“You will know presently, my friend.”

“Very well, only do not give me false information as you did the other day.”

“What do you mean?⁠—of whom do you speak? Was it the Englishman who carried off 3,000 crowns from here the other day?”

“No; he really had 3,000 crowns, and we found them. I mean the Russian prince, who you said had 30,000 livres, and we only found 22,000.”

“You must have searched badly.”

“Luigi Vampa himself searched.”

“In that case he must either have paid his debts⁠—”

“A Russian do that?”

“Or spent the money?”

“Possibly, after all.”