wriggles through our fingers. Suppose even we caught him, what could
we prove? I ask you. Nobody who has seen him once can ever swear
to him again in his next impersonation. He is impayable, this good
Colonel. On the day when I arrest him, I assure you, monsieur, I
shall consider myself the smartest police-officer in Europe."

"Well, I shall catch him yet," Sir Charles answered, and relapsed
into silence.



II

THE EPISODE OF THE DIAMOND LINKS


"Let us take a trip to Switzerland," said Lady Vandrift. And any one
who knows Amelia will not be surprised to learn that we _did_ take a
trip to Switzerland accordingly. Nobody can drive Sir Charles, except
his wife. And nobody at all can drive Amelia.

There were difficulties at the outset, because we had not ordered
rooms at the hotels beforehand, and it was well on in the season;
but they were overcome at last by the usual application of a golden
key; and we found ourselves in due time pleasantly quartered in
Lucerne, at that most comfortable of European hostelries, the
Schweitzerhof.

We were a square party of four--Sir Charles and Amelia, myself and
Isabel. We had nice big rooms, on the first floor, overlooking the