“Evariste Crochard, surnamed Bagnolet.”
“What age?”
“Thirty-five years.”
“Where were you born?”
“At Bagnolet, near Paris. And on that account, my friend”—
“Never mind. Your profession?”
The man hesitated. The magistrate added,—
“In your own interest I advise you to tell the truth. The truth always comes out in the end; and your position would be a very serious one if you tried to lie. Answer, therefore, directly.”
“Well, I am an engraver on metal; but I have been in the army; I served my time in the marines.”
“What brought you to Cochin China?”