But almost in the next moment he recovered himself, and uttered a quivering laugh.

"Man alive! You are not fool enough to believe such a cock-and-bull story as that!" he said.

"And you have come all this way in this fancy get-up to tell me! You must be mad!" Monck was still holding out the letter.

"You had better see for yourself," he reiterated.

"It is damnably circumstantial." "I tell you it's an infernal lie!" flung back Dacre furiously.