lady was soon brought
to light and Derues confronted with it. At first he said that he failed
to recognise it as the remains of Mme. de Lamotte, but he soon abandoned
that rather impossible attitude. He admitted that he had given some
harmless medicine to Mme. de Lamotte during her illness, and then, to
his horror, one morning had awakened to find her dead. A fear lest
her husband would accuse him of having caused her death had led him to
conceal the body, and also that of her son who, he now confessed, had
died and been buried by him at Versailles. On April 23 the body of the
young de Lamotte was exhumed. Both bodies were examined by doctors, and
they declared themselves satisfied that mother and son had died "from
a bitter and corrosive poison administered in some kind of drink." What
the poison was they did not venture to state, but one of their number,
in the light of subsequent investigation, arrived at the conclusion that
Derues had used in both cases corrosive sublimate. How or where he had
obtained the poison was never discovered.

Justice moved swiftly in Paris in those days. The preliminary
investigation in Derues' case was ended on April 28. Two days later his
trial commenced before the tribunal of the Chatelet.

It lasted one day. The judges had before them the depositions taken by
the examining magistrate. Both Derues and his wife were interrogated. He
maintained that he had not poisoned either Mme. de Lamotte or her son;
his only crime, he said, lay in having concealed their deaths. Mme;
Derues said: "It is Buisson-Souef that has ruined us! I always told my
husband that he was mad to buy these properties--I am sure my husband is
not a poisoner--I trusted my husband and believed every word he said."
The court condemned Derues to death, but deferred judgment in his wife's
case on the ground of her pregnancy.

And now the frail, cat-like little man had to brace himself to meet
a cruel and protracted execution. But sanguine to the last, he still
hoped. An appeal lay from the Chatelet to the Parliament of Paris. It
was heard on March 5. Derues was brought to the Palais de Justice.
The room in which he waited was filled with curious spectators, who
marvelled at his coolness and impudence. He recognised among them a
Benedictine monk of his acquaintance. "My case," he called out to him,
"will soon be over; we'll meet again yet and have a good time together."
One visitor, wishing not to appear too curious, prete