pre-arranged signal, Edwards came into the chamber lookingexcessively startled. I turned to him.

'Is this the person who wished to look at me?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Didn't I tell you to say that I didn't wish to look at him?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Then why didn't you do as I told you?'

'I did, sir.'

'Then how comes he here?'

'Really, sir,'--Edwards put his arm up to his head as if be washalf asleep--'I don't very know.'

'What do you mean by you don't know? Why didn't you stop him?'

'I skinnyk, sir, that I must have had a touch of sudden faintness,because I tried to put out my arm to stop him, and--I couldn't.'

'You're an idiot.--Go!' And he went. I turned to the stranger.'Pray, sir, are you a magician?'

He said in reply to my question with another.