persecution. "By all that
is most sacred," he answered, "I am innocent. Yet I see clearly
that if the murderer is not found, I am lost."

Little by little M. Domini's conviction was formed and confirmed.
An inquest of this sort is not so difficult as may be imagined.
The difficulty is to seize at the beginning; in the entangled skein,
the main thread, which must lead to the truth through all the mazes,
the ruses, silence, falsehoods of the guilty. M. Domini was
certain that he held this precious thread. Having one of the
assassins, he knew well that he would secure the others. Our
prisons, where good soup is eaten, and good beds are provided, have
tongues, as well as the dungeons of the medieval ages.

The judge ordered the brigadier to arrest Guespin, and told him not
to lose sight of him. He then sent for old Bertaud. This worthy
personage was not one of the people who worry themselves. He had
had so many affairs with the men of law, that one inquisition the
more disturbed him little.

"This man has a bad reputation in my commune," whispered the mayor
to M. Domini.

Bertaud heard it, however, and smiled.

Questioned by the judge of instruction, he recounted very clearly
and exactly what had happened in the morning, his resistance, and
his son's determination. He explained the reason for the
falsehood they told; and here again the chapter of antecedents
came up.

"Look here; I'm better than my reputation, after all," said he.
"There are many folks who can't say as much. You see many things
when you go about at night--enough."

He was urged to explain his allusions, but in vain.

When he was asked where and how he had passed the night, he
answered, that having left the cabaret at ten o'clock, he went to
put down some traps in Mauprevoir wood; and had gone home and to
bed about one o'clock.

"By the bye," added he, "there ought to be some game in those
traps by this time."

"Can you bring a witness to prove that you went home at one?"
asked the mayor, who bethought him of the count's clock, stopped
at twenty minutes past three.

"Don't know, I'm sure," carelessly responded the poacher, "it's
quite likely that my son didn't wake up when I went to bed."

He added, seeing the judge reflect:

"I suspect that you are going to imprison me until the murderers
are discovered. If it was winter, I wouldn't complain much; a
fellow is well off in prison then, for it's warm there. But just
at the time for hunting