r, accompanied
by a porter carrying a large trunk, and after that the dwellers in the
Rue de la Mortellerie saw the pale little gentleman no more.

A few days later M. Derues sent down to his place at Buisson-Souef a
large trunk filled with china. It was received there by M. de Lamotte.
Little did the trusting gentleman guess that it was in this very trunk
that the body of his dear wife had been conveyed to its last resting
place in the cellar of M. Ducoudray in the Rue de la Mortellerie. Nor
had M. Mesvrel-Desvergers, importunate creditor of M. Derues, guessed
the contents of the large trunk that he had met his debtor one day
early in February conveying through the streets of Paris. Creditors
were always interrupting Derues at inconvenient moments. M.
Mesvrel-Desvergers had tapped Derues on the shoulder, reminded him
forcibly of his liability towards him, and spoken darkly of possible
imprisonment. Derues pointed to the trunk. It contained, he said, a
sample of wine; he was going to order some more of it, and he would then
be in a position to pay his debt. But the creditor, still doubting, had
M. Derues followed, and ascertained that he had deposited his sample of
wine at a house in the Rue de la Mortellerie.

On Wednesday, February 12, a M. Beaupre of Commercy arrived at
Versailles with his nephew, a fat boy, in reality some fourteen years of
age, but given out as older. They hired a room at the house of a cooper
named Pecquet. M. Beaupre was a very pale little gentleman, who seemed
in excellent spirits, in spite of the fact that his nephew was clearly
anything but well. Indeed, so sick and ailing did he appear to be that
Mme. Pecquet suggested that his uncle should call in a doctor. But
M. Beaupre said that that was quite unnecessary; he had no faith in
doctors; he would give the boy a good purge. His illness was due, he
said, to a venereal disorder and the drugs which he had been taking in
order to cure it; it was a priest the boy needed rather than a
doctor. On the Thursday and Friday the boy's condition showed little
improvement; the vomiting continued. But on Saturday M. Beaupre declared
himself as highly delighted with the success of his medicine. The same
night the boy was dead. The priest, urgently sent for by his devout
uncle, arrived to find a corpse. On the following day "Louis Anotine
Beaupre, aged twenty-two and a half," was buried at Versailles, his
pious uncle leaving with the priest six livres to pay