"The public must maintain silence in the court," said the judge.
"It's a base lie!" exclaimed Murray.
"The officer of the court will arrest the disorderly person."
The smiling gendarme at once swooped down on his prey.
"That man," continued Lenoir, "not only passed bad money for me, but he persuaded me that the prisoners would do so also. But when I introduced myself and tried to get them to join me, they absolutely refused."
The public prosecutor tried in vain to shake his story, but he positively adhered to every word he had spoken.
Then Harkaway senior was called upon, and he in conjunction with the banker proved that there was no need whatever for the prisoners to commit such an offence, as by simply signing his name young Jack could draw far more francs than the judge's yearly salary amounted to.
The counsel for the defence then challenged the prosecution to produce any evidence that the prisoners had passed bad money, and the public prosecutor was obliged to confess that he could not do so.
Whereupon the judge remarked that the prosecution had utterly failed, and directed the prisoners to be discharged.
But Lenoir and Murray were directed to be kept in separate cells till they could be tried, and Chivey was ordered like accommodation.