nished reading, "you see what your wif
It is a tissue of misstatements from beginni
ctly genuine. It supplies a most important link in the chain of evidence, and I
e has been instilling insidious poison into her ears for these weeks past. I had my suspicions, but could prove nothing; no
of defence? You cannot deceive me; it would be
ll I know. I repeat, I saw
u. We have the fullest and strongest evidence o
I was the poor man's friend, not his murderer. I tr
ll not
ed with the indignation he felt at being thus bullied and
the judge, his manner growing more insolent, his look
h a dogged, obstinate silence, the result
n several times without eliciting any reply. "Take him away! Let him be kept in
ny winding passages, down a steep staircase to an underground passage, ending in a dungeon-like roo
them for paper, pens, and ink; he wished, he said, to make a full statement of his case to the British Embassy, and demand its protection. Still no reply. Maddened by this contemptuous treatment, and despairing almost of justice, he begged, entreated the warder to take pity on
ch against him; the facts, as stated by the judge, might be grossly misrepresented; but how was he to dispute them? There was no justice in this miserable country, with su
fe; of the woman for whom he had sacrificed everything-profession, fortune, name, the affection of relatives, the respect of friends. With bas
by such hideous dreams. He was told to dress himself and come out. A
ng me? Again before
re respectfully," replied one
, his interrogating me. I
ied the other
de of it, and out into the open air. There was a cab drawn up close to the door, the prisoner was ordered to get in, one poli
taking me?" a
replied his co
other
permitted to enter into co
knew from the narrowness of the river that it was not the main stream of the Seine. It was still early morning; the streets were not as yet very crowded, but as the cab entered a wide square it came upon a throng issuing from the portals of a large church, the congregation that had been a
e been part of an old-clothes shop. All round, hanging from pegs, each neatly ticketed with its own number, were sets o
he room sat Gascoigne's judge, with the sa
, abruptly-"will you
him contemptuously,
l obstinately persist in remainin
is chair, and disappear
escort bade him march, and the th
bove, perfectly plain-even bald-in its decoration, but in the centre, occupying the greater part of the space, and leaving room only for a passage around, was a large flat slab of marble, something l
Seine that morning; the second that of a stonemason who had fallen from a scaffolding and broken his neck and both legs; the third was the murdered man of the H?te
g forward to scrutinise narrowly the effect of
he Englishman certainly had started at the first sight of the corpse, but it was a natural movement of horror which might have escaped any unconcerned spectator at being brought i
ow will you confess?" cried t
tly. Then, as if in apology to himself, he added, "I c
rience"-this was to the police and the chief custodian of the Morgue-"I have never come across a more cold-blooded, cynical wretch; but he shall not beat me;
mount to a sentence of unlimited impriso
-enter it; one of them took his seat by his side as before, the other remo
ul treatment he had received. To be arraigned as a criminal prematurely, his guilt taken for granted on the testimony of unseen witnesses whose e
of appeal to his ambassador; he was forbidden to communicate with his friend
! Es
g practical shape. Surely it was worth his while to make an effort
ittle better than a foot's pace; the door next which he sat was on the side of the river. What if he knocked his guardian senseless, striking him a couple of British blows-one, two, straight
isoner's exit until his comrade on the box could come to the rescue; or that some officious bystander might act on the side of the l
d'Arcole. There was no time to be lost; at any moment it might turn down from the river, taking one of the cross streets. Setting his teeth firmly, and nerving himself for a supr
the cab; the next instant Gascoigne had op
ive the alarm. This came first from the policeman who had been assaulted, who, recovering quickly from the attack, roared lustily to his fellow for help. The cab stopped, the official
attling with the rapid stream. Both fired, almost sim
and then sank, leaving a smal
nswering the Englishman's description was ever recovered from the river; nor, on the other