Brisemont died in my place."

"We bear witness to this," said Porthos and Aramis, in the same manner
as before.

"Before God and before men, I accuse this woman of having urged me to
the murder of the Baron de Wardes; but as no one else can attest
the truth of this accusation, I attest it myself. I have done." And
d'Artagnan passed to the other side of the room with Porthos and Aramis.

"Your turn, my Lord," said Athos.

The baron came forward.

"Before God and before men," said he, "I accuse this woman of having
caused the assassination of the Duke of Buckingham."

"The Duke of Buckingham assassinated!" cried all present, with one
voice.

"Yes," said the baron, "assassinated. On receiving the warning letter
you wrote to me, I had this woman arrested, and gave her in charge to
a loyal servant. She corrupted this man; she placed the poniard in his
hand; she made him kill the duke. And at this moment, perhaps, Felton is
paying with his head for the crime of this fury!"

A shudder crept through the judges at the revelation of these unknown
crimes.

"That is not all," resumed Lord de Winter. "My brother, who made you his
heir, died in three hours of a strange disorder which left livid traces
all over the body. My sister, how did your husband die?"

"Horror!" cried Porthos and Aramis.

"Assassin of Buckingham, assassin of Felton, assassin of my brother, I
demand justice upon you, and I swear that if it be not granted to me, I
will execute it myself."

And Lord de Winter ranged himself by the side of d'Artagnan, leaving the
place free for another accuser.

Milady let her head sink between her two hands, and tried to recall her
ideas, whirling in a mortal vertigo.

"My turn," said Athos, himself trembling as the lion trembles at the
sight of the serpent--"my turn. I married that woman when she was a
young girl; I married her in opposition to the wishes of all my family;
I gave her my wealth, I gave her my name; and one day I discovered that
this woman was branded--this woman was marked with a FLEUR-DE-LIS on her
left shoulder."

"Oh," said Milady, raising herself, "I defy you to find any tribunal
which pronounced that infamous sentence against me. I defy you to find
him who executed it."

"Silence!" said a hollow voice. "It is for me to reply to that!" And the
man in the red cloak came forward in his turn.

"What man is that? What man is that?" cried Milady, suffocated
by terror, her hair loosening itse