said,--

"Gentlemen, there are several hundred peasants, men and women, in the
yard, who clamor for M. de Boiscoran. They threaten to drag him down to
the river. Some of the men are armed with pitchforks; but the women are
the maddest. My comrade and I have done our best to keep them quiet."

And just then, as if to confirm what he said, the cries came nearer,
growing louder and louder; and one could distinctly hear,--

"Drown Boiscoran! Let us drown the incendiary!"

The attorney rose, and told the gendarme,--

"Go down and tell these people that the authorities are this moment
examining the accused; that they interrupt us; and that, if they keep
on, they will have to do with me."

The gendarme obeyed his orders. M. de Boiscoran had turned deadly pale.
He said to himself,--

"These unfortunate people believe my guilt!"

"Yes," said M. Galpin, who had overheard the words; "and you would
comprehend their rage, for which there is good reason, if you knew all
that has happened."

"What else?"

"Two Sauveterre firemen, one the father of five children, have perished
in the flames. Two other men, a farmer from Brechy, and a gendarme who
tried to rescue them, have been so seriously burned that their lives are
in danger."

M. de Boiscoran said nothing.

"And it is you," continued the magistrate, "who is charged with all
these calamities. You see how important it is for you to exculpate
yourself."

"Ah! how can I?"

"If you are innocent, nothing is easier. Tell us how you employed
yourself last night."

"I have told you all I can say."

The magistrate seemed to reflect for a full minute; then he said,--

"Take care, M. de Boiscoran: I shall have to have you arrested."

"Do so."

"I shall be obliged to order your arrest at once, and to send you to
jail in Sauveterre."

"Very well."

"Then you confess?"

"I confess that I am the victim of an unheard-of combination of
circumstances; I confess that you are right, and that certain fatalities
can only be explained by the belief in Providence: but I swear by all
that is holy in the world, I am innocent."

"Prove it."

"Ah! would I not do it if I could?"

"Be good enough, then, to dress, sir, and to follow the gendarmes."

Without a word, M. de Boiscoran went into his dressing-room, followed
by his servant, who carried him his clothes. M. Galpin was so busy
dictating to the clerk the latter part of the examination, that he
seemed to forget his priso