" cried the president, "do you yield to an hallucination?
What, are you no longer in possession of your senses? This strange,
unexpected, terrible accusation has disordered your reason. Come,
recover."

The procureur dropped his head; his teeth chattered like those of a man
under a violent attack of fever, and yet he was deadly pale.

"I am in possession of all my senses, sir," he said; "my body alone
suffers, as you may suppose. I acknowledge myself guilty of all the
young man has brought against me, and from this hour hold myself under
the authority of the procureur who will succeed me."

And as he spoke these words with a hoarse, choking voice, he staggered
towards the door, which was mechanically opened by a door-keeper.
The whole assembly were dumb with astonishment at the revelation and
confession which had produced a catastrophe so different from that which
had been expected during the last fortnight by the Parisian world.

"Well," said Beauchamp, "let them now say that drama is unnatural!"

"Ma foi!" said Chateau-Renaud, "I would rather end my career like M.
de Morcerf; a pistol-shot seems quite delightful compared with this
catastrophe."

"And moreover, it kills," said Beauchamp.

"And to think that I had an idea of marrying his daughter," said Debray.
"She did well to die, poor girl!"

"The sitting is adjourned, gentlemen," said the president; "fresh
inquiries will be made, and the case will be tried next session by
another magistrate." As for Andrea, who was calm and more interesting
than ever, he left the hall, escorted by gendarmes, who involuntarily
paid him some attention. "Well, what do you think of this, my fine
fellow?" asked Debray of the sergeant-at-arms, slipping a louis into his
hand. "There will be extenuating circumstances," he replied.

Chapter 111. Expiation.

Notwithstanding the density of the crowd, M. de Villefort saw it open
before him. There is something so awe-inspiring in great afflictions
that even in the worst times the first emotion of a crowd has generally
been to sympathize with the sufferer in a great catastrophe. Many people
have been assassinated in a tumult, but even criminals have rarely
been insulted during trial. Thus Villefort passed through the mass
of spectators and officers of the Palais, and withdrew. Though he had
acknowledged his guilt, he was protected by his grief. There are
some situations which men understand by instinct, but which reason is
powerle