and part of the bust.

"Let us inform ourselves, Plantat," he said.

The old justice of the peace took the lamp, and passed to the other
side of the table. His hand trembled so that the globe tingled.
The vacillating light cast gloomy shadows upon the walls. The
countess's face had been carefully bathed, the blood and mud
effaced. The marks of the blows were thus more visible, but they
still found upon that livid countenance, the traces of its beauty.
M. Lecoq stood at the head of the table, leaning over to see more
clearly.

"The countess," said Dr. Gendron, "received eighteen blows from a
dagger. Of these, but one is mortal; it is this one, the direction
of which is nearly vertical--a little below the shoulder, you see."
He pointed out the wound, sustaining the body in his left arm. The
eyes had preserved a frightful expression. It seemed as if the
half-open mouth were about to cry "Help! Help!"

Plantat, the man with a heart of stone, turned away his head, and
the doctor, having mastered his first emotion, continued in a
professionally apathetic tone:

"The blade must have been an inch wide, and eight inches long. All
the other wounds--those on the arms, breast, and shoulders, are
comparatively slight. They must have been inflicted at least two
hours after that which caused death."

"Good," said M. Lecoq.

"Observe that I am not positive," returned the doctor quickly. "I
merely state a probability. The phenomena on which I base my own
conviction are too fugitive, too capricious in their nature, to
enable me to be absolutely certain."

This seemed to disturb M. Lecoq.

"But, from the moment when--"

"What I can affirm," interrupted Dr. Gendron, "what I would affirm
under oath, is, that all the wounds on the head, excepting one, were
inflicted after death. No doubt of that whatever--none whatever.
Here, above the eye, is the blow given while the countess was alive."

"It seems to me, Doctor," observed M. Lecoq, "that we may conclude
from the proved fact that the countess, after death, was struck by
a flat implement, that she had also ceased to live when she was
mutilated by the knife."

M. Gendron reflected a moment.

"It is possible that you are right; as for me, I am persuaded of it.
Still the conclusions in my report will not be yours. The physician
consulted by the law, should only pronounce upon patent,
demonstrated facts. If he has a doubt, even the slightest, he
should hold his tongue. I will