ter, and later, when you set the Cossacks on the
village of Leigoutte and bade them to kill women and children, there was
one child named Jacques and that child was your son."

Fongereues was deadly pale; large drops stood on his brow.

"You lie!" cried the Marquis, "Fanfar was my brother's son."

"Here is the certificate of his birth," said Pierre. "You knew Simon's
writing, for you intercepted his letters to your father. Look! these
lines tell the story."

"I, eldest son of the Marquis de Fongereues, declare, on my sacred
word of honor, that the child who bears my name and passes for my son,
is the child of Jacqueline Lemaitre and the Vicomte de Talizac."

"The paper is signed with Simon's full name."

The Marquis fell on his knees.

"Ah! Monsieur, these are terrible days, but you will not say again that
you poisoned Fanfar."

Fongereues shuddered, and endeavored to hide his face.

Labarre felt dizzy with horror. "Answer me," he repeated.

Fongereues answered in a low voice:

"Kill me! I have killed my son!"

The old servant started forward as if to fell the Marquis to the earth,
but suddenly he remembered his old master, the man whom he had loved so
tenderly, and he could not harm his son. He half turned away.

"Tell me the whole," he faltered, "I must know the whole."

"Yes," stammered the Marquis. "Cyprien, who is my slave, poisoned him. I
determined to have the fortune without longer delay. I bade him do this
deed, and he obeyed me. I am accursed!"

Labarre went toward the door.

"Farewell!" he said.

"No," cried the Marquis, "you must not leave me alone with this dead
man. I am afraid! You must take me too to see the other."

Labarre stopped short. "Where was Cyprien?" he asked hastily.

The Marquis understood him. He rang his bell furiously. It might be
after all that he was not guilty of Fanfar's death.

A servant entered. The Marquis asked for Cyprien; he had not been seen
in the hotel for two days, the lacquey replied.

The Marquis turned to his father's servant.

"I have grave duties to perform," he said, quietly, "first I must see my
son. You must go with me."

Labarre shook his head.

"In the name of my brother!" said Fongereues. Then stopping, he said,
suddenly, "Does this fortune left by my father really exist?"

Labarre started. Could it be that this man at this time could be
thinking of money?

"You misunderstand me!" cried the Marquis, "but never mind, answer