dinary crime.
In the salon of Gondreville, Lechesneau found Mesdames Marion and
Grevin, Violette, the senator's valet, and the justice of peace with his
clerk. The chateau had already been examined; the justice, assisted by
Grevin, had carefully collected the first testimony. The first thing
that struck him was the obvious intention shown in the choice of the
day and hour for the attack. The hour prevented an immediate search for
proofs and traces. At this season it was nearly dark by half-past five,
the hour at which Violette gave the alarm, and darkness often means
impunity to evil-doers. The choice of a holiday, when most persons had
gone to the masquerade at Arcis, and the senator was comparatively alone
in the house, showed an obvious intention to get rid of witnesses.

"Let us do justice to the intelligence of the prefecture of police,"
said Lechesneau; "they have never ceased to warn us to be on our guard
against the nobles at Cinq-Cygne; they have always declared that sooner
or later those people would play us some dangerous trick."

Sure of the active co-operation of the prefect of the Aube, who sent
messengers to all the surrounding prefectures asking them to search
for the five abductors and the senator, Lechesneau began his work by
verifying the first facts. This was soon done by the help of two such
legal heads as those of Grevin and the justice of peace. The latter,
named Pigoult, formerly head-clerk in the office where Malin and Grevin
had first studied law in Paris, was soon after appointed judge of the
municipal court at Arcis. In relation to Michu, Lechesneau knew of the
threats the man had made about the sale of Gondreville to Marion, and
the danger Malin had escaped in his own park from Michu's gun. These
two facts, one being the consequence of the other, were no doubt
the precursors of the present successful attack, and they pointed so
obviously to the late bailiff as the instigator of the outrage that
Grevin, his wife, Violette, and Madame Marion declared that they had
recognized among the five masked men one who exactly resembled Michu.
The color of the hair and whiskers and the thick-set figure of the man
made the mask he wore useless. Besides, who but Michu could have opened
the iron gates of the park with a key? The present bailiff and his wife,
now returned from the masquerade, deposed to have locked both gates
before leaving the pavilion. The gates when examined showed no sign of
being force