I was obliged to give up going to the office, lest
my conscience should prevent me from sharing
the profits of the concern."

"You will permit me to remark, Mr. Lethwaite,"
put in the elaborate Phipps, " that in
the days of special pleading you would have
attained to the greatest distinction, had your
career led you into the intricate mazes belonging
to that defunct institution."

"By-the-by," broke in the impetuous Craft,
addressing his host, "if you've got such a strong
feeling for clever rogues — "

"I have," interrupted the cynic.

"Well, then, you'll be interested in a case
which is beginning to make no end of a sensation
in West-end circles, and which I believe is looking
my way for the defence."

"Ah," ejaculated Lethwaite, becoming interested
at once as he thought of his friend. " Let's
hear about it."

Poor Gilbert pricked up his ears also. Was
there a chance?

"I'm disposed to imagine," remarked the
smiling Phipps, " that I have likewise heard
something of the case to which you refer. Is it
not that of Godfrey de St. Aubyn, as he calls
himself?"

"The same, ' replied Craft, " and a precious
deep customer, I can tell you, as you shall hear.
Well, he's another of the gentlemen who ' can't
stand the routine of ordinary business' that you
were speaking of just now, Mr. Lethwaite. He
came over to this country with some good introductions,
which are now thought to have been
forged, and having very insinuating manners, and
a pleasant way with him, he gets on by degrees in
English society, and in time gets to have a lot
of acquaintances among all sorts of smart people,
and more especially among such as he had
reason to know were well represented at their
bankers. All this, no doubt, took time, and he
had to live as well as he could upon a little money
which he had, the result probably of some
swindling transaction, and upon the credit
which the tradespeople, seeing him always
among rich people, were ready to give him.
Besides, he had the intention of making a fortune
at one stroke, and he looked forward to that.

"Well, gentlemen, being a good-looking
fellow, with plenty of impudence, and the gift
of the gab very strongly developed, and, moreover,
having a fine voice for singing, he really
made a great many friends, and got to be much
liked, so that when he announced one fine day
that he had received letters requiring his return
to France immediately, everybody who knew
him was in despair, and his parting request, that
his kind friends would favour him with their
photographs, was promptly complied with.

"But that was not enough for this affectionate
gentleman," Mr. Craft went on. " As soon as he
had got the photographs he discovered that there
was still something wanting, and that he should
never know a moment's happiness unless the
autograph of each of the originals was written
underneath his or her portrait. So he invites
them all, or all he could get of them, to come on
a certain day to take luncheon with him, as a
sort of farewell meeting, when they could give
him their autographs. Now, four of his guests
were men of great wealth, and this Godfrey de
St. Aubyn had made it his business to find out
where they banked in the course of some of the
familiar conversations in which he'd been engaged
with them before this time; then he'd
got his information all ready, and by the day of
the luncheon had made all his preparations.

"' And now, dear ladies and gentlemen,' he
said, as soon as the meal was over, ' I will speak
of that which is next my heart, and I will
ask you to give me those precious autographs
which will make my portraits so much more
precious, and on which I shall gaze with delight
when I am far far away.' And with that
he leads the way to a table in rather a dark
corner of the room, where were pens and ink
all ready, and a book of photographs lying waiting
for their signatures. A beautifully neat book
it was too, and under each of the likenesses there
was a little piece of the pasteboard cut away,
and a different kind of paper appeared underneath
ready for the name that was to be written
there. St. Aubyn explained that it had been
necessary to prepare the book in this way, as
the pasteboard on which the photographs were
stuck was absorbent, like blotting-paper. He
convinced them of this by making a mark at
the side of the leaf, and showing them how the
ink would run out of all form.

"Well, they all signed their names in the
little openings left for them, and then away they
went, wishing the young man good-bye, and
hoping they would soon see him again, and all the
rest of it. Directly their backs were turned,
up jumps mossu, and gets to work at his photograph
book."

"Ah, I see," cried Gilbert, quickly. "He
had let in slips of paper at the back, and having
got the signature of each of these capitalists
exactly in its right place, he had nothing to do
but to draw out the papers and turn them into
cheques."

"What an ingenious fellow to be sure,"
remarked Lethwaite.

"He sat up all night at work," continued the
attorney. " By means of the signature at the
foot of each slip of paper, and with the help of
certain notes and letters which he had contrived
at different times to get from his friends, he was
able to forge cheques to various large amounts
— £1000, or £500, or any sum that seemed to
him a safe one, till he had made up a gross
amount of not less than £5000. Then, as soon
as the banks were open in the morning, there
he was at the counter, receiving packets of
notes and shovelsful of gold with the calmest
air imaginable.

"What an extraordinary fellow," remarked
Lethwaite again

"Yes, but the ' extraordinary fellow' made a
mistake at last. There was one signature which
he had obtained from a very rich gentleman,
with whom he had had no previous correspondence
of any kind, who had a very short name,