ly,
stayed at one of the best hotels, kept a landau and pair, dined at the
Trois Freres and the Rocher de Cancale, frequented the theatres;
madame wore the most expensive toilettes. But you presently ran short
of cash."

"It's not surprising. But I presume I was at liberty to do what I
liked with my own."

"Coming to the end of your resources," went on the judge, coldly
ignoring the sneer, "you tried the gaming-table again, with varying
success. You went constantly to the Hotel Paradis--"

"On the contrary, occasionally, not often."

"You were there last night; it is useless to deny it. We have the
deposition of the proprietor, who is well known to the police--M.
Hippolyte Ledantec; you shall be confronted with him."

"Is he in custody?" asked Gascoigne, eagerly.

"I tell you it is not your place to question."

"He ought to be. It was he who committed the murder."

"You know there was a murder, then? Curious. When the body was
discovered by the porter there was no one present. How could you know
of the crime unless you had a hand in it?"

"I saw it committed. I tried my best to save the Baron, but Ledantec
stabbed him before I could interpose."

"An ingenious attempt to shift the guilt; but it will not serve. We
know better."

"I am prepared to swear it was Ledantec. Why should I attack the
Baron? I owed him no grudge."

"Why? I will tell you. For some time past, as I have reminded you,
your funds have been running low, fortune has been against you at the
tables, and you could not correct it at the Hotel Paradis as you do
with less clever players--"

"You are taking an unfair advantage of your position, Monsieur le
Juge. Any one else who dared accuse me of cheating--"

"Bah! no heroics. You could not correct fortune, I say; yet money you
must have. The hotel-keeper was pressing for his long-unpaid account.
Madame, your smart wife, was dissatisfied; she made you scenes because
you refused her money; in return, you ill-used her."

"It is false! My wife has always received proper consideration at my
hands."

"You ill-used her, ill-treated her; we have it from herself."

"Do you know, then, where she is?" interrupted Gascoigne, with so
much eagerness that it was plain he had taken his wife's defection
greatly to heart. "Why has she left me? With whom? I have always
suspected that villain Ledantec; he is an arch scoundrel, a very
devil!"

"The reasons for your wife's disappearance are sufficiently ex