Derues ...................................................................................................................................................................1

One September afternoon in 1751, towards halfpast five, about a score of small boys, chattering, pushing,

and tumbling over one another like a covey of partridges, issued from one of the religious schools of

Chartres. The joy of the little troop just escaped from a long and wearisome captivity was doubly great: a

slight accident to one of the teachers had caused the class to be dismissed half an hour earlier than usual, and

in consequence of the extra work thrown on the teaching staff the brother whose duty it was to see all the

scholars safe home was compelled to omit that part of his daily task. Therefore not only thirty or forty

minutes were stolen from work, but there was also unexpected, uncontrolled liberty, free from the

surveillance of that blackcassocked overseer who kept order in their ranks. Thirty minutes! at that age it is a

century, of laughter and prospective games! Each had promised solemnly, under pain of severe punishment,

to return straight to his paternal nest without delay, but the air was so fresh and pure, the country smiled all

around! The school, or preferably the cage, which had just opened, lay at the extreme edge of one of the

suburbs, and it only required a few steps to slip under a cluster of trees by a sparkling brook beyond which

rose undulating ground, breaking the monotony of a vast and fertile plain. Was it possible to be obedient, to

refrain from the desire to spread one's wings? The scent of the meadows mounted to the heads of the steadiest

among them, and intoxicated even the most timid. It was resolved to betray the confidence of the reverend

fathers, even at the risk of disgrace and punishment next morning, supposing the escapade were discovered.

A flock of sparrows suddenly released from a cage could not have flown more wildly into the little wood.

They were all about the same age, the eldest might be nine. They flung off coats and waistcoats, and the grass

became strewn with baskets, copybooks, dictionaries, and catechisms. While the crowd of fairhaired

heads, of fresh and smiling faces, noisily consulted as to which game should be chosen, a boy who had taken

no part in the general gaiety, and who had been carried away by the rush without being able to escape sooner,

glided slyly away among the trees, and, thinking himself unseen, was beating a hasty retreat, when one of his

Two of the best runners immediately started in pursuit, and the fugitive, notwithstanding his start, was

"You canting sneak!" said another boy, putting his fist under the captive's chin; "you were going to the master

"Indeed!only this morning you pretended I had taken a book you had lost, and you did it because I kicked

Dear Buttel," he said, "you are mistaken; I have always been taught to forgive injuries."

"Listen, listen! he might be saying his prayers!" cried the other boys; and a volley of offensive epithets,

"Look here, Antoine, you are a bad lot, that we all know; you are a sneak and a hypocrite. It's time we put a

stop to it. Take off your coat and fight it out. If you like, we will fight every morning and evening till the end

The proposition was loudly applauded, and Pierre, turning up his sleeves as far as his elbows, prepared to suit

The challenger assuredly did not realise the full meaning, of his words; had he done so, this chivalrous

defiance would simply have been an act of cowardice on his part, for there could be no doubt as to the victor

in such a conflict. The one was a boy of alert and gallant bearing, strong upon his legs, supple and muscular,

a vigorous man in embryo; while the other, not quite so old, small, thin, of a sickly leaden complexion,

seemed as if he might be blown away by a strong puff of wind. His skinny arms and legs hung on to his body

like the claws of a spider, his fair hair inclined to red, his white skin appeared nearly bloodless, and the

consciousness of weakness made him timid, and gave a shifty, uneasy look to his eyes. His whole expression

was uncertain, and looking only at his face it was difficult at first sight to decide to which sex he belonged.

This confusion of two natures, this indefinable mixture of feminine weakness without grace, and of abortive

boyhood, seemed to stamp him as something exceptional, unclassable, and once observed, it was difficult to

take one's eyes from him. Had he been endowed with physical strength he would have been a terror to his

comrades, exercising by fear the ascendancy which Pierre owed to his joyous temper and unwearied gaiety,

for this mean exterior concealed extraordinary powers of will and dissimulation. Guided by instinct, the other

children hung about Pierre and willingly accepted his leadership; by instinct also they avoided Antoine,

repelled by a feeling of chill, as if from the neighbourhood of a reptile, and shunning him unless to profit in

some way by their superior strength. Never would he join their games without compulsion; his thin,

colourless lips seldom parted for a laugh, and even at that tender age his smile had an unpleasantly sinister

Antoine glanced hastily round; there was no chance of escape, a double ring enclosed him. To accept or

refuse seemed about equally risky; he ran a good chance of a thrashing whichever way he decided. Although

his heart beat loudly, no trace of emotion appeared on his pallid cheek; an unforeseen danger would have

made him shriek, but he had had time to collect himself, time to shelter behind hypocrisy. As soon as he

could lie and cheat he recovered courage, and the instinct of cunning, once roused, prevailed over everything

else. Instead of answering this second challenge, he knelt down and said to Pierre

This submission disarmed his antagonist. "Get up," he replied; "I won't touch you, if you can't defend

"Pierre," continued Antoine, still on his knees, "I assure you, by God and the Holy Virgin, I was not going to

tell. I was going home to my cousins to learn my lessons for tomorrow; you know how slow I am. If you

"Splendid!" said Pierre; and using his acknowledged authority, he divided them into two sidesten

highwaymen, whom he was to command, and ten archers of the guard, who were to pursue them; Antoine

The highwaymen, armed with swords and guns obtained from the willows which grew along the brook,

moved off first, and gained the valleys between the little hills beyond the wood. The fight was to be serious,

and any prisoner on either side was to be tried immediately. The robbers divided into twos and threes, and hid

A few minutes later the archers started in pursuit. There were encounters, surprises, skirmishes; but whenever

it came to close quarters, Pierre's men, skilfully distributed, united on hearing his whistle, and the Army of

justice had to retreat. But there came a time when this magic signal was no longer heard, and the robbers

became uneasy, and remained crouching in their hidingplaces. Pierre, overdaring, had undertaken to

defend alone the entrance of a dangerous passage and to stop the whole hostile troop there. Whilst he kept

them engaged, half of his men, concealed on the left, were to come round the foot of the hill and make a rush

on hearing his whistle; the other half, also stationed at some, little distance, were to execute the same

manoeuvre from above. The archers would be caught in a trap, and attacked both in front and rear, would be

obliged to surrender at discretion. Chance, which not unfrequently decides the fate of a battle, defeated this

excellent stratagem. Watching intently; Pierre failed to perceive that while his whole attention was given to

the ground in front, the archers had taken an entirely different road from the one they ought to have followed

if his combination were to succeed. They suddenly fell upon him from behind, and before he could blow his

whistle, they gagged him with a handkerchief and tied his hands. Six remained to keep the field of battle and

disperse the hostile band, now deprived of its chief; the remaining four conveyed Pierre to the little wood,

while the robbers, hearing no signal, did not venture to stir. According to agreement, Pierre Buttel was tried

by the archers, who promptly transformed themselves into a court of justice, and as he had been taken

redhanded, and did not condescend to defend himself, the trial was not a long affair. He was unanimously

sentenced to be hung, and the execution was then and there carried out, at the request of the criminal himself,

who wanted the game to be properly played to the end, and who actually selected a suitable tree for his own

"How stupid you are!" returned the captive. "I shall only pretend to be hung, of course. See here!" and he

fastened together several pieces strong string which had tied some of the other boys' books, piled the latter

together, and standing on tiptoe on this very insecure basis, fastened one end of the cord to a horizontal

bough, and put his neck into a running knot at the other end, endeavouring to imitate the contortions of an

actual sufferer. Shouts of laughter greeted him, and the victim laughed loudest of all. Three archers went to

call the rest to behold this amusing spectacle; one, tired out, remained with the prisoner.

"Ah, Hangman," said Pierre, putting out his tongue at him, "are the books firm? I thought I felt them give

A horrible thought showed itself like a flash on the child's face. He resembled a young hyena scenting blood

for the first time. He glanced at the pile of books Pierre was standing on, and compared it with the length of

the cord between the branch and his neck. It was already nearly dark, the shadows were deepening in the

wood, gleams of pale light penetrated between the trees, the leaves had become black and rustled in the wind.

Antoine stood silent and motionless, listening if any sound could be heard near them.

It would be a curious study for the moralist to observe how the first thought of crime develops itself in the

recesses of the human heart, and how this poisoned germ grows and stifles all other sentiments; an impressive

lesson might be gathered from this struggle of two opposing principles, however weak it may be, in perverted

natures. In cases where judgment can discern, where there is power to choose between good and evil, the

guilty person has only himself to blame, and the most heinous crime is only the action of its perpetrator. It is

a human action, the result of passions which might have been controlled, and one's mind is not uncertain, nor

one's conscience doubtful, as to the guilt. But how can one conceive this taste for murder in a young child,

how imagine it, without being tempted to exchange the idea of eternal sovereign justice for that of blind

fatality? How can one judge without hesitation between the moral sense which has given way and the

instinct which displays itself? how not exclaim that the designs of a Creator who retains the one and impels

the other are sometimes mysterious and inexplicable, and that one must submit without understanding?

"I hear nothing," replied Antoine, and a nervous shiver ran through all his members.

"So much the worse. I am tired of being dead; I shall come to life and run after them. Hold the books, and I

And he knelt down, and collecting all his strength, gave the pile a violent push.

Pierre endeavoured to raise his hands to his throat. "What are you doing?" he cried in a suffocating voice.

Pierre's feet were only a few inches from the ground, and the weight of his body at first bent the bough for a

moment; but it rose again, and the unfortunate boy exhausted himself in useless efforts. At every movement

the knot grew tighter, his legs struggled, his arms sought vainly something to lay hold of; then his movements

slackened, his limbs stiffened, and his hands sank down. Of so much life and vigour nothing remained but the

Not till then did Antoine cry for help, and when the other boys hastened up they found him crying and tearing

his hair. So violent indeed were his sobs and his despair that he could hardly be understood as he tried to

explain how the books had given way under Pierre, and how he had vainly endeavoured to support him in his

This boy, left an orphan at three years old, had been brought up at first by a relation who turned him out for

theft; afterwards by two sisters, his cousins, who were already beginning to take alarm at his abnormal

perversity. This pale and fragile being, an incorrigible thief, a consummate hypocrite, and a coldblooded

assassin, was predestined to an immortality of crime, and was to find a place among the most execrable

monsters for whom humanity has ever had to blush; his name was AntoineFrancois Derues.

Twenty years had gone by since this horrible and mysterious event, which no one sought to unravel at the

time it occurred. One June evening, 1771, four persons were sitting in one of the rooms of a modestly

furnished, dwelling on the third floor of a house in the rue SaintVictor. The party consisted of three women

and an ecclesiastic, who boarded, for meals only, with the woman who tenanted the dwelling; the other two

were near neighbours. They were all friends, and often met thus in the evening to play cards. They were

sitting round the cardtable, but although it was nearly ten o'clock the cards had not yet been touched. They

spoke in low tones, and a halfinterrupted confidence had, this evening, put a check on the usual gaiety.

Someone knocked gently at the door, although no sound of steps on the creaking wooden staircase had been

heard, and a wheedling voice asked for admittance. The occupier of the room, Madame Legrand, rose, and

admitted a man of about sixandtwenty, at whose appearance the four friends exchanged glances, at once

observed by the newcomer, who affected, however, not to see them. He bowed successively to the three

women, and several times with the utmost respect to the abbe, making signs of apology for the interruption

caused by his appearance; then, coughing several times, he turned to Madame Legrand, and said in a feeble

"My kind mistress, will you and these other ladies excuse my presenting myself at such an hour and in such a

His costume was certainly singular enough: he was wrapped in a large dressinggown of flowered chintz; his

head was adorned by a nightcap drawn up at the top and surmounted by a muslin frill. His appearance did not

contradict his complaint of illness; he was barely four feet six in height, his limbs were bony, his face sharp,

thin, and pale. Thus attired, coughing incessantly, dragging his feet as if he had no strength to lift them,

holding a lighted candle in one hand and an egg in the other, he suggested a caricaturesome imaginary

invalid just escaped from M. Purgon. Nevertheless, no one ventured to smile, notwithstanding his

valetudinarian appearance and his air of affected humility. The perpetual blinking of the yellow eyelids which

fell over the round and hollow eyes, shining with a sombre fire which he could never entirely suppress,

reminded one of a bird of prey unable to face the light, and the lines of his face, the hooked nose, and the

thin, constantly quivering, drawnin lips suggested a mixture of boldness and baseness, of cunning and

sincerity. But there is no book which can instruct one to read the human countenance correctly; and some

special circumstance must have roused the suspicions of these four persons so much as to cause them to make

these observations, and they were not as usual deceived by the humbug of this skilled actor, a past master in

He continued after a moment's silence, as if he did not wish to interrupt their mute observation

"What is it, Derues?" asked Madame Legrand. A violent cough, which appeared to rend his chest, prevented

him from answering immediately. When it ceased, he looked at the abbe, and said, with a melancholy

"What I ought to ask in my present state of health is your blessing, my father, and your intercession for the

pardon of my sins. But everyone clings to the life which God has given him. We do not easily abandon hope;

moreover, I have always considered it wrong to neglect such means of preserving our lives as are in our

power, since life is for us only a time of trial, and the longer and harder the trial the greater our recompense in

a better world. Whatever befalls us, our answer should be that of the Virgin Mary to the angel who

announced the mystery of the Incarnation: 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to Thy

"You are right," said the abbe, with a severe and inquisitorial look, under which Derues remained quite

untroubled; "it is an attribute of God to reward and to punish, and the Almighty is not deceived by him who

deceives men. The Psalmist has said, 'Righteous art Thou, O Lord, and upright are Thy judgments.'"

"He has said also, 'The judgments of the Lord are true and , righteous altogether,'" Derues promptly replied.

This exchange of quotations from Scripture might have lasted for hours without his being at a loss, had the

abbe thought fit to continue in this strain; but such a style of conversation, garnished with grave and solemn

words, seemed almost sacrilegious in the mouth of a man of such ridiculous appearancea profanation at

once sad and grotesque. Derues seemed to comprehend the impression it produced, and tuning again to

"We have got a long way from what I came to ask you, my kind friend. I was so ill that I went early to bed,

but I cannot sleep, and I have no fire. Would you have the kindness to have this egg mulled for me?"

"I gave her leave to go out this evening, and though it is late she has not yet returned. If I had a fire, I would

not give you so much trouble, but I do not care to light one at this hour. You know I am always afraid of

"Very well, then," replied Madame Legrand; "go back to your room, and my servant will bring it to you."

"This day week, Derues, you have to pay me half the twelve hundred livres due for the purchase of my

"Oh dear, I have never looked at the agreement since it was drawn up. I did not think the time was so near, it

is the fault of my bad memory; but I will contrive to pay you, although trade is very bad, and in three days I

He bowed again and departed, apparently exhausted by the effort of sustaining so long a conversation.

"That man is assuredly an utter rascal! May God forgive him his hypocrisy! How is it possible we could

"But, my father," interposed one of the visitors, "are you really sure of what you have just said?"

"I am not now speaking of the seventynine Louis d'or which have been stolen from me, although I never

mentioned to anyone but you, and he was then present, that I possessed such a sum, and although that very

day he made a false excuse for coming to my rooms when I was out. Theft is indeed infamous, but slander is

not less so, and he has slandered you disgracefully. Yes, he has spread a report that you, Madame Legrand,

you, his former mistress and benefactress, have put temptation in his way, and desired to commit carnal sin

with him. This is now whispered the neighbourhood all round us, it will soon be said aloud, and we have

been so completely his dupes, we have helped him so much to acquire a reputation for uprightness, that it

would now be impossible to destroy our own work; if I were to accuse him of theft, and you charged him

with lying, probably neither of us would be believed. Beware, these odious tales have not been spread

"Yes," replied Madame Legrand, "my brotherinlaw warned me three years ago. One day Derues said to my

sisterinlaw,I remember the words. perfectly,'I should like to be a druggist, because one would always

be able to punish an enemy; and if one has a quarrel with anyone it would be easy to get rid of him by means

of a poisoned draught.' I neglected these warnings. I surmounted the feeling of repugnance I first felt at the

sight of him; I have responded to his advances, and I greatly fear I may have cause to repent it. But you know

him as well as I do, who would not have thought his piety sincere?who would not still think so? And

notwithstanding all you have said, I still hesitate to feel serious alarm; I am unwilling to believe in such utter

The conversation continued in this strain for some time, and then, as it was getting late, the party separated.

Next morning early, a large and noisy crowd was assembled in the rue SaintVictor before Derues' shop of

drugs and groceries. There was a confusion of cross questions, of inquiries which obtained no answer, of

answers not addressed to the inquiry, a medley of sound, a pellmell of unconnected words, of affirmations,

contradictions, and interrupted narrations. Here, a group listened to an orator who held forth in his shirt

sleeves, a little farther there were disputes, quarrels, exclamations of "Poor man!" "Such a good fellow!" "My

poor gossip Derues!" "Good heavens! what will he do now?" "Alas! he is quite done for; it is to be hoped his

creditors will give him time! "Above all this uproar was heard a voice, sharp and piercing like a cat's,

lamenting, and relating with sobs the terrible misfortune of last night. At about three in the morning the

inhabitants of the rue St. Victor had been startled out of their sleep by the cry of "Fire, fire!" A conflagration

had burst forth in Derues' cellar, and though its progress had been arrested and the house saved from

destruction, all the goods stored therein had perished. It apparently meant a considerable loss in barrels of oil,

casks of brandy, boxes of soap, etc., which Derues estimated at not less than nine thousand livres.

By what unlucky chance the fire had been caused he had no idea. He recounted his visit to Madame Legrand,

A harsh voice interrupted his lamentations, and drew the attention of the crowd to a woman carrying printed

broadsides, and who forced a passage through the crowd up to the shop door. She unfolded one of her sheets,

"Sentence pronounced by the Parliament of Paris against John Robert Cassel, accused and convicted of

Derues looked up and saw a streethawker who used to come to his shop for a drink, and with whom he had

had a violent quarrel about a month previously, she having detected him in a piece of knavery, and abused

him roundly in her own style, which was not lacking in energy. He had not seen her since. The crowd

generally, and all the gossips of the quarter, who held Derues in great veneration, thought that the woman's

cry was intended as an indirect insult, and threatened to punish her for this irreverence. But, placing one hand

on her hip, and with the other warning off the most pressing by a significant gesture

"Are you still befooled by his tricks, fools that you are? Yes, no doubt there was a fire in the cellar last night,

no doubt his creditors will be geese enough to let him off paying his debts! But what you don't know is, that

"He lost all his goods!" the crowd cried on all sides. "More than nine thousand livres! Oil and brandy, do you

think those won't burn? The old witch, she drinks enough to know! If one put a candle near her she would

"Perhaps," replied the woman, with renewed gesticulations, "perhaps; but I don't advise any of you to try.

Anyhow, this fellow here is a rogue; he has been emptying his cellar for the last three nights; there were only

old empty casks in it and empty packingcases! Oh yes! I have swallowed his daily lies like everybody else,

but I know the truth by now. He got his liquor taken away by Michael Lambourne's son, the cobbler in the

rue de la Parcheminerie. How do I know? Why, because the young man came and told me!"

Notwithstanding this retaliatory accusation, the woman's bold assertion might have changed the attitude of

the crowd and chilled the enthusiasm, but at that moment a stout man pressed forward, and seizing the

To this man, the honour of Derues was an article of faith; he had not yet ceased to wonder at the probity of

this sainted person, and to doubt it in the least was as good as suspecting his own.

"My dear friend," he said, "we all know what to think of you. I know you well. Send to me tomorrow, and

you shall have what goods you want, on credit, for as long as is necessary. Now, evil tongue, what do you say

"I say that you are as great a fool as the rest. Adieu, friend Derues; go on as you have begun, and I shall be

selling your 'sentence' some day"; and dispersing the crowd with a few twirls of her right arm, she passed on,

"Sentence pronounced by the Parliament of Paris against John Robert Cassel, accused and convicted of

This accusation emanated from too insignificant a quarter to have any effect on Derues' reputation. However

resentful he may have been at the time, he got over it in consequence of the reiterated marks of interest shown

by his neighbours and all the quarter on account of his supposed ruin, and the hawker's attack passed out of

But this drunken woman had none the less uttered a prophetic word; it was the grain of sand on which, later,

"All passions," says La Bruyere,"all passions are deceitful; they disguise themselves as much as possible

from the public eye; they hide from themselves. There is no vice which has not a counterfeit resemblance to

The whole life of Derues bears testimony to the truth of this observation. An avaricious poisoner, he attracted

his victims by the pretence of fervent and devoted piety, and drew them into the snare where he silently

destroyed them. His terrible celebrity only began in 1777, caused by the double murder of Madame de

Lamotte and her son, and his name, unlike those of some other great criminals, does not at first recall a long

series of crimes, but when one examines this low, crooked, and obscure life, one finds a fresh stain at every

step, and perhaps no one has ever surpassed him in dissimulation, in profound hypocrisy, in indefatigable

depravity. Derues was executed at thirtytwo, and his whole life was steeped in vice; though happily so short,

it is full of horror, and is only a tissue of criminal thoughts and deeds, a very essence of evil. He had no

hesitation, no remorse, no repose, no relaxation; he seemed compelled to lie, to steal, to poison! Occasionally

suspicion is aroused, the public has its doubts, and vague rumours hover round him; but he burrows under

new impostures, and punishment passes by. When he falls into the hands of human justice his reputation

protects him, and for a few days more the legal sword is turned aside. Hypocrisy is so completely a part of his

nature, that even when there is no longer any hope, when he is irrevocably sentenced, and he knows that he

can no longer deceive anyone, neither mankind nor Him whose name he profanes by this last sacrilege, he yet

exclaims, "O Christ! I shall suffer even as Thou." It is only by the light of his funeral pyre that the dark places

of his life can be examined, that this bloody plot is unravelled, and that other victims, forgotten and lost in the

shadows, arise like spectres at the foot of the scaffold, and escort the assassin to his doom.

Let us trace rapidly the history of Derues' early years, effaced and forgotten in the notoriety of his death.

These few pages are not written for the glorification of crime, and if in our own days, as a result of the

corruption of our manners, and of a deplorable confusion of all notions of right and wrong, it has been sought

to make him an object; of public interest, we, on our part, only wish to bring him into notice, and place him

momentarily on a pedestal, in order to cast him still lower, that his fall may be yet greater. What has been

permitted by God may be related by man. Decaying and satiated communities need not be treated as children;

they require neither diplomatic handling nor precaution, and it may be good that they should see and touch

the putrescent sores which canker them. Why fear to mention that which everyone knows? Why dread to

sound the abyss which can be measured by everyone? Why fear to bring into the light of day unmasked

wickedness, even though it confronts the public gaze unblushingly? Extreme turpitude and extreme

excellence are both in the schemes of Providence; and the poet has summed up eternal morality for all ages

Besides, and we cannot insist too earnestly that our intention must not be mistaken, if we had wished to

inspire any other sentiment than that of horror, we should have chosen a more imposing personage from the

annals of crime. There have been deeds which required audacity, a sort of grandeur, a false heroism; there

have been criminals who held in check all the regular and legitimate forces of society, and whom one

regarded with a mixture of terror and pity. There is nothing of that in Derues, not even a trace of courage;

nothing but a shameless cupidity, exercising itself at first in the theft of a few pence filched from the poor;

nothing but the illicit gains and rascalities of a cheating shopkeeper and vile moneylender, a depraved

cowardice which dared not strike openly, but slew in the dark. It is the story of an unclean reptile which drags

Such was the man whose life we have undertaken to narrate, a man who represents a complete type of

wickedness, and who corresponds to the most hideous sketch ever devised by poet or romancewriter: Facts

without importance of their own, which would be childish if recorded of anyone else, obtain a sombre

reflection from other facts which precede them, and thenceforth cannot be passed over in silence. The

historian is obliged to collect and note them, as showing the logical development of this degraded being: he

unites them in sequence, and counts the successive steps of the ladder mounted by the criminal.

We have seen the early exploit of this assassin by instinct; we find him, twenty years later, an incendiary and

a fraudulent bankrupt. What had happened in the interval? With how much treachery and crime had he filled

His unconquerable taste for theft caused him to be expelled by the relations who had taken charge of him. An

anecdote is told which shows his impudence and incurable perversity. One day he was caught taking some

money, and was soundly whipped by his cousins. When this was over, the child, instead of showing any

sorrow or asking forgiveness, ran away with a sneer, and seeing they were out of breath, exclaimed

Despairing of any control over this evil disposition, the relations refused to keep him, and sent him to

Chartres, where two other cousins agreed to have him, out of charity. They were simpleminded women, of

great and sincere piety, who imagined that good example and religious teaching might have a happy influence

on their young relation. The result was contrary to their expectation: the sole fruit of their teaching was that

Derues learnt to be a cheat and a hypocrite, and to assume the mask of respectability.

Here also repeated thefts insured him sound corrections. Knowing his cousins' extreme economy, not to say

avarice, he mocked them when they broke a lath over his shoulders: "There now, I am so glad; that will cost

His benefactresses' patience becoming exhausted, he left their house, and was apprenticed to a tinman at

Chartres. His master died, and an ironmonger of the same town took him as shopboy, and from this he

passed on to a druggist and grocer. Until now, although fifteen years old, he had shown no preference for one

trade more than another, but it was now necessary he should choose some profession, and his share in the

family property amounted to the modest sum of three thousand five hundred livres. His residence with this

last master revealed a decided taste, but it was only another evil instinct developing itself: the poisoner had

scented poison, being always surrounded with drugs which were healthgiving or hurtful, according to the

use made of them. Derues would probably have settled at Chartres, but repeated thefts obliged him to leave

the town. The profession of druggist and grocer being one which presented most chances of fortune, and

being, moreover, adapted to his tastes, his family apprenticed him to a grocer in the rue Comtesse d'Artois,

Derues arrived in Paris in 1760. It was a new horizon, where he was unknown; no suspicion attached to him,

and he felt much at his ease. Lost in the noise and the crowd of this immense receptacle for every vice, he had

time to found on hypocrisy his reputation as an honest man. When his apprenticeship expired, his master

proposed to place him with his sisterinlaw, who kept a similar establishment in the rue St. Victor, and who

had been a widow for several years. He recommended Derues as a young man whose zeal and intelligence

might be useful in her business, being ignorant of various embezzlements committed by his late apprentice,

who was always clever enough to cast suspicion on others. But the negotiation nearly fell through, because,

one day, Derues so far forgot his usual prudence and dissimulation as to allow himself to make the

observation recorded above to his mistress. She, horrified, ordered him to be silent, and threatened to ask her

husband to dismiss him. It required a double amount of hypocrisy to remove this unfavourable impression;

but he spared no pains to obtain the confidence of the sisterinlaw, who was much influenced in his favour.

Every day he inquired what could be done for her, every evening he took a basketload of the goods she

required from the rue Comtesse d'Artois; and it excited the pity of all beholders to see this weakly young

man, panting and sweating under his heavy burden, refusing any reward, and labouring merely for the

pleasure of obliging, and from natural kindness of heart! The poor widow, whose spoils he was already

coveting, was completely duped. She rejected the advice of her brotherinlaw, and only listened to the

concert of praises sung by neighbours much edified by Derues' conduct, and touched by the interest he

appeared to show her. Often he found occasion to speak of her, always with the liveliest expressions of

boundless devotion. These remarks were repeated to the good woman, and seemed all the more sincere to her

as they appeared to have been made quite casually, and she never suspected they were carefully calculated

Derues carried dishonesty as far as possible, but he knew how to stop when suspicion was likely to be

aroused, and though always planning either to deceive or to hurt, he was never taken by surprise. Like the

spider which spreads the threads of her web all round her, he concealed himself in a net of falsehood which

one had to traverse before arriving at his real nature. The evil destiny of this poor woman, mother of four

children, caused her to engage him as her shopman in the year 1767, thereby signing the warrant for her own

Derues began life under his new mistress with a masterstroke. His exemplary piety was the talk of the whole

quarter, and his first care had been to request Madame Legrand to recommend him a confessor. She sent him

to the director of her late husband, Pere Cartault, of the Carmelite order, who, astonished at the devotion of

his penitent, never failed, if he passed the shop, to enter and congratulate Madame Legrand on the excellent

acquisition she had made in securing this young man, who would certainly bring her a blessing along with

him. Derues affected the greatest modesty, and blushed at these praises, and often, when he saw the good

father approaching, appeared not to see him, and found something to do elsewhere; whereby the field was left

But Pere Cartault appeared too indulgent, and Derues feared that his sins were too easily pardoned; and he

dared not find peace in an absolution which was never refused. Therefore, before the year was out, he chose a

second confessor, Pere Denys, a Franciscan, consulting both alternately, and confiding his conscientious

scruples to them. Every penance appeared too easy, and he added to those enjoined by his directors continual

mortifications of his own devising, so that even Tartufe himself would have owned his superiority.

He wore about him two shrouds, to which were fastened relics of Madame de Chantal, also a medal of St.

Francois de Saps, and occasionally scourged himself. His mistress related that he had begged her to take a

sitting at the church of St. Nicholas, in order that he might more easily attend service when he had a day out,

Moreover, he had slept upon straw during the whole of Lent, and took care that Madame Legrand heard of

this through the servant, pretending at first to hide it as if it were something wrong. He tried to prevent the

maid from going into his room, and when she found out the straw he forbade her to mention itwhich

naturally made her more anxious to relate her discovery. Such a piece of piety, combined with such

meritorious humility, such dread of publicity, could only increase the excellent opinion which everyone

Every day was marked by some fresh hypocrisy. One of his sisters, a novice in the convent of the Ladies of

the Visitation of the Virgin, was to take the veil at Easter. Derues obtained permission to be present at the

ceremony, and was to start on foot on Good Friday. When he departed, the shop happened to be full of

people, and the gossips of the neighbourhood inquired where he was going. Madame Legrand desired him to

have a glass of liqueur (wine he never touched) and something to eat before starting.

"Oh, madame!" he exclaimed, "do you think I could eat on a day like this, the day on which Christ was

crucified! I will take a piece of bread with me, but I shall only eat it at the inn where I intend to sleep: I mean

But this kind of thing was not sufficient. He wanted an opportunity to establish a reputation for honesty on a

firm basis. Chance provided one, and he seized it immediately, although at the expense of a member of his

One of his brothers, who kept a publichouse at Chartres, came to see him. Derues, under pretence of

showing him the sights of Paris, which he did not know, asked his mistress to allow him to take in the brother

for a few days, which she granted. The last evening of his stay, Derues went up to his room, broke open the

box which contained his clothes, turned over everything it contained, examined the clothes, and discovering

two new cotton nightcaps, raised a cry which brought up the household. His brother just then returned, and

Derues called him an infamous thief, declaring that he had stolen the money for these new articles out of the

shop the evening before. His brother defended himself, protesting his innocence, and, indignant at such

incomprehensible treachery, endeavoured to turn the tables by relating some of Antoine's early misdeeds. The

latter, however, stopped him, by declaring on his honour that he had seen his brother the evening before go to

the till, slip his hand in, and take out some money. The brother was confounded and silenced by so audacious

a lie; he hesitated, stammered, and was turned out of the house. Derues worthily crowned this piece of

iniquity by obliging his mistress to accept the restitution of the stolen money. It cost him three livres, twelve

sons, but the interest it brought him was the power of stealing unsuspected. That evening he spent in prayer

All these schemes had succeeded, and brought him nearer to the desired goal, for not a soul in the quarter

ventured to doubt the word of this saintly individual. His fawning manners and insinuating language varied

according to the people addressed. He adapted himself to all, contradicting no one, and, while austere

himself, he flattered the tastes of others. In the various houses where he visited his conversation was serious,

grave, and sententious; and, as we have seen, he could quote Scripture with the readiness of a theologian. In

the shop, when he had to deal with the lower classes, he showed himself acquainted with their modes of

expression, and spoke the Billingsgate of the marketwomen, which he had acquired in the rue Comtesse

d'Artois, treating them familiarly, and they generally addressed him as "gossip Denies." By his own account

he easily judged the characters of the various people with whom he came in contact.

However, Pere Cartault's prophecy was not fulfilled: the blessing of Heaven did not descend on the Legrand

establishment. There seemed to be a succession of misfortunes which all Derues' zeal and care as shopman

could neither prevent nor repair. He by no means contented himself with parading an idle and fruitless

hypocrisy, and his most abominable deceptions were not those displayed in the light of day. He watched by

night: his singular organisation, outside the ordinary laws of nature, appeared able to dispense with sleep.

Gliding about on tiptoe, opening doors noiselessly, with all the skill of an accomplished thief, he pillaged

shop and cellar, and sold his plunder in remote parts of the town under assumed names. It is difficult to

understand how his strength supported the fatigue of this double existence; he had barely arrived at puberty,

and art had been obliged to assist the retarded development of nature. But he lived only for evil, and the Spirit

of Evil supplied the physical vigour which was wanting. An insane love of money (the only passion he knew)

brought him by degrees back to his startingpoint of crime; he concealed it in hidingplaces wrought in the

thick walls, in holes dug out by his nails. As soon as he got any, he brought it exactly as a wild beast brings a

piece of bleeding flesh to his lair; and often, by the glimmer of a dark lantern, kneeling in adoration before

this shameful idol, his eyes sparkling with ferocious joy, with a smile which suggested a hyena's delight over

These continual thefts brought trouble into the Legrand affairs, cancelled all profits, and slowly brought on

ruin. The widow had no suspicion of Derues' disgraceful dealings, and he carefully referred the damage to

other causes, quite worthy of himself. Sometimes it was a bottle of oil, or of brandy, or some other

commodity, which was found spilt, broken, or damaged, which accidents he attributed to the enormous

quantity of rats which infested the cellar and the house. At length, unable to meet her engagements, Madame

Legrand made the business over to him in February, 1770. He was then twentyfive years and six months

old, and was accepted as a merchant grocer in August the same year. By an agreement drawn up between

them, Derues undertook to pay twelve hundred livres for the goodwill, and to lodge her rent free during the

remainder of her lease, which had still nine years to run. Being thus obliged to give up business to escape

bankruptcy, Madame Legrand surrendered to her creditors any goods remaining in her warehouse; and

Derues easily made arrangements to take them over very cheaply. The first step thus made, he was now able

to enrich himself safely and to defraud with impunity under the cover of his stolen reputation.

One of his uncles, a flour merchant at Chartres, came habitually twice a year to Paris to settle accounts with

his correspondents. A sum of twelve hundred francs, locked up in a drawer, was stolen from him, and,

accompanied by his nephew, he went to inform the police. On investigation being made, it was found that the

chest of drawers had been broken at the top. As at the time of the theft of the seventynine Louis from the

abbe, Derues was the only person known to have entered his uncle's room. The innkeeper swore to this, but

the uncle took pains to justify his nephew, and showed his confidence shortly after by becoming surety for

him to the extent of five thousand livres. Derues failed to pay when the time expired, and the holder of the

He made use of any means, even the most impudent, which enabled him to appropriate other people's

property. A provincial grocer on one occasion sent him a thousandweight of honey in barrels to be sold on

commission. Two or three months passed, and he asked for an account of the sale. Derues replied that he had

not yet been able to dispose of it advantageously, and there ensued a fresh delay, followed by the same

question and the same reply. At length, when more than a year had passed, the grocer came to Paris,

examined his barrels, and found that five hundred pounds were missing. He claimed damages from Derues,

who declared he had never received any more, and as the honey had been sent in confidence, and there was

no contract and no receipt to show, the provincial tradesman could not obtain compensation.

As though having risen by the ruin of Madame Legrand and her four children was not enough, Derues

grudged even the morsel of bread he had been obliged to leave her. A few days after the fire in the cellar,

which enabled him to go through a second bankruptcy, Madame Legrand, now undeceived and not believing

his lamentations, demanded the money due to her, according to their agreement. Derues pretended to look for

his copy of the contract, and could not find it. "Give me yours, madame," said he; "we will write the receipt

The widow opened her purse and took out her copy; Derues snatched it, and tore it up. "Now," he exclaimed,

"you are paid; I owe you nothing now. If you like, I will declare it on oath in court, and no one will disbelieve

"Wretched man," said the unfortunate widow, "may God forgive your soul; but your body will assuredly end

It was in vain that she complained, and told of this abominable swindle; Derues had been beforehand with

her, and the slander he had disseminated bore its fruits. It was said that his old mistress was endeavouring by

an odious falsehood to destroy the reputation of a man who had refused to be her lover. Although reduced to

poverty, she left the house where she had a right to remain rent free, preferring the hardest and dreariest life

to the torture of remaining under the same roof with the man who had caused her ruin.

We might relate a hundred other pieces of knavery, but it must not be supposed that having begun by murder,

Derues would draw back and remain contented with theft. Two fraudulent bankruptcies would have sufficed

for most people; for him they were merely a harmless pastime. Here we must place two dark and obscure

stories, two crimes of which he is accused, two victims whose death groans no one heard.

The hypocrite's excellent reputation had crossed the Parisian bounds. A young man from the country,

intending to start as a grocer in the capital, applied to Derues for the necessary information and begged for

advice. He arrived at the latter's house with a sum of eight thousand livres, which he placed in Derues' hands,

asking him for assistance in finding a business. The sight of gold was enough to rouse the instinct of crime in

Derues, and the witches who hailed Macbeth with the promise of royalty did not rouse the latter's ambitious

desires to a greater height than the chance of wealth did the greed of the assassin; whose hands, once closed

over the eight thousand livres, were never again relaxed. He received them as a deposit, and hid them along

with his previous plunder, vowing never to return them. Several days had elapsed, when one afternoon

Derues returned home with an air of such unusual cheerfulness that the young man questioned him. "Have

you heard some good news for me?" he asked, "or have you had some luck yourself?"

"My young friend," answered Derues, "as for me, success depends on my own efforts, and fortune smiles on

me. But I have promised to be useful to you, your parents have trusted me, and I must prove that their

confidence is well founded. I have heard today of a business for disposal in one of the best parts of Paris.

You can have it for twelve thousand livres, and I wish I could lend you the amount you want. But you must

write to your father, persuade him, reason with him; do not lose so good a chance. He must make a little

In accordance with their son's request, the young man's parents despatched a sum of four thousand livres,

Three weeks later, the father, very uneasy, arrived in Paris. He came to inquire about his son, having heard

nothing from him. Derues received him with the utmost astonishment, appearing convinced that the young

man had returned home. One day, he said, the youth informed him that he had heard from his father, who had

given up all idea of establishing him in Paris, having arranged an advantageous marriage for him near home;

and he had taken his twelve thousand livres, for which Derues produced a receipt, and started on his return

One evening, when nearly dark, Derues had gone out with his guest, who complained of headache and

internal pains. Where did they go? No one knew; but Denies only returned at daybreak, alone, weary and

One of his apprentices was the constant object of reproof. The boy was accused of negligence, wasting his

time, of spending three hours over a task which might have been done in less than one. When Derues had

convinced the father, a Parisian bourgeois, that his son was a bad boy and a goodfornothing, he came to

"Your son," he said, "ran away yesterday with six hundred livres, with which I had to meet a bill today. He

He threatened to go before a magistrate and denounce the thief, and was only appeased by being paid the sum

he claimed to have lost. But he had gone out with the lad the evening before, and returned alone in the early

However, the veil which concealed the truth was becoming more and more transparent every day. Three

bankruptcies had diminished the consideration he enjoyed, and people began to listen to complaints and

accusations which till now had been considered mere inventions designed to injure him. Another attempt at

He had rented a house close to his own, the shop of which had been tenanted for seven or eight years by a

wine merchant. He required from this man, if he wished to remain where he was, a sum of six hundred livres

as a payment for goodwill. Although the wine merchant considered it an exorbitant charge, yet on reflection

he decided to pay it rather than go, having established a good business on these premises, as was well known.

Before long a still mare arrant piece of dishonesty gave him an opportunity for revenge. A young man of

good family, who was boarding with him in order to gain some business experience, having gone into Derues'

shop to make some purchases, amused himself while waiting by idly writing his name on a piece of blank

paper lying on the counter; which he left there without thinking more about it. Derues, knowing the young

man had means, as soon as he had gone, converted the signed paper into a promissory note for two thousand

livres, to his order, payable at the majority of the signer. The bill, negotiated in trade, arrived when due at the

wine merchant's, who, much surprised, called his young boarder and showed him the paper adorned with his

signature. The youth was utterly confounded, having no knowledge of the bill whatever, but nevertheless

could not deny his signature. On examining the paper carefully, the handwriting was recognised as Derues'.

The wine merchant sent for him, and when he arrived, made him enter a room, and having locked the door,

produced the promissory note. Derues acknowledged having written it, and tried various falsehoods to excuse

himself. No one listened to him, and the merchant threatened to place the matter in the hands of the police.

Then Derues wept, implored, fell on his knees, acknowledged his guilt, and begged for mercy. He agreed to

restore the six hundred livres exacted from the wine merchant, on condition that he should see the note

destroyed and that the matter should end there. He was then about to be married, and dreaded a scandal.

Shortly after, he married MarieLouise Nicolais; daughter of a harnessmaker at Melun.

One's first impression in considering this marriage is one of profound sorrow and utmost pity for the young

girl whose destiny was linked with that of this monster. One thinks of the horrible future; of youth and

innocence blighted by the tainting breath of the homicide; of candour united to hypocrisy; of virtue to

wickedness; of legitimate desires linked to disgraceful passions; of purity mixed with corruption. The thought

of these contrasts is revolting, and one pities such a dreadful fate. But we must not decide hastily. Madame

Denies has not been convicted of any active part in her husband's later crimes, but her history, combined with

his, shows no trace of suffering, nor of any revolt against a terrible complicity. In her case the evidence is

In 1773, Derues relinquished retail business, and left the Saint Victor neighbourhood, having taken an

apartment in the rue des Deux Boules, near the rue BertinPoiree, in the parish of St. Germain 1'Auxerrois,

where he had been married. He first acted on commission for the BenedictineCamalduian fathers of the

forest of Senart, who had heard of him as a man wholly given to piety; then, giving himself up to usury, he

undertook what is known as "business affairs," a profession which, in such hands, could not fail to be

lucrative, being aided by his exemplary morals and honest appearance. It was the more easy for him to

impose on others, as he could not be accused of any of the deadly vices which so often end in ruingaming,

wine, and women. Until now he had displayed only one passion, that of avarice, but now another developed

itself, that of ambition. He bought houses and land, and when the money was due, allowed himself to be sued

for it; he bought even lawsuits, which he muddled with all the skill of a rascally attorney. Experienced in

bankruptcy, he undertook the management of failures, contriving to make dishonesty appear in the light of

unfortunate virtue. When this demon was not occupied with poison, his hands were busy with every social

His wife, who had already presented him with a daughter, gave birth to a son in February 1774. Derues, in

order to better support the airs of grandeur and the territorial title which he had assumed, invited persons of

distinction to act as sponsors. The child was baptized Tuesday, February 15th. We give the text of the

"AntoineMaximilianJoseph, son of AntoineFrancois Derues, gentleman, seigneur of Gendeville,

Herchies, Viquemont, and other places, formerly merchant grocer; and of Madame MarieLouise Nicolais,

his wife. Godfathers, T. H. and T. P., lords of, etc. etc. Godmothers, Madame M. Fr. C. D. V., etc. etc.

But all this dignity did not exclude the sheriff's officers, whom, as befitted so great a man, he treated with the

utmost insolence, overwhelming them with abuse when they came to enforce an execution. Such scandals had

several times aroused the curiosity of his neighbours, and did not redound to his credit. His landlord, wearied

of all this clamour, and most especially weary of never getting any rent without a fight for it, gave him notice

to quit. Derues removed to the rue Beaubourg, where he continued to act as commission agent under the

And now we will concern ourselves no more with the unravelling of this tissue of imposition; we will wander

no longer in this labyrinth of fraud, of low and vile intrigue, of dark crime of which the clue disappears in the

night, and of which the trace is lost in a doubtful mixture of blood and mire; we will listen no longer to the

cry of the widow and her four children reduced to beggary, to the groans of obscure victims, to the cries of

terror and the deathgroan which echoed one night through the vaults of a country house near Beauvais.

Behold other victims whose cries are yet louder, behold yet other crimes and a punishment which equals

them in terror! Let these nameless ghosts, these silent spectres, lose themselves in the clear daylight which

now appears, and make room for other phantoms which rend their shrouds and issue from the tomb

Derues was now soon to have a chance of obtaining immortality. Hitherto his blows had been struck by

chance, henceforth he uses all the resources of his infernal imagination; he concentrates all his strength on

one pointconceives and executes his crowning piece of wickedness. He employs for two years all his

science as cheat, forger, and poisoner in extending the net which was to entangle a whole family; and, taken

in his own snare, he struggles in vain; in vain does he seek to gnaw through the meshes which confine him.

The foot placed on the last rung of this ladder of crime, stands also on the first step by which he mounts the

About a mile from VilleneuveleRoilesSens, there stood in 1775 a handsome house, overlooking the

windings of the Yonne on one side, and on the other a garden and park belonging to the estate of

BuissonSouef. It was a large property, admirably situated, and containing productive fields, wood, and

water; but not everywhere kept in good order, and showing something of the embarrassed fortune of its

owner. During some years the only repairs had been those necessary in the house itself and its immediate

vicinity. Here and there pieces of dilapidated wall threatened to fall altogether, and enormous stems of ivy

had invaded and stifled vigorous trees; in the remoter portions of the park briers barred the road and made

walking almost impossible. This disorder was not destitute of charm, and at an epoch when landscape

gardening consisted chiefly in straight alleys, and in giving to nature a cold and monotonous symmetry, one's

eye rested with pleasure on these neglected clumps, on these waters which had taken a different course to that

A wide terrace, overlooking the winding river, extended along the front of the house. Three men were

walking on ittwo priests, and the owner of BuissonSouef, Monsieur de SaintFaust de Lamotte. One priest

was the cure of VilleneuveleRoilezSens, the other was a Camaldulian monk, who had come to see the

cure about a clerical matter, and who was spending some days at the presbytery. The conversation did not

appear to be lively. Every now and then Monsieur de Lamotte stood still, and, shading his eyes with his hand

from the brilliant sunlight which flooded the plain, and was strongly reflected from the water, endeavoured to

see if some new object had not appeared on the horizon, then slowly resumed his walk with a movement of

"Why despair?" said the cure. "Your servant has gone to meet them; we might see their boat any moment."

"But, my father," returned Monsieur de Lamotte, "the long days are already past. In another hour the mist will

"Well, if that happens, we shall have to be patient; they will stay all night at some little distance, and you will

"My brother is right," said the other priest. "Come, monsieur; do not be anxious."

"You both speak with the indifference of persons to whom family troubles are unknown."

"What!" said the cure, "do you really think that because our sacred profession condemns us both to celibacy,

we are therefore unable to comprehend an affection such as yours, on which I myself pronounced the

"Is it perhaps intentionally, my father, that you recall the date of my marriage? I readily admit that the love of

one's neighbour may enlighten you as to another love to which you have yourself been a stranger. I daresay it

seems odd to you that a man of my age should be anxious about so little, as though he were a lovesick

youth; but for some time past I have had presentiments of evil, and I am really becoming superstitious!"

He again stood still, gazing up the river, and, seeing nothing, resumed his place between the two priests, who

"Yes," he continued, "I have presentiments which refuse to be shaken off. I am not so old that age can have

weakened my powers and reduced me to childishness, I cannot even say what I am afraid of, but separation is

painful and causes an involuntary terror. Strange, is it not? Formerly, I used to leave my wife for months

together, when she was young and my son only, an infant; I loved her passionately, yet I could go with

pleasure. Why, I wonder, is it so different now? Why should a journey to Paris on business, and a few hours'

delay, make, me so terribly uneasy? Do you remember, my father," he resumed, after a pause, turning to the

cure," do you remember how lovely Marie looked on our weddingday? Do you remember her dazzling

complexion and the innocent candour of her expression? the sure token of the most truthful and purest of

minds! That is why I love her so much now; we do not now sigh for one another, but the second love is

stronger than the first, for it is founded on recollection, and is tranquil and confident in friendship . . . . It is

strange that they have not returned; something must have happened! If they do not return this evening, and I

"I think;" said the other priest, "that at twenty you must indeed have been excitable, a veritable tinderbox, to

have retained so much energy! Come, monsieur, try to calm yourself and have patience: you yourself admit it

"But my son accompanied his mother, and he is our only one, and so delicate! He alone remains of our three

children, and you do not realise how the affection of parents who feel age approaching is concentrated on an

"No; his mother went to obtain a loan which is needed for the improvements required on the estate."

"I would willingly have kept him here, but his mother wished to take him. A separation is as trying to her as

"Yes, but Monsieur le cure will tell you that a fortnight ago I was chained to my armchair, swearing under

my breath like a pagan, and cursing the follies of my youth!Forgive me, my father; I mean that I had the

gout, and I forgot that I am not the only sufferer, and that it racks the old age of the philosopher quite as much

The fresh wind which often rises just at sunset was already rustling in the leaves; long shadows darkened the

course of the Yonne and stretched across the plain; the water, slightly troubled, reflected a confused outline

of its banks and the clouded blue of the sky. The three gentlemen stopped at the end of the terrace and gazed

into the already fading distance. A black spot, which they had just observed in the middle of the river, caught

a gleam of light in passing a low meadow between two hills, and for a moment took shape as a barge, then

was lost again, and could not be distinguished from the water. Another moment, and it reappeared more

distinctly; it was indeed a barge, and now the horse could be seen towing it against the current. Again it was

lost at a bend of the river shaded by willows, and they had to resign themselves to incertitude for several

minutes. Then a white handkerchief was waved on the prow of the boat, and Monsieur de Lamotte uttered a

"It is indeed they!" he cried. "Do you see them, Monsieur le cure? I see my boy; he is waving the

handkerchief, and his mother is with him. But I think there is a third personyes, there is a man, is there

"Indeed," said the cure, "if my bad sight does not deceive me, I should say there was someone seated near the

"Probably someone from the neighbourhood, who has profited by the chance of a lift home."

The boat was advancing rapidly; they could now hear the cracking of the whip with which the servant urged

on the towhorse. And now it stopped, at an easy landingplace, barely fifty paces from the terrace. Madame

de Lamotte landed with her son and the stranger, and her husband descended from the terrace to meet her.

"Quite well too. She is behind, in as great a hurry to meet you as I am. But she can't run as I do, and you must

The cure and the monk arrived just as Monsieur de Lamotte folded his wife in his arms. Although she had

passed her fortieth year, she was still beautiful enough to justify her husband's eulogism. A moderate

plumpness had preserved the freshness and softness of her skin; her smile was charming, and her large blue

eyes expressed both gentleness and goodness. Seen beside this smiling and serene countenance, the

appearance of the stranger was downright repulsive, and Monsieur de Lamotte could hardly repress a start of

disagreeable surprise at the pitiful and sordid aspect of this diminutive person, who stood apart, looking

overwhelmed by conscious inferiority. He was still more astonished when he saw his son take him by the

Madame de Lamotte, having greeted the cure, looked at the monk, who was a stranger to her. A word or two

explained matters, and she took her husband's arm, declining to answer any questions until she reached the

PierreEtienne de SaintFaust de Lamotte, one of the king's equerries, seigneur of GrangeFlandre,

Valperfond, etc., had married MarieFrancoise Perier in 1760. Their fortune resembled many others of that

period: it was more nominal than actual, more showy than solid. Not that the husband and wife had any cause

for selfreproach, or that their estates had suffered from dissipation; unstained by the corrupt manners of the

period, their union had been a model of sincere affection, of domestic virtue and mutual confidence.

MarieFrancoise was quite beautiful enough to have made a sensation in society, but she renounced it of her

own accord, in order to devote herself to the duties of a wife and mother. The only serious grief she and her

husband had experienced was the loss of two young children. Edouard, though delicate from his birth, had

nevertheless passed the trying years of infancy and early adolescence; he was them nearly fourteen. With a

sweet and rather effeminate expression, blue eyes and a pleasant smile, he was a striking likeness of his

mother. His father's affection exaggerated the dangers which threatened the boy, and in his eyes the slightest

indisposition became a serious malady; his mother shared these fears, and in consequence of this anxiety

Edouard's education had been much neglected. He had been brought up at BuissonSouef, and allowed to run

wild from morning till night, like a young fawn, exercising the vigour and activity of its limbs. He had still

The necessity of appearing at court and suitably defraying the expenses of his office had made great inroads

on Monsieur de Lamotte's fortune. He had of late lived at BuissonSouef in the most complete retirement;

but notwithstanding this too long deferred attention to his affairs, his property was ruining him, for the place

required a large expenditure, and absorbed a large amount of his income without making any tangible return.

He had always hesitated to dispose of the estate on account of its associations; it was there he had met,

courted, and married his beloved wife; there that the happy days of their youth had been spent; there that they

Such was the family to which accident had now introduced Derues. The unfavourable impression made on

Monsieur de Lamotte had not passed unperceived by him; but, being quite accustomed to the instinctive

repugnance which his first appearance generally inspired, Derues had made a successful study of how to

combat and efface this antagonistic feeling, and replace it by confidence, using different means according to

the persons he had to deal with. He understood at once that vulgar methods would be useless with Monsieur

de Lamotte, whose appearance and manners indicated both the man of the world and the man of intelligence,

and also he had to consider the two priests, who were both observing him attentively. Fearing a false step, he

assumed the most simple and insignificant deportment he could, knowing that sooner or later a third person

Arrived at the drawingroom, Monsieur de Lamotte requested the company to be seated. Derues

acknowledged the courtesy by a bow, and there was a moment of silence, while Edouard and his mother

"Dear Pierre," she said, " you are surprised to see us accompanied by a stranger, but when you hear what he

has done for us you will thank me for having induced him to return here with us."

"Allow me," interrupted Derues, "allow me to tell you what happened. The gratitude which madame imagines

she owes me causes her to exaggerate a small service which anybody would have been delighted to render."

"Yes," replied Madame de Lamotte, "keep your seat, I wish it. Imagine, Pierre, just six days ago, an accident

"I should only have made you anxious, and to no purpose. I had some business in one of the most crowded

parts of Paris; I took a chair, and Edouard walked beside me. In the rue Beaubourg we were suddenly

surrounded by a mob of low people, who were quarrelling. Carriages stopped the way, and the horses of one

of these took fright in the confusion and uproar, and bolted, in spite of the coachman's endeavours to keep

them in hand. It was a horrible tumult, and I tried to get out of the chair, but at that moment the chairmen

were both knocked down, and I fell. It is a miracle I was not crushed. I was dragged insensible from under the

horses' feet and carried into the house before which all this took place. There, sheltered in a shop and safe

from the crowd which encumbered the doorway, I recovered my senses, thanks to the assistance of Monsieur

Derues, who lives there. But that is not all: when I recovered I could not walk, I had been so shaken by the

fright, the fall, and the danger I had incurred, and I had to accept his offer of finding me another chair when

the crowd should disperse, and meanwhile to take shelter in his rooms with his wife, who showed me the

"Wait a moment; I have not finished yet. Monsieur Derues came back in an hour, and I was then feeling

better; but before, I left I was stupid enough to say that I had been robbed in the confusion; my diamond

earrings, which had belonged to my mother, were gone. You cannot imagine the trouble Monsieur Derues

took to discover the thief, and all the appeals he made to the policeI was really ashamed!"

Although Monsieur de Lamotte did not yet understand what motive, other than gratitude, had induced his

wife to bring this stranger home with her, he again rose from his seat, and going to Derues, held out his hand.

"I understand now the attachment my son shows for you. You are wrong in trying to lessen your good deed in

"You live in the, rue Beaubourg, and you are Monsieur Derues, formerly a retail grocer?"

"Should you require a reference, I can give it. Chance, madame, has made you acquainted with a man whose,

reputation for piety and honour is well established; he will permit me to add my praises to yours."

"I am, Brother Marchois, of the Camaldulian order. You see that I know you well."

The monk then proceeded to explain that his community had confided their affairs to Derues' honesty, he

undertaking to dispose of the articles manufactured by the monks in their retreat. He then recounted a number

of good actions and of marks of piety, which were heard with pleasure and admiration by those present.

Derues received this cloud of incense with an appearance of sincere modesty and humility, which would have

When the eulogistic warmth of the good brother began to slacken it was already nearly dark, and the two

priests had barely time to regain the presbytery without incurring the risk of breaking their necks in the rough

road which led to it. They departed at once, and a room was got ready for Derues.

"Tomorrow," said Madame de Lamotte as they separated, " you can discuss with my husband the business

on which you came: tomorrow, or another day, for I beg that you will make yourself at home here, and the

The night was a sleepless one for Derues, whose brain was occupied by a confusion of criminal plans. The

chance which had caused his acquaintance with Madame de Lamotte, and even more the accident of Brother

Marchois appearing in the nick of time, to enlarge upon the praises which gave him so excellent a character,

seemed like favourable omens not to be neglected. He began to imagine fresh villanies, to outline an

unheardof crime, which as yet he could not definitely trace out; but anyhow there would be plunder to seize

and blood to spill, and the spirit of murder excited and kept him awake, just as remorse might have troubled

Meanwhile Madame de Lamotte, having retired with her husband, was saying to the latter

"Well, now! what do you think of my protege, or rather, of the protector which Heaven sent me?"

"I think that physiognomy is often very deceptive, for I should have been quite willing to hang him on the

"It is true that his appearance is not attractive, and it led me into a foolish mistake which I quickly regretted.

When I recovered consciousness, and saw him attending on me, much worse and more carelessly dressed

"No, not exactly; but I thought I must be indebted to a man of the lowest class, to some poor fellow who was

really starving, and my first effort at gratitude was to offer him a piece of gold."

"No; he accepted it for the poor of the parish. Then he told me his name, Cyrano Derues de Bury, and told me

that the shop and the goods it contained were his own property, and that he occupied an apartment in the

house. I floundered in excuses, but he replied that he blessed the mistake, inasmuch as it would enable him to

relieve some unfortunate people. I was so touched with his goodness that I offered him a second piece of

"You were quite right, my dear; but what induced you to bring him to Buisson ? I should have gone to see

and thank him the first time I went to Paris, and meanwhile a letter would have been sufficient. Did he carry

"Indeed," exclaimed Monsieur de Lamotte, laughing heartily, "it is truly unlucky for a decent man to have

such a face as that! He ought to give Providence no rest until he obtains the gift of another countenance."

"Always these prejudices! It is not the poor man's fault that he was born like that."

"Well, you said something about business we were to discuss together what is it?"

"You! Come, it certainly seems that this gentleman is to be a family friend. And pray what induced you to

"You would have known by now, if you did not interrupt. Let me tell you all in order. The day after my

accident I went out with Edouard about midday, and I went to again express my gratitude for his kindness. I

was received by Madame Derues, who told me her husband was out, and that he had gone to my hotel to

inquire after me and my son, and also to see if anything had been heard of my stolen earrings. She appeared a

simple and very ordinary sort of person, and she begged me to sit down and wait for her husband. I thought it

would be uncivil not to do so, and Monsieur Derues appeared in about two hours. The first thing he did, after

having saluted me and inquired most particularly after my health, was to ask for his children, two charming

little things, fresh and rosy, whom he covered with kisses. We talked about indifferent matters, then he

offered me his services, placed himself at my disposal, and begged me to spare neither his time nor his

trouble. I then told him what had brought me to Paris, and also the disappointments I had encountered, for of

all the people I had seen not one had given me a favourable answer. He said that he might possibly be of

some use to me, and the very next day told 'me that he had seen a capitalist, but could do nothing without

more precise information. Then I thought it might be better to bring him here, so that he might talk matters

over with you. When I first asked him, he refused altogether, and only yielded to my earnest entreaties and

Edouard's. This is the history, dear, of the circumstances under which I made Monsieur Derues' acquaintance.

"Very well," said Monsieur de Lamotte, " I will talk to him tomorrow, and in any case I promise you I will

be civil to him. I will not forget that he has been useful to you." With which promise the conversation came

Skilled in assuming any kind of mask and in playing every sort of part, Derues did not find it difficult to

overcome Monsieur de Lamotte's prejudices, and in order to obtain the goodwill of the father he made a

skilful use of the friendship which the, son had formed with him. One can hardly think that he already

meditated the crime which he carried out later; one prefers to believe that these atrocious plots were not

invented so long beforehand. But he was already a prey to the idea, and nothing henceforth could turn him

from it. By what route he should arrive at the distant goal which his greed foresaw, he knew not as yet, but he

had said to himself, "One day this property shall be mine." It was the deathwarrant of those who owned it.

We have no details, no information as to Derues' first visit to BuissonSouef, but when he departed he had

obtained the complete confidence of the family, and a regular correspondence was carried on between him

and the Lamottes. It was thus that he was able to exercise his talent of forgery, and succeeded in imitating the

writing of this unfortunate lady so as to be able even to deceive her husband. Several months passed, and

none of the hopes which Derues had inspired were realised; a loan was always on the point of being arranged,

and regularly failed because of some unforeseen circumstance. These pretended negotiations were managed

by Derues with so much skill and cunning that instead of being suspected, he was pitied for having so much

useless trouble. Meanwhile, Monsieur de Lamotte's money difficulties increased, and the sale of

BuissonSouef became inevitable. Derues offered himself as a purchaser, and actually acquired the property

by private contract, dated December aa, 1775. It was agreed between the parties that the purchasemoney of

one hundred and thirty thousand livres should not be paid until 1776, in order to allow Derues to collect the

various sums at his disposal. It was an important purchase, which, he said, he only made on account of his

interest in Monsieur de Lamotte, and his wish to put an end to the latter's difficulties.

But when the period agreed on arrived, towards the middle of 1776, Derues found it impossible to pay. It is

certain that he never meant to do so; and a special peculiarity of this dismal story is the avarice of the man,

the passion for money which overruled all his actions, and occasionally caused him to neglect necessary

prudence. Enriched by three bankruptcies, by continual thefts, by usury, the gold he acquired promptly

seemed to disappear. He stuck at nothing to obtain it, and once in his grasp, he never let it go again.

Frequently he risked the loss of his character for honest dealing rather than relinquish a fraction of his wealth.

According to many credible people, it was generally believed by his contemporaries that this monster

possessed treasures which he had buried in the ground, the hidingplace of which no one knew, not even his

wife. Perhaps it is only a vague and unfounded rumour, which should be rejected; or is it; perhaps, a truth

which failed to reveal itself ? It would be strange if after the lapse of half a century the hidingplace were to

open and give up the fruit of his rapine. Who knows whether some of this treasure, accidentally discovered,

may not have founded fortunes whose origin is unknown, even to their possessors?

Although it was of the utmost importance not to arouse Monsieur de Lamotte's suspicions just at the moment

when he ought to be paying him so large a sum, Derues was actually at this time being sued by his creditors.

But in those days ordinary lawsuits had no publicity; they struggled and died between the magistrates and

advocates without causing any sound. In order to escape the arrest and detention with which he was

threatened, he took refuge at BuissonSouef with his family, and remained there from Whitsuntide till the

end of November. After being treated all this time as a friend, Derues departed for Paris, in order, he said, to

receive an inheritance which would enable him to pay the required purchasemoney.

This pretended inheritance was that of one of his wife's relations, Monsieur DespeignesDuplessis, who had

been murdered in his country house, near Beauvais. It has been strongly suspected that Derues was guilty of

this crime. There are, however, no positive proofs, and we prefer only to class it as a simple possibility.

Derues had made formal promises to Monsieur de Lamotte, and it was no longer possible for him to elude

them. Either the payment must now be made, or the contract annulled. A new correspondence began between

the creditors and the debtor; friendly letters were exchanged, full of protestations on one side and confidence

on the other. But all Derues' skill could only obtain a delay of a few months. At length Monsieur de Lamotte,

unable to leave BuissonSouef himself, on account of important business which required his presence, gave

his wife a power of attorney, consented to another separation, and sent her to Paris, accompanied by Edouard,

and as if to hasten their misfortunes, sent notice of their coming to the expectant murderer.

We have passed quickly over the interval between the first meeting of Monsieur de Lamotte and Derues, and

the moment when the victims fell into the trap: we might easily have invented long conversations, and

episodes which would have brought Derues' profound hypocrisy into greater relief; but the reader now knows

all that we care to show him. We have purposely lingered in our narration in the endeavour to explain the

perversities of this mysterious organisation; we have overloaded it with all the facts which seem to throw

any light upon this sombre character. But now, after these long preparations, the drama opens, the scenes

become rapid and lifelike; events, long impeded, accumulate and pass quickly before us, the action is

connected and hastens to an end. We shall see Derues like an unwearied Proteus, changing names, costumes,

language, multiplying himself in many forms, scattering deceptions and lies from one end of France to the

other; and finally, after so many efforts, such prodigies of calculation and activity, end by wrecking himself

The letter written at BuissonSouef arrived at Paris the morning of the 14th of December. In the course of the

day an unknown man presented himself at the hotel where Madame de Lamotte and her son had stayed

before, and inquired what rooms were vacant. There were four, and he engaged them for a certain Dumoulin,

who had arrived that morning from Bordeaux, and who had passed through Paris in order to meet, at some

little distance, relations who would return with him. A part of the rent was paid in advance, and it was

expressly stipulated that until his return the rooms should not be let to anyone, as the aforesaid Dumoulin

might return with his family and require them at any moment. The same person went to other hotels in the

neighbourhood and engaged vacant rooms, sometimes for a stranger he expected, sometimes for friends

At about three o'clock, the Place de Greve was full of people, thousands of heads crowded the windows of the

surrounding houses. A parricide was to pay the penalty of his crimea crime committed under atrocious

circumstances, with an unheardof refinement of barbarity. The punishment corresponded to the crime: the

wretched man was broken on the wheel. The most complete and terrible silence prevailed in the multitude

eager for ghastly emotions. Three times already had been heard the heavy thud of the instrument which broke

the victim's limbs, and a loud cry escaped the sufferer which made all who heard it shudder with horror, One

man only, who, in spite of all his efforts, could not get through the crowd and cross the square, remained

unmoved, and looking contemptuously towards the criminal, muttered, "Idiot! he was unable to deceive

A few moments later the flames began to rise from the funeral pile, the crowd began to move, and the than

was able to make his way through and reach one of the streets leading out of the square.

The sky was overcast, and the grey daylight hardly penetrated the narrow lane, hideous and gloomy as the

name it bore, and which; only a few years ago, still wound like a long serpent through the mire of this

quarter. Just then it was deserted, owing to the attraction of the execution close by. The man who had just left

the square proceeded slowly, attentively reading all the inscriptions on the doors. He stopped at Number 75,

where on the threshold of a shop sat a stout woman busily knitting, over whom one read in big yellow letters,

"Will you show me the cellar? I am a provincial wine merchant, my business often brings me to Paris, and I

They went down together. After examining the place, and ascertaining that it was not too damp for the

expensive wine which he wished to leave there, the man agreed about the rent, paid the first term in advance,

and was entered on the widow Masson's books under the name of Ducoudray. It is hardly necessary to remark

When he returned home in the evening, his wife told him that a large box had arrived.

"It is all right," he said, "the carpenter from whom I ordered it is a man of his word." Then he supped, and

caressed his children. The next day being Sunday, he received the communion, to the great edification of the

On Monday the 16th Madame de Lamotte and Edouard, descending from the Montereau stagecoach, were

"Yes, madame, two days ago; and I have arranged our dwelling for your reception."

"What! but did not Monsieur de Lamotte ask you to engage the rooms I have had before at the Hotel de

"He did not say so, and if that was your idea I trust you will change it. Do not deprive me of the pleasure of

offering you the hospitality which for so long I have accepted from you. Your room is quite ready, also one

for this dear boy," and so saying he took Edouard's hand; "and I am sure if you ask his opinion, he will say

"Undoubtedly," said the boy; "and I do not see why there need be any hesitation between friends."

Whether by accident, or secret presentiment, or because she foresaw a possibility of business discussions

between them, Madame de Lamotte objected to this arrangement. Derues having a business appointment

which he was bound to keep, desired his wife to accompany the Lamottes to the Hotel de France, and in case

of their not being able to find rooms there, mentioned three others as the only ones in the quarter where they

could be comfortably accommodated. Two hours later Madame de Lamotte and her son returned to his house

The house which Derues occupied stood opposite the rue des Menoriers, and was pulled down quite lately to

make way for the rue Rambuteau. In 1776 it was one of the finest houses of the rue Beaubourg, and it

required a certain income to be able to live there, the rents being tolerably high. A large arched doorway gave

admittance to a passage, lighted at the other end by a small court, on the far side of which was the shop into

which Madame de Lamotte had been taken on the occasion of the accident. The house staircase was to the

right of the passage; and the Derues' dwelling on the entresol. The first room, lighted by a window looking

into the court, was used as a dining room, and led into a simply furnished sittingroom, such as was generally

found among the bourgeois and tradespeople of this period. To the right of the sittingroom was a large

closet, which could serve as a small study or could hold a bed; to the left was a door opening into the Derues'

bedroom, which had been prepared for Madame de Lamotte. Madame Derues would occupy one of the two

beds which stood in the alcove. Derues had a bed made up in the sittingroom, and Edouard was

Nothing particular happened during the first few days which followed the Lamottes' arrival. They had not

come to Paris only on account of the BuissonSouef affairs. Edouard was nearly sixteen, and after much

hesitation his parents had decided on placing him in some school where his hitherto neglected education

might receive more attention. Derues undertook to find a capable tutor, in whose house the boy would be

brought up in the religious feeling which the cure of Buisson and his own exhortations had already tended to

develop. These proceedings, added to Madame de Lamotte's endeavours to collect various sums due to her

husband, took some time. Perhaps, when on the point of executing a terrible crime, Derues tried to postpone

the fatal moment, although, considering his character, this seems unlikely, for one cannot do him the honour

of crediting him with a single moment of remorse, doubt, or pity. Far from it, it appears from all the

information which can be gathered, that Derues, faithful to his own traditions, was simply experimenting on

his unfortunate guests, for no sooner were they in his house than both began to complain of constant nausea,

which they had never suffered from before. While he thus ascertained the strength of their constitution, he

was able, knowing the cause of the malady, to give them relief, so that Madame de Lamotte, although she

grew daily weaker, had so much confidence in him as to think it unnecessary to call in a doctor. Fearing to

alarm her husband, she never mentioned her sufferings, and her letters only spoke of the care and kind

On the 15th of January, 1777, Edouard was placed in a school in the rue de 1'Homme Arme. His mother

never saw him again. She went out once more to place her husband's power of attorney with a lawyer in the

rue de Paon. On her return she felt so weak and brokendown that she was obliged to go to bed and remain

there for several days. On January 29th the unfortunate lady had risen, and was sitting near the window which

overlooked the deserted rue des Menetriers, where clouds of snow were drifting before the wind. Who can

guess the sad thoughts which may have possessed her?all around dark, cold, and silent, tending to produce

painful depression and involuntary dread. To escape the gloomy ideas which besieged her, her mind went

back to the smiling times of her youth and marriage. She recalled the time when, alone at Buisson during her

husband's enforced absences, she wandered with her child in the cool and shaded walks of the park, and sat

out in the evening, inhaling the scent of the flowers, and listening to the murmur of the water, or the sound of

the whispering breeze in the leaves. Then, coming back from these sweet recollections to reality, she shed

tears, and called on her husband and son. So deep was her reverie that she did not hear the room door open,

did not perceive that darkness had come on. The light of a candle, dispersing the shadows, made her start; she

turned her head, and saw Derues coming towards her. He smiled, and she made an effort to keep back the

"Will you allow me to have a large chest brought into this room? I ought to pack some valuable things in it

which are in my charge, and are now in this cupboard. I am afraid it will be in your way."

"Is it not your own house, and is it not rather I who am in the way and a cause of trouble? Pray have it

brought in, and try to forget that I am here. You are most kind to me, but I wish I could spare you all this

trouble and that I were fit to go back to Buisson. I had a letter from my husband yesterday"

"We will talk about that presently, if you wish it," said Derues. "I will go and fetch the servant to help me to

carry in this chest. I have put it off hitherto, but it really must be sent in three days."

He went away, and returned in a few minutes. The chest was carried in, and placed before the cupboard at the

foot of the bed. Alas! the poor lady little thought it was her own coffin which stood before her!

The maid withdrew, and Derues assisted Madame de Lamotte to a seat near the fire, which he revived with

more fuel. He sat down opposite to her, and by the feeble light of the candle placed on a small table between

them could contemplate at leisure the ravages wrought by poison on her wasted features.

"I saw your son today," he said: " he complains that you neglect him, and have not seen him for twelve

days. He does not know you have been ill, nor did I tell him. The dear boy! he loves you so tenderly."

"And I also long to see him. My friend, I cannot tell you what terrible presentiments beset me; it seems as if I

were threatened with some great misfortune; and just now, when you came in, I could think only of death.

What is the cause of this languor and weakness? It is surely no temporary ailment. Tell me the truth: am I not

dreadfully altered? and do you not think my husband will be shocked when he sees me like this?"

"You are unnecessarily anxious," replied Derues; "it is rather a failing of yours. Did I not see you last year

tormenting yourself about Edouard's health, when he was not even thinking of being ill? I am not so soon

alarmed. My own old profession, and that of chemistry, which I studied in my youth, have given me some

acquaintance with medicine. I have frequently been consulted, and have prescribed for patients whose

condition was supposed to be desperate, and I can assure you I have never seen a better and stronger

constitution than yours. Try to calm yourself, and do not call up chimeras; because a mind at ease is the

greatest enemy of illness. This depression will pass, and then you will regain your strength."

"We have still some business to transact together. The notary at Beauvais writes that the difficulties which

prevented his paying over the inheritance of my wife's relation, Monsieur Duplessis, have mostly

disappeared. I have a hundred thousand livres at my disposal,that is to say, at yours,and in a month at

latest I shall be able to pay off my debt. You ask me to be sincere," he continued, with a tinge of reproachful

irony; "be sincere in your turn, madame, and acknowledge that you and your husband have both felt uneasy,

and that the delays I have been obliged to ask for have not seemed very encouraging to you?"

"And you were right. One is not always able to carry out one's intentions; events can always upset our

calculations; but what really is in our power is the desire to do rightto be honest; and I can say that I never

intentionally wronged anyone. And now. I am happy in being able to fulfil my promises to you. I trust when I

"Thank you; I should like to come occasionally, for all my happy recollections are connected with it. Is it

She looked up at him and smiled sadly. "I am not in a fit state to undertake it."

"Not if you imagine that you are unable, certainly. Come, have you any confidence in me?"

"Very well, then: trust to my care. This very evening I will prepare a draught for you to take tomorrow

morning, and I will even now fix the duration of this terrible malady which frightens you so much. In two

days I shall fetch Edouard from his school to celebrate the beginning of your convalescence, and we will

start, at latest, on February 1st. You are astonished at what I say, but you shall see if I am not a good doctor,

and much cleverer than many who pass for such merely because the have obtained a diploma."

"Certainly. I will go now, and send my wife to you. She will bring a draught, which you must promise to

The rest of the evening was spent in preparing the fatal medicine. The next morning, an hour or two after

Madame de Lamotte had swallowed it, the maid who had given it to her came and told Derues the invalid was

sleeping very heavily and snoring, and asked if she ought to be awoke. He went into the room, and, opening

the curtains, approached the bed. He listened for some time, and recognised that the supposed snoring was

really he deathrattle. He sent the servant off into the country with a letter to one of his friends, telling her

not to return until the Monday following, February 3rd. He also sent away his wife, on some unknown

So terrible a situation ought to have troubled the mind of the most hardened criminal. A man familiar with

murder and accustomed to shed blood might have felt his heart sink, and, in the absence of pity, might have

experienced disgust at the sight of this prolonged and useless torture; but Derues, calm and easy, as if

unconscious of evil, sat coolly beside the bed, as any doctor might have done. From time to time he felt the

slackening pulse, and looked at the glassy and sightless eyes which turned in their orbits, and he saw without

terror the approach of night, which rendered this awful 'teteatete' even more horrible. The most profound

silence reigned in the house, the street was deserted, and the only sound heard was caused by an icy rain

mixed with snow driven against the glass, and occasionally the howl of the wind, which penetrated the

chimney and scattered the ashes. A single candle placed behind the curtains lighted this dismal scene, and the

irregular flicker of its flame cast weird reflections and dancing shadows an the walls of the alcove. There

came a lull in the wind, the rain ceased, and during this instant of calm someone knocked, at first gently, and

then sharply, at the outer door. Derues dropped the dying woman's hand and bent forward to listen. The

knock was repeated, and he grew pale. He threw the sheet, as if it were a shroud, over his victim's head drew

"Open, Monsieur Derues," said a voice which he recognised as that of a woman of Chartres whose affairs he

managed, and who had entrusted him with sundry deeds in order that he might receive the money due to her.

This woman had begun to entertain doubts as to Derues' honesty, and as she was leaving Paris the next day,

"I am sorry I cannot let you in. My servant is out: she has taken the key and locked the door outside."

"You must let me in," the woman continued; "it is absolutely necessary I should speak to you."

He again refused, but she spoke firmly and decidedly. "I must come in. The porter said you were all out, but,

from the rue des Menetriers I could see the light in your room. My brother is with me, and I left him below. I

"Come in, then," said Derues; "your papers are in the sittingroom. Wait here, and I will fetch them." The

woman looked at him and took his hand. "Heavens! how pale you are! What is the matter?"

"Nothing is the matter: will you wait here? "But she would not release his arm, and followed him into the

sittingroom, where Derues began to seek hurriedly among the various papers which covered a table. "Here

"Really," said the woman, examining her deeds carefully, "never yet did I see you in such a hurry to give up

things which don't belong to you. But do hold that candle steadily; your hand is shaking so that I cannot see

At that moment the silence which prevailed all round was broken by a cry of anguish, a long groan

The sense of the danger which threatened made Derues pull himself together. "Do not be alarmed," he said.

"My wife has been seized with a violent fever; she is quite delirious now, and that is why I told the porter to

But the groans in the next room continued, and the unwelcome visitor, overcome by terror which she could

neither surmount nor explain, took a hasty leave, and descended the staircase with all possible rapidity. As

Nature frequently collects all her expiring strength at the last moment of existence. The unhappy lady

struggled beneath her coverings; the agony she suffered had given her a convulsive energy, and inarticulate

sounds proceeded from her mouth. Derues approached and held her on the bed. She sank back on the pillow,

shuddering convulsively, her hands plucking and twisting the sheets, her teeth chattering and biting the loose

hair which fell over her face and shoulders. "Water! water!" she cried; and then, "Edouard,my

husband!Edouard!is it you?" Then rising with a last effort, she seized her murderer by the arm,

repeating, "Edouard!oh!" and then fell heavily, dragging Derues down with her. His face was against hers;

he raised his head, but the dying hand, clenched in agony, had closed upon him like a vise. The icy fingers

seemed made of iron and could not be opened, as though the victim had seized on her assassin as a prey, and

Derues at last freed himself, and putting his hand on her heart, "It is over," he remarked; "she has been a long

time about it. What o'clock is it? Nine! She has struggled against death for twelve hours!"

While the limbs still retained a little warmth, he drew the feet together, crossed the hands on the breast, and

placed the body in the chest. When he had locked it up, he remade the bed, undressed himself, and slept

The next day, February 1st, the day he had fixed for the "going out" of Madame de Lamotte, he caused the

chest to be placed on a handcart and carried at about ten o'clock in the morning to the workshop of a

carpenter of his acquaintance called Mouchy, who dwelt near the Louvre. The two commissionaires

employed had been selected in distant quarters, and did not know each other. They were well paid, and each

presented with a bottle of wine. These men could never be traced. Derues requested the carpenter's wife to

allow the chest to remain in the large workshop, saying he had forgotten something at his own house, and

would return to fetch it in three hours. But, instead of a few hours, he left it for two whole dayswhy, one

does not know, but it may be supposed that he wanted the time to dig a trench in a sort of vault under the

staircase leading to the cellar in the rue de la Mortellerie. Whatever the cause, the delay might have been

fatal, and did occasion an unforeseen encounter which nearly betrayed him. But of all the actors in this scene

he alone knew the real danger he incurred, and his coolness never deserted him for a moment.

The third day, as he walked alongside the handcart on which the chest was being conveyed, he was accosted

at Saint Germain 1'Auxerrois by a creditor who had obtained a writ of execution against him, and at the

imperative sign made by this man the porter stopped. The creditor attacked Derues violently, reproaching him

for his bad faith in language which was both energetic and uncomplimentary; to which the latter replied in as

conciliatory a manner as he could assume. But it was impossible to silence the enemy, and an increasing

"When will you pay me?" demanded the creditor. "I have an execution against you. What is there in that box?

Valuables which you cart away secretly, in order to laugh at my just claims, as you did two years ago?"

Derues shuddered all over; he exhausted himself in protestations; but the other, almost beside himself,

"Oh!" he said, turning to the crowd, "all these tricks and grimaces and signs of the cross are no good. I must

have my money, and as I know what his promises are worth, I will pay myself! Come, you knave, make

The crowd was divided between the creditor and debtor, and possibly a free fight would have begun, but the

general attention was distracted by the arrival of another spectator. A voice heard above all the tumult caused

"The abominable history of Leroi de Valine, condemned to death at the age of sixteen for having poisoned his

Continually crying her wares, the drunken, staggering woman approached the crowd, and striking out right

"Ah! ah!" said she, after looking him well over, "is it you, my gossip Derues! Have you again a little affair on

Derues recognised the hawker who had abused him on the threshold of his shop some years previously, and

whom he had never seen since. "Yes, yes," she continued, "you had better look at me with your little round

Derues appealed to his creditor. "You see," he said, "to what insults you are exposing me. I do not know this

"What!you don't know me! You who accused me of being a thief! But luckily the Maniffets have been

"Sir," said Derues, "this case contains valuable wine which I am commissioned to sell. Tomorrow I shall

receive the money for it; tomorrow, in the course of the day, I will pay what I owe you. But I am waited for

now, do not in Heaven's name detain me longer, and thus deprive me of the means of paying at all."

"Don't believe him, my good man," said the hawker; "lying comes natural to him always."

"Sir, I promise on my oath you shall be paid tomorrow; you had better trust the word of an honest man rather

The creditor still hesitated, but, another person now spoke in Derues' favour; it was the carpenter Mouchy,

"For God's sake," he exclaimed, "let the gentleman go on. That chest came from my workshop, and I know

"Certainly I will; I have not known you for ten years in order to leave you in trouble and refuse to answer for

you. What the devil are respectable people to be stopped like this in a public place? Come, sir, believe his

After some more discussion, the porter was at last allowed to proceed with his handcart. The hawker wanted

to interfere, but Mouchy warned her off and ordered her to be silent. "Ah! ah!" she cried, "what does it matter

to me? Let him sell his wine if he can; I shall not drink any on his premises. This is the second time he has

found a surety to my knowledge; the beggar must have some special secret for encouraging the growth of

fools. Goodbye, gossip Derues; you know I shall be selling your history some day. Meanwhile

"The abominable history of Leroi de Valine, condemned to death at the age of sixteen for having poisoned his

Whilst she amused the people by her grimaces and grotesque gestures, and while Mouchy held forth to some

of them, Derues made his escape. Several times between SaintGermain 1'Auxerrois and the rue de la

Mortellerie he nearly fainted, and was obliged to stop. While the danger lasted, he had had sufficient

selfcontrol to confront it coolly, but now that he calculated the depth of the abyss which for a moment had

Other precautions now became necessary. His real name had been mentioned before the commissionaire, and

the widow Masson, who owned the cellar, only knew him as Ducoudray. He went on in front, asked for the

keys, which till then had been left with her, and the chest was got downstairs without any awkward questions.

Only the porter seemed astonished that this supposed wine, which was to be sold immediately, should be put

in such a place, and asked if he might come the next day and move it again. Derues replied that someone was

coming for it that very day. This question, and the disgraceful scene which the man had witnessed, made it

necessary to get rid of him without letting him see the pit dug under the staircase. Derues tried to drag the

chest towards the hole, but all his strength was insufficient to move it. He uttered terrible imprecations when

he recognised his own weakness, and saw that he would be obliged to bring another stranger, an informer

perhaps, into this charnelhouse, where; as yet, nothing betrayed his crimes. No sooner escaped from one

peril than he encountered another, and already he had to struggle against his own deeds. He measured the

length of the trench, it was too short. Derues went out and repaired to the place where he had hired the

labourer who had dug it out, but he could not find the man, whom he had only seen once, and whose name he

did not know. Two whole days were spent in this fruitless search, but on the third, as he was wandering on

one of the quays at the time labourers were to be found there, a mason, thinking he was looking for someone,

inquired what he wanted. Derues looked well at the man, and concluding from his appearance that he was

"What a question, master!" answered the mason. "Work is so scarce that I am going back into the country this

They both went down to the cellar, and the mason was ordered to dig out the pit till it was five and a half feet

deep. While the man worked, Derues sat beside the chest and read. When it was half done, the mason stopped

for breath, and leaning on his spade, inquired why he wanted a trench of such a depth. Derues, who had

"Wine!" said the other. "Ah! you are laughing at me, because you think I look a fool! I never yet heard of

"Cider drinker! You were brought up in Normandy, that is clear. Well, you can learn from me, JeanBaptiste

Ducoudray, a wine grower of Tours, and a wine merchant for the last ten years, that new wine thus buried for

"It is possible," said the mason, again taking his spade, "but all the same it seems a little odd to me."

When he had finished, Derues asked him to help to drag the chest alongside the trench, so that it might be

easier to take out the bottles and arrange them: The mason agreed, but when he moved the chest the foetid

odour which proceeded from it made him draw back, declaring that a smell such as that could not possibly

proceed from wine. Derues tried to persuade him that the smell came from drains under the cellar, the pipe of

which could be seen. It appeared to satisfy him, and he again took hold of the chest, but immediately let it go

again, and said positively that he could not execute Derues' orders, being convinced that the chest must

contain a decomposing corpse. Then Derues threw himself at the man's feet and acknowledged that it was the

dead body of a woman who had unfortunately lodged in his house, and who had died there suddenly from an

unknown malady, and that, dreading lest he should be accused of having murdered her, he had decided to

The mason listened, alarmed at this confidence, and not knowing whether to believe it or not. Derues sobbed

and wept at his feet, beat his breast and tore out his hair, calling on God and the saints as witnesses of his

good faith and his innocence. He showed the book he was reading while the mason excavated: it was the

Seven Penitential Psalms. "How unfortunate I am!" he cried. "This woman died in my house, I assure

youdied suddenly, before I could call a doctor. I was alone; I might have been accused, imprisoned,

perhaps condemned for a crime I did not commit. Do not ruin me! You leave Paris tonight, you need not be

uneasy; no one would know that I employed you, if this unhappy affair should ever be discovered. I do not

know your name, I do not wish to know it, and I tell you mine, it is Ducoudray. I give myself up to you, but

have some pity!if not for me, yet for my wife and my two little childrenfor these poor creatures whose

"Look," he said, "examine the body of this woman, does it show any mark of violent death? My God!" he

continued, joining his hands and in tones of despairing agony,"my God, Thou who readest all hearts, and

who knowest my innocence, canst Thou not ordain a miracle to save an honest man? Wilt Thou not command

The mason was stupefied by this flow of language. Unable to restrain his tears, he promised to keep silence,

persuaded that Derues was innocent, and that appearances only were against him. The latter, moreover, did

not neglect other means of persuasion; he handed the mason two gold pieces, and between them they buried

However extraordinary this fact, which might easily be supposed imaginary, may appear, it certainly

happened. In the examination at his trial. Derues himself revealed it, repeating the story which had satisfied

the mason. He believed that this man had denounced him: he was mistaken, for this confidant of his crime,

who might have been the first to put justice on his track, never reappeared, and but for Derues'

This first deed accomplished, another victim was already appointed. Trembling at first as to the consequences

of his forced confession, Derues waited some days, paying, however, his creditor as promised. He redoubles

his demonstrations of piety, he casts a furtive glance on everyone he meets, seeking for some expression of

distrust. But no one avoids him, or points him out with a raised finger, or whispers on seeing him;

everywhere he encounters the customary expression of goodwill. Nothing has changed; suspicion passes over

his head without alighting there. He is reassured, and resumes his work. Moreover, had he wished to remain

passive, he could not have done so; he was now compelled to follow that fatal law of crime which demands

that blood must be effaced with blood, and which is compelled to appeal again to death in order to stifle the

Edouard de Lamotte, loving his mother as much as she loved him, became uneasy at receiving no visits, and

"I have at length some good news for you, my dear boy, but you must not tell your mother I have betrayed

her secret; she would scold me, because she is planning a surprise for you, and the various steps and care

necessary in arranging this important matter have caused her absence. You were to know nothing until the

11th or 12th of this month, but now that all is settled, I should blame myself if I prolonged the uncertainty in

which you have been left, only you must promise me to look as much astonished as possible. Your mother,

who only lives for you, is going to present you with the greatest gift a youth of your age can receivethat of

liberty. Yes, dear boy, we thought we had discovered that you have no very keen taste for study, and that a

secluded life will suit neither your character nor your health. In saying this I utter no reproach, for every man

is born with his own decided tastes, and the way to success and happiness isoftento allow him to follow

these instincts. We have had long discussions on this subjectyour mother and Iand we have thought

much about your future; she has at last come to a decision, and for the last ten days has been at Versailles,

endeavouring to obtain your admission as a royal page. Here is the mystery, this is the reason which has kept

her from you, and as she knew you would hear it with delight, she wished to have the pleasure of telling you

herself. Therefore, once again, when you see her, which will be very soon, do not let her see I have told you;

appear to be greatly surprised. It is true that I am asking you to tell a lie, but it is a very innocent one, and its

good intention will counteract its sinfulnessmay God grant we never have worse upon our consciences!

Thus, instead of lessons and the solemn precepts of your tutors, instead of a monotonous schoollife, you are

going to enjoy your liberty; also the pleasures of the court and the world. All that rather alarms me, and I

ought to confess that I at first opposed this plan. I begged your mother to reflect, to consider that in this new

existence you would run great risk of losing the religious feeling which inspires you, and which I have had

the happiness, during my sojourn at Buisson Souef, of further developing in your mind. I still recall with

emotion your fervid and sincere aspirations towards the Creator when you approached the Sacred Table for

the first time, and when, kneeling beside you, and envying the purity of heart and innocence of soul which

appeared to animate your countenance as with a divine radiance, I besought God that, in default of my own

virtue, the love for heavenly Truth with which I have inspired you might be reckoned to my account. Your

piety is my work, Edouard, and I defended it against your mother's plans; but she replied that in every career

a man is master of his own good or evil actions; and as I have no authority over you, and friendship only

gives me the right to advise, I must give way. If this be your vocation, then follow it.

"My occupations are so numerous (I have to collect from different sources this hundred thousand livres

intended to defray the greater part of the Buisson purchase) that I have not a moment in which to come and

see you this week. Spend the time in reflection, and write to me fully what you think about this plan. If, like

me, you feel any scruples, you must tell them to your mother, who decidedly wants only to make you happy.

Speak to me freely, openly. It is arranged that I am to fetch you on the 11th of this month, and escort you to

Versailles, where Madame de Lamotte will be waiting to receive you with the utmost tenderness. Adieu, dear

boy; write to me. Your father knows nothing as yet; his consent will be asked after your decision."

The answer to this letter did not have to be waited for: it was such as Derues expected; the lad accepted

joyfully. The answer was, for the murderer, an arranged plea of defence, a proof which, in a given case, might

On the morning of February 11th, Shrove Tuesday, he went to fetch the young de Lamotte from his school,

telling the master that he was desired by the youth's mother to conduct him to Versailles. But, instead, he took

him to his own house, saying that he had a letter from Madame de Lamotte asking them not to come till the

next day; so they started on Ash Wednesday, Edouard having breakfasted on chocolate. Arrived at Versailles,

they stopped at the Fleurdelys inn, but there the sickness which the boy had complained of during the

journey became very serious, and the innkeeper, having young children, and believing that he recognised

symptoms of smallpox, which just then was ravaging Versailles, refused to receive them, saying he had no

vacant room. This might have disconcerted anyone but Derues, but his audacity, activity, and resource

seemed to increase with each fresh obstacle. Leaving Edouard in a room on the ground floor which had no

communication with the rest of the inn, he went at once to look for lodgings, and hastily explored the town.

After a fruitless search, he found at last, at the junction of the rue SaintHonore with that of the Orangerie, a

cooper named Martin, who had a furnished room to spare. This he hired at thirty sous per day for himself and

his nephew, who had been taken suddenly ill, under the name of Beaupre. To avoid being questioned later, he

informed the cooper in a few words that he was a doctor; that he had come to Versailles in order to place his

nephew in one of the offices of the town; that in a few days the latter's mother would arrive to join him in

seeing and making application to influential persons about the court, to whom he had letters of introduction.

As soon as he had delivered this fable with all the appearance of truth with which he knew so well how to

disguise his falsehoods, he went back to the young de Lamotte, who was already so exhausted that he was

hardly able to drag himself as far as the cooper's house. He fainted on arrival, and was carried into the hired

room, where Derues begged to be left alone with him, and only asked for certain beverages which he told the

Whether it was that the strength of youth fought against the poison, or that Derues took pleasure in watching

the sufferings of his victim, the agony of the poor lad was prolonged until the fourth day. The sickness

continuing incessantly, he sent the cooper's wife for a medicine which he prepared and administered himself.

It produced terrible pain, and Edouard's cries brought the cooper and his wife upstairs. They represented to

Derues that he ought to call in a doctor and consult with him, but he refused decidedly, saying that a doctor

hastily fetched might prove to be an ignorant person with whom he could not agree, and that he could not

"I know what the malady is," he continued, raising his eyes to heaven; "it is one that has to be concealed

rather than acknowledged. Poor youth! whom I love as my own son, if God, touched by my tears and thy

suffering, permits me to save thee, thy whole life will be too short for thy blessings and thy gratitude!" And

as Madame Martin asked what this malady might be, he answered with hypocritical blushes

At another time, Martin expressed his surprise that the young man's mother had not yet appeared, who,

according to Derues, was to have met him at Versailles. He asked how she could know that they were lodging

in his house, and if he should send to meet her at any place where she was likely to arrive.

"His mother," said Derues, looking compassionately at Edouard, who lay pale, motionless, and as if

insensible,"his mother! He calls for her incessantly. Ah! monsieur, some families are greatly to be pitied!

My entreaties prevailed on her to decide on coming hither, but will she keep her promise? Do not ask me to

tell you more; it is too painful to have to accuse a mother of having forgotten her duties in the presence of her

"My mother!" the youth repeated. "Why have I not seen her? She was to have met me."

"Dead!" cried Derues. "Drive away these sad thoughts. They are caused by the fever only."

"No! oh no! . . . I heard a secret voice which said, 'Thy mother is dead!' . . . And then I beheld a livid corpse

before me . . . It was she! . . . I knew her well! and she seemed to have suffered so much"

"Dear boy, your mother is not dead . . . . My God! what terrible chimeras you conjure up! You will see her

again, I assure you; she has arrived already. Is it not so, madame?" he asked, turning towards the Martins,

who were both leaning against the foot of the bed, and signing to them to support this pious falsehood, in

order to calm the young man. "Did she not arrive and come to his bedside and kiss him while he slept, and

"Yes, yes," said Madame Martin, wiping her eyes; "and she begged my husband and me to help your uncle to

The youth moved again, and looking round him with a dazed expression, said, "My uncle?"

"You had better go," said Derues in a whisper to the Martins. "I am afraid he is delirious again; I will prepare

"Adieu, then, adieu," answered Madame Martin; "and may Heaven bless you for the care you bestow on this

On Friday evening violent vomiting appeared to have benefited the sufferer. He had rejected most of the

poison, and had a fairly quiet night. But on the Saturday morning Derues sent the cooper's little girl to buy

more medicine, which he prepared, himself, like the first. The day was horrible, and about six in the evening,

seeing his victim was at the last gasp, he opened a little window overlooking the shop and summoned the

cooper, requesting him to go at once for a priest. When the latter arrived he found Derues in tears, kneeling at

the dying boy's bedside. And now, by the light of two tapers placed on a table, flanking the holy waterstoup,

there began what on one side was an abominable and sacrilegious comedy, a disgraceful parody of that which

Christians consider most sacred and most dear; on the other, a pious and consoling ceremony. The cooper and

his wife, their eyes bathed in tears, knelt in the middle of the room, murmuring such prayers as they could

Derues gave up his place to the priest, but as Edouard did not answer the latter's questions, he approached the

"Dear boy," he said, "take courage; your sufferings here will be counted to you above: God will weigh ahem

in the scales of His infinite mercy. Listen to the words of His holy minister, cast your sins into His bosom,

"I am in such terrible pain!" cried Edouard. "Water! water! Extinguish the fire which consumes me!"

A violent fit came on, succeeded by exhaustion and the deathrattle. Derues fell on his knees, and the priest

administered extreme unction. There was then a moment of absolute silence, more impressive than cries and

sobs. The priest collected himself for a moment, crossed himself, and began to pray. Derues also crossed

"Go forth, O Christian soul, from this world, in the name of God the Father Almighty, who created thee; in

the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, who suffered for thee; in the name of the Holy Ghost,

The youth struggled in his bed, and a convulsive movement agitated his limbs. Derues continued

"When thy soul departs from this body may it be admitted to the holy Mountain of Sion, to the Heavenly

Jerusalem, to the numerous company of Angels, and to the Church of the Firstborn, whose names are

"Let God arise, and let the Powers of Darkness be dispersed! let the Spirits of Evil, who reign over the air, be

put to flight; let them not dare to attack a soul redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ."

There was another silence, broken only by the stifled sobs of Derues. The priest again crossed himself and

"We beseech Thee, O beloved and only Son of God, by the merits of Thy sacred Passion, Thy Cross and Thy

Death, to deliver this Thy servant from the pains of Hell, and to lead him to that happy place whither Thou

didst vouchsafe to lead the thief, who, with Thee, was bound upon the Cross: Thou, who art God, living and

"Amen," repeated those present. Derues now took up the prayer, and his voice mingled with the dying gasps

"To Thee, O Lord, we commend the soul of this Thy servant, that, being dead to the world, he may, live to

Thee: and the sins he hath committed through the frailty of his mortal nature, do Thou in Thy most merciful

When the priest had retired, shown out by Madame Martin, Derues said to her husband

"This unfortunate young man has died without the consolation of beholding his mother.... His last thought

was for her.... There now remains the last duty, a very painful one to accomplish, but my poor nephew

imposed it on me. A few hours ago, feeling that his end was near, he asked me, as a last mark of friendship,

While he applied himself to the necessary work in presence of the cooper, who was much affected by the

"I shall always grieve for this dear boy. Alas! that evil living should have caused his early death!

When he had finished laying out the body, he threw some little packets into the fire which he professed to

have found in the youth's pockets, telling Martin, in order to support this assertion, that they contained drugs

He spent the night in the room with the corpse, as he had done in the case of Madame de Lamotte, and the

next day, Sunday, he sent Martin to the parish church of St. Louis, to arrange for a funeral of the simplest

kind; telling him to fill up the certificate in the name of Beaupre, born at Commercy, in Lorraine. He declined

himself either to go to the church or to appear at the funeral, saying that his grief was too great. Martin,

returning from the funeral, found him engaged in prayer. Derues gave him the dead youth's clothes and

departed, leaving some money to be given to the poor of the parish, and for masses to be said for the repose

He arrived at home in the evening, found his wife entertaining some friends; and told them he had just come

from Chartres, where he had been summoned on business. Everyone noticed his unusual air of satisfaction,

Having accomplished these two crimes, Derues did not remain idle. When the murderer's part of his nature

was at rest, the thief reappeared. His extreme avarice now made him regret the expense' caused by the deaths

of Madame de Lamotte and her son, and he wished to recoup himself. Two days after his return from

Versailles, he ventured to present himself at Edouard's school. He told the master that he had received a letter

from Madame de Lamotte, saying that she wished to keep her son, and asking him to obtain Edouard's

belongings. The schoolmaster's wife, who was present, replied that that could not be; that Monsieur de

Lamotte would have known of his wife's intention; that she would not have taken such a step without

consulting him; and that only the evening before, they had received a present of game from BuissonSouef,

with a letter in which Monsieur de Lamotte entreated them to take great, care of his son.

"If what you say is true," she continued, "Madame de Lamotte is no doubt acting on your advice in taking

"You had better not do anything in the matter;" said Derues, turning to the schoolmaster. " It is quite possible

that Monsieur de Lamotte does not know. I am aware that his wife does not always consult him. She is at

Versailles, where I took Edouard to her, and I will inform her of your objection."

To insure impunity for these murders, Derues had resolved on the death of Monsieur de Lamotte; but before

executing this last crime, he wished for some proof of the recent pretended agreements between himself and

Madame de Lamotte. He would not wait for the disappearance of the whole family before presenting himself

as the lawful proprietor, of BuissonSouef. Prudence required him to shelter himself behind a deed which

should have been executed by that lady. On February 27th he appeared at the office of Madame de Lamotte's

lawyer in the rue du Paon, and, with all the persuasion of an artful tongue, demanded the power of attorney

on that lady's behalf, saying that he had, by private contract, just paid a hundred thousand livres on the total

amount of purchase, which money was now deposited with a notary. The lawyer, much astonished that an

affair of such importance should have been arranged without any reference to himself, refused to give up the

deed to anyone but Monsieur or Madame de Lamotte, and inquired why the latter did not appear herself.

Derues replied that she was at Versailles, and that he was to send the deed to her there. He repeated his

request and the lawyer his refusal, until Derues retired, saying he would find means to compel him to give up

the deed. He actually did, the same day, present a petition to the civil authority, in which Cyrano Derues de

Bury sets forth arrangements, made with Madame de Lamotte, founded on the deed given by her husband,

and requires permission to seize and withdraw said deed from the custody in which it remains at present. The

petition is granted. The lawyer objects that he can only give up the deed to either Monsieur or Madame de

Lamotte, unless he be otherwise ordered. Derues has the effrontery to again appeal to the civil authority, but,

These two futile efforts might have compromised Derues had they been heard of at BuissonSouef; but

everything seemed to conspire in the criminal's favour: neither the schoolmaster's wife nor the lawyer thought

of writing to Monsieur de Lamotte. The latter, as yet unsuspecting, was tormented by other anxieties, and

In these days, distance is shortened, and one can travel from VilleneuveleRoilesSens to Paris in a few

hours. This was not the case in 1777, when private industry and activity, stifled by routine and privilege, had

not yet experienced the need of providing the means for rapid communication. Half a day was required to go

from the capital to Versailles; a journey of twenty leagues required at least two days and a night, and bristled

with obstacles ind delays of all kinds. These difficulties of transport, still greater during bad weather, and a

long and serious attack of gout, explain why Monsieur ale Lamotte, who was so ready to take alarm, had

remained separated from his wife from the middle of December to the end of February. He had received

reassuring letters from her, written at first with freedom and simplicity; but he thought he noticed a gradual

change in the later ones, which appeared to proceed more from the mind than the heart. A style which aimed

at being natural was interspersed with unnecessary expressions of affection, unusual between married people

well assured of their mutual love. Monsieur de Lamotte observed and exaggerated these peculiarities, and

though endeavouring to persuade himself that he was mistaken, he could not forget them, or regain his usual

tranquility. Being somewhat ashamed of his anxiety, he kept his fears to himself.

One morning, as he was sunk in a large armchair by the fire, his sittingroom door opened, and the cure

entered, who was surprised by his despondent, sad, and pale appearance. "What is the matter?" he inquired "

"I am always hoping that this sale may fall through; it drags on for so very long; and I believe that Monsieur

Derues, in spite of what your wife wrote a month ago, has not as much money as he pretends to have. Do you

know that it is said that Monsieur Despeignes Duplessis, Madame Derues' relative, whose money they

"It is a common report in the country, and was brought here by a man who came recently from Beauvais."

Monsieur de Lamotte hung his head, and his countenance assumed an expression of painful thought, as

"Frankly," resumed the cure, "I believe you will remain Seigneur du BuissonSouef, and that I shall be

spared the pain of writing another name over your seat in the church of Villeneuve."

"The affair must be settled in a few days, for I can wait no longer; if the purchaser be not Monsieur Derues, it

"Oh! oh!" said the cure, "a man who has money either pays his debts, or is a cheat. Now Heaven preserve me

"Do you remember Brother Marchois of the Camaldulians, who came to see me last spring, and who was here

"Well, I happened to tell him in one of my letters that Monsieur Derues had become the purchaser of

BuissonSouef, and that I believed the arrangements were concluded. Thereupon Brother Marchois wrote

asking me to remind him that he owes them a sum of eight hundred livres, and that, so far, they have not seen

"Ah!" said Monsieur de Lamotte, "perhaps I should have done better not to let myself be deluded by his fine

promises. He certainly has money on his tongue, and when once one begins to listen to him, one can't help

doing what he wants. All the same, I had rather have had to deal with someone else."

"I am really ashamed to own it, but I am a credulous and timid as any old woman. Now do not laugh at me

"Monsieur," said the cure, smiling, "you should never ask a coward whether he is afraid, you only risk his

"A little. I don't precisely believe all the nursery, tales, or in the favourable or unfavourable meaning of some

A sound of steps interrupted them, a servant entered, announcing Monsieur Derues.

On hearing the name, Monsieur de Lamotte felt troubled in spite of himself, but, overcoming the impression,

"You had better stay," he said to the cure, who was also rising to take leave. "Stay; we have probably nothing

Derues entered the room, and, after the usual compliments, sat down by the fire, opposite Monsieur de

"You did not expect me," he said, "and I ought to apologise for surprising you thus."

"But why are you alone? Why does not Marie accompany you? It is ten weeks since she went to Paris."

"She has not yet quite finished the business with which you entrusted her. Perhaps I am partly the cause of

this long absence, but one cannot transact business as quickly as one would wish. But, you have no doubt

heard from her, that all is finished, or nearly so, between us. We have drawn up a second private contract,

which annuls the former agreement, and I have paid over a sum of one hundred thousand livres."

"I do not comprehend," said Monsieur de Lamotte. "What can induce my wife not to inform me of this?"

"I know nothing. I was wondering just now with Monsieur le cure why I did not hear from her."

"Madame de Lamotte was going to write to you, and I do not know what can have hindered her."

"Several days ago. I have not been at Paris; I am returning from Chartres. I believed you were informed of

Monsieur de Lamotte remained silent for some moments. Then, fixing his eyes upon Derues' immovable

"You are a husband and father, sir; in the name of this double and sacred affection which is, not unknown to

you, do not hide anything from me: I fear some misfortune has happened to my wife which you are

"What can have suggested such ideas to you; dear sir?" In saying this he glanced at the cure; wishing to

ascertain if this distrust was Monsieur de Lamotte's own idea, or had been suggested to him. The movement

was so rapid that neither of the others observed it. Like all knaves, obliged by their actions to be continually

on the watch, Derues possessed to a remarkable extent the art of seeing all round him without appearing to

observe anything in particular. He decided that as yet he had only to combat a suspicion unfounded on proof,

"I do not know," he said, "what may have happened during my absence; pray explain yourself, for you are

"Yes, I am exceedingly anxious; I entreat you, tell me the whole truth. Explain this silence, and this absence

prolonged beyond all expectation. You finished your business with Madame de Lamotte several days ago:

once again, why did she not write? There is no letter, either from her or my son! Tomorrow I shall send

"Good heavens!" answered Derues, "is there nothing but an accident which could cause this delay? . . . Well,

then," he continued, with the embarrassed look of a man compelled to betray a confidence, "well, then, I

see that in order to reassure you, I shall have to give up a secret entrusted to me."

He then told Monsieur de Lamotte that his wife was no longer at Paris, but at Versailles, where she was

endeavouring to obtain an important and lucrative appointment, and that, if she had left him in ignorance of

her efforts in this direction; it was only to give him an agreeable surprise. He added that she had removed her

son from the school, and hoped to place him either in the riding school or amongst the royal pages. To prove

his words, he opened his papercase, and produced the letter written by Edouard in answer to the one quoted

All this was related so simply, and with such an appearance of good faith, that the cure was quite convinced.

And to Monsieur de Lamotte the plans attributed to his wife were not entirely improbably. Derues had learnt

indirectly that such a career for Edouard had been actually under consideration. However, though Monsieur

de Lamotte's entire ignorance prevented him from making any serious objection, his fears were not entirely at

The cure resumed the conversation. "What you tell us ought to drive away gloomy ideas. Just now, when you

were announced, Monsieur de Lamotte was confiding his troubles to me. I was as concerned as he was, and I

could say nothing to help him; never did visitor arrive more apropos. Well, my friend, what now remains of

your vain terrors? What was it you were saying just as Monsieur Derues arrived? . . . Ah! we were discussing

Monsieur, de Lamotte, who had sunk back in his easychair and seemed lost in his reflections, started on

hearing these words. He raised his head and looked again at Derues. But the latter had had time to note the

impression produced by the cure's remark, and this renewed examination did not disturb him.

"And I was going to answer that there are certain secret warnings which can be received by the soul long

before they are intelligible to the bodily sensesrevelations not understood at first, but which later connect

themselves with realities of which they are in some way the precursors. Do you agree with me, Monsieur

"I have no opinion on such a subject, and must leave the discussion to more learned people than myself. I do

not know whether such apparitions really mean anything or not, and I have not sought to fathom these

"Yes, but without either understanding or explaining them, like many other eternal truths. I follow the rule

given in the Imitation o f Jesus Christ: 'Beware, my son, of considering too curiously the things beyond thine

"And I also submit, and avoid too curious consideration. But has not the soul knowledge of many wondrous

things which we can yet neither see nor touch? I repeat, there are things which cannot be denied."

Derues listened attentively, continually on his guard; and afraid, he knew not why, of becoming entangled in

this conversation, as in a trap. He carefully watched Monsieur de Lamotte, whose eyes never left him. The

"Here is an instance which I was bound to accept, seeing it happened to myself. I was then twenty, and my

mother lived in the neighbourhood of Tours, whilst I was at the seminary of Montpellier. After several years

of separation, I had obtained permission to go and see her. I wrote, telling her of this good news, and I

received her answerfull of joy and tenderness. My brother and sister were to be informed, it was to be a

family meeting, a real festivity; and I started with a light and joyous heart. My impatience was so great, that,

having stopped for supper at a village inn some ten leagues from Tours, I would not wait till the next morning

for the coach which went that way, but continued the journey on foot and walked all night. It was a long and

difficult road, but happiness redoubled my strength. About an hour after sunrise I saw distinctly the smoke

and the village roofs, and I hurried on to surprise my family a little sooner. I never felt more active, more

lighthearted and gay; everything seemed to smile before and around me. Turning a corner of the hedge, I

met a peasant whom I recognised. All at once it seemed as if a veil spread over my sight, all my hopes and

joy suddenly vanished, a funereal idea took possession of me, and I said, taking the hand of the man, who had

"Now whence came this revelation? I had seen no one, spoken to no one; a moment before I had no idea of

Derues made a gesture of surprise. Monsieur de Lamotte put his hand to his eyes, and said to the cure

"Your presentiments were true; mine, happily, are unfounded. But listen, and tell me if in the state of anxiety

which oppressed me I had not good reason for alarm and for fearing some fatal misfortune."

His eyes again sought Derues. "Towards the middle of last night I at length fell asleep, but, interrupted every

moment, this sleep was more a fatigue than a rest; I seemed to hear confused noises all round me. I saw

brilliant lights which dazzled me, and then sank back into silence and darkness. Sometimes I heard someone

weeping near my bed; again plaintive voices called to me out of the darkness. I stretched out my arms, but

nothing met them, I fought with phantoms; at length a cold hand grasped mine and led me rapidly forward.

Under a dark and damp vault a woman lay on the ground, bleeding, inanimateit was my wife! At the same

moment, a groan made me look round, and I beheld a man striking my son with a dagger. I cried out and

awoke, bathed in cold perspiration, panting under this terrible vision. I was obliged to get up, walk about, and

speak aloud, in order to convince myself it was only a dream. I tried to go to sleep again, but the same visions

still pursued me. I saw always the same man armed with two daggers streaming with blood; I heard always

the cries of his two victims. When day came, I felt utterly broken, wornout; and this morning, you, my

father, could see by my despondency what an impression this awful night had made upon me."

During this recital Derues' calmness never gave way for a single moment, and the most skilful physiognomist

could only have discovered an expression of incredulous curiosity on his countenance.

"Monsieur le cure's story," said he, "impressed me much; yours only brings back my uncertainty. It is less

possible than ever to deliver any opinion on this serious question of dreams, since the second instance

"It is true," answered the cure, "no possible conclusion can be drawn from two facts which contradict each

other, and the best thing we can do is to choose a less dismal subject of conversation."

"Monsieur Derues;" asked Monsieur de Lamatte, "if you are not too tired with your journey, shall we go and

look at the last improvements I have made? It is now your affair to decide upon them, since I shall shortly be

"Just as I have been yours for long enough, and I trust you will often give me the opportunity of exercising

hospitality in my turn. But you are ill, the day is cold and damp; if you do not care to go out, do not let me

disturb you. Had you not better stay by the fire with Monsieur le cure? For me, Heaven be thanked! I require

no assistance. I will look round the park, and come back presently to tell you what I think. Besides, we shall

have plenty of time to talk about it. With your permission, I should like to stay two or three days."

Derues went out, sufficiently uneasy in his mind, both on account of his reception of Monsieur de Lamotte's

fears and of the manner in which the latter had watched him during the conversation. He walked quickly up

"I have been foolish, perhaps; I have lost twelve or fifteen days, and delayed stupidly from fear of not

foreseeing everything. But then, how was I to imagine that this simple, easily deceived man would all at once

become suspicious? What a strange dream! If I had not been on my guard, I might have been disconcerted.

Come, come, I must try to disperse these ideas and give him something else to think about."

He stopped, and after a few minutes consideration turned back towards the house.

As soon as he had left the room, Monsieur de Lamotte had bent over towards the cure, and had said

"I did not tell everything, my father: this murderer whom I saw in my dreamwas Derues himself! I know

as well as you that it must be a delusion, I saw as well as you did that he remained quite calm, but, in spite of

myself, this terrible dream haunts me . . . .There, do not listen to me, do not let me talk about it; it only makes

Whilst Derues remained at BuissonSouef, Monsieur de Lamotte received several letters from his wife, some

from Paris, some from Versailles. She remarked that her son and herself were perfectly well.... The writing

was so well imitated that no one could doubt their genuineness. However, Monsieur de Lamotte's suspicions

continually increased and he ended by making the cure share his fears. He also refused to go with Derues to

Paris, in spite of the latter's entreaties. Derues, alarmed at the coldness shown him, left BuissonSouef,

Monsieur de Lamotte was, in spite of himself, still detained by illhealth. But a new and inexplicable

circumstance made him resolve to go to Paris and endeavour to clear up the mystery which appeared to

surround his wife and son. He received an unsigned letter in unknown handwriting, and in which Madame de

Lamotte's reputation was attacked with a kind of wouldbe reticence, which hinted that she was an unfaithful

wife and that in this lay the cause of her long absence. Her husband did not believe this anonymous

denunciation, but the fate of the two beings dearest to him seemed shrouded in so much obscurity that he

His resolution not to accompany Derues had saved his life. The latter could not carry out his culminating

crime at BuissonSouef; it was only in Paris that his victims would disappear without his being called to

account. Obliged to leave hold of his prey, he endeavoured to bewilder him in a labyrinth where all trace of

truth might be lost. Already, as he had arranged beforehand, he had called calumny to his help, and prepared

the audacious lie which was to vindicate himself should an accusation fall upon his head. He had hoped that

Monsieur de Lamotte would fall defenceless into his hands; but now a careful examination of his position,

showing the impossibility of avoiding an explanation had become inevitable, made him change all his plans,

and compelled him to devise an infernal plot, so skilfully laid that it bid fair to defeat all human sagacity.

Monsieur de Lamotte arrived in Paris early in March. Chance decided that he should lodge in the rue de la

Mortellerie, in a house not far from the one where his wife's body lay buried. He went to see Derues, hoping

to surprise him, and determined to make him speak, but found he was not at home. Madame Derues, whether

acting with the discretion of an accomplice or really ignorant of her husband's proceedings, could not say

where he was likely to be found. She said that he told her nothing about his actions, and that Monsieur de

Lamotte must have observed during their stay at Buisson (which was true) that she never questioned him, but

obeyed his wishes in everything; and that he had now gone away without saying where he was going. She

acknowledged that Madame de Lamotte had lodged with them for six weeks, and that she knew that lady had

been at Versailles, but since then she had heard nothing. All Monsieur de Lamotte's questions, his entreaties,

prayers, or threats, obtained no other answer. He went to the lawyer in the rue de Paon, to the schoolmaster,

and found the same uncertainty, the same ignorance. His wife and his son had gone to Versailles, there the

clue ended which ought to guide his investigations. He went to this town; no one could give him any

information, the very name of Lamotte was unknown. He returned to Paris, questioned and examined the

people of the quarter, the proprietor of the Hotel de France, where his wife had stayed on her former visit; at

length, wearied with useless efforts, he implored help from justice. Then his complaints ceased; he was

The latter thoroughly understood that, having failed to dissipate Monsieur de Lamotte's fears, there was no

longer an instant to lose, and that the pretended private contract of February 12th would not of itself prove the

existence of Madame de Lamotte. This is how he employed the time spent by the unhappy husband in

On March 12th, a woman, her face hidden in the hood of her cloak, or "Therese," as it was then called,

appeared in the office of Maitre N, a notary at Lyons. She gave her name as Marie Francoise Perffier,

wife of Monsieur SaintFaust de Lamotte, but separated, as to goods and estate, from him. She caused a deed

to be drawn up, authorising her husband to receive the arrears of thirty thousand livres remaining from the

price of the estate of BuissonSouef, situated near VilleneuveleRoilezSens. The deed was drawn up and

This woman was Derues. If we remember that he only arrived at Buisson February 28th, and remained there

for some days, it becomes difficult to understand how at that period so long a journey as that from Paris to

Lyons could have been accomplished with such rapidity. Fear must have given him wings. We will now

explain what use he intended to make of it, and what fable, a masterpiece of cunning and of lies, he had

On his arrival in Paris he found a summons to appear before the magistrate of police. He expected this, and

appeared quite tranquil, ready to answer any questions. Monsieur de Lamotte was present. It was a formal

"Monsieur," replied Derues, "I have nothing to hide, and none of my actions need fear the daylight, but

before replying, I should like to understand my position. As a domiciled citizen I have a right to require this.

Will you kindly inform me why I have been summoned to appear before you, whether on account of anything

personal to myself, or simply to give information as to something which may be within my knowledge?"

"You are acquainted with this gentleman, and cannot therefore be ignorant of the cause of the present

"Be good enough to answer my question. Why did you leave Paris? And where have you been?"

"Take care! you have incurred serious suspicions, and silence will not tend to clear you."

Derues hung down his head with an air of resignation; and Monsieur de Lamotte, seeing in this attitude a

silent confession of crime, exclaimed, "Wretched man! what have you done with my wife and my son?"

"Your son!" said Derues slowly and with peculiar emphasis. He again cast down his eyes.

The magistrate conducting the inquiry was struck by the expression of Derues' countenance and by this half

answer, which appeared to hide a mystery and to aim at diverting attention by offering a bait to curiosity. He

might have stopped Derues at the moment when he sought to plunge into a tortuous argument, and compelled

him to answer with the same clearness and decision which distinguished Monsieur de Lamotte's question; but

he reflected that the latter's inquiries, unforeseen, hasty, and passionate, were perhaps more likely to

disconcert a prepared defence than cooler and more skilful tactics. He therefore changed his plans, contenting

"himself for the moment with the part of an observer only, and watching a duel between two fairly matched

"I require: you to tell me what has become of them," repeated Monsieur de Lamotte. "I have been to

"No one has seen them, no one knows them; every trace is lost. Your Honour, this man must be compelled to

"I excuse your anxiety, I understand your trouble, but why appeal to me? Why am I supposed to know what

"As a friend, yes, I agree. Yes, it is quite true that last December I received a letter from you informing me of

the impending arrival of your wife and son. I received them in my own house, and showed them the same

hospitality which I had received from you. I saw them both, your son often, your wife every day, until the day

she left me to go to Versailles. Yes, I also took Edouard to his mother, who was negotiating an appointment

for him. I have already told you all this, and I repeat it because it is the truth. You believed me then: why do

you not believe me now? Why has what I say become strange and incredible? If your wife and your son have

disappeared, am I responsible? Did you transmit your authority to me? And now, in what manner are you

thus calling me to account? Is it to the friend who might have pitied, who might have aided your search, that

you thus address yourself ? Have you come to confide in me, to ask for advice, for consolation? No, you

accuse me; very well! then I refuse to speak, because, having no proofs, you yet accuse an honest man;

because your fears, whether real or imaginary, do not excuse you for casting, I know not what odious

suspicions, on a blameless reputation, because I have the right to be offended. Monsieur" he continued,

turning to the magistrate, " I believe you will appreciate my moderation, and will allow me to retire. If

charges are brought against me, I am quite ready to meet them, and to show what they are really worth. I shall

He emphasised these last words, evidently intending to draw attention to them. It did not escape the

"Insinuations! What more can I say to compel you to answer? My wife and son have disappeared. It is untrue

that, as you pretend, they have been at Versailles. You deceived me at BuissonSouef, just as you are

deceiving me now, as you are endeavouring to deceive justice by inventing fresh lies. Where are they? What

has become of them? I am tormented by all the fears possible to a husband and father; I imagine all the most

terrible misfortunes, and I accuse you to your face of having caused their death! Is this sufficient, or do you

Derues turned to the magistrate. "Is this charge enough to place me in the position of a criminal if I do not

"Then," he continued, addressing Monsieur de Lamotte, "I understand you persist in this odious accusation?"

"You have forgotten our friendship, broken all bonds between us: I am in your eyes only a miserable

assassin? You consider my silence as guilty, you will ruin me if I do not speak?"

" There is still time for reflection; consider what you are doing; I will forget your insults and your anger.

Your trouble is great enough without my reproaches being added to it. But you desire that I should speak, you

Derues surveyed Monsieur de Lamotte with a look which seemed to say, "I pity you." He then added, with a

"I am now ready to answer. Your Honour, will you have the kindness to resume my examination?"

Derues had succeeded in taking up an advantageous position. If he had begun narrating the extraordinary

romance he had invented, the least penetrating eye must have perceived its improbability, and one would

have felt it required some support at every turn. But since he had resisted being forced to tell it, and

apparently only ceded to Monsieur de Lamotte's violent persistency, the situation was changed; and this

refusal to speak, coming from a man who thereby compromised his personal safety, took the semblance of

generosity, and was likely to arouse the magistrate's curiosity and prepare his mind for unusual and

mysterious revelations. This was exactly what Derues wanted, and he awaited the interrogation with calm and

"I have already had the honour to inform you that important business necessitated my absence."

"But you refused to explain the nature of this business. Do you still persist in this refusal?"

"But neither she herself, nor Monsieur de Lamotte, had at first intended that she should accept a lodging in

"That is quite true. We had important accounts to settle, and Madame de Lamotte told me afterwards that she

feared some dispute on the question of money might arise between usat least, that is the reason she gave

me. She was mistaken, as the event proved, since I always intended to pay, and I have paid. But she may have

"It was the distrust of this man which she felt," exclaimed Monsieur de Lamotte. Derues answered only with

"Silence, monsieur," said the magistrate, "silence; do not interrupt." Then addressing Derues

"Possibly she preferred to be more free, and able to receive any visitor she wished."

"But the supposition appears to contain a hint injurious to Madame de Lamotte's reputation?"

This sort of insinuation appeared strange to the magistrate, who resolved to try and force Derues to abandon

these treacherous reticences behind which he sheltered himself. Again recommending silence to Monsieur de

Lamotte, he continued to question Derues, not perceiving that he was only following the lead skilfully given

by the latter, who drew him gradually on by withdrawing himself, and that all the time thus gained was an

"Well," said the magistrate, "whatever Madame de Lamotte's motives may have been, it ended in her coming

"My wife accompanied her first to the Hotel de France, and then to other hotels. I said no more than might be

deemed allowable in a friend; I could not presume to persuade her against her will. When I returned home, I

was surprised to find her there with her son. She could not find a disengaged room in any of the hotels she

"That is possible. Madame de Lamotte went and came as her affairs required. She was known, and no more

"The porter also says that for several days before this date she was ill, and obliged to keep her room?"

"Yes, it was a slight indisposition, which had no results, so slight that it seemed unnecessary to call in a

doctor. Madame de Lamotte appeared preoccupied and anxious. I think her mental attitude influenced her

"You told Monsieur de, Lamotte that she was exerting herself to procure her son's admission either as a king's

page or into the riding school. Now, no one at Versailles has seen this lady, or even heard of her."

"What! she wrote to you, you went to see her, and yet you do not know where she was lodging?"

"There are many things which would appear impossible if I were to relate them, but which are true,

"I only received one letter from Madame de Lamotte, in which she spoke of her plans for Edouard, requesting

me to send her her son on a day she fixed, and I told Edouard of her projects. Not being able to go to the

school to see him, I wrote, asking if he would like to give up his studies and become a royal page. When I

was last at BuissonSouef, I showed his answer to Monsieur de Lamotte; it is here."

And he handed over a letter to the magistrate, who read it, and passing it on to Monsieur de Lamotte,

"February 11th, Shrove Tuesday. It is the only time I have been to Versailles. The contrary might be

supposed; for I have allowed it to be understood that I have often seen Madame de Lamotte since she left my

house, and was acquainted with all her actions, and that the former confidence and friendship still existed

between us. In allowing this, I have acted a lie, and transgressed the habitual sincerity of my whole life."

This assertion produced a bad impression on the magistrate. Derues perceived it, and to avert evil

"My conduct can only be appreciated when it is known in entirety. I misunderstood the meaning of Madame

de Lamotte's letter. She asked me to send her her son, I thought to oblige her by accompanying him, and not

leaving him to go alone. So we travelled together, and arrived at Versailles about midday. As I got down

from the coach I saw Madame de Lamotte at the palace gate, and observed, to my astonishment, that my

He stopped, although he had evidently reached the most interesting point of his story.

"Because what I have to say is so painfulnot to me, who have to justify myself, but for others, that I

Derues appeared to collect himself for a moment, and then said with the air of a man who has decide on

"Madame de Lamotte was not alone; she was attended by a gentleman whom I did not know, whom I never

saw either at BuissonSouef or in Paris, and whom I have never seen again since. I will ask you to allow me

to recount everything; even to the smallest details. This man's face struck me at once, on account of a singular

resemblance; he paid no attention to me at first, and I was able to examine him at leisure. His manners were

those of a man belonging to the highest classes of society, and his dress indicated wealth. On seeing Edouard,

"'So this is he?' and he then kissed him tenderly. This and the marks of undisguised pleasure which he

evinced surprised me, and I looked at Madame de Lamotte, who then remarked with some asperity

"'I did not expect to see you, Monsieur Derues. I had not asked you to accompany my son.'

"Edouard seemed quite as much surprised as I was. The stranger gave me a look of haughty annoyance, but

seeing I did not avoid his glance his countenance assumed a more gentle expression, and Madame de Lamotte

"Allow me to finish," answered Derues. "I understand your doubts, and that you are not anxious to believe

what I say, but I have been brought here by legal summons to tell the truth, and I am going to tell it. You can

then weigh the two accusations in the balance, and choose between them. The reputation of an honourable

man is as sacred, as important, as worthy of credit as the reputation of a woman, and I never heard that the

Monsieur de Lamotte, thunderstruck by such a revelation, could not contain his impatience and indignation.

"This, then," he said, "is the explanation of an anonymous letter which I received, and of the injurious

suggestions' concerning my wife's honour which it contained; it was written to give an appearance of

probability to this infamous legend. The whole thing is a disgraceful plot, and no doubt Monsieur Derues

"I know nothing about it," said Derues unconcernedly, "and the explanation which you profess to find in it I

should rather refer to something else I am going to mention. I did not know a secret warning had been sent to

you: I now learn it from you, and I understand perfectly that such a letter, may have been written. But that

you have received such a warning ought surely to be a reason for listening patiently and not denouncing all I

While saying this Derues mentally constructed the fresh falsehood necessitated by the interruption, but no

variation of countenance betrayed his thought. He had an air of dignity natural to his position. He saw that, in

spite of clearheadedness and long practice in studying the most deceptive countenances, the magistrate so

far had not scented any of his falsehoods, and was getting bewildered in the windings of this long narrative,

"You know that I made Monsieur de Lamotte's acquaintance more than a year ago, and I had reason to

believe his friendship as sincere as my own. As a friend, I could not calmly accept the suspicion which then

entered my mind, nor could I conceal my surprise. Madame de Lamotte saw this, and understood from my

looks that I was not satisfied with the explanation she wished me to accept. A glance of intelligence passed

between her and her friend, who was still holding Edouard's hand. The day, though cold, was fine, and she

proposed a walk in the park. I offered her my arm, and the stranger walked in front with Edouard. We had a

"I did not answer, but looked sternly at her, in order to discompose her. At length I said

"'You should have written, madame, and warned me that my coming would be indiscreet.'

"'I am lost! I see you guess everything, and will tell my husband. I am an unhappy woman, and a sin once

committed can never be erased from the pages of a woman's life! Listen, Monsieur Derues, listen, I implore

you! You see this man, I shall not tell you who he is, I shall not give his name . . . but I loved him long ago; I

should have been his wife, and had he not been compelled to leave France, I should have married no one

"Oh! this dastardly wretch is profiting by his knowledge of secrets which a long intimacy has enabled him to

Derues resumed. "Madame de Lamotte continued : 'I saw him again sixteen years ago, always in hiding,

always proscribed. Today he reappears under a name which is not his own: he wishes to link my fate with

his; he has insisted on seeing Edouard. But I shall escape him. I have invented this fiction of placing my son

among the, royal pages to account for my stay here. Do not contradict me, but help me; for a little time ago I

met one of Monsieur de Lamotte's friends, I am afraid he suspected something. Say you have seen me several

times; as you have come, let it be known that you brought Edouard here. I shall return to Buisson as soon as

possible, but will you go first, see my husband, satisfy him if he is anxious? I am in your hands; my honour,

my reputation, my very life, are at your mercy; you can either ruin or help to save me. I may be guilty, but I

am not corrupt. I have wept for my sin day after day, and I have already cruelly expiated it.'"

This execrable calumny was not related without frequent interruptions on the part of Monsieur de Lamotte.

He was, however, obliged to own to himself that it was quite true that Marie Perier had really been promised

to a man whom an unlucky affair had driven into exile, and whom he had supposed to be dead. This

revelation, coming from Derues, who had the strongest interest in lying, by no means convinced him of his

wife's dishonour, nor destroyed the feelings of a husband and father; but Derues was not speaking for him

lone, and what appeared incredible to Monsieur de Lamotte might easily seem less improbable to the colder

"I was wrong," Derues continued, "in allowing myself to be touched by her tears, wrong in believing in her

repentance, more wrong still in going to Buisson to satisfy her husband. But I only consented on conditions:

Madame de Lamotte promised me to return shortly to Paris, vowing that her son should never know the truth,

and that the rest of her life should be devoted to atoning for her sin by a boundless devotion. She then begged

me to leave her, and told me she would write to me at Paris to fix the day of her return. This is what

happened, and this is why I went to Buissan and gave my support to a lying fiction. With one word I might

have destroyed the happiness of seventeen years. I did not wish to do so. I believed in the remorse; I believe

in it still, in spite of all appearances; I have refused to speak this very day, and made every effort to prolong

There was a moment of silence. This fable, so atrociously ingenious, was simply and impressively narrated,

and with an air of candour well contrived to impose on the magistrate, or, at least, to suggest grave doubts to

his mind. Derues, with his usual cunning, had conformed his language to the quality of his listener. Any

tricks, profession of piety, quotations from sacred books, so largely indulged in when he wished to

bamboozle people of a lower class, would here have told against him. He knew when to abstain, and carried

the art of deception far enough to be able to lay aside the appearance of hypocrisy. He had described all the

circumstances without affectation, and if this unexpected accusation was wholly unproved, it yet rested on a

possible fact, and did not appear absolutely incredible. The magistrate went through it all again, and made

him repeat every detail, without being able to make him contradict himself or show the smallest

embarrassment. While interrogating Derues, he kept his eyes fixed upon him; and this double examination

being quite fruitless, only increased his perplexity. However, he never relaxed the incredulous severity of his

"At the beginning of this examination you said you would explain the reason of this journey later."

"I am ready to do so, for the journey is connected with the facts I have just narrated; it was caused by them."

"I again ask permission to relate fully. I did not hear from Versailles: I began to fear Monsieur de Lamotte's

anxiety would bring him to Paris. Bound by the promise I had made to his wife to avert all suspicion and to

satisfy any doubts he might conceive, and, must I add, also remembering that it was important for me to

inform him of our new arrangements, and of this payment of a hundred thousand livres."

"That payment is assuredly fictitious," interrupted Monsieur de Lamotte; "we must have some proof of it."

"I will prove it presently," answered Derues. "So I went to Buisson, as I have already told you. On my return

I found a letter from Madame de Lamotte, a letter with a Paris stamp, which had arrived that morning. I was

surprised that she should write, when actually in Paris; I opened the letter, and was still more surprised. I

have not the letter with me, but I recollect the sense of it perfectly, if not the wording, and I can produce it if

necessary. Madame de Lamotte was at Lyons with her son and this person whose name I do not know, and

whom I do not care to mention before her husband. She had confided this letter to a person who was coming

to Paris, and who was to bring it me; but this individual, whose name was Marquis, regretted that having to

start again immediately, he was obliged to entrust it to the post. This is the sense of its contents. Madame de

Lamotte wrote that she found herself obliged to follow this nameless person to Lyons; and she begged me to

send her news of her husband and of the state of his affairs, but said not one single word of any probable

return. I became very uneasy at the news of this clandestine departure. I had no security except a private

contract annulling our first agreement on the payment of one hundred thousand livres, and that this was not a

sufficient and regular receipt I knew, because the lawyer had already refused to surrender Monsieur de

Lamotte's power of attorney. I thought over all the difficulties which this flight, which would have to be kept

secret, was likely to produce, and I started for Lyons without writing or giving any notice of my intention. I

had no information, I did not even know whether Madame de Lamotte was passing by another name, as at

Versailles, but chance decreed that I met her the very day of my arrival. She was alone, and complained

bitterly of her fate, saying she had been compelled to follow this individual to Lyons, but that very soon she

would be free and would return to Paris. But I was struck by the uncertainty of her manner, and said I should

not leave her without obtaining a deed in proof of our recent arrangements. She refused at first, saying it was

unnecessary, as she would so soon return; but I insisted strongly. I told her I had already com promised

myself by telling Monsieur de Lamotte that she was at Versailles, endeavouring to procure an appointment

for her son; that since she had been compelled to come to Lyons, the same person might take her elsewhere,

so that she might disappear any day, might leave France without leaving any trace, without any written

acknowledgment of her own dishonour; and that when all these falsehoods were discovered, I should appear

in the light of an accomplice. I said also that, as she had unfortunately lodged in my house in Paris, and had

requested me to remove her son from his school, explanations would be required from me, and perhaps I

should be accused of this double disappearance. Finally, I declared that if she did not give me some proofs of

her existence, willingly or unwillingly, I would go at once to a magistrate. My firmness made her reflect. 'My

good Monsieur Derues,' she said, 'I ask your forgiveness for all the trouble I have caused you. I will give you

this deed tomorrow, today it is too late; but come to this same place tomorrow, and you shall see me

again.' I hesitated, I confess, to let her go. 'Ah,' she said, grasping my hands, 'do not suspect me of intending

to deceive you! I swear that I will meet you here at four o'clock. It is enough that I have ruined myself, and

perhaps my son, without also entangling you in my unhappy fate. Yes, you are right; this deed is important,

necessary for you, and you shall have it. But do not show yourself here; if you were seen, I might not be able

to do what I ought to do. Tomorrow you shall see me again, I swear it.' She then left me. The next day, the

12th, of March, I was exact at the rendezvous, and Madame de Lamotte arrived a moment later. She gave me

a deed, authorising her husband to receive the arrears of thirty thousand livres remaining from the

purchasemoney of BuissonSouef. I endeavoured again to express my opinion of her conduct; she listened

in silence, as if my words affected her deeply. We were walking together, when she told me she had some

business in a house we were passing, and asked me to wait for her. I waited more than an hour, and then

discovered that this house, like many others in Lyons, had an exit in another street; and I understood that

Madame de Lamotte had escaped by this passage, and that I might wait in vain. Concluding that trying to

follow her would be useless, and seeing also that any remonstrance would be made in vain, I returned to

Paris, deciding to say nothing as yet, and to conceal the truth as long as possible. I still had hopes, and I did

not count on being so soon called on to defend myself: I thought that when I had to speak, it would be as a

friend, and not as an accused person. This, sir, is the explanation of my conduct, and I regret that this

justification, so easy for myself, should be so cruelly painful for another. You have seen the efforts which I

Monsieur de Lamotte had heard this second part of Derues' recital with a more silent indignation, not that he

admitted its probability, but he was confounded by this monstrous imposture, and, as it were, terrorstricken

by such profound hypocrisy. His mind revolted at the idea of his wife being accused of adultery; but while he

repelled this charge with decision, he saw the confirmation of his secret terrors and presentiments, and his

heart sank within him at the prospect of exploring this abyss of iniquity. He was pale, gasping for breath, as

though he himself had been the criminal, while scorching tears furrowed his cheeks. He tried to speak, but his

voice failed; he wanted to fling back at Derues the names of traitor and assassin, and he was obliged to bear

in silence the look of mingled grief and pity which the latter bestowed upon him.

The magistrate, calmer, and master of his emotions, but tolerably bewildered in this labyrinth of cleverly

"How," said he, "did you obtain this sum of a hundred thousand livres which you say you paid over to

"I have been engaged in business for several years, and have acquired some fortune."

"Nevertheless, you have postponed the obligation of making this payment several times, so that Monsieur de

Lamotte had begun to feel uneasiness on the subject. This was the chief reason of his wife's coming to Paris."

"You say you have a deed given you at Lyons by Madame de Lamotte, which you were to give to her

The magistrate examined the deed carefully, and noted the name of the lawyer in whose office it had been

Derues stopped, but the magistrate signed to him to go, intimating, however, that he was on no account to

"But," said Monsieur de Lamotte, when they were alone, "this man is indeed guilty. My wife has not betrayed

me! She!forget her duties as a wife! she was virtue incarnate! Ah! I assure you these terrible calumnies are

invented to conceal double crime! I throw myself at your feet,I implore your justice!"

"Rise, monsieur. This is only a preliminary examination, and I confess that, so far, he comes well out of it, for

imagination can hardly understand such a depth of deceit. I watched him closely the whole time, and I could

discover no sign of alarm, no contradiction, in either face or language; if guilty, he must be the greatest

hypocrite that ever existed. But I shall neglect nothing: if a criminal is allowed to flatter himself with

impunity, he frequently forgets to be prudent, and I have seen many betray themselves when they thought

they had nothing to fear. Patience, and trust to the justice of both God and man."

Several days passed, and Derues flattered him self the danger was over: his every action mean while was

most carefully watched, but so that he remained unaware of the surveillance. A police officer named Mutel,

distinguished for activity and intelligence beyond his fellows, was charged with collecting information and

following any trail. All his bloodhounds were in action, and hunted Paris thoroughly, but could trace nothing

bearing on the fate of Madame de Lamotte and her son. Mutel, however, soon discovered that in the rue Saint

Victor, Derues had failedthree successive times, that he had been pursued by numerous creditors, and been

often near imprisonment for debt, and that in 1771 he had been publicly accused of incendiarism. He reported

on these various circumstances, and then went himself to Derues' abode, where he obtained no results.

Madame Derues declared that she knew nothing whatever, and the police, having vainly searched the whole

house, had to retire. Derues himself was absent; when he returned he found another order to appear before the

His first success had encouraged him. He appeared before the magistrate accompanied by a lawyer and full of

confidence, complaining loudly that the police, in searching during his absence, had offended against the

rights of a domiciled burgess, and ought to have awaited his return. Affecting a just indignation at Monsieur

de Lamotte's conduct towards him, he presented a demand that the latter should be declared a calumniator,

and should pay damages for the injury caused to his reputation. But this time his effrontery and audacity were

of little avail, the magistrate easily detected him in flagrant lies. He declared at first that he had paid the

hundred thousand livres with his own money but when reminded of his various bankruptcies, the claims of

his creditors, and the judgments obtained against him as an insolvent debtor, he made a complete volteface,

and declared he had borrowed the money from an advocate named Duclos, to whom he had given a bond in

presence of a notary. In spite of all his protestations, the magistrate committed him to solitary confinement at

As yet, nothing was publicly known; but vague reports and gossip, carried from shop to shop, circulated

among the people, and began to reach the higher classes of society. The infallible instinct which is aroused

among the masses is truly marvellous; a great crime is committed, which seems at first likely to defeat

justice, and the public conscience is aroused. Long before the tortuous folds which envelop the mystery can

be penetrated, while it is still sunk in profound obscurity, the voice of the nation, like an excited hive, buzzes

around the secret; though the magistrates doubt, the public curiosity fixes itself, and never leaves go; if the

criminal's hidingplace is changed, it follows the track, points it out, descries it in the gloom. This is what

happened on the news of Derues' arrest. The affair was everywhere discussed, although the information was

incomplete, reports inexact, and no real publicity to be obtained. The romance which Derues had invented by

way of defence, and which became known as well as Monsieur de Lamotte's accusation, obtained no

credence whatever; on the contrary, all the reports to his discredit were eagerly adopted. As yet, no crime

could be traced, but the public presentiment divined an atrocious one. Have we not often seen similar

agitations? The names of Bastide, of Castaing, of Papavoine, had hardly been pronounced before they

completely absorbed all the public attention, and this had to be satisfied, light had to be thrown on the

Derues felt some alarm in his dungeon, but his presence of mind and his dissimulation in no wise deserted

him, and he swore afresh every day to the truth of his statements. But his last false assertion turned against

him: the bond for a hundred thousand livres which he professed to have given to Duclos was a counterfeit

which Duclos had annulled by a sort of counter declaration made the same day. Another circumstance,

intended to ensure his safety, only redoubled suspicion. On April 8th, notes payable to order to the amount of

seventyeight thousand livres, were received by Monsieur de Lamotte's lawyer, as if coming from Madame

de Lamotte. It appeared extraordinary that these notes, which arrived in an ordinary stamped envelope,

should not be accompanied by any letter of advice, and suspicion attached to Madame Derues, who hitherto

had remained unnoticed. An inquiry as to where the packet had been posted soon revealed the office,

distinguished by a letter of the alphabet, and the postmaster described a servantmaid who had brought the

letter and paid for it. The description resembled the Derues' servant; and this girl, much alarmed,

acknowledged, after a great deal of hesitation, that she had posted the letter in obedience to her mistress's

orders. Whereupon Madame Derues was sent as a prisoner to Fort l'Eveque, and her husband transferred to

the GrandChatelet. On being interrogated, she at length owned that she had sent these notes to Monsieur de

Lamotte's lawyer, and that her husband had given them her in an envelope hidden in the soiled linen for

All this certainly amounted to serious presumptive evidence of guilt, and if Derues had shown himself to the

multitude, which followed every phase of the investigation with increasing anxiety, a thousand arms would

have willingly usurped the office of the executioner; but the distance thence to actual proof of murder was

enormous for the magistracy. Derues maintained his tranquillity, always asserting that Madame de Lamotte

and her son were alive, and would clear him by their reappearance. Neither threats nor stratagems succeeded

in making him contradict himself, and his assurance shook the strongest conviction. A new difficulty was

A messenger had been sent off secretly with all haste to Lyons; his return was awaited for a test which it was

One morning Derues was fetched from his prison and taken to a lower hall of the Conciergerie. He received

no answers to the questions addressed to his escort, and this silence showed him the necessity of being on his

guard and preserving his imperturbable demeanour whatever might happen. On arriving, he found the

commissioner of police, Mutel, and some other persons. The hall being very dark, had been illuminated with

several torches, and Derues was so placed that the light fell strongly on his face, and was then ordered to look

towards a particular part of the hall. As he did so, a door opened, and a man entered. Derues beheld him with

indifference, and seeing that the stranger was observing him attentively, he bowed to him as one might bow

It was impossible to detect the slightest trace of emotion, a hand placed on his heart would not have felt an

Have the kindness to leave the room for a moment; we will ask you to return immediately."

This individual was the lawyer in whose office at Lyons the deed had been drawn up which Derues had

signed, disguised as a woman, and under the name of MarieFrancoise Perier, wife of the Sieur de Lamotte.

A woman's garments were brought in, and Derues was ordered to put them on, which he did readily, affecting

much amusement. As he was assisted to disguise himself, he laughed, stroked his chin and assumed mincing

"I should like to see if it is becoming," he said; "perhaps I might make some conquests."

The lawyer returned: Derues was made to pass before him, to sit at a table, sign a paper, in fact to repeat

everything it was imagined he might have aid or done in the lawyer's office. This second attempt at

identification succeeded no better than the first. The lawyer hesitated; then, understanding all the importance

of his deposition, he refused to swear to anything, and finally declared that this was not the person who had

I am sorry, sir," said Derues, as they removed him, "that you should have been troubled by having to witness

this absurd comedy. Do not blame me for it; but ask Heaven to enlighten those who do not fear to accuse me.

As for me, knowing that my innocence will shortly be made clear, I pardon them henceforth."

Although justice at this period was generally expeditious, and the lives of accused persons were by no means

safeguarded as they now are, it was impossible to condemn Derues in the absence of any positive proofs of

guilt. He knew this, and waited patiently in his prison for the moment when he should triumph over the

capital accusation which weighed against him. The storm no longer thundered over his head, the most terrible

trials were passed, the examinations became less frequent, and there were no more surprises to dread. The

lamentations of Monsieur de Lamotte went to the hearts of the magistrates, but his certainty could not

establish theirs, and they pitied, but could not avenge him. In certain minds a sort of reaction favourable to

the prisoner began to set in. Among the dupes of Derues' seeming piety, many who at first held their peace

under these crushing accusations returned to their former opinion. The bigots and devotees, all who made a

profession of kneeling in the churches, of publicly crossing themselves and dipping their fingers in the holy

water, and who lived on cant and repetitions of "Amen" and "Alleluia," talked of persecution, of martyrdom,

until Derues nearly became a saint destined by the Almighty to find canonisation in a dungeon. Hence arose

quarrels and arguments; and this abortive trial, this unproved accusation, kept the public imagination in a

To the greater part of those who talk of the "Supreme Being," and who expect His intervention in human

affairs, "Providence" is only a word, solemn and sonorous, a sort of theatrical machine which sets all right in

the end, and which they glorify with a few banalities proceeding from the lips, but not from the heart. It is

true that this unknown and mysterious Cause which we call "God" or "Chance" often appears so exceedingly

blind and deaf that one may be permitted to wonder whether certain crimes are really set apart for

punishment, when so many others apparently go scotfree. How many murders remain buried in the night of

the tomb! how many outrageous and avowed crimes have slept peacefully in an insolent and audacious

prosperity! We know the names of many criminals, but who can tell the number of unknown and forgotten

victims? The history of humanity is twofold, and like that of the invisible world, which contains marvels

unexplored by the science of the visible one, the history recounted in books is by no means the most curious

and strange. But without delaying over questions such as these, without protesting here against sophistries

which cloud the conscience and hide the presence of an avenging Deity, we leave the facts to the general

judgment, and have now to relate the last episode in this long and terrible drama.

Of all the populous quarters of Paris which commented on the "affaire Derues," none showed more

excitement than that of the Greve, and amongst all the surrounding streets none could boast more numerous

crowds than the rue de la Mortellerie. Not that a secret instinct magnetised the crowd in the very place where

the proof lay buried, but that each day its attention was aroused by a painful spectacle. A pale and

griefstricken man, whose eyes seemed quenched in tears, passed often down the street, hardly able to drag

himself along; it was Monsieur de Lamotte, who lodged, as we have said, in the rue de la Mortellerie, and

who seemed like a spectre wandering round a tomb. The crowd made way and uncovered before him,

everybody respected such terrible misfortune, and when he had passed, the groups formed up again, and

On April 17th, about four in the afternoon, a score of workmen and gossiping women had collected in front

of a shop. A stout woman, standing on the lowest step, like an orator in the tribune, held forth and related for

the twentieth time what she knew, or rather, did not know. There were listening ears and gaping mouths, even

a slight shudder ran through the group; for the widow Masson, discovering a gift of eloquence at the age of

sixty, contrived to mingle great warmth and much indignation in her recital. All at once silence fell on the

A sad shake of the head was the only answer, and the unhappy man continued his way.

"Is that Monsieur de Lamotte?" inquired a particularly dirty woman, whose cap, stuck on the side of her,

head, allowed locks of grey hair to straggle from under it. "Ah! is that Monsieur de Lamotte?"

"Dear me!" said a neighbour, "don't you know him by this time? He passes every day."

"Excuse me! I don't belong to this quarter, andno offencebut it is not so beautiful as to bring one out of

"That would suit you better than me, my dear, and would save your having to buy shoes to keep your feet off

"Wait a moment!" she continued, "I didn't mean to offend anyone. I am a poor woman, but there's no disgrace

in that, and I can afford a glass of liqueur. Eh, good gossip, you understand, don't you? A drop of the best for

Mother Maniffret, and if my fine friend there will drink with me to settle our difference, I will stand her a

The example set by the old hawker was contagious, and instead of filling two little glasses only, widow

"Come, you have done well," cried Mother Maniffret; "my idea has brought you luck."

"There's no trade at all. I scream myself hoarse all day, and choke myself for twopence halfpenny. I don't

"What's the good of that, with a whole house on one's hands? It's just my luck; the old tenants go, and the

"I think the devil's in it. There was a nice man on the first floorgone; a decent family on the third, all right

except that the man beat his wife every night, and made such a row that no one could sleepgone also. I put

up noticesno one even looks at them! A few months agoit was the middle of December, the day of the

"The 15th, then," said the hawker. "I cried it, so I know; it's my trade, that."

"Very well, then, the 15th," resumed widow Masson. "On that day, then, I let the cellar to a man who said he

was a wine merchant, and who paid a term in advance, seeing that I didn't know him, and wouldn't have lent

him a farthing on the strength of his good looks. He was a little bit of a man, no taller than

that,"contemptuously holding out her hand,"and he had two round eyes which I didn't like at, all. He

certainly paid, he did that, but we are more than half through the second term and I have no news of my

"Yes, onceno, twice. Let's seethree times, I am sure. He came with a handcart and a commissionaire,

and had a big chest taken downstairsa case which he said contained wine in bottles....

Really, I don't know if it was before or afterdoesn't matter. Anyhow, it was bottled wine. The third time he

brought a mason, and I am sure they quarreled. I heard their voices. He carried off the key, and I have seen

neither him nor his wine again. I have another key, and I went down one day; perhaps the rats have drunk the

wine and eaten the chest, for there certainly is nothing there any more than there is in my hand now.

Nevertheless, I saw what I saw. A big chest, very big, quite new, and corded all round with strong rope."

"Nor I either; I am getting stupid. Let's have another little glassshall we? just to clear our memories!"

The expedient was not crowned with success, the memories failed to recover themselves. The crowd waited,

She felt eagerly in the pocket of her underskirt, and produced several pieces of dirty, crumpled paper. As she

"So can I, good gracious! It was the day when I sold the history of Leroi de Valines, the 1st of February."

"That's it, that's it!Saturday, February 1st. Well, I know that chest too! I met your wine merchant on the

Place du Louvre, and he wasn't precisely enjoying himself: one of his creditors wanted to seize the chest, the

"And he is a hypocrite! enough to make one shudder! No doubt he can't pay his rent! A thief, my dears, a

beggarly thief, who set fire to his own cellar, and who accused me of trying to steal from him, while it was he

who cheated me, the villain, out of a piece of twentyfour sous. It's lucky I turned up here! Well, well, we

shall have some fun! Here's another little business on your hands, and you will have to say where that wine

"It is just a little unfortunate," said widow Masson, "that it isn't the man. My tenant calls himself Ducoudray.

"Confound it, that doesn't look like it at all," said the hawker: " now that's a bore! Oh yes, I have a grudge

against that thief, who accused me of stealing. I told him I should sell his history some day. When that

As a foretaste of the fulfilment of this promise, the company disposed of a second bottle of liqueur, and,

becoming excited, they chattered at random for some time, but at length slowly dispersed, and the street

relapsed into the silence of night. But, a few hours later, the inhabitants were surprised to see the two ends

occupied by unknown people, while other sinisterlooking persons patrolled it all night, as if keeping guard.

The next morning a carriage escorted by police stopped at the widow Masson's door. An officer of police got

out and entered a neighbouring house, whence he emerged a quarter of an hour later with Monsieur de

Lamotte leaning on his arm. The officer demanded the key of the cellar which last December had been hired

from the widow Masson by a person named Ducoudray, and went down to it with Monsieur de Lamotte and

The carriage standing at the door, the presence of the commissioner Mutel, the chatter of the previous

evening, had naturally roused everybody's imagination. But this excitement had to be kept for home use: the

whole street was under arrest, and its inhabitants were forbidden to leave their houses. The windows,

crammed with anxious faces, questioning each other, in the expectation of something wonderful, were a

curious sight; and the ignorance in which they remained, these mysterious preparations, these orders silently

executed, doubled the curiosity, and added a sort of terror: no one could see the persons who had

accompanied the police officer; three men remained in the carriage, one guarded by the two others. When the

heavy coach turned into the rue de la Mortellerie, this man had bent towards the closed window and asked

As no one replied, he resumed his look of indifference, and betrayed no emotion, neither when the carriage

The previous evening, detectives, mingling with the crowd, had listened to the hawker's story of having met

Derues near the Louvre escorting a large chest. The police magistrate was informed in the course of the

evening. It was an indication, a ray of light, perhaps the actual truth, detached from obscurity by chance

gossip; and measures were instantly taken to prevent anyone either entering or leaving the street without

being followed and examined. Mutel thought he was on the track, but the criminal might have accomplices

also on the watch, who, warned in time, might be able to remove the proofs of the crime, if any existed.

Derues was placed between two men who each held an arm. A third went before, holding a torch. The

commissioner, followed by men also carrying torches, and provided with spades and pickaxes, came behind,

and in this order they descended to the vault. It was a dismal and terrifying procession; anyone beholding

these dark and sad countenances, this pale and resigned man, passing thus into these damp vaults illuminated

by the flickering glare of torches, might well have thought himself the victim of illusion and watching some

gloomy execution in a dream. But all was real and when light penetrated this dismal charnelhouse it seemed

at once to illuminate its secret depths, so that the light of truth might at length penetrate these dark shadows,

"Wretch!" exclaimed Monsieur de Lamotte, when he saw Derues appear, "is it here that you murdered my

"I beg you, sir, not to add insult to the misfortunes you have already caused. If you stood in my place and I

were in yours, I should feel some pity and respect for so terrible a position. What do you want me? and why

He did not know the events of last evening, and could only mentally accuse the mason who had helped to

"You are here, in the first place, to be confronted with this woman," said the officer, causing the widow

"But I know you, and know you well. It was you who hired this cellar under the name of Ducoudray."

"I can understand a man being condemned to the torture if he is guilty, but that in order to accomplish one's

mission as accuser, and to discover a criminal, false witnesses who can give no evidence should be brought a

hundred leagues, that the rabble should be roused up, that divers faces and imaginary names should be

bestowed on an innocent man, in order to turn a movement of surprise or an indignant gesture to his

disadvantage, all this is iniquitous, and goes beyond the right of judgment bestowed upon men by God. I do

Neither the skill nor threats of the police officer could shake this resolution. It was to no purpose that the

widow Masson repeated and asseverated that she recognised him as her tenant Ducoudray, and that he had

had a large case of wine taken down into the cellar; Derues folded his arms, and remained as motionless as if

The walls were sounded, the stones composing them carefully examined, the floor pierced in several places,

Would they have to give it up? Already the officer was making signs to this effect, when the man who had

remained at first below with Monsieur de Lamotte, and who, standing in shadow, had carefully watched

Derues when he was brought down, came forward, and pointing to the recess under the stairs, said

"Examine this corner. The prisoner glanced involuntarily in this direction when he came down; I have

watched him, and it is the only sign he has given. I was the only person who could see him, and he did not

see me. He is very clever, but one can't be for ever on one's guard, and may the devil take me if I haven't

"Wretch!" said Derues to himself, "then you have had your hand on me for a whole hour, and amused

yourself by prolonging my agony! Oh! I ought to have known it; I have found my master. Never mind, you

shall learn nothing from my face, nor yet from the decaying body you will find; worms and poison can only

An iron rod sunk into the ground, encountered a hard substance some four feet below. Two men set to work,

and dug with energy. Every eye was fixed upon this trench increasing in depth with every shovelful of earth

which the two labourers cast aside. Monsieur de Lamotte was nearly fainting, and his emotion impressed

everyone except Derues. At length the silence was broken by the spades striking heavily on wood, and the

noise made everyone shudder. The chest was uncovered and hoisted out of the trench; it was opened, and the

body of a woman was seen, clad only in a chemise, with a red and white headband, face downwards. The

body was turned over, and Monsieur de Lamotte recognised his wife, not yet disfigured.

The feeling of horror was so great that no one spoke or uttered a sound. Derues, occupied in considering the

few chances which remained to him, had not observed that, by the officer's order, one of the guards had left

the cellar before the men began to dig. Everybody had drawn back both from the corpse and the murderer,

who alone had not moved, and who was repeating prayers. The flame of the torches placed on the ground cast

Derues started and turned round on hearing a terrified cry behind him. His wife had just been brought to the

cellar. The commissioner seized her with one hand, and taking a torch in the other, compelled her to look

Unable to support the sight any longer, she grew pale and fainted away. She and her husband were removed

separately. One would have supposed the discovery was already known outside, for the people showered

curses and cries of "Assassin!" and "Poisoner!" on the carriage which conveyed Derues. He remained silent

"I must have been mad when I sought to hide the death and burial of Madame de Lamotte from public

knowledge. It is the only sin I have committed, and, innocent of aught else, I resign myself as a Christian to

It was the only line of defence which remained open to him, and he clung to it, with the hope of imposing on

the magistrates by redoubled hypocrisy and pious observances. But all this laboriously constructed

scaffolding of lies was shaken to its base and fell away piece by piece. Every moment brought fresh and

overwhelming revelations. He professed that Madame de Lamotte had died suddenly in his house, and that,

fearing suspicion, he had buried her secretly. But the doctors called on to examine the body declared that she

had been poisoned with corrosive sublimate and opium. The pretended payment was clearly an odious

imposture, the receipt a forgery! Then, like a threatening spectre, arose another question, to which he found

Why, knowing his mother was no more, had he taken young de Lamotte to Versailles? What had become of

the youth? What had befallen, him? Once on the track, the cooper with whom he had lodged on the 12th of

February was soon discovered, and an Act of Parliament ordered the exhumation of the corpse buried under

the name of Beaupre, which the cooper identified by a shirt which he had given for the burial. Derues,

confounded by the evidence, asserted that the youth died of indigestion and venereal disease. But the doctors

again declared the presence of corrosive sublimate and opium. All this evidence of guilt he met with assumed

resignation, lamenting incessantly for Edouard, whom he declared he had loved as his own son. "Alas!" he

said, "I see that poor boy every night! But it softens my grief to know that he was not deprived of the last

consolations of religion! God, who sees me, and who knows my innocence, will enlighten the magistrates,

The evidence being complete, Derues was condemned by sentence of the Chatelet, pronounced April 30th,

and confirmed by Parliament, May 5th. We give the decree as it is found in the archives:

"This Court having considered the trial held before the Provost of Paris, or his DeputyLieutenant at the

Chatelet, for the satisfaction of the aforesaid Deputy at the aforesaid Chatelet, at the request of the Deputy of

the King's Attorney General at the aforesaid Court, summoner and plaintiff, against AntoineFrancois

Derues, and MarieLouise Nicolais, his wife, defendants and accused, prisoners in the prisons of the

Conciergerie of the Palace at Paris, who have appealed from the sentence given at the aforesaid trial, the

thirtieth day of April 1777, by which the aforesaid AntoineFrancois Derues has been declared duly attainted

and convicted of attempting unlawfully to appropriate without payment, the estate of Buissony Souef,

belonging to the Sieur and Dame de Saint Faust de Lamotte, from whom he had bought the said estate by

private contract on the twentysecond day of December 1775, and also of having unworthily abused the

hospitality shown by him since the sixteenth day of December last towards the aforesaid Dame de Lamotte,

who arrived in Paris on the aforesaid day in order to conclude with him the bargain agreed on in December

1775, and who, for this purpose, and at his request, lodged with her son in the house of the said Derues, who

of premeditated design poisoned the said Dame de Lamotte, whether by a medicine composed and prepared

by him on the thirtieth day of January last, or by the beverages and drinks administered by him after the

aforesaid medicine (he having taken the precaution to send his servant into the country for two or three days,

and to keep away strangers from the room where the said Dame de Lamotte was lying), from the effects of

which poison the said Dame de Lamotte died on the night of the said thirtyfirst day of January last; also of

having kept her demise secret, and of having himself enclosed in a chest the body of the said Dame de

Lamotte, which he then caused to be secretly transported to a cellar in the rue de la Mortellerie hired by him

for this purpose, under the assumed name of Ducoudray, wherein he buried it himself, or caused it to be

buried; also of having persuaded the son of the above Dame de Lamotte (who, with his mother, had lodged in

his house from the time of their arrival in Paris until the fifteenth day of January, last,and who had then

been placed in a school that the aforesaid Dame de Lamotte was at Versailles and desired him to join her

there, and, under this pretence, of having conducted the said younger Sieur de Lamotte, the twelfth day of

February (after having given him some chocolate), to the aforesaid town of Versailles, to a lodging hired at a

cooper's, and of having there wilfully poisoned him, either in the chocolate taken by the said younger Sieur

de Lamotte before starting, or in beverages and medicaments which the said Derues himself prepared, mixed,

and administered to the aforesaid Sieur de Lamotte the younger, during the eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, and

fourteenth days of February last, having kept him lying ill in the aforesaid hired room, and having refused to

call in physicians or surgeons, notwithstanding the progress of the malady, and the representations made to

him on the subject, saying that he himself was a physician and surgeon; from which poison the said Sieur de

Lamotte the younger died on the fifteenth day of February last, at nine o'clock in the evening, in the arms of

the aforesaid Derues, who, affecting the deepest grief, and shedding tears, actually exhorted the aforesaid

Sieur de Lamotte to confession, and repeated the prayers for the dying; after which he himself laid out the

body for burial, saying that the deceased had begged him to do so, and telling the people of the house that he

had died of venereal disease; also of having caused him to be buried the next day in the churchyard of the

parish church of Saint Louis at the aforesaid Versailles, and of having entered the deceased in the register of

the said parish under a false birthplace, and the false name of Beaupre, which name the said Derues had

himself assumed on arriving at the said lodging, and had given to the said Sieur de Lamotte the younger,

whom he declared to be his nephew. Also, to cover these atrocities, and in order to appropriate to himself the

aforesaid estate of BuissonSouef, he is convicted of having calumniated the aforesaid Dame de Lamotte,

"First, in signing, or causing to be signed, the names of the above Dame de Lamotte to a deed of private

contract between the said Derues and his wife on one side and the aforesaid Dame de Lamotte by right of a

power of attorney given by her husband on the other (the which deed is dated the twelfth day of February,

and was therefore written after the decease of the said Dame de Lamotte); by which deed the said Dame de

Lamotte appears to change the previous conventions agreed on in the first deed of the twentysecond of

December in the year 1775, and acknowledges receipt from the said Derues of a sum of one hundred

"Secondly, in signing before a notary, the ninth day of February last, a feigned acknowledgment for a third

part of a hundred thousand livres, in order to give credence to the pretended payment made by him;

"Thirdly, in announcing and publishing, and attesting even by oath at the time of an examination before the

commissioner Mutel, that he had really paid in cash to the aforesaid Dame de Lamotte the aforesaid hundred

thousand livres, and that she, being provided with this money, had fled with her son and a certain person

"Fourthly, in depositing with a notary the deed of private contract bearing the pretended receipt for the above

sum of one hundred thousand livres, end pursuing at law the execution of this deed and of his claim to the

"Fifthly, in signing or causing to be signed by another person, before the notaries of the town of Lyons,

whither he had gone for this purpose, a deed dated the twelfth day of March, by which the supposed Dame de

Lamotte appeared to accept the payment of the hundred thousand livres, and to give authority to the Sieur de

Lamotte, her husband, to receive the arrears of the remainder of the price of the said estate, the which deed he

"Sixthly, in causing to be sent, by other hands, under the name of the aforesaid Dame de Lamotte, to a

lawyer, on the eighth day o f April 1777 (at a time when he was in prison, and had been compelled to

abandon the fable that he had paid the aforesaid sum of one hundred thousand livres in hard cash, and had

substituted a pretended payment made in notes), the notes pretended to have been given by him in payment to

"Seventh, and finally, in maintaining constantly, until the discovery of the body of the aforesaid Dame de

Lamotte, that the said Dame was still alive, and that he had seen her at the town of Lyons, as has been stated

"His goods are hereby declared acquired and confiscated to the King, or to whomsoever His Majesty shall

appoint, first deducting the sum of two hundred livres as fine for the King, in case the confiscation is not to

the sole profit of His Majesty; and also the sum of six hundred livres for masses to be said for the repose of

the souls of the aforesaid Dame de Lamotte and her son. And, before being executed, the said

AntoineFrancois Derues shall suffer the question ordinary and extraordinary, in order that from his mouth

may be learned the truth of these facts, and also the names of his accomplices. And the decision of the judges

in the proceedings with regard to the abovementioned MarieLouise Nicolais, wife of Derues, is delayed

until after the execution of the above sentence. It is also decreed that the mortuary act of the aforesaid de

Lamotte the younger, dated the sixteenth day of February last, in the register of deaths belonging to the parish

church of SaintLouis at Versailles, be amended, and his correct names be substituted, in order that the said

Sieur de Lamotte, the father, and other persons interested, may produce said names before the magistrates if

required. And it is also decreed that this sentence be printed and published by the deputy of the

AttorneyGeneral at the Chatelet, and affixed to the walls in the usual places and cross roads of the town,

"With regard to the petition of PierreEtienne de SaintFaust de Lamotte, a Royal Equerry, Sieur de

GrangeFlandre, BuissonSouef, Valperfond, and other places, widower and inheritor of Marie Francois

Perier, his wife, according to their marriage contract signed before Baron and partner, notaries at Paris, the

fifth day of September 1762, whereby he desires to intervene in the action brought against Derues and his

accomplices, concerning the assassination and poisoning committed on the persons of the wife and son of the

said Sieur de SaintFaust de Lamotte, on the accusation made by him to the Deputy AttorneyGeneral of the

King at the Chatelet at present pending in the Court, on the report of the final judgment given in the said

action the 3oth of April last, and which allowed the intervention; it is decreed that there shall be levied on the

goods left by the condemned, before the rights of the Treasury, and separate from them, the sum of six

thousand livres, or such other sum as it shall please the Court to award; from which sum the said SaintFaust

de Lamotte shall consent to deduct the sum of two thousand seven hundred and fortyeight livres, which he

acknowledges has been sent or remitted to him by the said Derues and his wife at different times; which first

sum of six thousand livres, or such other, shall be employed by the said Sieur de SaintFaust de Lamotte,

who is authorised to found therewith, in the parish church of Saint Nicholas de VilleneuveleRoy, in which

parish the estate of BuissonSouef is situate, and which is mentioned in the action, an annual and perpetual

service for the repose of the souls of the wife and son of the said Sieur de SaintFaust de Lamotte, of which

an act shall be inserted in the decree of intervention, and a copy of this act or decree shall be inscribed upon a

stone which shall be set in the wall of the said church of Saint Nicholas de VilleneuveleRoy, in such place

as is expedient. And the deed of contract for private sale, made between the late spouse of the said Sieur de

SaintFaust de Lamotte and the abovenamed Derues and his wife, is hereby declared null and void, as

having had no value in absence of any payment or realisation of contract before a notary; and the pretended

agreement of the twelfth day of February last, as also all other deeds fabricated by the said Derues or others,

named in the above action, as also any which may hereafter be presented, are hereby declared to be null and

"The Court declares the judgment pronounced by the magistrates of the Chatelet against the above named

Derues to be good and right, and his appeal against the same to be bad and illfounded.

"It is decreed that the sentence shall lose its full and entire effect with regard to MarieLouise Nicolais, who

is condemned to the ordinary fine of twelve livres. The necessary relief granted on the petition of

PierreEtienne de SaintFaust de Lamotte, the second day of May this present month, and delay accorded

until after the suspended judgment pronounced with regard to the said MarieLouise Nicolais.

Derues' assurance and calmness never deserted him for one moment. For threequarters of an hour he

harangued the Parliament, and his defence was remarkable both for its presence of mind and the art with

which he made the most of any circumstances likely to suggest doubts to the magistrates and soften the

severity of the first sentence. Found guilty on every point, he yet protested that he was innocent of poisoning.

Remorse, which often merely means fear of punishment, had no place in his soul, and torture he seemed not

to dread. As strong in will as he was weak in body, he desired to die like a martyr in the faith of his religion,

which was hypocrisy, and the God whom he gloried on the scaffold was the god of lies.

On May 6th, at seven in the morning, the sentence of execution was read to him. He listened calmly, and

A few hours later the instruments of torture were got ready. He was told that this part of his punishment

would be remitted if he would confess his crimes and the names of his accomplices. He replied:

"I have no more to say. I know what terrible torture awaits me, I know I must die today, but I have nothing

He made no resistance when his knees and legs were bound, and endured the torture courageously. Only, in a

Thinking that pain would overcome his resolution, the presiding magistrate bent towards him, and said:

Thinking that his apparently feeble frame could not endure the last wedges, the executioner was ordered to

stop. He was unbound and laid on a mattress, and a glass of wine was brought, of which he only drank a few

drops; after this, he made his confession to the priest. For, dinner, they brought him soup and stew, which he

ate eagerly, and inquiring of the gaoler if he could have something more, an entree was brought in addition.

One might have thought that this final repast heralded, not death but deliverance. At length three o'clock

According to the report of credible persons whom we have consulted, Paris on this occasion presented a

remarkable appearance, which those who saw it were never able to forget. The great anthill was troubled to

its very lowest depth. Whether by accident or design, the same day had been fixed for a function which ought

to have proved a considerable counter attraction. A great festival in honour of a German prince was given on

the Plaine de Grenelle, at which all the court was present; and probably more than one great lady regretted

missing the emotions of the Place de Greve, abandoned to the rabble and the bourgeoisie. The rest of the city

was deserted, the streets silent, the houses closed. A stranger transported suddenly into such a solitude might

have reasonably thought that during the night the town had been smitten by the Angel of Death, and that only

a labyrinth of vacant buildings remained, testifying to the life and turmoil of the preceding day. A dark and

dense atmosphere hung over the abandoned town; lightning furrowed the heavy motionless clouds; in the

distance the occasional rumble of thunder was heard, answered by the cannon of the royal fete. The crowd

was divided between the powers of heaven and earth: the terrible majesty of the Eternal on one side, on the

other the frivolous pomp of royaltyeternal punishment and transient grandeur in opposition. Like the

waters of a flood leaving dry the fields which they have covered, so the waves of the multitude forsook their

usual course. Thousands of men and women crowded together along the route which the deathcart would

take; an ocean of heads undulated like the ears in a wheatfield. The old houses, hired at high rates, quivered

under the weight of eager spectators, and the window sashes had been removed to afford a better view.

Attired in the shirt worn by condemned criminals, and bearing a placard both in front and behind, with the

words "Wilful Poisoner," Derues descended the great staircase of the Chatelet with a firm step. It was at this

moment, on seeing the crucifix, that he exclaimed, "O Christ, I shall suffer like Thee!" He mounted the

tumbril, looking right and left amongst the crowd. During the progress he recognised and bowed to several of

his old associates, and bade adieu in a clear voice to the former mistress of his 'prentice days, who has

recorded that she never saw him look so pleasant. Arrived at the door of Notre Dame, where the clerk was

awaiting him, he descended from the tumbril without assistance, took a lighted wax taper weighing two

pounds in his hand, and did penance, kneeling, bareheaded and barefooted, a rope round his neck, repeating

the words of the deathwarrant. He then reascended the cart in the midst of the cries and execrations of the

populace, to which he appeared quite insensible. One voice only, endeavouring to dominate the tumult,

caused him to turn his head:, it was that of the hawker who was crying his sentence, and who broke off now

"Well! my poor gossip Derues, how do you like that fine carriage you're in? Oh yes, mutter your prayers and

look up to heaven as much as you like, you won't take us in now. Ah! thief who said I stole from you! Wasn't

Then, adding her own wrongs to the list of crimes, she declared that the Parliament had condemned him as

much for having falsely accused her of theft as for having poisoned Madame de Lamotte and her son!

When arrived at the scaffold, he gazed around him, and a sort of shiver of impatience ran through the crowd.

He smiled, and as if anxious to trick mankind for the last time, asked to be taken to the Hotel de Ville, which

was granted, in the hope that he would at last make some confession; but he only persisted in saying that he

was guiltless of poisoning. He had an interview with his wife, who nearly fainted on seeing him, and

remained for more than a quarter of an hour unable to say a word. He lavished tender names upon her, and

When she was taken away, he asked permission to embrace her, and took a most touching farewell. His last

"My dear wife," he said, "I recommend our beloved children to your care: bring them up in the fear of God.

You must go to Chartres, you will there see the bishop, on whom I had the honour of waiting when I was

there last, and who has always been kind to me; I believe he has thought well of me, and that I may hope he

It was now seven in the evening, and the crowd began to murmur at the long delay. At length the criminal

reappeared. An onlooker who saw him go to the Hotel de Ville, and who was carried by the movement of the

crowd to the foot of the scaffold, says that when handed over to the executioner he took off his clothes

himself. He kissed the instrument of punishment with devotion, then extended himself on the St. Andrew's

cross, asking with a resigned smile that they would make his sufferings as short as possible. As soon as his

head was covered, the executioner gave the signal. One would have thought a very few blows would have

finished so frail a being, but he seemed as hard to kill as the venomous reptiles which must be crushed and

cut to pieces before life is extinct, and the coup de grace was found necessary. The executioner uncovered his

head and showed the confessor that the eyes were closed and that the heart had ceased to beat. The body was

then removed from the cross, the hands and feet fastened together, and it was thrown on the funeral pile.

While the execution was proceeding the people applauded. On the morrow they bought up the fragments of

bone, and hastened to buy lottery tickets, in the firm conviction that these precious relics would bring luck to

"In 1777, Madame Derues was sentenced to perpetual imprisonment, and confined at the Salpetriere. She was

Before beginning our story, we must warn the reader that it will not be worth his while to make researches

among contemporary or other records as to the personage whose name it bears. For in truth neither Marie

Leroux, widow of Jacques Constantin, nor her accomplice, Claude Perregaud, was of sufficient importance to

find a place on any list of great criminals, although it is certain that they were guilty of the crimes with which

they were charged. It may seem strange that what follows is more a history of the retribution which overtook

the criminals than a circumstantial description of the deeds for which they were punished; but the crimes

were so revolting, and so unsuitable for discussion, that it was impossible for us to enter into any details on

the subject, so that what we offer in these pages is, we confess quite openly, not a full, true, and particular

account of a certain series of events leading up to a certain result; it is not even a picture wherein that result is

depicted with artistic completeness, it is only an imperfect narrative imperfectly rounded off. We feel sure,

however, that the healthyminded reader will be grateful for our reticence and total disregard of proportion.

In spite of the disadvantage which such a theme imposes on any writer with a deep sense of responsibility, we

have resolved to let in some light on these obscure figures; for we can imagine no more effective way of

throwing into high relief the low morals and deep corruption into which all classes of society had sunk at the

termination of the factious dissensions of the Fronde, which formed such a fitting prelude to the licence of the

After this explanation, we shall, without further preamble, introduce the reader to a little tavern in Paris,

It was about seven o'clock. Three gentlemen were seated at one of the tables in a low, smoky room. They had

already emptied several bottles, and one of them seemed to have just suggested some madcap scheme to the

"Pardu!" said one of them, who was the first to recover his breath, " I must say it would be an excellent trick."

"Splendid!" said another; "and if you like, Commander de Jars, we can try it this very evening."

"All right, my worthy king's treasurer, provided my pretty nephew here won't be too much shocked," and as

he spoke de Jars gave to the youngest of the three a caressing touch on the cheek with the back of his hand.

"That reminds me, de Jars!" said the treasurer, "that word you have just said piques my curiosity. For some

months now this little fellow here, Chevalier de Moranges, follows you about everywhere like your shadow.

The commander touched the chevalier's knee under the table, and he, as if to avoid speaking, slowly filled

"Look here," said the treasurer, "do you want to hear a few plain words, such as I shall rap out when God

takes me to task about the peccadilloes of my past life? I don't believe a word about the relationship. A

nephew must be the son of either a brother or a sister. Now, your only sister is an abbess, and your late

brother's marriage was childless. There is only one way of proving the relationship, and that is to confess that

when your brother was young and wild he and Love met, or else Madame l'Abbesse."

" Well, then, explain; you can't fool me! May I be hanged if I leave this place before I have dragged the secret

out of you! Either we are friends or we are not. What you tell no one else you ought to tell me. What! would

you make use of my purse and my sword on occasion and yet have secrets from me? It's too bad: speak, or

our friendship is at an end! I give you fair warning that I shall find out everything and publish it abroad to

court and city: when I strike a trail there's no turning me aside. It will be best for you to whisper your secret

"How full of curiosity you are, my good friend!" said de Jars, leaning one elbow on the table, and twirling the

points of his moustache with his hand; "but if I were to wrap my secret round the point of a dagger would you

"Not I," said the king's treasurer, beginning to twirl his moustache also: "the doctors have always told me that

I am of too full a complexion and that it would do me all the good in the world to be bled now and then. But

what would be an advantage to me would be dangerous to you. It's easy to see from your jaundiced phiz that

"And you would really go that length? You would risk a duel if I refused to let you get to the bottom of my

"My dear boy," said de Jars to the youth, "we are caught, and may as well yield gracefully. You don't know

this big fellow as well as I do. He's obstinacy itself. You can make the most obstinate donkey go on by

pulling its tail hard enough, but when Jeannin gets a notion into his pate, not all the legions of hell can get it

out again. Besides that, he's a skilful fencer, so there's nothing for it but to trust him."

"Just as you like," said the young man; "you know all my circumstances and how important it is that my

"Oh! among Jeannin's many vices there are a few virtues, and of these discretion is the greatest, so that his

curiosity is harmless. A quarter of an hour hence he will let himself be killed rather than reveal what just now

Jeannin nodded approvingly, refilled the glasses, and raising his to his lips, said in a tone of triumph

"Well, if it must be, it must. First of all, learn that my nephew is not my nephew at all."

"No nonsense at all, but the sober truth. A few months ago the chevalier carne to Paris, bringing me a letter of

introduction from a German whom I used to know years ago. This letter requested me to look after the bearer

and help him in his investigations. As you said just now, Love and someone once met somewhere, and that

was about all was known as to his origin. Naturally the young man wants to cut a figure in the world, and

would like to discover the author of his existence, that he may have someone at hand to pay the debts he is

going to incur. We have brought together every scrap of information we could collect as to this person,

hoping to find therein a clue that we could follow up. To be quite open with you, and convince you at the

same time how extremely prudent and discreet we must be, I must tell you that we think we have found one,

and that it leads to no less a dignitary than a Prince of the Church. But if he should get wind of our researches

too soon everything would be at an end, don't you see? So keep your tongue between your teeth."

"Now, that's what I call speaking out as a friend should. I wish you luck, my gallant Chevalier de Moranges,

and until you unearth your father, if you want a little money, my purse is at your service. On my word, de

Jars, you must have been born with a caul. There never was your equal for wonderful adventures. This one

promises wellspicy intrigues, scandalous revelations, and you'll be in the thick of it all. You're a lucky

fellow! It's only a few months since you had the most splendid piece of good fortune sent you straight from

heaven. A fair lady falls in love with you and makes you carry her off from the convent of La Raquette. But

why do you never let anyone catch a glimpse of her? Are you jealous? Or is it that she is no such beauty, after

"I know what I'm about," answered de jars, smiling; " I have my very good reasons. The elopement caused a

great deal of indignation, and it's not easy to get fanatics to listen to common sense. No, I am not in the least

"We have no secrets from each other; the confidence between us is without a flaw. The fair one, believe me,

is good to look on, and is worth all the ogling, fanflirting baggages put together that one sees at court or on

the balconies of the Palais Roy: ah! I'll answer for that. Isn't she, Moranges?"

"I'm quite of your opinion," said the youth; exchanging with de jars a singularly significant look; "and you

"Ah! ah!" cried Jeannin. "You poor fellow! I very much fear that you are warming a little serpent in your

bosom. Have an eye to this dandy with the beardless chin! But joking apart, my boy, are you really on good

"He is quite right. I answer for her as for my self, you know; as long as he loves her she will love him; as

long as he is faithful she will be faithful. Do you imagine that a woman who insists on her lover carrying her

off can so easily turn away from the man of her choice? I know her well; I have had long talks with her, she

and I alone: she is featherbrained, given to pleasure, entirely without prejudices and those stupid scruples

which spoil the lives of other women; but a good sort on the whole; devoted to my uncle, with no deception

about her; but at the same time extremely jealous, and has no notion of letting herself be sacrificed to a rival.

A look and a touch of the commander's knee cut this panegyric short, to which the treasurer was listening

"Why, then," went on the young man, with a laugh, "if my uncle behaves badly, I, his nephew, will try to

make up for his wrongdoing: he can't blame me then. But until then he may be quite easy, as he well

"Oh yes, and in proof of that I am going to take Moranges with me tonight. He is young and inexperienced,

and it will be a good lesson for him to see how a gallant whose amorous intrigues did not begin yesterday sets

"On my word," said Jeannin, "my notion is that he is in no great need of a teacher; however, that's your

business, not mine. Let us return to what we were talking about just now. Are we agreed; and shall we amuse

"And I'm off at once, said Jeannin, rising, and muffling himself in his mantle, " It's now halfpast seven. We

Leaving the tavern and turning into the rue Pavee, he took the direction of the river.

In 1658, at the corner of the streets GitleCoeur and Le Hurepoix (the site of the latter being now occupied

by the Quai des Augustins as far as Pont SaintMichel), stood the great mansion which Francis I had bought

and fitted up for the Duchesse d'Etampes. It was at this period if not in ruins at least beginning to show the

ravages of time. Its rich interior decorations had lost their splendour and become antiquated. Fashion had

taken up its abode in the Marais, near the Place Royale, and it was thither that profligate women and

celebrated beauties now enticed the humming swarm of old rakes and young libertines. Not one of them all

would have thought of residing in the mansion, or even in the quarter, wherein the king's mistress had once

dwelt. It would have been a step downward in the social scale, and equivalent to a confession that their

charms were falling in the public estimation. Still, the old palace was not empty; it had, on the contrary,

several tenants. Like the provinces of Alexander's empire, its vast suites of rooms had been subdivided; and

so neglected was it by the gay world that people of the commonest description strutted about with impunity

where once the proudest nobles had been glad to gain admittance. There in semiisolation and despoiled of

her greatness lived AngeliqueLouise de Guerchi, formerly companion to Mademoiselle de Pons and then

maid of honour to Anne of Austria. Her love intrigues and the scandals they gave rise to had led to her

dismissal from court. Not that she was a greater sinner than many who remained behind, only she was

unlucky enough or stupid enough to be found out. Her admirers were so indiscreet that they had not left her a

shred of reputation, and in a court where a cardinal is the lover of a queen, a hypocritical appearance of

decorum is indispensable to success. So Angelique had to suffer for the faults she was not clever enough to

hide. Unfortunately for her, her income went up and down with the number and wealth of her admirers, so

when she left the court all her possessions consisted of a few articles she had gathered together out of the

wreck of her former luxury, and these she was now selling one by one to procure the necessaries of life, while

she looked back from afar with an envious eye at the brilliant world from which she had been exiled, and

longed for better days. All hope was not at an end for her. By a strange law which does not speak well for

human nature, vice finds success easier to attain than virtue. There is no courtesan, no matter how low she

has fallen, who cannot find a dupe ready to defend against the world an honour of which no vestige remains.

A man who doubts the virtue of the most virtuous woman, who shows himself inexorably severe when he

discovers the lightest inclination to falter in one whose conduct has hitherto been above reproach, will stoop

and pick up out of the gutter a blighted and tarnished reputation and protect and defend it against all slights,

and devote his life to the attempt to restore lustre to the unclean thing dulled by the touch of many fingers. In

her days of prosperity Commander de Jars and the king's treasurer had both fluttered round Mademoiselle de

Guerchi, and neither had fluttered in vain. Short as was the period necessary to overcome her scruples, in as

short a period it dawned on the two candidates for her favour that each had a successful rival in the other, and

that however potent as a reason for surrender the doubloons of the treasurer had been, the personal

appearance of the commander had proved equally cogent. As both had felt for her only a passing fancy and

not a serious passion, their explanations with each other led to no quarrel between them; silently and

simultaneously they withdrew from her circle, without even letting her know they had found her out, but

quite determined to revenge, themselves on her should a chance ever offer. However, other affairs of a

similar nature had intervened to prevent their carrying out this laudable intention; Jeannin had laid siege to a

more inaccessible beauty, who had refused to listen to his sighs for less than 30 crowns, paid in advance, and

de Jars had become quite absorbed by his adventure with the convent boarder at La Raquette, and the

business of that young stranger whom he passed off as his nephew. Mademoiselle de Guerchi had never seen

them again; and with her it was out of sight out of mind. At the moment when she comes into our story she

was weaving her toils round a certain Duc de Vitry, whom she had seen at court, but whose acquaintance she

had never made, and who had been absent when the scandalous occurrence which led to her disgrace came to

light. He was a man of from twentyfive to twentysix years of age, who idled his life away: his courage was

undoubted, and being as credulous as an old libertine, he was ready to draw his sword at any moment to

defend the lady whose cause he had espoused, should any insolent slanderer dare to hint there was a smirch

on her virtue. Being deaf to all reports, he seemed one of those men expressly framed by heaven to be the

consolation of fallen women; such a man as in our times a retired operadancer or a superannuated

professional beauty would welcome with open arms. He had only one faulthe was married. It is true he

neglected his wife, according to the custom of the time, and it is probably also true that his wife cared very

little about his infidelities. But still she was an insurmountable obstacle to the fulfilment of Mademoiselle de

Guerchi's hopes, who but for her might have looked forward to one day becoming a duchess.

For about three weeks, however, at the time we are speaking of, the duke had neither crossed her threshold

nor written. He had told her he was going for a few days to Normandy, where he had large estates, but had

remained absent so long after the date he had fixed for his return that she began to feel uneasy. What could be

keeping him? Some new flame, perhaps. The anxiety of the lady was all the more keen, that until now

nothing had passed between them but looks of languor and words of love. The duke had laid himself and all

he possessed at the feet of Angelique, and Angelique had refused his offer. A too prompt surrender would

have justified the reports so wickedly spread against her; and, made wise by experience, she was resolved not

to compromise her future as she had compromised her past. But while playing at virtue she had also to play at

disinterestedness, and her pecuniary resources were consequently almost exhausted. She had proportioned the

length of her resistance to the length of her purse, and now the prolonged absence of her lover threatened to

disturb the equilibrium which she had established between her virtue and her money. So it happened that the

cause of the lovelorn Duc de Vitry was in great peril just at the moment when de Jars and Jeannin resolved to

approach the fair one anew. She was sitting lost in thought, pondering in all good faith on the small profit it

was to a woman to be virtuous, when she heard voices in the antechamber. Then her door opened, and the

As this interview and those which follow took place in the presence of witnesses, we are obliged to ask the

We have said there were several tenants: now the person who occupied the rooms next to those in which

Mademoiselle de Guerchi lived was a shopkeeper's widow called Rapally, who was owner of one of the

thirtytwo houses which then occupied the bridge SaintMichel. They had all been constructed at the owner's

cost, in return for a lease for ever. The widow Rapally's avowed age was forty, but those who knew her

longest added another ten years to that: so, to avoid error, let us say she was fortyfive. She was a solid little

body, rather stouter than was necessary for beauty; her hair was black, her complexion brown, her eyes

prominent and always moving; lively, active, and if one once yielded to her whims, exacting beyond

measure; but until then buxom and soft, and inclined to pet and spoil whoever, for the moment, had arrested

her volatile fancy. Just as we make her acquaintance this happy individual was a certain Maitre Quennebert, a

notary of Saint Denis, and the comedy played between him and the widow was an exact counterpart of the

one going on in the rooms of Mademoiselle de Guerchi, except that the roles were inverted; for while the lady

was as much in love as the Duc de Vitry, the answering devotion professed by the notary was as insincere as

the disinterested attachment to her lover displayed by the whilom maid of honour.

Maitre Quennebert was still young and of attractive appearance, but his business affairs were in a bad way.

For long he had been pretending not to understand the marked advances of the widow, and he treated her with

a reserve and respect she would fain have dispensed with, and which sometimes made her doubt of his love.

But it was impossible for her as a woman to complain, so she was forced to accept with resignation the

persistent and unwelcome consideration with which he surrounded her. Maitre Quennebert was a man of

common sense and much experience, and had formed a scheme which he was prevented from carrying out by

an obstacle which he had no power to remove. He wanted, therefore, to gain time, for he knew that the day he

gave the susceptible widow a legal right over him he would lose his independence. A lover to whose prayers

the adored one remains deaf too long is apt to draw back in discouragement, but a woman whose part is

restricted to awaiting those prayers, and answering with a yes or no, necessarily learns patience. Maitre

Quennebert would therefore have felt no anxiety as to the effect of his dilatoriness on the widow, were it not

for the existence of a distant cousin of the late Monsieur Rapally, who was also paying court to her, and that

with a warmth much greater than had hitherto been displayed by himself. This fact, in view of the state of the

notary's affairs, forced him at last to display more energy. To make up lost ground and to outdistance his rival

once more, he now began to dazzle the widow with fine phrases and delight her with compliments; but to tell

the truth all this trouble was superfluous; he was beloved, and with one fond look he might have won pardon

An hour before the treasurer's arrival there had been a knock at the door of the old house, and Maitre

Quennebert, curled, pomaded, and prepared for conquest, had presented himself at the widow's. She received

him with a more languishing air than usual, and shot such arrows at him froth her eyes that to escape a fatal

wound he pretended to give way by degrees to deep sadness. The widow, becoming alarmed, asked with

He rose, feeling he had nothing to fear from his rival, and, being master of the field, might henceforth

"What ails me?" he repeated, with a deep sigh. "I might deceive you, might give you a misleading answer,

but to you I cannot lie. I am in great trouble, and how to get out of it I don't know."

Maitre Quennebert took three long strides, which brought him to the far end of the room, and asked

"Why do you want to know? You can't help me. My trouble is of a kind a man does not generally confide to

"Good God! You are going to fight!" she exclaimed, trying to seize him by the arm. "You are going to fight!"

"Ah! if it were nothing worse than that!" said Quennebert, pacing up and down the room: "but you need not

be alarmed; it is only a money trouble. I lent a large sum, a few months ago, to a friend, but the knave has run

away and left me in the lurch. It was trust money, and must be replaced within three days. But where am I to

"I shall be obliged to have recourse to some Jew, who will drain me dry. But I must save my good name at all

Madame Rapally gazed at him in consternation. Maitre Quennebert, divining her thought, hastened to add

"With great care, and by scraping together all I possess, I can make up eight hundred livres. But may I be

damned in the next world, or punished as a swindler in this, and one's as bad as the other to me, if I can raise

"Pardieu! I should accept them," cried the notary as if he had not the least suspicion whom she could mean.

The widow nodded affirmatively, at the same time giving him a passionate glance.

"Tell me quick the name of this delightful person, and I shall go to him tomorrow morning. You don't know

what a service you are rendering me. And I was so near not telling you of the fix I was in, lest you should

"Well, Madame RapallyI hope I don't understand you; it's not possible; you would not humiliate me.

Come, come, it's a riddle, and I am too stupid to solve it. I give it up. Don't tantalise me any longer; tell me

The widow, somewhat abashed by this exhibition of delicacy on the part of Maitre Quennebert, blushed, cast

As the silence lasted some time, it occurred to the notary that he had been perhaps too hasty in his

supposition, and he began to cast round for the best means of retrieving his blunder.

"No," said the widow at last in a timid voice, "it was no joke; I was quite in earnest. But the way you take

"Pray, do you imagine that I can go on while you glare at me with that angry frown puckering your forehead,

A sweet smile chased the frown from the notary's brow. Encouraged by the suspension of hostilities, Madame

Rapally with sudden boldness approached him, and, pressing one of his hands in both her own, whispered

At this he began to walk round and round the room, while the widow, who stood in the middle, turned as

upon a pivot, keeping him always in view. This circusring performance lasted some minutes before

"I cannot be angry with you, Madame Rapally, I know your offer was made out of the kindness of your

"There you go again! I don't understand you at all! Why can't you accept? What harm would it do?"

"If there were no other reason, because people might suspect that I confided my difficulties to you in the hope

"And supposing you did, what then? People speak hoping to be understood. You wouldn't have minded

"Mon Dieu! I don't think anything at all that you don't want. It was I who dragged the confidence from you

by my questions, I know that very well. But now that you have told me your secret, how can you hinder me

from sympathising with you, from desiring to aid you? When I learned your difficulty, ought I to have been

amused, and gone into fits of laughter? What! it's an insult to be in a position to render you a service! That's a

"Nonsense! Do you still think I meant to offend you? I look on you as the most honourable man in the world.

If anyone were to tell me that he had seen you commit a base action, I should reply that it was a lie. Does that

"But suppose they got hold of it in the city, suppose it were reported that Maitre Quennebert had taken money

from Madame de Rapally, would it be the same as if they said Maitre Quennebert had borrowed twelve

"But you exaggerate both the service and the gratitude you ought to feel. I think I know why you refuse.

"Well, I'm not going to make you a gift. Borrow twelve hundred livres from me. For how long do you want

"Let's say a year, and reckon the interest. Sit down there, you baby, and write out a promissory note."

Maitre Quennebert made some further show of resistance, but at last yielded to the widow's importunity. It is

needless to say that the whole thing was a comedy on his part, except that he really needed the money. But he

did not need it to replace a sum of which a faithless friend had robbed him, but to satisfy his own creditors,

who, out of all patience with him, were threatening to sue him, and his only reason for seeking out Madame

de Rapally was to take advantage of her generous disposition towards himself. His feigned delicacy was

intended to induce her to insist so urgently, that in accepting he should not fall too much in her esteem, but

should seem to yield to force. And his plan met with complete success, for at the end of the transaction he

stood higher than ever in the opinion of his fair creditor, on account of the noble sentiments he had expressed.

"How glad I am!" said she then, while Quennebert still kept up some pretence of delicate embarrassment,

although he could not resist casting a stolen look at the bag of crowns lying on the table beside his cloak. "Do

Even had such been his intention, the notary would have taken very good care not to say so; for he foresaw

the accusations of imprudence that would follow, the enumeration of the dangers by the way; and it was quite

on the cards even that, having thus aroused his fears, his fair hostess should in deference to them offer him

hospitality for the night, and he did not feel inclined for an indefinitely prolonged teteatete.

"No;" he said, "I am going to sleep at Maitre Terrasson's, rue des Poitevins; I have sent him word to expect

me. But although his house is only a few yards distant, I must leave you earlier than I could have wished, on

"How can you ask?" replied Quennebert, with a sentimental expression. "You have compelled me to accept

the money, butI shall not be happy till I have repaid you. Suppose this loan should make us fall out?"

"You may be quite sure that if you don't pay when the bill falls due, I shall have recourse to the law."

"Madame Rapally," said the notary, who was most anxious to bring this conversation to an end, dreading

every moment that it would take a languishing tone,"Madame Rapally, will you add to your goodness by

The gratitude that is simulated is not difficult to bear, but genuine, sincere gratitude, such as I feel, is a heavy

burden, as I can assure you. It is much easier to give than to receive. Promise me, then, that from now till the

year is up there shall be no more reference between us to this money, and that we shall go on being good

friends as before. Leave it to me to make arrangements to acquit myself honourably of my obligations

It shall be as you desire, Maitre Quennebert," answered Madame Rapally, her eyes shining with delight. "It

was never my intention to lay you under embarrassing obligations, and I leave it all to you. Do you know that

"Yes, because I had a sort of feeling that made me resist all temptation to leave myself without cash.

Imagine! I received a visit today from a great lady who lives in this housein the suite of apartments next

"She called in order to ask me to buy, for four hundred livres, some of her jewels which are well worth six

hundred, for I understand such things; or should I prefer it to lend her that sum and keep the jewels as

security? It appears that mademoiselle is in great straits. De Guerchido you know the name?"

"They say she has had a stormy past, and has been greatly talked of; but then half of what one hears is lies.

Since she came to live here she has been very quiet. No visitors except onea nobleman, a duke wait a

moment! What's his name? The DucDuc de Vitry; and for over three weeks even he hasn't been near her. I

imagine from this absence that they have fallen out, and that she is beginning to feel the want of money."

"By chance. The room adjoining this and one of those she occupies were formerly one large room, which is

now divided into two by a partition wall covered with tapestry; but in the two corners the plaster has

crumbled away with time, and one can see into the room through slits in the tapestry without being seen

"Come with me. Someone knocked at the street door a few moments ago; there's no one else in the douse

"If so, we are going to witness a scene of recrimination or reconciliation. How delightful!"

Although he was not leaving the widow's lodgings, Maitre Quennebert took up his hat and cloak and the

blessed bag of crown pieces, and followed Madame Rapally on tiptoe, who on her side moved as slowly as a

tortoise and as lightly as she could. They succeeded in turning the handle of the door into the next room

She pointed to the place where he would find a peephole in one corner of the room, and crept herself

towards the corresponding corner. Quennebert, who was by no means anxious to have her at his side,

motioned to her to blow out the light. This being done, he felt secure, for he knew that in the intense darkness

which now enveloped them she could not move from her place without knocking against the furniture

between them, so he glued his face to the partition. An opening just large enough for one eye allowed him to

see everything that was going on in the next room. Just as he began his observations, the treasurer at

Mademoiselle de Guerchi's invitation was about to take a seat near her, but not too near for perfect respect.

Both of them were silent, and appeared to labour under great embarrassment at finding themselves together,

and explanations did not readily begin. The lady had not an idea of the motive of the visit, and her quondam

lover feigned the emotion necessary to the success of his undertaking. Thus Maitre Quennebert had full time

to examine both, and especially Angelique. The reader will doubtless desire to know what was the result of

ANGELIQUELOUISE DE GUERCHI was a woman of about twentyeight years of age, tall, dark, and well

made. The loose life she had led had, it is true, somewhat staled her beauty, marred the delicacy of her

complexion, and coarsened the naturally elegant curves of her figure; but it is such women who from time

immemorial have had the strongest attraction for profligate men. It seems as if dissipation destroyed the

power to perceive true beauty, and the man of pleasure must be aroused to admiration by a bold glance and a

meaning smile, and will only seek satisfaction along the trail left by vice. Louise Angelique was admirably

adapted for her way of life; not that her features wore an expression of shameless effrontery, or that the words

that passed her lips bore habitual testimony to the disorders of her existence, but that under a calm and sedate

demeanour there lurked a secret and indefinable charm. Many other women possessed more regular features,

but none of them had a greater power of seduction. We must add that she owed that power entirely to her

physical perfections, for except in regard to the devices necessary to her calling, she showed no cleverness,

being ignorant, dull and without inner resources of any kind. As her temperament led her to share the desires

she excited, she was really incapable of resisting an attack conducted with skill and ardour, and if the Duc de

Vitry had not been so madly in love, which is the same as saying that he was hopelessly blind, silly, and

dense to everything around him, he might have found a score of opportunities to overcome her resistance. We

have already seen that she was so straitened in money matters that she had been driven to try to sell her

"You are astonished at my visit, I know, my charming Angelique. But you must excuse my thus appearing so

unexpectedly before you. The truth is, I found it impossible to leave Paris without seeing you once more."

"Thank you for your kind remembrance," said she, "but I did not at all expect it."

She gave him a glance of mingled disdain and resentment; but he went on, in a timid, wistful tone

"I know that my conduct must have seemed strange to you, and I acknowledge that nothing can justify a man

for suddenly leaving the woman he lovesI do not dare to say the woman who loves himwithout a word

"I tried my best to overcome the feeling, and I hid my suspicions from you. Twenty times I came to see you

bursting with anger and determined to overwhelm you with reproaches, but at the sight of your beauty I

forgot everything but that I loved you. My suspicions dissolved before a smile; one word from your lips

charmed me into happiness. But when I was again alone my terrors revived, I saw my rivals at your feet, and

She let him speak without interruption; perhaps the same thought was in her mind as in Quennebert's, who,

"Does my lord desire that his handmaiden should be blunt? Well, I know that there is no truth in what you

"Oh! I can see that you imagine that among the distractions of the world I have kept no memory of you, and

have found consolation in the love of less obdurate fair ones. I have not broken in on your retirement; I have

not shadowed your steps; I have not kept watch on your actions; I have not surrounded you with spies who

would perhaps have brought me the assurance, 'If she quitted the world which outraged her, she was not

driven forth by an impulse of wounded pride or noble indignation; she did not even seek to punish those who

misunderstood her by her absence; she buried herself where she was unknown, that she might indulge in

stolen loves.' Such were the thoughts that came to me, and yet I respected your hidingplace; and today I

Jeannin, who was as fat as a stage financier, paused here to gasp; for the utterance of this string of banalities,

this rigmarole of commonplaces, had left him breathless. He was very much dissatisfied with his

performance; and ready to curse his barren imagination. He longed to hit upon swelling phrases and natural

and touching gestures, but in vain. He could only look at Mademoiselle de Guerchi with a miserable,

heartbroken air. She remained quietly seated, with the same expression of incredulity on her features.

"But this one assurance that I ask you will not give. So what I havebeen told is true: you have given your

"You see it is only when I speak of him that I can overcome in you the insensibility which is killing me. My

suspicions were true after all: you deceived me for his sake. Oh! the instinctive feeling of jealousy was right

which forced me to quarrel with that man, to reject the perfidious friendship which he tried to force upon me.

He has returned to town, and we shall meet! But why do I say 'returned'? Perhaps he only pretended to go

away, and safe in this retreat has flouted with impunity, my despair and braved my vengeance!"

Up to this the lady had played a waiting game, but now she grew quite confused, trying to discover the thread

of the treasurer's thoughts. To whom did he refer? The Duc de Vitry? That had been her first impression. But

the duke had only been acquainted with her for a few monthssince she hadleft Court. He could not

therefore have excited the jealousy of her whilom lover; and if it were not he, to whom did the words about

rejecting "perfidious friendship," and "returned to town," and so on, apply? Jeannin divined her

embarrassment, and was not a little proud of the tactics which would, he was almost sure; force her to expose

herself. For there are certain women who can be thrown into cruel perplexity by speaking to them of their

lovepassages without affixing a proper name label to each. They are placed as it were on the edge of an

abyss, and forced to feel their way in darkness. To say "You have loved" almost obliges them to ask

Nevertheless, this was not the word uttered by Mademoiselle de Guerchi while she ran through in her head a

The ice was broken, and the treasurer made a plunge. Seizing one of Angelique's hands, he asked

"Mon Dieu! What put it into your head that I ever cared for him? It's over four months since I saw him last,

and I hadn't an idea whether he was alive or dead. So he has been out of town? That's the first I heard of it."

"My fortune is yours, Angelique! Oh! assure me once again that you do not love himthat you never loved

him!" he pleaded in a faltering voice, fixing a look of painful anxiety upon her.

He had no intention of putting her out of countenance by the course he took; he knew quite well that a woman

like Angelique is never more at her ease than when she has a chance of telling an untruth of this nature.

Besides, he had prefaced this appeal by the magic words, "My fortune' is yours!" and the hope thus aroused

was well worth a perjury. So she answered boldly and in a steady voice, while she looked straight into his

"I believe you!" exclaimed Jeannin, going down on his knees and covering with his kisses the hand he still

held. "I can taste happiness again. Listen, Angelique. I am leaving Paris; my mother is dead, and I am going

"I hesitated long before finding you out, so much did I fear a repulse. I set out tomorrow. Quit Paris, leave

the world which has slandered you, and come with me. In a fortnight we shall be man and wife."

"May I expire at your feet if I am not! Do you want me to sign the oath with my blood?"

"Rise," she said in a broken voice. "Have I at last found a man to love me and compensate me for all the

abuse that has been showered on my head? A thousand times I thank you, not for what you are doing for me,

but for the balm you pour on my wounded spirit. Even if you were to say to me now, 'After all, I am obliged

to give you up' the pleasure of knowing you esteem me would make up for all the rest. It would be another

happy memory to treasure along with my memory of our love, which was ineffaceable, although you so

The treasurer appeared fairly intoxicated with joy. He indulged in a thousand ridiculous extravagances and

exaggerations, and declared himself the happiest of men. Mademoiselle de Guerchi, who was desirous of

"Who can have put it into your head to be jealous of the commander? Has he been base enough to boast that I

She renewed her assurances. The conversation continued some time in a sentimental tone. A thousand oaths,

a thousand protestations of love were, exchanged. Jeannin feared that the suddenness of their journey would

inconvenience his mistress, and offered to put it off for some days; but to this she would not consent, and it

was arranged that the next day at noon a carriage should call at the house and take Angelique out of town to

Maitre Quennebert, eye and ear on the alert, had not lost a word of this conversation, and the last proposition

"Pardieu!" he said to himself, "it looks as if this good man were really going to let himself be taken in and

done for. It is singular how very clearsighted we can be about things that don't touch us. This poor fly is

going to let himself be caught by a very clever spider, or I'm much mistaken. Very likely my widow is quite

of my opinion, and yet in what concerns herself she will remain stoneblind. Well, such is life! We have only

two parts to choose between: we must be either knave or fool. What's Madame Rapally doing, I wonder?"

At this moment he heard a stifled whisper from the opposite corner of the room, but, protected by the distance

and the darkness, he let the widow murmur on, and applied his eye once more to his peephole. What he saw

confirmed his opinion. The damsel was springing up and down, laughing, gesticulating, and congratulating

"Just imagine! He loves me like that!" she was saying to herself. "Poor Jeannin! When I remember how I

used to hesitate. How fortunate that Commander de Jars, one of the most vain and indiscreet of men, never

babbled about me! Yes, we must leave town tomorrow without fail. I must not give him time to be

enlightened by a chance word. But the Duc de Vitry? I am really sorry for him. However, why did he go

away, and send no word? And then, he's a married man. Ah! if I could only get back again to court some

day!... Who would ever have expected such a thing? Good God! I must keep talking to myself, to be sure I'm

not dreaming. Yes, he was there, just now, at my feet, saying to me, 'Angelique, you are going to become my

wife.' One thing is sure, he may safely entrust his honour to my care. It would be infamous to betray a man

who loves me as he does, who will give me his name. Never, no, never will I give him cause to reproach me!

A loud and confused noise on the stairs interrupted this soliloquy. At one moment bursts of laughter were

heard, and the next angry voices. Then a loud exclamation, followed by a short silence. Being alarmed at this

disturbance in a house which was usually so quiet, Mademoiselle de Guerchi approached the door of her

room, intending either to call for protection or to lock herself in, when suddenly it was violently pushed open.

"On my word!" said Quennebert behind the arras, "'tis as amusing as a play! Is the commander also going to

He had just caught sight of the young man on whom de Jars had bestowed the title and name of Chevalier de

Moranges, and whose acquaintance the reader has already made at the tavern in the rue

SaintAndredesArts. His appearance had as great an effect on the notary as a thunderbolt. He stood

motionless, trembling, breathless; his knees ready to give way beneath him; everything black before his eyes.

However, he soon pulled himself together, and succeeded in overcoming the effects of his surprise and terror.

He looked once more through the hole in the partition, and became so absorbed that no one in the whole

world could have got a word from him just then; the devil himself might have shrieked into his ears

unheeded, and a naked sword suspended over his head would not have induced him to change his place.

Before Mademoiselle de Guerchi had recovered from her fright the commander spoke.

"As I am a gentleman, my beauty, if you were the Abbess of Montmartre, you could not be more difficult of

access. I met a blackguard on the stairs who tried to stop me, and whom I was obliged to thrash soundly. Is

what they told me on my return true? Are you really doing penance, and do you intend to take the veil?"

"Sir," answered Angelique, with great dignity, "whatever may be my plans, I have a right to be surprised at

"Before we go any farther," said de Jars, twirling round on his heels, "allow me to present to you my nephew,

"Chevalier de Moranges!" muttered Quennebert, on whose memory in that instant the name became indelibly

"A young man," continued the commander, "who has come back with me from abroad. Good style, as you

see, charming appearance. Now, you young innocent, lift up your great black eyes and kiss madame's hand; I

"Whom, then? Your lackeys? But I have beaten the only one you keep, as I told you, and it will be some time

before he'll be in a condition to light me downstairs: 'Begone,' indeed! Is that the way you receive an old

He approached Mademoiselle de Guerchi, and, despite her resistance, seized hold of one of her hands, and

"That's right, my girl," said he; "now let us talk sense. I understand that before a stranger you consider

yourself obliged to appear astonished at my ways of going on. But he knows all about us, and nothing he may

see or hear will surprise him. So a truce to prudery! I came back yesterday, but I could not make out your

hidingplace till today. Now I'm not going to ask you to tell me how you have gone on in my absence. God

and you alone know, and while He will tell me nothing, you would only tell me fibs, and I want to save you

from that venial sin at least. But here I am, in as good spirits as ever, more in love than ever, and quite ready

Meantime the lady, quite subdued by his noisy entrance and ruffianly conduct, and seeing that an assumption

of dignity would only draw down on her some fresh impertinence, appeared to resign herself to her position.

All this time Quennebert never took his eyes from the chevalier, who sat with his face towards the partition.

His elegantly cut costume accentuated his personal advantages. His jet black hair brought into relief the

whiteness of his forehead; his large dark eyes with their veined lids and silky lashes had a penetrating and

peculiar expressiona mixture of audacity and weakness; his thin and somewhat pale lips were apt to curl in

an ironical smile; his hands were of perfect beauty, his feet of dainty smallness, and he showed with an

affectation of complaisance a wellturned leg above his ample boots, the turned down tops of which,

garnished with lace, fell in irregular folds aver his ankles in the latest fashion. He did not appear to be more

than eighteen years of age, and nature had denied his charming face the distinctive sign of his sex for not the

slightest down was visible on his chin, though a little delicate pencilling darkened his upper lip: His slightly

effeminate style of beauty, the graceful curves of his figure, his expression, sometimes coaxing, sometimes

saucy, reminding one of a page, gave him the appearance of a charming young scapegrace destined to inspire

sudden passions and wayward fancies. While his pretended uncle was making himself at home most

unceremoniously, Quennebert remarked that the chevalier at once began to lay siege to his fair hostess,

bestowing tender and loveladen glances on her behind that uncle's back. This redoubled his curiosity.

"My dear girl," said the commander, "since I saw you last I have come into a fortune of one hundred

thousand livres, neither more nor less. One of my dear aunts took it into her head to depart this life, and her

temper being crotchety and spiteful she made me her sole heir, in order to enrage those of her relatives who

had nursed her in her illness. One hundred thousand livres! It's a round sumenough to cut a great figure

with for two years. If you like, we shall squander it together, capital and interest. Why do you not speak? Has

anyone else robbed me by any chance of your heart? If that were so, I should be in despair, upon my

wordfor the sake of the fortunate individual who had won your favour; for I will brook no rivals, I give you

"Monsieur le commandeur," answered Angelique, "you forget, in speaking to me in that manner, I have never

"When last we parted we were on the best of terms, were we not? I know that some months have elapsed

since then, but I have explained to you the reason of my absence. Before filling up the blank left by the

departed we must give ourselves space to mourn. Well, was I right in my guess? Have you given me a

Mademoiselle de Guerchi had hitherto succeeded in controlling her indignation, and had tried to force herself

to drink the bitter cup of humiliation to the dregs; but now she could bear it no longer. Having thrown a look

expressive of her suffering at the young chevalier, who continued to ogle her with great pertinacity, she

decided on bursting into tears, and in a voice broken by sobs she exclaimed that she was miserable at being

treated in this manner, that she did not deserve it, and that Heaven was punishing her for her error in yielding

to the entreaties of the commander. One would have sworn she was sincere and that the words came from her

heart. If Maitre Quennebert had not witnessed the scene with Jeannin, if he had not known how frail was the

virtue of the weeping damsel, he might have been affected by her touching plaint. The chevalier appeared to

be deeply moved by Angelique's grief, and while his, uncle was striding up and down the room and swearing

like a trooper, he gradually approached her and expressed by signs the compassion he felt.

Meantime the notary was in a strange state of mind. He had not yet made up his mind whether the whole

thing was a joke arranged between de Jars and Jeannin or not, but of one thing he was quite convinced, the

sympathy which Chevalier de Moranges was expressing by passionate sighs and glances was the merest

hypocrisy. Had he been alone, nothing would have prevented his dashing head foremost into this imbroglio,

in scorn of consequence, convinced that his appearance would be as terrible in its effect as the head of

Medusa. But the presence of the widow restrained him. Why ruin his future and dry up the golden spring

which had just begun to gush before his eyes, for the sake of taking part in a melodrama? Prudence and

The tears of the fair one and the glances of the chevalier awoke no repentance in the breast of the

commander; on the contrary, he began to vent his anger in terms still more energetic. He strode up and down

the oaken floor till it shook under his spurred heels; he stuck his plumed hat on the side of his head, and

displayed the manners of a bully in a Spanish comedy. Suddenly he seemed to have come to a swift

resolution: the expression of his face changed from rage to icy coldness, and walking up to Angelique, he

"Never! I have borne your insults too long. I am not responsible to you for my actions."

"Well, I shall learn it, in spite of you, and I know to whom to apply. Do you think you can play fast and loose

with me and my love? No, no! I used to believe in you; I turned, a deaf ear to your traducers. My mad passion

for you became known; I was the jest and the butt of the town. But you have opened my eyes, and at last I see

clearly on whom my vengeance ought to fall. He was formerly my friend, and I would believe nothing

against him; although I was often warned, I took no notice. But now I will seek him out, and say to him, 'You

have stolen what was mine; you are a scoundrel! It must be your life, or mine!' And if, there is justice in

heaven, I shall kill him! Well, madame, you don't ask me the name of this man! You well know whom I

This threat brought home to Mademoiselle de Guerchi how imminent was her danger. At first she had

thought the commander's visit might be a snare laid to test her, but the coarseness of his expressions, the

cynicism of his overtures in the presence of a third person, had convinced her she was wrong. No man could

have imagined that the revolting method of seduction employed could meet with success, and if the

commander had desired to convict her of perfidy he would have come alone and made use of more persuasive

weapons. No, he believed he still had claims on her, but even if he had, by his manner of enforcing them he

had rendered them void. However, the moment he threatened to seek out a rival whose identity he designated

quite clearly, and reveal to him the secret it was so necessary to her interests to keep hidden, the poor girl lost

her head. She looked at de Jars with a frightened expression, and said in a trembling voice

"You don't know? Well, I shall commission the king's treasurer, Jeannin de Castille, to come here tomorrow

She threw herself on her knees and clung with both her hands to de Jars' cloak, and appealing to Chevalier de

"You are young, monsieur; I have never done you any harm; protect me, have pity on me, help me to soften

"Uncle," said the chevalier in a pleading tone, "be generous, and don't drive this woman to despair."

"What do you want me to do?" said Angelique. "Shall I go into a convent to atone?, I am ready to go. Shall I

promise never to see him again? For God's sake, give me a little time; put off your vengeance for one single

day! Tomorrow evening, I swear to you, you will have nothing more to fear from me. I thought myself

forgotten by you and abandoned; and how should I think otherwise? You left me without a word of farewell,

you stayed away and never sent me a line! And how do you know that I did not weep when you deserted me,

leaving me to pass my days in monotonous solitude? How do you know that I did not make every effort to

find out why you were so long absent from my side? You say you had left town but how was I to know that?

Oh! promise me, if you love me, to give up this duel! Promise me not to seek that man out tomorrow!"

The poor creature hoped to work wonders with her eloquence, her tears, her pleading glances. On hearing her

prayer for a reprieve of twentyfour hours, swearing that after that she would never see Jeannin again, the

commander and the chevalier were obliged to bite their lips to keep from laughing outright. But the former

soon regained his selfpossession, and while Angelique, still on her knees before him, pressed his hands to

her bosom, he forced her to raise her head, and looking straight into her eyes, said

"Tomorrow, madame, if not this evening, he shall know everything, and a meeting shall take place."

She tried to rise and rush after him, but whether she was really overcome by her feelings, or whether she felt

the one chance of prevailing left her was to faint, she uttered a heartrending cry, and the chevalier had no

De Jars, on seeing his nephew staggering under this burden, gave a loud laugh, and hurried away. Two

"I left him with our charmer, who was unconscious, overcome with grief, exhausted Ha! ha! ha! She fell

"It's quite possible that the young rogue, being left with her in such a condition, may cut me out."

And de Jars laughed so heartily and so infectiously that his worthy friend was obliged to join in, and laughed

In the short silence which followed the departure of the commander, Maitre Quennebert could hear the

widow still murmuring something, but he was less disposed than ever to attend to her.

"On my word," said he, "the scene now going on is more curious than all that went before. I don't think that a

man has ever found himself in such a position as mine. Although my interests demand that I remain here and

listen, yet my fingers are itching to box the ears of that Chevalier de Moranges. If there were only some way

of getting at a proof of all this! Ah! now we shall hear something; the hussy is coming to herself."

And indeed Angelique had opened her eyes and was casting wild looks around her; she put her hand to her

"Is he gone?" she exclaimed at last. "Oh, why did you let him go? You should not have minded me, but kept

"Be calm," answered the chevalier, "be calm, for heaven's sake. I shall speak to my uncle and prevent his

ruining your prospects. Only don't weep any more, your tears break my heart. Ah, my God! how cruel it is to

distress you so! I should never be able to withstand your tears; no matter what reason I had for anger, a look

"Idiot!" muttered Maitre Quennebert; "swallow the honey of his words, do But how the deuce is it going to

"But then I could never believe you guilty without proof, irrefutable proof; and even then a word from you

would fill my mind with doubt and uncertainty again. Yes, were the whole world to accuse you and swear to

your guilt, I should still believe your simple word. I am young, madam, I have never known love as

yetuntil an instant ago I had no idea that more quickly than an image can excite the admiration of the eye,

a thought can enter the heart and stir it to its depths, and features that one may never again behold leave a

lifelong memory behind. But even if a woman of whom I knew absolutely nothing were to appeal to me,

exclaiming, 'I implore your help, your protection!' I should, without stopping to consider, place my sword and

my arm at her disposal, and devote myself to her service. How much more eagerly would I die for you,

madam, whose beauty has ravished my heart! What do you demand of me? Tell me what you desire me to

"Prevent this duel; don't allow an interview to take place between your uncle and the man whom he

mentioned. Tell me you will do this, and I shall be safe; for you have never learned to lie; I know."

"Of course he hasn't, you may be sure of that, you simpleton!" muttered Maitre Quennebert in his corner. "If

you only knew what a mere novice you are at that game compared with the chevalier! If you only knew

"At your age," went on Angelique, "one cannot feignthe heart is not yet hardened, and is capable of

compassion. But a dreadful idea occurs to mea horrible suspicion! Is it all a devilish tricka snare

arranged in joke? Tell me that it is not all a pretence! A poor woman encounters so much perfidy. Men amuse

themselves by troubling her heart and confusing her mind; they excite her vanity, they compass her round

with homage, with flattery, with temptation, and when they grow tired of fooling her, they despise and insult

her. Tell me, was this all a preconcerted plan? This love, this jealousy, were they only acted?"

"Oh, madame," broke in the chevalier, with an expression of the deepest indignation, "how can you for an

instant imagine that a human heart could be so perverted? I am not acquainted with the man whom the

commander accused you of loving, but whoever he may be I feel sure that he is worthy of your love, and that

he would never have consented to such a dastardly joke. Neither would my uncle; his jealousy mastered him

But I am not dependent on him; I am my own master, and can do as I please. I will hinder this duel; I will not

allow the illusion and ignorance of him who loves you and, alas that I must say it, whom you love, to be

dispelled, for it is in them he finds his happiness. Be happy with him! As for me, I shall never see you again;

but the recollection of this meeting, the joy of having served you, will be my consolation."

Angelique raised her beautiful eyes, and gave the chevalier a long look which expressed her gratitude more

"May I be hanged!" thought Maitre Quennebert, "if the baggage isn't making eyes at him already! But one

"Enough, madam," said the chevalier; "I understand all you would say. You thank me in his name, and ask

me to leave you: I obeyyes, madame, I am going; at the risk of my life I will prevent this meeting, I will

stifle this fatal revelation. But grant me one last prayerpermit me to look forward to seeing you once more

before I leave this city, to which I wish I had never come. But I shall quit it in a day or two, tomorrow

perhapsas soon as I know that your happiness is assured. Oh! do not refuse my last request; let the light of

your eyes shine on me for the last time; after that I shall departI shall fly far away for ever. But if

perchance, in spite of every effort, I fail, if the commander's jealousy should make him impervious to my

entreatiesto my tears, if he whom you love should come and overwhelm you with reproaches and then

abandon you, would you drive me from your presence if I should then say, 'I love you'? Answer me, I

"Such barefaced impudence surpasses everything I could have imagined!" murmured Quennebert:

"fortunately, the play is over for tonight; if it had gone on any longer, I should have done something foolish.

Neither did Quennebert. It was an evening of adventures. It was written that in the space of two hours

Angelique was to run the gamut of all the emotions, experience all the vicissitudes to which a life such as she

led is exposed: hope, fear, happiness, mortification, falsehood, love that was no love, intrigue within intrigue,

The chevalier was still holding Angelique's hand when a step resounded outside, and a voice was heard.

"Can it be that he has come back?" exclaimed the damsel, hastily freeing herself from the passionate embrace

She grew pale to the lips, and stood staring at the door with outstretched arms, unable to advance or recede.

The chevalier listened, but felt sure the approaching voice belonged neither to the commander nor to the

"'His voice'?" thought Quennebert to himself. "Can this be yet another aspirant to her favour?"

"Hide yourself!" said Angelique, pointing to a door opposite to the partition behind which the widow and the

notary were ensconced. "Hide yourself there!there's a secret staircaseyou can get out that way."

"I hide myself!" exclaimed Moranges, with a swaggering air. "What are you thinking of? I remain."

It would have been better for him to have followed her advice, as may very well have occurred to the youth

two minutes later, as a tall, muscular young man entered in a state of intense excitement. Angelique rushed to

"What is this I hear, Angelique?" said the Duc de Vitry. "I was told below that three men had visited you this

evening; but only two have gone outwhere is the third ? Ha! I do not need long to find him," he added, as

The chevalier's teasing and bantering disposition made him even at that critical moment insensible to fear, so

"Whoever I please to be, sir; and on my word I find the tone in which you put your question delightfully

The duke sprang forward in a rage, laying his hand on his sword. Angelique tried in vain to restrain him.

"You want to screen him from my vengeance, you false one!" said he, retreating a few steps, so as to guard

Two shrieks followed, one in the room, the other behind the tapestry, for neither Angelique nor the widow

had been able to restrain her alarm as the two swords flashed in air. In fact the latter had been so frightened

This incident probably saved the young man's life; his blood had already begun to run cold at the sight of his

adversary foaming with rage and standing between him and the door, when the noise of the fall distracted the

"What was that?" he cried. "Are there other enemies concealed here too? "And forgetting that he was leaving

a way of escape free, he rushed in the direction from which the sound came, and lunged at the

tapestrycovered partition with his sword. Meantime the chevalier, dropping all his airs of bravado, sprang

from one end of the room to the other like a cat pursued by a dog; but rapid as were his movements, the duke

perceived his flight, and dashed after him at the risk of breaking both his own neck and the chevalier's by a

All this took place in a few seconds, like a flash of lightning. Twice, with hardly any interval, the street door

opened and shut noisily, and the two enemies were in the street, one pursued and the other pursuing.

"My God! Just to think of all that has happened is enough to make one die of fright!" said Mademoiselle de

Guerchi. "What will come next, I should like to know? And what shall I say to the duke when he comes

Just at this instant a loud cracking sound was heard in the room. Angelique stood still, once more struck with

terror, and recollecting the cry she had heard. Her hair, which was already loosened, escaped entirely from its

bonds, and she felt it rise on her head as the figures on the tapestry moved and bent towards her. Falling on

her knees and closing her eyes, she began to invoke the aid of God and all the saints. But she soon felt herself

raised by strong arms, and looking round, she found herself in the presence of an unknown man, who seemed

to have issued from the ground or the walls, and who, seizing the only light left unextinguished in the scuffle,

This man was, as the reader will have already guessed, Maitre Quennebert. As soon as the chevalier and the

duke had disappeared, the notary had run towards the corner where the widow lay, and having made sure that

she was really unconscious, and unable to see or hear anything, so that it would be quite safe to tell her any

story he pleased next day, he returned to his former position, and applying his shoulder to the partition, easily

succeeded in freeing the ends of the rotten laths from the nails which held there, and, pushing them before

him, made an aperture large enough to allow of his passing through into the next apartment. He applied

himself to this task with such vigour, and became so absorbed in its accomplishment, that he entirely forgot

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" cried Mademoiselle de Guerchi, struggling to free herself.

"Who wants to kill you? But be silent; I don't want your shrieks to call people here. I must be alone with you

for a few moments. Once more I tell you to be quiet, unless you want me to use violence. If you do what I tell

"I am neither a burglar nor a murderer; that's all you need to know; the rest is no concern of yours. Have you

"All right. The second was Commander de Jars, and the young man he brought with him was his nephew, the

He spoke very slowly, and Mademoiselle de Guerchi, obeying his commands, took up her pen.

"'Today,'" dictated Quennebert,"'today, this twentieth day of the month of November, in the year of the

"Go on! 'I, AngeliqueLouise de Guerchi, was visited, in the rooms whichI occupy, in the mansion of the

Duchesse d'Etampes, corner of the streets GitleCoeur and du Hurepoix, about halfpast seven o'clock in

the evening, in the first place, by Messire Jeannin de Castille, King's Treasurer; in the second place, by

Commander de Jars, who was accompanied by a young man, his nephew, the Chevalier de Moranges ; in the

third place, after the departure of Commander de Jars, and while I was alone with the Chevalier de Moranges,

by the Duc de Vitry, who drew his sword upon the said chevalier and forced him to take flight.'

"Write, and don't talk. I can recall everything, and that is all that is wanted."

"'Height about five feet.' The chevalier," said Quennebert, interrupting himself, "is four feet eleven inches

three lines and a half, but I don't need absolute exactness." Angelique gazed at him in utter stupefaction.

"'Height about five feet; hair black, eyes ditto, nose aquiline, mouth large, lips compressed, forehead high,

"'A small mole on the neck behind the right ear, a smaller mole on the left hand.'

"I should have told you before, if I had desired you to know. Any questions are quite useless. I don't enjoin

secrecy on you, however," added the notary, as he folded the paper and put it into his doublet pocket. " You

are quite free to tell anyone you like that you have written the description of the Chevalier de Moranges at the

dictation of an unknown man, who got into your room you don't know how, by the chimney or through the

ceiling perhaps, but who was determined to leave it by a more convenient road. Is there not a secret staircase?

Angelique pointed out a door to him hidden by a damask curtain, and Quennebert saluting her, opened it and

disappeared, leaving Angelique convinced that she had seen the devil in person. Not until the next day did the

sight of the displaced partition explain the apparition, but even then so great was her fright, so deep was the

terror which the recollection of the mysterious man inspired, that despite the permission to tell what had

happened she mentioned her adventure to no one, and did not even complain to her neighbour, Madame

We left de Jars and Jeannin, roaring with laughter, in the tavern in the rue Saint AndredesArts.

"What!" said the treasurer, "do you really think that Angelique thought I was in earnest in my offer?that

"You may take my word for it. If it were not so, do you imagine she would have been in such desperation?

Would she have fainted at my threat to tell you that I had claims on her as well as you? To get married! Why,

that is the goal of all such creatures, and there is not one of them who can understand why a man of honour

should blush to give her his name. If you had only seen her terror, her tears! They would have either broken

"Well," said Jeannin, "it is getting late. Are we going to wait for the chevalier?"

"Very well. Perhaps he has made up his mind to stay. If so, we shall make a horrible scene, cry treachery and

They left the wineshop, both rather the worse for the wine they had so largely indulged in. They felt the

need of the cool night air, so instead of going down the rue Pavee they resolved to follow the rue

SaintAndredesArts as far as the Pont SaintMichel, so as to reach the mansion by a longer route.

At the very moment the commander got up to leave the tavern the chevalier had run out of the mansion at the

top of his speed. It was not that he had entirely lost his courage, for had he found it impossible to avoid his

assailant it is probable that he would have regained the audacity which had led him to draw his sword. But he

was a novice in the use of arms, had not reached full physical development, and felt that the chances were so

much against him that he would only have faced the encounter if there were no possible way of escape. On

leaving the house he had turned quickly into the rue GitleCoeur; but on hearing the door close behind his

pursuer he disappeared down the narrow and crooked rue de l'Hirondelle, hoping to throw the Duc de Vitry

off the scent. The duke, however, though for a moment in doubt, was guided by the sound of the flying

footsteps. The chevalier, still trying to send him off on a false trail, turned to the right, and so regained the

upper end of the rue SaintAndre, and ran along it as far as the church, the site of which is occupied by the

square of the same name today. Here he thought he would be safe, for, as the church was being restored and

enlarged, heaps of stone stood all round the old pile. He glided in among these, and twice heard Vitry

searching quite close to him, and each time stood on guard expecting an onslaught. This marching and

countermarching lasted for some minutes; the chevalier began to hope he had escaped the danger, and

eagerly waited for the moment when the moon which had broken through the clouds should again withdraw

behind them, in order to steal into some of the adjacent streets under cover of the darkness. Suddenly a

The danger in which the chevalier stood awoke in him a flickering energy, a feverish courage, and he crossed

blades with his assailant. A strange combat ensued, of which the result was quite uncertain, depending

entirely on chance; for no science was of any avail on a ground so rough that the combatants stumbled at

every step, or struck against immovable masses, which were one moment clearly lit up, and the next in

shadow. Steel clashed on steel, the feet of the adversaries touched each other, several times the cloak of one

was pierced by the sword of the other, more than once the words "Die then!" rang out. But each time the

seemingly vanquished combatant sprang up unwounded, as agile and as lithe and as quick as ever, while he in

his turn pressed the enemy home. There was neither truce nor pause, no clever feints nor fencer's tricks could

be employed on either side; it was a mortal combat, but chance, not skill, would deal the deathblow.

Sometimes a rapid pass encountered only empty air; sometimes blade crossed blade above the wielders'

heads; sometimes the fencers lunged at each other's breast, and yet the blows glanced aside at the last

moment and the blades met in air once more. At last, however, one of the two, making a pass to the right

which left his breast unguarded, received a deep wound. Uttering a loud cry, he recoiled a step or two, but,

exhausted by the effort, tripped arid fell backward over a large stone, and lay there motionless, his arms

"Hark, de Jars!" said Jeannin, stopping, "There's fighting going on hereabouts; I hear the clash of swords."

They ran at full speed towards the place whence it seemed to come, but found only solitude, darkness, and

"I can't see a living soul," said Jeannin, "and I very much fear that the poor devil who gave that yell has

"I don't know why I tremble so," replied de Jars; "that heartrending cry made me shiver from head to foot.

"The chevalier is with La Guerchi, and even if he had left her this would not have been his way to rejoin us.

"Yes, and bathed in blood," exclaimed de Jars, who had darted to his side. "Ah! it's he! it's he! Look, his eyes

are closed, his hands cold! My child he does not hear me! Oh, who has murdered him?"

He fell on his knees, and threw himself on the body with every mark of the most violent despair.

"Come, come," said Jeannin, surprised at such an explosion of grief from a man accustomed to duels, and

who on several similar occasions had been far from displaying much tenderness of heart, "collect yourself,

and don't give way like a woman. Perhaps the wound is not mortal. Let us try to stop the bleeding and call for

"Don't call, for Heaven's sake! The wound is here, near the heart. Your handkerchief, Jeannin, to arrest the

"What does that mean?" cried Jeannin, who had just laid his hand on the chevalier. "I don't know whether I'm

"Be silent, on your life! I shall explain everythingbut now be silent; there is someone looking at us."

"May I ask what you are doing, gentlemen?" retorted Maitre Quennebert, in a calm and steady voice.

"Your curiosity may cost you dear, monsieur; we are not in the habit of allowing our actions to be spied on."

"And I am not in the habit of running useless risks, most noble cavaliers. You are, it is true, two against one;

but," he added, throwing back his cloak and grasping the hilts of a pair of pistols tucked in his belt, "these

will make us equal. You are mistaken as to my intentions. I had no thought of playing the spy; it was chance

alone that led me here; and you must acknowledge that finding you in this lonely spot, engaged as you are at

this hour of the night, was quite enough to awake the curiosity of a man as little disposed to provoke a quarrel

"It was chance also that brought us here. We were crossing the square, my friend and I, when we heard

groans. We followed the sound, and found this young gallant, who is a stranger to us, lying here, with a

As the moon at that moment gleamed doubtfully forth, Maitre Quennebert bent for an instant over the body of

"I know him more than you. But supposing someone were to come upon us here, we might easily be taken for

three assassins holding a consultation over the corpse of our victim. What were you going to do?"

"Take him to a doctor. It would be inhuman to leave him here, and while we are talking precious time is

"Neither do I," said Quennebert. "but I believe I have heard the name of a surgeon who lives close by, in the

De Jars and Jeannin raised the chevalier's shoulders, and the stranger supported his legs, and carrying their

They walked slowly, looking about them carefully, a precaution rendered necessary by the fact that the moon

now rode in a cloudless sky. They glided over the Pont SaintMichel between the houses that lined both

sides, and, turning to the right, entered one of the narrow streets of the Cite, and after many turnings, during

which they met no one, they stopped at the door of a house situated behind the HoteldeVille.

As the commander spoke, Maitre Quennebert let the feet of the chevalier fall abruptly on the pavement, while

de Jars and the treasurer still supported his body, and, stepping back two paces, he drew his pistols from his

"Do not stir, messieurs, or you are dead men." Both, although encumbered by their burden, laid their hands

There was no reply to this argument, it being a convincing one even for two duellists. The bravest man turns

pale when he finds himself face to face with sudden inevitable death, and he who threatened seemed to be

one who would, without hesitation, carry out his threats. There was nothing for it but obedience, or a ball

"Commander de Jars, and you, Messire Jeannin de Castille, king's treasurer,you see, my gentles, that

besides the advantage of arms which strike swiftly and surely, I have the further advantage of knowing who

you are, whilst I am myself unknown,you will carry the wounded man into this house, into which I will not

enter, for I have nothing to do within; but I shall remain here; to await your return. After you have handed

over the patient to the doctor, you will procure paper and writenow pay great attentionthat on

November 20th, 1658, about midnight, you, aided by an unknown man, carried to this house, the address of

which you will give, a young man whom you call the Chevalier de Moranges, and pass off as your

"Let me go on: who had been wounded in a fight with swords on the same night behind the church of

"No matter how, I know it for a fact. Having made this declaration, you will add that the said Chevalier de

Moranges is no other than JosephineCharlotte Boullenois, whom you, commander, abducted four months

ago from the convent of La Raquette, whom you have made your mistress, and whom you conceal disguised

De Jars and Jeannin were speechless with surprise for a few instants; then the former stammered

"The devil in person, if you like. Well, will you do as I order? Supposing that I am awkward enough not to

kill you at two paces, do you want me to ask you in broad daylight and aloud what I now ask at night and in a

whisper? And don't think to put me off with a false declaration, relying on my not being able to read it by the

light of the moon; don't think either that you can take me by surprise when you hand it me: you will bring it

to me with your swords sheathed as now. If this condition is not observed, I shall fire, and the noise will bring

a crowd about us. Tomorrow I shall speak differently from today: I shall proclaim the truth at all the street

corners, in the squares, and under the windows of the Louvre. It is hard, I know, for men of spirit to yield to

threats, but recollect that you are in my power and that there is no disgrace in paying a ransom for a life that

In spite of his natural courage, Jeannin, who found himself involved in an affair from which he had nothing to

gain, and who was not at all desirous of being suspected of having helped in an abduction, whispered to the

De Jars, however, before replying, wished to try if he could by any chance throw his enemy off his guard for

an instant, so as to take him unawares. His hand still rested on the hilt of his sword, motionless, but ready to

"You can't catch me in that way," said Quennebert. "Even were there anyone coming, I should not look

"Well," said Jeannin, "I surrender at discretionnot on my own account, but out of regard for my friend and

this woman. However, we are entitle to some pledge of your silence. This statement that you demand, once

"I don't yet know what use I shall make of it, gentlemen. Make up your minds, or you will have nothing but a

"And I swear upon my honour that I will never try to get this woman out of your hands, and that I will never

interfere with your conquest. Knock, gentlemen, and remain as long as may be necessary. I am patient. Pray

They entered the house, and Quennebert, wrapping himself once more in his mantle, walked up and down

before it, stopping to listen from time to time. In about two hours the commander and the treasurer came out

He then withdrew, walking backwards, keeping the two friends covered with his pistols until he had placed a

The two gentlemen on their part walked rapidly away, looking round from time to time, and keeping their

ears open. They were very much mortified at having been forced to let a mere boor dictate to them, and

On the day following this extraordinary series of adventures, explanations between those who were mixed up

in them, whether as actors or spectators, were the order of the day. It was not till Maitre Quennebert reached

the house of the friend who had offered to put him up for the night that it first dawned on him, that the

interest which the Chevalier de Moranges had awakened in his mind had made him utterly forget the bag

containing the twelve hundred livres which he owed to the generosity of the widow. This money being

necessary to him, he went back to her early next morning. He found her hardly recovered from her terrible

fright. Her swoon had lasted far beyond the time when the notary had left the house; and as Angelique, not

daring to enter the bewitched room, had taken refuge in the most distant corner of her apartments, the feeble

call of the widow was heard by no one. Receiving no answer, Madame Rapally groped her way into the next

room, and finding that empty, buried herself beneath the bedclothes, and passed the rest of the night dreaming

of drawn swords, duels, and murders. As soon as it was light she ventured into the mysterious room once

more; without calling her servants, and found the bag of crowns lying open on the floor, with the coins

scattered all around, the partition broken, and the tapestry hanging from it in shreds. The widow was near

fainting again: she imagined at first she saw stains of blood everywhere, but a closer inspection having

somewhat reassured her, she began to pick up the coins that had rolled to right and left, and was agreeably

surprised to find the tale complete. But how and why had Maitre Quennebert abandoned them? What had

become of him? She had got lost in the most absurd suppositions and conjectures when the notary appeared.

Discovering from the first words she uttered that she was in complete ignorance of all that had taken place, he

explained to her that when the interview between the chevalier and Mademoiselle de Guerchi had just at the

most interesting moment been so unceremoniously interrupted by the arrival of the duke, he had become so

absorbed in watching them that he had not noticed that the partition was bending before the pressure of his

body, and that just as the duke drew his sword it suddenly gave way, and he, Quennebert, being thus left

without support, tumbled head foremost into the next room, among a perfect chaos of overturned furniture

and lamps; that almost before he could rise he was forced to draw in selfdefence, and had to make his

escape, defending himself against both the duke and the chevalier; that they had pursued him so hotly, that

when he found himself free he was too far from the house and the hour was too advanced to admit of his

returning, Quennebert added innumerable protestations of friendship, devotion, and gratitude, and, furnished

with his twelve hundred crowns, went away, leaving the widow reassured as to his safety, but still shaken

While the notary was thus soothing the widow, Angelique was exhausting all the expedients her trade had

taught her in the attempt to remove the duke's suspicions. She asserted she was the victim of an unforeseen

attack which nothing in her conduct had ever authorised. The young Chevalier de Moranges had, gained

admittance, she declared, under the pretext that he brought her news from the duke, the one man who

occupied her thoughts, the sole object of her love. The chevalier had seen her lover, he said, a few days

before, and by cleverly appealing to things back, he had led her to fear that the duke had grown tired of her,

and that a new conquest was the cause of his absence. She had not believed these insinuations, although his

long silence would have justified the most mortifying suppositions, the most cruel doubts. At length the

chevalier had grown bolder, and had declared his passion for her; whereupon she had risen and ordered him

to leave her. Just at that moment the duke had entered, and had taken the natural agitation and confusion of

the chevalier as signs of her guilt. Some explanation was also necessary to account for the presence of the

two other visitors of whom he had been told below stairs. As he knew nothing at all about them, the servant

who admitted them never having seen either of them before, she acknowledged that two gentlemen had called

earlier in the evening; that they had refused to send in their names, but as they had said they had come to

inquire about the duke, she suspected them of having been in league with the chevalier in the attempt to ruin

her reputation, perhaps they had even promised to help him to carry her off, but she knew nothing positive

about them or their plans. The duke, contrary to his wont, did not allow himself to be easily convinced by

these lame explanations, but unfortunately for him the lady knew how to assume an attitude favourable to her

purpose. She had been induced, she said, with the simple confidence born of love, to listen to people who had

led her to suppose they could give her news of one so dear to her as the duke. From this falsehood she

proceeded to bitter reproaches: instead of defending herself, she accused him of having left her a prey to

anxiety; she went so far as to imply that there must be some foundation for the hints of the chevalier, until at

last the duke, although he was not guilty of the slightest infidelity, and had excellent reasons to give in

justification of his silence, was soon reduced to a penitent mood, and changed his threats into entreaties for

forgiveness. As to the shriek he had heard, and which he was sure had been uttered by the stranger who had

forced his way into her room after the departure of the others, she asserted that his ears must have deceived

him. Feeling that therein lay her best chance of making things smooth, she exerted herself to convince him

that there was no need for other information than she could give, and did all she could to blot the whole affair

from his memory; and her success was such that at the end of the interview the duke was more enamoured

and more credulous than ever, and believing he had done her wrong, he delivered himself up to her, bound

Madame Rapally also resolved to give up her rooms, and removed to a house that belonged to her, on the

The commander took the condition of Charlotte Boullenois very much to heart. The physician under whose

care he had placed her, after examining her wounds, had not given much hope of her recovery. It was not that

de Jars was capable of a lasting love, but Charlotte was young and possessed great beauty, and the romance

and mystery surrounding their connection gave it piquancy. Charlotte's disguise, too, which enabled de Jars to

conceal his success and yet flaunt it in the face, as it were, of public morality and curiosity, charmed him by

its audacity, and above all he was carried away by the bold and uncommon character of the girl, who, not

content with a prosaic intrigue, had trampled underfoot all social prejudices and proprieties, and plunged at

once into unmeasured and unrestrained dissipation; the singular mingling in her nature of the vices of both

sexes; the unbridled licentiousness of the courtesan coupled with the devotion of a man for horses, wine, and

fencing; in short, her eccentric character, as it would now be called, kept a passion alive which would else

have quickly died away in his blase heart. Nothing would induce him to follow Jeannin's advice to leave Paris

for at least a few weeks, although he shared Jeannin's fear that the statement they had been forced to give the

stranger would bring them into trouble. The treasurer, who had no love affair on hand, went off; but the

commander bravely held his ground, and at the end of five or six days, during which no one disturbed him,

began to think the only result of the incident would be the anxiety it had caused him.

Every evening as soon as it was dark he betook himself to the doctor's, wrapped in his cloak, armed to the

teeth, and his hat pulled down over his eyes. For two days and nights, Charlotte, whom to avoid confusion we

shall continue to call the Chevalier de Moranges, hovered between life and death. Her youth and the strength

of her constitution enabled her at last to overcome the fever, in spite of the want of skill of the surgeon

Although de Jars was the only person who visited the chevalier, he was not the only one who was anxious

about the patient's health. Maitre Quennebert, or men engaged by him to watch, for he did not want to attract

attention, were always prowling about the neighbourhood, so that he was kept well informed of everything

that went on: The instructions he gave to these agents were, that if a funeral should leave the house, they were

to find out the name of the deceased, and then to let him know without delay. But all these precautions

seemed quite useless: he always received the same answer to all his questions, "We know nothing." So at last

he determined to address himself directly to the man who could give him information on which he could rely.

One night the commander left the surgeon's feeling more cheerful than usual, for the chevalier had passed a

good day, and there was every hope that he was on the road to complete recovery. Hardly had de Jars gone

twenty paces when someone laid a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw a man whom, in the darkness, he

"Excuse me for detaining you, Commander de Jars," said Quennebert, "but I have a word to say to you."

"Ali! so it's you, sir," replied the commander. "Are you going at last to give me the opportunity I was so

"We are on more equal terms this time; today you don't catch me unprepared, almost without weapons, and

"A truce to pleasantry, sir; don't make me regret that I have shown myself more generous than you. I might

have killed you just now had I wished. I could have put my pistol to your breast and fired, or said to you,

"It would have been the most unfortunate thing for you that could have happened, for if you had killed me the

paper would have spoken. So! you think that if you were to assassinate me you would only have to stoop over

my dead body and search my pockets, and, having found the incriminating document, destroy it. You seem to

have formed no very high opinion of my intelligence and common sense. You of the upper classes don't need

these qualities, the law is on, your side. But when a humble individual like myself, a mere nobody,

undertakes to investigate a piece of business about which those in authority are not anxious to be enlightened,

precautions are necessary. It's not enough for him to have right on his side, he must, in order to secure his

own safety, make good use of his skill, courage, and knowledge. I have no desire to humiliate you a second

time, so I will say no more. The paper is in the hands of my notary, and if a single day passes without his

seeing me he has orders to break the seal and make the contents public. So you see chance is still on my side.

But now that you are warned there is no need for me to bluster. I am quite prepared to acknowledge your

"Take care, commander; don't deceive me. One is so easily tempted to believe what one hopes, and I hope so

strongly that I dare not believe what you say. I saw you coming out of the house, not at all with the air of a

man who had just heard bad news, (quite the contrary: you looked at the sky, and rubbed your hands, and

"I have already explained to you, sir, that when one of us belonging to a class hardly better than serfs

succeeds by chance or force of character in getting out of the narrow bounds in which he was born, he must

keep both eyes and ears open. If I had doubted your word as you have doubted mine on the merest suspicion,

you would have said to your servants, 'Chastise this rascal.' But I am obliged to prove to you that you did not

"What do you mean?" cried de Jars, who was growing restive under this cold, satirical politeness.

"Do me justice, commander. The bit chafes, but yet you must acknowledge that I have a light hand. For a full

week you have been in my power. Have I disturbed your quiet? Have I betrayed your secret? You know I

have not. And I shall continue to act in the same manner. I hope with all my heart, however great would be

your grief; that the chevalier may die of his wound. I have not the same reasons for loving him that you have,

so much you can readily understand, even if I do not explain the cause of my interest in his fate. But in such a

matter hopes count for nothing; they cannot make his temperature either rise or fall. I have told you I have no

wish to force the chevalier to resume his real name. I may make use of the document and I may not, but if I

am obliged to use it I shall give you warning. Will you, in return, swear to me upon your honour that you will

keep me informed as to the fate of the chevalier, whether you remain in Paris or whether you leave? But let

this agreement be a secret between us, and do not mention it to the socalled Moranges."

"I have your oath, monsieur, that you will give me notice before you use the document I have given you

"My course of action till today, and the fact that I have pledged you my word of my own free will."

"I hope not; but meantime a premature disclosure would do me as much harm as you. I have not the slightest

rancour against you, commander; you have robbed me of no treasure; I have therefore no compensation to

demand. What you place such value on would be only a burden to me, as it will be to you later on. All I want

is, to know as soon as it is no longer in your possession, whether it has been removed by the will of God or

by your own, I am right in thinking that today there is some hope of the chevalier's recovery, am I not?"

"Do you give me your promise that if ever he leave this house safe and sound you will let me know?"

"I should have thought that since our first meeting you would have found out all about me, and that to tell you

my name would be superfluous. But I have no reason to hide it: Maitre Quennebert, notary, SaintDenis. I

will not detain you any longer now, commander; excuse a simple citizen for dictating conditions to a noble

such as you. For once chance has been on my side although a score of times it has gone against me.

De Jars made no reply except a nod, and walked away quickly, muttering words of suppressed anger between

his teeth at all the humiliations to which he had been obliged to submit so meekly.

"He's as insolent as a varlet who has no fear of a larruping before his eyes: how the rapscallion gloried in

taking advantage of his position! Takingoff his hat while putting his foot on my neck! If ever I can be even

with you, my worthy scrivener, you'll pass a very bad quarter of an hour, I can tell you."

Everyone has his own idea of what constitutes perfect honour. De Jars, for instance, would have allowed

himself to be cut up into little pieces rather than have broken the promise he had given Quennebert a week

ago, because it was given in exchange for his life, and the slightest paltering with his word under those

circumstances would have been dastardly. But the engagement into which he had just entered had in his eyes

no such moral sanction; he had not been forced into it by threats, he had escaped by its means no serious

danger, and therefore in regard to it his conscience was much more accommodating. What he should best

have liked to do, would have been to have sought out the notary and provoked him by insults to send him a

That a clown such as that could have any chance of leaving the ground alive never entered his head. But

willingly as he would have encompassed his death in this manner, the knowledge that his secret would not

die with Quennebert restrained him, for when everything came out he felt that the notary's death would be

regarded as an aggravation of his original offence, and in spite of his rank he was not at all certain that if he

were put on his trial even now he would escape scot free, much less if a new offence were added to the

indictment. So, however much he might chafe against the bit, he felt he must submit to the bridle.

"By God!" said he, "I know what the clodhopper is after; and even if I must suffer in consequence, I shall

take good care that he cannot shake off his bonds. Wait a bit! I can play the detective too, and be down on

him without letting him see the hand that deals the blows. It'll be a wonder if I can't find a naked sword to

However, while thus brooding over projects of vengeance, Commander de Jars kept his word, and about a

month after the interview above related he sent word to Quennebert that the Chevalier de Moranges had left

Perregaud's completely recovered from his wound. But the nearly fatal result of the chevalier's last prank

seemed to have subdued his adventurous spirit; he was no longer seen in public, and was soon forgotten by

all his acquaintances with the exception of Mademoiselle de Guerchi. She faithfully treasured up the memory

of his words of passion, his looks of love, the warmth of his caresses, although at first she struggled hard to

chase his image from her heart. But as the Due de Vitry assured her that he had killed him on the spot, she

considered it no breach of faith to think lovingly of the dead, and while she took the goods so bounteously

provided by her living lover, her gentlest thoughts, her most enduring regrets, were given to one whom she

With the reader's permission, we must now jump over an interval of rather more than a year, and bring upon

the stage a person who, though only of secondary importance, can no longer be left behind the scenes.

We have already said that the loves of Quennebert and Madame Rapally were regarded with a jealous eye by

a distant cousin of the lady's late husband. The love of this rejected suitor, whose name was Trumeau, was no

more sincere than the notary's, nor were his motives more honourable. Although his personal appearance was

not such as to lead him to expect that his path would be strewn with conquests, he considered that his charms

at least equalled those of his defunct relative; and it may be said that in thus estimating them he did not lay

himselfopen to the charge of overweening vanity. But however persistently he preened him self before the

widow, she vouchsafed him not one glance. Her heart was filled with the love of his rival, and it is no easy

thing to tear a rooted passion out of a widow's heart when that widow's age is fortysix, and she is silly

enough to believe that the admiration she feels is equalled by the admiration she inspires, as the unfortunate

Trumeau found to his cost. All his carefully prepared declarations of love, all his skilful insinuations against

Quennebert, brought him nothing but scornful rebuffs. But Trumeau was nothing if not persevering, and he

could not habituate himself to the idea of seeing the widow's fortune pass into other hands than his own, so

that every baffled move only increased his determination to spoil his competitor's game. He was always on

the watch for a chance to carry tales to the widow, and so absorbed did he become in this fruitless pursuit,

that he grew yellower and more dried up from day to day, and to his jaundiced eye the man who was at first

simply his rival became his mortal enemy and the object of his implacable hate, so that at length merely to

get the better of him, to outwit him, would, after so longcontinued and obstinate a struggle and so many

Quennebert was well aware of the zeal with which the indefatigable Trumeau sought to injure him. But he

regarded the manoeuvres of his rival with supreme unconcern, for he knew that he could at any time sweep

away the network of cunning machinations, underhand insinuations, and malicious hints, which was spread

around him, by allowing the widow to confer on him the advantages she was so anxious to bestow. The goal,

he knew, was within his reach, but the problem he had to solve was how to linger on the way thither, how to

defer the triumphal moment, how to keep hope alive in the fair one's breast and yet delay its fruition. His

affairs were in a bad way. Day by day full possession of the fortune thus dangled before his eyes, and

fragments of which came to him occasionally by way of loan, was becoming more and more indispensable,

and tantalising though it was, yet he dared not put out his hand to seize it. His creditors dunned him

relentlessly: one final reprieve had been granted him, but that at an end, if he could not meet their demands, it

One morning in the beginning of February 1660, Trumeau called to see his cousin. He had not been there for

nearly a month, and Quennebert and the widow had begun to think that, hopeless of success, he had retired

from the contest. But, far from that, his hatred had grown more intense than ever, and having come upon the

traces of an event in the past life of his rival which if proved would be the ruin of that rival's hopes, he set

himself to gather evidence. He now made his appearance with beaming looks, which expressed a joy too

great for words. He held in one hand a small scroll tied with a ribbon. He found the widow alone, sitting in a

large easychair before the fire. She was reading for the twentieth time a letter which Quenriebert had written

her the evening before. To judge by the happy and contented expression of the widow's face, it must have

been couched in glowing terms. Trumeau guessed at once from whom the missive came, but the sight of it,

"Ah! so it's you, cousin?" said the widow, folding the precious paper and slipping it into the bosom of her

dress. "How do you do? It's a long time since I saw you, more than a fortnight, I think. Have you been ill?"

"So you remarked my absence! That is very flattering, my dear cousin; you do not often spoil me by such

attentions. No, I have not been ill, thank God, but I thought it better not to intrude upon you so often. A

friendly call now and then such as today's is what you like, is it not? By the way, tell me about your

"No, and I should be exceedingly sorry to hear that anything unpleasant had happened to him."

"Well, to speak the truth, I have no great reason to like him. If it were not for him, I should perhaps have been

happy today; my love might have moved your heart. However, I have become resigned to my loss, and

since your choice has fallen on him,and here he. sighed,"well, all I can say is, I hope you may never

"Many thanks for your goodwill, cousin; I am delighted to find you in such a benevolent mood. You must not

be vexed because I could not give you the kind of love you wanted; the heart, you know, is not amenable to

"I mention it for your good more than for my own. If you want to be happy, don't let this handsome

quilldriver get you entirely into his hands. You are saying to yourself that because of my illsuccess with

you I am trying to injure him; but what if I could prove that he does not love you as much as he pretends?"

"Come, come, control your naughty tongue! Are you going to begin backbiting again? You are playing a

mean part, Trumeau. I have never hinted to Maitre Quennebert all the nasty little ways in which you have

tried to put a spoke in his wheel, for if he knew he would ask you to prove your words, and then you would

"Not at all, I swear to you. On the contrary, if I were to tell all I know in his presence, it is not I who would

be disconcerted. Oh! I am weary of meeting with nothing from you but snubs, scorn, and abuse. You think

me a slanderer when I say, 'This gallant wooer of widows does not love you for yourself but for your

"Jealousy has eaten away whatever brains you used to possess, Trumeau. Since I saw you last, cousin,

important changes have taken place: I was just going to send you today an invitation to my wedding."

"It is so possible that you will see us united tomorrow. And for the future I must beg of you to regard

Quennebert no longer as a rival but as my husband, whom to offend will be to offend me."

The tone in which these words were spoken no longer left room for doubt as to the truth of the news.

Trumeau looked down for a few moments, as if reflecting deeply before definitely making up his mind. He

twisted the little roll of papers between his fingers, and seemed to be in doubt whether to open it and give it

to Madame Rapally to read or not. In the end, however, he put it in his pocket, rose, and approaching his

"I beg your pardon, this news completely changes my opinion. From the moment Maitre Quennebert

becomes your husband I shall not have a word to say against him. My suspicions were unjust, I confess it

frankly, and I hope that in consideration of the motives which prompted me you will forget the warmth of my

attacks. I shall make no protestations, but shall let the future show how sincere is my devotion to your

Madame Rapally was too happy, too certain of being loved, not to pardon easily. With the selfcomplacency

and factitious generosity of a woman who feels herself the object of two violent passions, she was so good as

to feel pity for the lover who was left out in the cold, and offered him her hand. Trumeau kissed it with every

outward mark of respect, while his lips curled unseen in a smite of mockery. The cousins parted, apparently

the best of friends, and on the understanding that Trumeau would be present at the nuptial benediction, which

was to be given in a church beyond the town hall, near the house in which the newlymarried couple were to

live; the house on the Pont SaintMichel having lately been sold to great advantage.

"On my word," said Trumeau, as he went off, "it would have been a great mistake to have spoken. I have got

that wretch of a Quennebert into my clutches at last; and there is nobody but himself to blame. He is taking

the plunge of his own free will, there is no need for me to shove him off the precipice."

The ceremony took place next day. Quennebert conducted his interesting bride to the altar, she hung with

ornaments like the shrine of a saint, and, beaming all over with smiles, looked so ridiculous that the

handsome bridegroom reddened to the roots of his hair with shame. Just as they entered the church, a coffin,

on which lay a sword, and which was followed by a single mourner, who from his manners and dress seemed

to belong to the class of nobles, was carried in by the same door. The wedding guests drew back to let the

funeral pass on, the living giving precedence to the dead. The solitary mourner glanced by chance at

"What an unlucky meeting!" murmured Madame Rapally; "it is sure to be a bad omen."

The two ceremonies took place simultaneously in two adjoining chapels; the funeral dirges which fell on the

widow's ear full of sinister prediction seemed to have quite another meaning for Quennebert, for his features

lost their look of care, his wrinkles smoothed themselves out, till the guests, among whom was Trumeau, who

did not suspect the secret of his relief from suspense, began to believe, despite their surprise, that he was

As for her, she fleeted the daylight hours by anticipating the joyful moment when she would have her

husband all to herself. When night came, hardly had she entered the nuptial chamber than she uttered a

piercing shriek. She had just found and read a paper left on the bed by Trumeau, who before leaving had

contrived to glide into the room unseen. Its contents were of terrible import, so terrible that the newmade

Quennebert, who, without a smile, was absorbed in reflections on the happiness at last within his grasp, heard

the noise from the next room, and rushing in, picked up his wife. Catching sight of the paper, he also uttered a

cry of anger and astonishment, but in whatever circumstances he found himself he was never long uncertain

how to act. Placing Madame Quennebert, still unconscious, on the bed, he called her maid, and, having

impressed on her that she was to take every care of her mistress, and above all to tell her from him as soon as

she came to herself that there was no cause for alarm, he left the house at once. An hour later, in spite of the

efforts of the servants, he forced his way into the presence of Commander de Jars. Holding out the fateful

"Speak openly, commander! Is it you who in revenge for your long constraint have done this? I can hardly

think so, for after what has happened you know that I have nothing to fear any longer. Still, knowing my

secret and unable to do it in any other way, have you perchance taken your revenge by an attempt to destroy

The commander solemnly assured him that he had had no hand in bringing about the discovery.

'Then if it's not you, it must be a worthless being called Trumeau, who, with the unerring instinct of jealousy,

has run the truth to earth. But he knows only half: I have never been either so much in love or so stupid as to

allow myself to be trapped. I have given you my promise to be discreet and not to misuse my power, and as

long as was compatible with my own safety I have kept my word. But now you must see that I am bound to

defend myself, and to do that I shall be obliged to summon you as a witness. So leave Paris tonight and seek

out some safe retreat where no one can find you, for tomorrow I shall speak. Of course if I am quit for a

woman's tears, if no more difficult task lies before me than to soothe a weeping wife, you can return

immediately; but if, as is too probable, the blow has been struck by the hand of a rival furious at having been

defeated, the matter will not so easily be cut short; the arm of the law will be invoked, and then I must get my

"You are quite right, sir," answered the commander; "I fear that my influence at court is not strong enough to

enable me to brave the matter out. Well, my success has cost me dear, but it has cured me for ever of seeking

out similar adventures. My preparations will not take long, and tomorrow's dawn will find me far from

The accusation hanging over the head of Maitre Quennebert was a very serious one, threatening his life, if

proved. But he was not uneasy; he knew himself in possession of facts which would enable him to refute it

The platonic love of Angelique de Guerchi for the handsome Chevalier de Moranges had resulted, as we have

seen, in no practical wrong to the Duc de Vitry. After her reconciliation with her lover, brought about by the

eminently satisfactory explanations she was able to give of her conduct, which we have already laid before

our readers, she did not consider it advisable to shut her heart to his pleadings much longer, and the

consequence was that at the end of a year she found herself in a condition which it was necessary to conceal

from everyone. To Angelique herself, it is true, the position was not new, and she felt neither grief nor shame,

regarding the coming event as a means of making her future more secure by forging a new link in the chain

which bound the duke to her. But he, sure that but for himself Angelique would never have strayed from

virtue's path, could not endure the thought of her losing her reputation and becoming an object for scandal to

point her finger at; so that Angelique, who could not well seem less careful of her good name than he, was

obliged to turn his song of woe into a duet, and consent to certain measures being taken.

One evening, therefore, shortly before Maitre Quennebert's marriage, the fair lady set out, ostensibly on a

journey which was to last a fortnight or three weeks. In reality she only made a circle in a postchaise round

Paris, which she reentered at one of the barriers, where the duke awaited her with a sedanchair. In this she

was carried to the very house to which de Jars had brought his pretended nephew after the duel. Angelique,

who had to pay dearly for her errors, remained there only twentyfour hours, and then left in her coffin,

which was hidden in a cellar under the palace of the Prince de Conde, the body being covered with quicklime.

Two days after this dreadful death, Commander de Jars presented himself at the fatal house, and engaged a

This house, which we are about to ask the reader to enter with us, stood at the corner of the rue de la

Tixeranderie and the rue DeuxPortes. There was nothing in the exterior of it to distinguish it from any other,

unless perhaps two brass plates, one of which bore the words MARIE LEROUXCONSTANTIN, WIDOW,

CERTIFIED MIDWIFE, and the other CLAUDE PERREGAUD, SURGEON. These plates were affixed to

the blank wall in the rue de la Tixeranderie, the windows of the rooms on that side looking into the courtyard.

The house door, which opened directly on the first steps of a narrow winding stair, was on the other side, just

beyond the low arcade under whose vaulted roof access was gained to that end of the rue des DeuxPortes.

This house, though dirty, mean, and out of repair, received many wealthy visitors, whose brilliant equipages

waited for them in the neighbouring streets. Often in the night great ladies crossed its threshold under

assumed names and remained there for several days, during which La Constantin and Claude Perregaud, by

an infamous use of their professional knowledge, restored their clients to an outward appearance of honour,

and enabled them to maintain their reputation for virtue. The first and second floors contained a dozen rooms

in which these abominable mysteries were practised. The large apartment, which served as waiting and

consultation room, was oddly furnished, being crowded with objects of strange and unfamiliar form. It

resembled at once the operatingroom of a surgeon, the laboratory of a chemist and alchemist, and the den of

a sorcerer. There, mixed up together in the greatest confusion, lay instruments of all sorts, caldrons and

retorts, as well as books containing the most absurd ravings of the human mind. There were the twenty folio

volumes of Albertus Magnus; the works of his disciple, Thomas de Cantopre, of Alchindus, of Averroes, of

Avicenna, of Alchabitius, of David de PlaineCampy, called L'Edelphe, surgeon to Louis XIII and author of

the celebrated book The Morbific Hydra Exterminated by the Chemical Hercules. Beside a bronze head, such

as the monk Roger Bacon possessed, which answered all the questions that were addressed to it and foretold

the future by means of a magic mirror and the combination of the rules of perspective, lay an eggshell, the

same which had been used by Caret, as d'Aubigne tells us, when making men out of germs, mandrakes, and

crimson silk, over a slow fire. In the presses, which had slidingdoors fastening with secret springs, stood

Jars filled with noxious drugs, the power of which was but too efficacious; in prominent positions, facing

each other, hung two portraits, one representing Hierophilos, a Greek physician, and the other Agnodice his

For several years already La Constantin and Claude Perregaud had carried on their criminal practices without

interference. A number of persons were of course in the secret, but their interests kept them silent, and the

two accomplices had at last persuaded themselves that they were perfectly safe. One evening, however,

Perregaud came home, his face distorted by terror and trembling in every limb. He had been warned while

out that the suspicions of the authorities had been aroused in regard to him and La Constantin. It seemed that

some little time ago, the VicarsGeneral had sent a deputation to the president of the chief court of justice,

having heard from their priests that in one year alone six hundred women had avowed in the confessional that

they had taken drugs to prevent their having children. This had been sufficient to arouse the vigilance of the

police, who had set a watch on Perregaud's house, with the result that that very night a raid was to be made on

it. The two criminals took hasty counsel together, but, as usual under such circumstances, arrived at no

practical conclusions. It was only when the danger was upon them that they recovered their presence of mind.

In the dead of night loud knocking at the street door was heard, followed by the command to open in the

"We can yet save ourselves!" exclaimed surgeon, with a sudden flash of inspiration.

"The police are coming up! If they discover your sex you are lost, and so am I. Do as I tell you."

At a sign from him, La Constantin went down and opened the door. While the rooms on the first floor were

being searched, Perregaud made with a lancet a superficial incision in the chevalier's right arm, which gave

very little pain, and bore a close resemblance to a swordcut. Surgery and medicine were at that time so

inextricably involved, required such apparatus, and bristled with such scientific absurdities, that no

astonishment was excited by the extraordinary collection of instruments which loaded the tables and covered

the floors below: even the titles of certain treatises which there had been no time to destroy, awoke no

Fortunately for the surgeon and his accomplice, they had only one patientthe chevalierin their house

when the descent was made. When the chevalier's room was reached, the first thing which the officers of the

law remarked were the hat, spurred boots, and sword of the patient. Claude Perregaud hardly looked up as the

room was invaded; he only made a sign to thosewho came in to be quiet, and went on dressing the wound.

Completely taken in, the officer in command merely asked the name of the patient and the cause of the

wound. La Constantin replied that it' was the young Chevalier de Moranges, nephew of Commander de Jars,

who had had an affair of honour that same night, and being sightly wounded had been brought thither by his

uncle hardly an hour before. These questions and the apparently trustworthy replies elicited by them being

duly taken down, the uninvited visitors retired, having discovered nothing to justify their visit.

All might have been well had there been nothing the matter but the wound on the chevalier's swordarm. But

at the moment when Perregaud gave it to him the poisonous nostrums employed by La Constantin were

already working in his blood. Violent fever ensued, and in three days the chevalier was dead. It was his

Everything turned out as Quennebert had anticipated. Madame Quennebert, furious at the deceit which had

been practised on her, refused to listen to her husband's justification, and Trumeau, not letting the grass grow

under his feet, hastened the next day to launch an accusation of bigamy against the notary; for the paper

which had been found in the nuptial camber was nothing less than an attested copy of a contract of marriage

concluded between Quennebert and JosephineCharlotte Boullenois. It was by the merest chance that

Trumeau had come on the record of the marriage, and he now challenged his rival to produce a certificate of

the death of his first wife. Charlotte Boullenois, after two years of marriage, had demanded a deed of

separation, which demand Quennebert had opposed. While the case was going on she had retired to the

convent of La Raquette, where her intrigue with de Jars began. The commander easily induced her to let

herself be carried off by force. He then concealed his conquest by causing her to adopt male attire, a mode of

dress which accorded marvellously well with her peculiar tastes and rather masculine frame. At first

Quennebert had instituted an active but fruitless search for his missing wife, but soon became habituated to

his state of enforced single blessedness, enjoying to the full the liberty it brought with it. But his business had

thereby suffered, and once having made the acquaintance of Madame Rapally, he cultivated it assiduously,

knowing her fortune would be sufficient to set him straight again with the world, though he was obliged to

exercise the utmost caution and reserve in has intercourse with her, as she on her side displayed none of these

qualities. At last, however, matters came to such a pass that he must either go to prison or run the risk of a

second marriage. So he reluctantly named a day for the ceremony, resolving to leave Paris with Madame

In the short interval which ensued, and while Trumeau was hugging the knowledge of the discovery he had

made, a stroke of luck had brought the pretended chevalier to La Constantin. As Quennebert had kept an eye

on de Jars and was acquainted with all his movements, he was aware of everything that happened at

Perregaud's, and as Charlotte's death preceded his second marriage by one day, he knew that no serious

consequences would ensue from the legal proceedings taken against him. He produced the declarations made

by Mademoiselle de Guerchi and the commander, and had the body exhumed. Extraordinary and improbable

as his defence appeared at first to be, the exhumation proved the truth of his assertions. These revelations,

however, drew the eye of justice again on Perregaud and his partner in crime, and this time their guilt was

brought home to them. They were condemned by parliamentary decree to "be hanged by the neck till they

were dead, on a gallows erected for that purpose at the cross roads of the CroixduTrahoir; their bodies to

remain there for twentyfour hours, then to be cut down and brought back to Paris, where they were to be

It was proved that they had amassed immense fortunes in the exercise of their infamous calling. The entries in

the books seized at their house, though sparse, would have led, if made public, to scandals, involving many in

high places; it was therefore judged best to limit the accusation to the two deaths by bloodpoisoning of