The continuation of the trial was postponed to await the results of the warrants issued for the arrest of the assassin.  People compared my trial to that of Calas, and the comparison had no sooner become a general topic of conversation than my judges, finding themselves exposed to a thousand shafts, realized very vividly that hatred and prejudice are bad counsellors and dangerous guides.  The sheriff of the province declared himself the champion of my cause and Edmee’s knight, and he himself escorted her back to her father.  He set all the police agog.  They acted with vigour and arrested John Mauprat.  When he found himself a prisoner and threatened, he betrayed his brother, and declared that they might find him any night at Roche-Mauprat, hiding in a secret chamber which the tenant’s wife helped him to reach, without her husband’s knowledge.

They took the Trappist to Roche-Mauprat under a good escort, so that he might show them this secret chamber, which, in spite of his genius for exploring walls and timber-work, the old pole-cat hunter and mole-catcher Marcasse had never managed to reach.  They took me there, likewise, so that I might help to find this room or passage leading to it, in case the Trappist should repent of his present sincere intentions.  Once again, then, I revisited this abhorred manor with the ancient chief of the brigands transformed into a Trappist.  He showed himself so humble and cringing in my presence, he made so light of his brother’s life, and expressed such abject submission that I was filled with disgust, and after a few moments begged him not to speak to me any more.  Keeping in touch with the mounted police outside, we began our search for the secret chamber.  At first John had pretended that he knew of its existence, without knowing its exact location now that three-quarters of the keep had been destroyed.  When he saw me, however, he remembered that I had surprised him in my room, and that he had disappeared through the wall.  He resigned himself, therefore, to taking us to it, and showing us the secret; this was very curious; but I will not amuse myself by giving you an account of it.  The secret chamber was opened; no one was there.  Yet the expedition had been made with despatch and secrecy.  It did not appear probable that John had had time to warn his brother.  The keep was surrounded by the police and all the doors were well guarded.  The night was dark, and our invasion had filled all the inmates of the farm with terror.  The tenant had no idea what we were looking for, but his wife’s agitation and anxiety seemed a sure sign that Antony was still in the keep.  She had not sufficient presence of mind to assume a reassured air after we had explored the first room, and that made Marcasse think that there must be a second.  Did the Trappist know of this, and was he pretending ignorance?  He played his part so well that we were all deceived.  We set to work to explore all the nooks and corners of the ruins again.  There