emoiselle d'Arlange.
Should he nevertheless ask the question, and again hear pronounced the
name of Claire, which always aroused such painful emotions within him?
He ventured to do so, leaning over his papers, so that the prisoner
could not detect his emotion.

"From whom did this letter come?" he asked.

"From one whom I can not name."

"Sir," said the magistrate severely, "I will not conceal from you
that your position is greatly compromised. Do not aggravate it by this
culpable reticence. You are here to tell everything, sir."

"My own affairs, yes, not those of others."

Albert gave this last answer in a dry tone. He was giddy, flurried,
exasperated, by the prying and irritating mode of the examination, which
scarcely gave him time to breathe. The magistrate's questions fell upon
him more thickly than the blows of the blacksmith's hammer upon the
red-hot iron which he is anxious to beat into shape before it cools.

The apparent rebellion of his prisoner troubled M. Daburon a great deal.
He was further extremely surprised to find the discernment of the old
detective at fault; just as though Tabaret were infallible. Tabaret
had predicted an unexceptionable _alibi_; and this _alibi_ was not
forthcoming. Why? Had this subtle villain something better than that?
What artful defence had he to fall back upon? Doubtless he kept in
reserve some unforeseen stroke, perhaps irresistible.

"Gently," thought the magistrate. "I have not got him yet." Then he
quickly added aloud: "Continue. After dinner what did you do?"

"I went out for a walk."

"Not immediately. The bottle emptied, you smoked a cigar in the
dining-room, which was so unusual as to be noticed. What kind of cigars
do you usually smoke?"

"Trabucos."

"Do you not use a cigar-holder, to keep your lips from contact with the
tobacco?"

"Yes, sir," replied Albert, much surprised at this series of questions.

"At what time did you go out?"

"About eight o'clock."

"Did you carry an umbrella?"

"Yes."

"Where did you go?"

"I walked about."

"Alone, without any object, all the evening?"

"Yes, sir."

"Now trace out your wanderings for me very carefully."

"Ah, sir, that is very difficult to do! I went out simply to walk about,
for the sake of exercise, to drive away the torpor which had depressed
me for three days. I don't know whether you can picture to yourself my
exact condition. I was half out of my mind. I walked about at hazard
along th