prosecutor.

The hitherto useless efforts of the prosecution were now made public,
also the precautions taken by the criminal to ensure the success of his
crime. It was shown that Jean-Francois Tascheron had obtained a passport
for North America some months before the crime was committed. Thus the
plan of leaving France was fully formed; the object of his passion must
therefore be a married woman; for he would have no reason to flee the
country with a young girl. Possibly the crime had this one object in
view, namely, to obtain sufficient means to support this unknown woman
in comfort.

The prosecution had found no passport issued to a woman for North
America. In case she had obtained one in Paris, the registers of that
city were searched, also those of the towns contingent to Limoges, but
without result. All the shrewdest minds in the community followed
the case with deep attention. While the more virtuous dames of
the department attributed the wearing of pumps on a muddy road (an
inexplicable circumstance in the ordinary lives of such shoes) to the
necessity of noiselessly watching old Pingret, the men pointed out that
pumps were very useful in silently passing through a house--up stairways
and along corridors--without discovery.

So Jean-Francois Tascheron and his mistress (by this time she was young,
beautiful, romantic, for every one made a portrait of her) had evidently
intended to escape with only one passport, to which they would forge the
additional words, "and wife." The card tables were deserted at night in
the various social salons, and malicious tongues discussed what women
were known in March, 1829, to have gone to Paris, and what others could
be making, openly or secretly, preparations for a journey. Limoges might
be said to be enjoying its Fualdes trial, with an unknown and mysterious
Madame Manson for an additional excitement. Never was any provincial
town so stirred to its depths as Limoges after each day's session.
Nothing was talked of but the trial, all the incidents of which
increased the interest felt for the accused, whose able answers,
learnedly taken up, turned and twisted and commented upon, gave rise
to ample discussions. When one of the jurors asked Tascheron why he had
taken a passport for America, the man replied that he had intended
to establish a porcelain manufactory in that country. Thus, without
committing himself to any line of defence, he covered his accomplice,
leaving it to be