"You're wrong, Doudeville. These are worth smoking. I have them from a great connoisseur, who is good enough to call himself my friend."
"Oh, may one ask . . . ?"
"The Kaiser! Come, don't look so flabbergasted, the two of you! And tell me things: I haven't seen the papers. What effect did my escape have on the public?"
"What was the police version?"
"Your flight took place at Garches, during an attempt to reënact the murder of Altenheim. Unfortunately, the journalists have proved that it was impossible."
"After that?"
"After that, a general fluster. People wondering, laughing and enjoying themselves like mad."
"Weber?"
"Weber is badly let in."