suspicion and sent to prison. Solitude and confinement
are often the roads to repentance and confession, for the vanities of
the world being no longer before them, in such cases people are apt to
retire into the recesses of their own breasts, and having no avocations
from considering how they have spent their former years, the reflection
often extorts truth which would never be by any other method
discovered. But it was not so with Perrier. His dissimulation was of a
stronger contexture, and not to be broken even by sorrow and
confinement. He not only continued to deny the knowledge of the murder,
but also to lament the loss of so indulgent a master, with such floods
of tears, and so many strong appearances of real sorrow and affection
that, no proof appearing against him, the magistrates were afraid of
having themselves reproached with injustice if they had not given him
his liberty, to which, after six months imprisonment, he was restored.

The rest of the assassins seeing a long space of time elapsed, and that
still not the least discovery was made of the murder, laid aside all
fears of being taken, and began to appear more openly than hitherto they
had done since the perpetration of that fact. But in the midst of their
security the Providence of God forced them to betray themselves; for as
the father, son and cousin, who were all concerned in the murder, were
sitting with one Masson, another of the confederates, making merry at a
public-house, on a sudden they turned their heads and saw ten or twelve
archers or marshal's men (who have the same authority as constables in
our country) who by chance met together and came into the house to
drink. Guilt on a sudden struck the whole company with apprehensions
that they were come in search of them, the fear of which made them throw
down their knives and forks, leave what they had upon the table and fly
with the utmost precipitation, as supposing they ran for their lives.

This extravagant behaviour struck the archers with amazement, and
immediately calling for the landlord, they enquired of him what should
be the sudden cause of this terror in his guests. He replied that it was
impossible for him to tell certainly, but from discourse which he had
heard, he took them to be persons of no very honest character, and from
the great sums of money he had heard them count out, he was apprehensive
that they had committed some robbery or other. There wanted not any
farther account