oin. You were saying, Madame Doulce----"

"After a long and interesting conversation," resumed Madame Doulce,
"Monsieur l'Abbe Mirabelle suggested a favourable solution. He gave me
to understand that, in order to remove all difficulties, it would be
sufficient for a physician to certify that Chevalier was not in full
possession of his faculties, and that he was not responsible for his
acts."

"But," observed Pradel, "Chevalier wasn't insane. He was in full
possession of his faculties."

"It's not for us to say," replied Madame Doulce. "What do we know about
it?"

"No," said Nanteuil, "he was not in full possession of his faculties."

Pradel shrugged his shoulders.

"After all, it's possible. Insanity and reason, it's a matter of
appreciation. To whom could we apply for a certificate?"

Madame Doulce and Pradel called to mind three physicians in succession;
but they were unable to find the address of the first; the second was
bad-tempered, and it was decided that the third was dead.

Nanteuil suggested that they should approach Dr. Trublet.

"That's an idea!" exclaimed Pradel. "Let us ask a certificate of Dr.
Socrates. What's to-day? Friday. It's his day for consultations. We
shall find him at home."

Dr. Trublet lived in an old house at the top of the Rue de Seine. Pradel
took Nanteuil with him, with the idea that Socrates would refuse nothing
to a pretty woman. Constantin Marc, who could not live, when in Paris,
save in the company of theatrical folk, accompanied them. The Chevalier
affair was beginning to amuse him. He found it theatrical, that is,
appropriate to theatrical performers. Although the hour for
consultations was over, the doctor's sitting-room was still full of
people in search of healing. Trublet dismissed them, and received his
theatrical friends in his private room. He was standing in front of a
table encumbered with books and papers. An adjustable arm-chair, infirm
and cynical, displayed itself by the window. The director of the Odeon
set forth the object of his call, and ended by saying:

"Chevalier's funeral service cannot be celebrated in the church unless
you certify that the unfortunate young man was not altogether sane."

Dr. Trublet declared that Chevalier might very well do without a
religious service.

"Adrienne Lecouvreur, who was of more account than Chevalier, did
without one. Mademoiselle Monime had no Mass said for her after her
death, and, as you are aware, she was denie