"Not always."
"In that case, it would be necessary for me to have observed the form of the one I lost, and I gave no attention to it. It seems to me that no one knows exactly how, or of what, the buttons are made that they wear."
The judge examined him anew.
"But are not the trousers that you wear to-day the same from which this button was torn?"
"It is the pair I wore the day I called on Monsieur Caffie."
"Then it is quite easy to compare the button that I show you with those on your trousers, and your answer becomes easy."
It was impossible to escape this verification.
"Unbutton your vest," said the judge, "and make your comparison with care—with all the care that you think wise. The question has some importance."
Florentin felt it only too much, the importance of this question, but as it was set before him, he could not but answer frankly.
He unbuttoned his waistcoat, and compared the button with his.