cused of having served the police as a secret agent. They said, that he had been in the pay of the inspector-general, Veyrat; and they added, going to his house with an information, he had carried off a basket of plate.—To rob the inspector's house, was not the crime, but to lay an information! Such, however, was the enormous crime imputed to Coco Lacour, now my successor. Threatened by the whole prison, driven about, repulsed, ill-treated, not daring to set a foot in the courts, where he would certainly have been knocked on the head. Coco came to solicit my protection; and to influence me the more in his favour, he began by making disclosures to me, which I knew how to turn to advantage. At first, I employed my credit in making his peace with the prisoners, who gave up their projects of vengeance. I could not have rendered him a more important service; and Coco, as much from gratitude as a desire of speaking, had soon no secret from me. One day, he had been before the judge of instruction: "Faith," said he, on his return, "I am lucky; none of the plaintiffs recognized me; yet I do not consider myself as safe: there is amongst them a devil of a porter, from whom I stole a silver watch. As I was obliged to talk with him for some time, my features must have been fixed on his memory; and, if he be called, he might do me a mischief, by confronting me; and besides, porters are, from their station, physiognomists." The observation was true; but I made Coco observe, that it was not likely that they would discover this man, and that most probably he would never come of his own accord, since he had not already done so; and, to confirm him in this opinion, I spoke to him of the carelessness or idleness of some people, who do not like to be disturbed. What I said about this, induced Coco to mention the quarter in which the owner of the watch lived, and even told me the number; and this was all I wanted. I took care not to get so complete a detail as might induce a suspicion of me, and that given at the investigation ap-
