Meantime, the youthful Maurice of Nassau was giving proof of that cool determination which already marked his character.  It was natural that a boy of fifteen should be somewhat agitated at seeing such a father shot through the head before his eyes.  His situation was rendered doubly grave by the suspicions which were instantly engendered as to the probable origin of the attempt.  It was already whispered in the hall that the gentlemen who had been so officious in slaying the assassin, were his accomplices, who—­upon the principle that dead men would tell no tales—­were disposed, now that the deed was done, to preclude inconvenient revelations as to their own share in the crime.  Maurice, notwithstanding these causes for perturbation, and despite his grief at his father’s probable death, remained steadily by the body of the murderer.  He was determined, if possible, to unravel the plot, and he waited to possess himself of all papers and other articles which might be found upon the person of the deceased.

A scrupulous search was at once made by the attendants, and everything placed in the young Count’s own hands.  This done, Maurice expressed a doubt lest some of the villain’s accomplices might attempt to take the articles from him, whereupon a faithful old servant of his father came forward, who with an emphatic expression of the importance of securing such important documents, took his young master under his cloak, and led him to a retired apartment of the house.  Here, after a rapid examination, it was found that the papers were all in Spanish, written by Spaniards to Spaniards, so that it was obvious that the conspiracy, if one there were, was not a French conspiracy.  The servant, therefore, advised Maurice to go to his father, while he would himself instantly descend to the hall with this important intelligence.  Count Hohenlo had, from the instant of the murder, ordered the doors to be fastened, and had permitted no one to enter or to leave the apartment without his permission.  The information now brought by the servant as to the character of the papers caused great relief to the minds of all; for, till that moment, suspicion had even lighted upon men who were the firm friends of the Prince.

Saint Aldegonde, who had meantime arrived, now proceeded, in company of the other gentlemen, to examine the papers and other articles taken from the assassin.  The pistol with which he had done the deed was lying upon the floor; a naked poniard, which he would probably have used also, had his thumb not been blown off by the discharge of the pistol, was found in his trunk hose.  In his pockets were an Agnus Dei, a taper of green wax, two bits of hareskin, two dried toads—­which were supposed to be sorcerer’s charms—­a, crucifix, a Jesuit catechism, a prayer-book, a pocket-book containing two Spanish bills of exchange—­one for two thousand, and one for eight hundred and seventy-seven crowns—­and a set of writing tablets.