of the bottles of wine sent to Abbe Clarisse and of his inopportune death were revived; all the unpleasant rumours that had formerly circulated around Donnay were amplified, made grosser, and elevated to the position of accomplished facts.  It was decided that poison “was a weapon familiar to the Marquise of Combray,” and as, after having replied satisfactorily to all the first questions asked her, she remained mute on this point, a murmur of disapprobation ran round the audience, to the great joy of Licquet.  “The prisoner,” he notes, “whose sex and age at first rendered her interesting, has lost to-day every vestige of popularity.”

We know nothing of Mme. Acquet’s examination, and but little of Chauveau-Lagarde’s pleading; a leaf that escaped from his portfolio and was picked up by Mme. de Combray gives a few particulars.  This paper has some pencilled notes, and two or three questions written to Mme. Acquet on the prisoners’ bench, to which she scrawled a few words in reply.  We find there a sketch of the theme which the advocate developed, doubtless to palliate his client’s misconduct.

“Mme. Acquet is reproached with her liaisons with Le Chevalier; she can answer—­or one can answer for her—­that she suffered ill-treatment of all kinds for four years from a man who was her husband only from interest, so much so that he tried to get rid of her....  Fearful at one time of being poisoned, at another of having her brains dashed out,... her suit for separation had brought her in touch with Le Chevalier, whom she had not known until her husband let him loose on her in order to bring about an understanding....”

During the fifteen sittings of the court a restless crowd filled the hall, the courts of the Palais, and the narrow streets leading to it.  At eight o’clock in the morning of December 30th, the president, Carel, declared the trial closed, and the court retired to “form its opinions.”  Not till three o’clock did the bell announce the return of the magistrates.  The verdict was immediately pronounced.  Capital punishment was the portion of Mme. Acquet, Flierle, Lefebre, Harel, Grand-Charles, Fleur d’Epine, Le Hericey, Gautier-Boismale, Lemarchand and Alexandre Buquet.  The Marquise de Combray was condemned to twenty-two years’ imprisonment in irons, and so were Lerouge, called Bornet, Vannier and Bureau-Placene.  The others were acquitted, but had to be detained “for the decision of his Excellency, the minister-of-police.”  The Marquise was, besides, to restore to the treasury the total sum of money taken.  Whilst the verdict was being read, the people crowded against the barriers till they could no longer move, eagerly scanning the countenances of the two women.  The old Marquise, much agitated, declaimed in a loud voice against the Procurer-General:  “Ah! the monster!  The scoundrel!  How he has treated us!”