The lawyer was evidently very much embarra.s.sed; and he looked with unmistakable distress, first at Dionysia, and then at the two old aunts.

But n.o.body noticed this, and so he said,--

"I must ask to be left alone with these gentlemen."

In the most docile manner the Misses Lavarande rose, and took their niece and Jacques's mother with them: the latter was evidently near fainting. As soon as the door was shut, Grandpapa Chandore, half mad with grief, exclaimed,--

"Thanks, M. Magloire, thanks for having given me time to prepare my poor child for the terrible blow. I see but too well what you are going to say. Jacques is guilty."

"Stop," said the advocate: "I have said nothing of the kind. M. de Boiscoran still protests energetically that he is innocent; but he states in his defence a fact which is so entirely improbable, so utterly inadmissible"--

"But what does he say?" asked M. Seneschal.

"He says that the Countess Claudieuse has been his mistress."

Dr. Seignebos started, and, readjusting his spectacles, he cried triumphantly,--

"I said so! I have guessed it!"

M. Folgat had, on this occasion, very naturally, no deliberative voice.

He came from Paris, with Paris ideas; and, whatever he might have been told, the name of the Countess Claudieuse revealed to him nothing. But, from the effect which it produced upon the others, he could judge what Jacques's accusation meant. Far from being of the doctor's opinion M.

de Chandore and M. Seneschal both seemed to be as much shocked as M.

Magloire.

"That is incredible," said one.

"That is impossible," added the other.

M. Magloire shook his head, and said,--

"That is exactly what I told Jacques."

But the doctor was not the man to be surprised at what public opinion said, much less to fear it. He exclaimed,--

"Don't you hear what I say? Don't you understand me? The proof that the thing is neither so incredible nor so impossible is, that I had suspected it. And there were signs of it, I should think. Why on earth should a man like Jacques, young, rich, well made, in love with a charming girl, and beloved by her, why should he amuse himself with setting houses on fire, and killing people? You tell me he did not like Count Claudieuse. Upon my word! If everybody who does not like Dr.

Seignebos were to come and fire at him forthwith, do you know my body would look like a sieve! Among you all, M. Folgat is the only one who has not been struck with blindness."

The young lawyer tried modestly to protest.

"Sir"--

But the other cut him short, and went on,--

"Yes, sir, you saw it all; and the proof of it is, that you at once went to work in search of the real motive, the heart,--in fine, the woman at the bottom of the riddle. The proof of it is, that you went and asked everybody,--Anthony, M. de Chandore, M. Seneschal, and myself,--if M. de Boiscoran had not now, or had not had, some love-affair in the country.

They all said No, being far from suspecting the truth. I alone, without giving you a positive answer, told you that I thought as you did, and told you so in M. de Chandore's presence."

"That is so!" replied the old gentleman and M. Folgat.

Dr. Seignebos was triumphant. Gesticulating, and continually handling his spectacles, he added,--

"You see I have learnt to mistrust appearances; and hence I had my misgivings from the beginning. I watched the Countess Claudieuse the night of the fire; and I saw that she looked embarra.s.sed, troubled, suspicious. I wondered at her readiness to yield to M. Galpin's whim, and to allow Cocoleu to be examined; for I knew that she was the only one who could ever make that so-called idiot talk. You see I have good eyes, gentlemen, in spite of my spectacles. Well, I swear by all I hold most sacred, on my Republican faith, I am ready to affirm upon oath, that, when Cocoleu uttered Jacques de Boiscoran's name, the countess exhibited no sign of surprise."

Never before, in their life, had the mayor of Sauveterre and Dr.

Seignebos been able to agree on any subject. This question was not likely to produce such an effect all of a sudden: hence M. Seneschal said,--

"I was present at Cocoleu's examination, and I noticed, on the contrary, the amazement of the countess."

The doctor raised his shoulders, and said,--

"Certainly she said, 'Ah!' But that is no proof. I, also, could very easily say, 'Ah!' if anybody should come and tell me that the mayor of Sauveterre was in the wrong; and still I should not be surprised."

"Doctor!" said M. de Chandore, anxious to conciliate,--"doctor!"

But Dr. Seignebos had already turned to M. Magloire, whom he was anxious to convert, and went on,--

"Yes, the face of the Countess Claudieuse, expressed amazement; but her eyes spoke of bitter, fierce hatred, of joy, and of vengeance. And that is not all. Will you please tell me, Mr. Mayor, when Count Claudieuse was roused by the fire, was the countess by him? No, she was nursing her youngest daughter, who had the measles. Hm! What do you think of measles which make sitting up at night necessary? And when the two shots were fired, where was the countess then? Still with her daughter, and on the other side of the house from where the fire was."

The mayor of Sauveterre was no less obstinate than the doctor. He at once objected,--

"I beg you will notice, doctor, that Count Claudieuse himself deposed how, when he ran to the fire, he found the door shut from within, just as he had left it a few hours before."

Dr. Seignebos returned a most ironical bow, and then asked,--

"Is there really only one door in the chateau at Valpinson?"

"To my knowledge," said M. de Chandore, "there are at least three."

"And I must say," added M. Magloire, "that according to M. de Boiscoran's statement, the countess, on that evening, had gone out by the laundry-door when she came to meet him."

"What did I say?" exclaimed the doctor.

And, wiping his gla.s.ses in a perfect rage, he added,--

"And the children! Does Mr. Mayor think it natural that the Countess Claudieuse, this incomparable mother in his estimation, should forget her children in the height of the fire?"

"What! The poor woman is called out by the discharge of fire-arms; she sees her house on fire; she stumbles over the lifeless body of her husband: and you blame her for not having preserved all her presence of mind."

"That is one view of it; but it is not the one I take. I rather think that the countess, having been delayed out of doors, was prevented by the fire from getting in again. I think, also, that Cocoleu came very opportunely; and that it was very lucky Providence should inspire his mind with that sublime idea of saving the children at the risk of his life."

This time M. Seneschal made no reply.

"Supported by all these facts," continued the doctor, "my suspicions became so strong that I determined to ascertain the truth, if I could.

The next day I questioned the countess, and, I must confess, rather treacherously. Her replies and her looks were not such as to modify my views. When I asked her, looking straight into her eyes, what she thought of Cocoleu's mental condition, she nearly fainted; and she could hardly make me hear her when she said that she occasionally caught glimpses of intelligence in him. When I asked her if Cocoleu was fond of her, she said, in a most embarra.s.sed manner, that his devotion was that of an animal which is grateful for the care taken of him. What do you think of that, gentlemen? To me it appeared that Cocoleu was at the bottom of the whole affair; that he knew the truth; and that I should be able to save Jacques, if I could prove Cocoleu's imbecility to be a.s.sumed, and his speechlessness to be an imposture. And I would have proved it, if they had a.s.sociated with me any one else but this a.s.s and this jackanapes from Paris."

He paused for a few seconds; but, without giving anybody time to reply, he went on,--

"Now, let us go back to our point of departure, and draw our conclusions. Why do you think it so improbable and impossible that the countess Claudieuse should have betrayed her duties? Because she has a world-wide reputation for purity and prudence. Well. But was not Jacques de Boiscoran's reputation as a man of honor also above all doubt?

According to your views, it is absurd to suspect the countess of having had a lover. According to my notions, it is absurd that Jacques should, overnight, have become a scoundrel."

"Oh! that is not the same thing," said M. Seneschal.