in black and white.
'Jean Hardy (that is one of the thieves), being questioned, confessed
that--humph? Ay, here 'tis. 'And that the girl Manon was the decoy,
and her sweetheart was Georges Vipont, one of the band; and hanged last
month: and that she had been deject ever since, and had openly blamed
the band for his death, saying if they had not been rank cowards, he had
never been taken, and it is his opinion she did but betray them out of
very spite, and--

"His opinion," cried Gerard indignantly; "what signifies the opinion
of a cut-throat, burning to be revenged on her who has delivered him to
justice? And an you go to that, what avails his testimony? Is a thief
never a liar? Is he not aye a liar? and here a motive to lie? Revenge,
why, 'tis the strongest of all the passions. And oh, sir, what madness
to question a detected felon and listen to him lying away an honest
life--as if he were a true man swearing in open day, with his true hand
on the Gospel laid!"

"Young man," said the alderman, "restrain thy heat in presence of
authority! I find by your tone you are a stranger. Know then that in
this land we question all the world. We are not so weak as to hope to
get at the truth by shutting either our left ear or our right."

"And so you would listen to Satan belying the saints!"

"Ta! ta! The law meddles but with men and women, and these cannot
utter a story all lies, let them try ever so. Wherefore we shut not the
barn-door (as the saying is) against any man's grain. Only having taken
it in, we do winnow and sift it. And who told you I had swallowed the
thief's story whole like fair water? Not so. I did but credit so much
on't as was borne out by better proof."

"Better proof?" and Gerard looked blank. "Why, who but the thieves would
breathe a word against her?"

"Marry, herself."

"Herself, sir? what, did you question her too?"

"I tell you we question all the world. Here is her deposition; can you
read?--Read it yourself, then."

Gerard looked at Denys and read him Manon's deposition.

"I am a native of Epinal. I left my native place two years ago because
I was unfortunate: I could not like the man they bade me. So my father
beat me. I ran away from my father. I went to service. I left service
because the mistress was jealous of me. The reason that she gave for
turning me off was, because I was saucy. Last year I stood in the
marketplace to be hired with other girls. The landlord of 'The Fair
Star' hi