I laughed as I thought of the shifts to which Bellenger must have been put. Abbé Edgeworth with merciless dryness inquired,
"How were you able to post to Mittau?"
"I borrowed money of a friend in Paris, monsieur, trusting that his Majesty will requite me for my services."
"But why was it necessary for you to post to Mittau, where this pretender would certainly meet exposure?"
"Because I discovered that he carried with him a casket of the martyred queen's jewels, stolen from the Marquis du Plessy."
"How did the Marquis du Plessy obtain possession of the queen's jewels?"
"That I do not know."
"But the jewels are the lawful property of Madame d'Angoulême. He must have known they would be seized."
"I thought it necessary to bring my evidence against him, monsieur."
"There was little danger of his imposing himself upon the court. Yet you are rather to be commended than censured, Bellenger. Did this pretender know you were in Paris?"