invented
by way of defence, and which became known as well as Monsieur de
Lamotte's accusation, obtained no credence whatever; on the contrary,
all the reports to his discredit were eagerly adopted. As yet, no crime
could be traced, but the public presentiment divined an atrocious one.
Have we not often seen similar agitations? The names of Bastide,
of Castaing, of Papavoine, had hardly been pronounced before they
completely absorbed all the public attention, and this had to be
satisfied, light had to be thrown on the darkness: society demanded
vengeance.

Derues felt some alarm in his dungeon, but his presence of mind and his
dissimulation in no wise deserted him, and he swore afresh every day to
the truth of his statements. But his last false assertion turned against
him: the bond for a hundred thousand livres which he professed to have
given to Duclos was a counterfeit which Duclos had annulled by a sort of
counter declaration made the same day. Another circumstance, intended to
ensure his safety, only redoubled suspicion. On April 8th, notes payable
to order to the amount of seventy-eight thousand livres, were received
by Monsieur de Lamotte's lawyer, as if coming from Madame de Lamotte.
It appeared extraordinary that these notes, which arrived in an ordinary
stamped envelope, should not be accompanied by any letter of advice,
and suspicion attached to Madame Derues, who hitherto had remained
unnoticed. An inquiry as to where the packet had been posted soon
revealed the office, distinguished by a letter of the alphabet, and the
postmaster described a servant-maid who had brought the letter and paid
for it. The description resembled the Derues' servant; and this girl,
much alarmed, acknowledged, after a great deal of hesitation, that she
had posted the letter in obedience to her mistress's orders. Whereupon
Madame Derues was sent as a prisoner to Fort l'Eveque, and her husband
transferred to the Grand-Chatelet. On being interrogated, she at length
owned that she had sent these notes to Monsieur de Lamotte's lawyer, and
that her husband had given them her in an envelope hidden in the soiled
linen for which she had brought him clean in exchange.

All this certainly amounted to serious presumptive evidence of guilt,
and if Derues had shown himself to the multitude, which followed every
phase of the investigation with increasing anxiety, a thousand arms
would have willingly usurped the office of the executioner; but
t