“Go on; go on!”

“One of the windows was half open,” continued the vagrant, “and thus I could hear almost as well as I saw.  I crouched down on all-fours and kept my head on a level with the ground, so as not to lose a word.  Oh, it was fearful!  At the first word I understood it all:  M. Jacques and the Countess Claudieuse had been lovers.”

“This is madness!” cried M. Galpin.

“Well, I tell you I was amazed.  The Countess Claudieuse—­such a pious lady!  But I have ears; don’t you think I have?  M. Jacques reminded her of the night of the crime, how they had been together a few minutes before the fire broke out, as they had agreed some days before to meet near Valpinson at that very time.  At this meeting they had burnt their love-letters, and M. Jacques had blackened his fingers badly in burning them.”

“Did you really hear that?” asked M. Daubigeon.

“As I hear you, sir.”

“Write it down, Mechinet,” said the commonwealth attorney with great eagerness,—­“write that down carefully.”

The clerk was sure to do it.

“What surprised me most,” continued Trumence, “was, that the countess seemed to consider M. Jacques guilty, and he thought she was.  Each accused the other of the crime.  She said, ’You attempted the life of my husband, because you were afraid of him!’ And he said, ’You wanted to kill him, so as to be free, and to prevent my marriage!’”

M. Galpin had sunk into a chair:  he stammered,—­

“Did anybody ever hear such a thing?”

“However, they explained; and at last they found out that they were both of them innocent.  Then M. Jacques entreated the countess to save him; and she replied that she would certainly not save him at the expense of her reputation, and so enable him, as soon as he was free once more, to marry Miss Chandore.  Then he said to her, ‘Well, then I must tell all;’ and she, ’You will not be believed.  I shall deny it all, and you have no proof!’ In his despair, he reproached her bitterly, and said she had never loved him at all.  Then she swore she loved him more than ever; and that, as he was free now, she was ready to abandon every thing, and to escape with him to some foreign country.  And she conjured him to flee, in a voice which moved my heart, with loving words such as I have never heard before in my life, and with looks which seemed to be burning fire.  What a woman!  I did not think he could possibly resist.  And yet he did resist; and, perfectly beside himself with anger, he cried, ’Rather the galleys!’ Then she laughed, mocking him, and saying, ’Very well, you shall go to the galleys!’”

Although Trumence entered into many details, it was quite evident that he kept back many things.

Still M. Daubigeon did not dare question him, for fear of breaking the thread of his account.