"Why he waited I cannot say. The rest concerns me greatly. Did you destroy his despatches?"
"Mon Dieu! I? No. Mr. Schmidt, in cutting open his clothes to get at his wound, found those papers, and then seeing what I had done, and how the department might be credited with it, or at least the English party, I myself carried the despatch to its address, the captain of the Jean Bart."
"Did you get a receipt?"
"I asked for it. It was refused. The captain was angry at what he said had been dangerous delay, and refused unless I would come on board and talk to him. I of course declined to do so. I would certainly have been carried to France."
"She has sailed, the Jean Bart?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then what proof have you as against the deposition of a man in extremis?"
"None but my word, that I gave to an officer of the corvette a package of papers."
"The minister was insolent enough to hint that this was a robbery in the interest of my service and a plot of the Federalist English sympathizers. In fact, he implied even more. I am asked to dismiss you as proof that we at least are in no way a party to the matter."