e Vibray at the same time
that she decided to put an end to her life, wished to pay her protege a
last visit; all the more so, because he had asked her to come and see
his work before it was sent in to the Salon. Perhaps the Baroness
intended to perform an act of charity, in this instance, before her
supreme hour struck. Perhaps she miscalculated the effect of the poison
she had taken, and so died in the house of the friend she had come to
see and help: her death there could not have been her choice, for she
must have known what serious trouble it would involve the artist in,
were her dead body found in his studio.

"Here is the second hypothesis, which seems the more plausible. The
Baroness de Vibray learns that she is ruined, she decides to die, and by
chance or coincidence, which remains to be explained, for I have not the
key to it yet, some third parties interested in her fate, learn her
decision. They let her write to her lawyer; they do not prevent her
poisoning herself; but, as soon as she is dead, they straightway take
possession of her dead body and hasten to carry it to Jacques Dollon's
studio. To the painter himself they administered either with his consent
or by force--probably by force--a powerful narcotic, so that when the
police are called in next day they not only find the Baroness lying dead
in the studio, but they also find the painter unconscious, close by his
visitor. When Jacques Dollon is restored to consciousness, he is quite
unable to give any sort of explanation of the tragedy; naturally enough,
the police look upon him as the murderer of her who was well known to
have been his patroness.... How does that strike you?"

It was now Monsieur Fuselier's turn to hold forth.

"You forget a detail which has its importance! I do not pretend to judge
as to whether she was poisoned by her own free act or not; but, in any
case, we have this proof--an uncorked phial of cyanide of potassium was
found in Jacques Dollon's studio. It seemed to have been recently
opened; but, when the painter was questioned about it, he declared that
he had not made use of this ingredient for a very long time."

Fandor replied:

"I can turn your argument against you, monsieur. If the Baroness de
Vibray had been poisoned, voluntarily or not, with the cyanide of
potassium in Dollon's studio, he would have taken the precaution to
banish all traces of the poison in question. It would have been his
first care! When questioned b