He had, meanwhile, drawn the report from a pocket in his long coat, and now put in on the table with these words,—­

“I shall call for it again to-morrow morning.  In the meantime you can think it over.  I should like, however, to point out to you the main point, the culminating point, if I may say so.”

At all events he was “saying so” with much hesitation, and looking fixedly at Dionysia as if to make her understand that he would like her to leave the room.  Seeing that she did not take the hint, he added,—­

“A medical and legal discussion would hardly interest the young lady.”

“Why, sir, why, should I not be deeply, passionately, interested in any thing that regards the man who is to be my husband?”

“Because ladies are generally very sensational,” said the doctor uncivilly, “very sensitive.”

“Don’t think so, doctor.  For Jacques’s sake, I promise you I will show you quite masculine energy.”

The doctor knew Dionysia well enough to see that she did not mean to go:  so he growled,—­

“As you like it.”

Then, turning again to M. Folgat, he said,—­

“You know there were two shots fired at Count Claudieuse.  One, which hit him in the side, nearly missed him; the other, which struck his shoulder and his neck, hit well.”

“I know,” said the advocate.

“The difference in the effect shows that the two shots were fired from different distances, the second much nearer than the first.”

“I know, I know!”

“Excuse me.  If I refer to these details, it is because they are important.  When I was sent for in the middle of the night to come and see Count Claudieuse, I at once set to work extracting the particles of lead that had lodged in his flesh.  While I was thus busy, M. Galpin arrived.  I expected he would ask me to show him the shot:  but no, he did not think of it; he was too full of his own ideas.  He thought only of the culprit, of his culprit.  I did not recall to him the A B C of his profession:  that was none of my business.  The physician has to obey the directions of justice, but not to anticipate them.”

“Well, then?”

“Then M. Galpin went off to Boiscoran, and I completed my work.  I have extracted fifty-seven shot from the count’s wound in the side, and a hundred and nine from the wound on the shoulder and the neck; and, when I had done that, do you know what I found out?”

He paused, waiting to see the effect of his words; and, when everybody’s attention seemed to him fully roused, he went on,—­

“I found out that the shot in the two wounds was not alike.”

M. de Chandore and M. Folgat exclaimed at one time,—­

“Oh!”

“The shot that was first fired,” continued Dr. Seignebos, “and which has touched the side, is the very smallest sized ‘dust.’  That in the shoulder, on the other hand, is quite large sized, such as I think is used in shooting hares.  However, I have some samples.”