sudden death?"

"Silence, sir!" cried the President, to whom the allusion to the Duc
d'Enghien was peculiarly offensive, and who saw in the looks of the
spectators with what force it told. "You know the prisoner?" said he,
turning towards D'Ervan.

"I have that honor, sir," said he, with a bland smile.

"State to the court the place and the occasion of your first meeting
him."

"If I remember correctly, it was in the Palais Royal, at Beauvilliers's.
There was a meeting of some of the _Chouan_ party arranged for that
evening, but from some accident only three or four were present. The
sous-lieutenant, however, was one."

"Repeat, as far as your memory serves you, the conduct and conversation
of the prisoner during the evening in question."

In reply, the Abbe, recapitulated every minute particular of the supper;
scarcely an observation the most trivial he did not recall, and apply,
by some infernal ingenuity, to the scheme of the conspiracy. Although
never, even in the slightest instance, falsifying any speech, he
tortured the few words I did say into such a semblance of criminality
that I started, as I heard the interpretation which now appeared so
naturally to attach to them. (During all this time my advocate never
interrupted him once, but occupied himself in writing as rapidly as he
could follow the evidence.) The chance expression which concluded the
evening,--the hope of meeting soon,--was artfully construed into an
arranged and recognized agreement that I had accepted companionship
amongst them, and formally joined their ranks.

From this he passed on to the second charge,--respecting the
conversation I had overheard at the Tuileries, and which I so unhappily
repeated to Beauvais. This the Abbe, dwelt upon with great minuteness,
as evidencing my being an accomplice; showing how I had exhibited great
zeal in the new cause I had embarked in, and affecting to mark how very
highly the service was rated by those in whose power lay the rewards of
such an achievement.

Then followed the account of my appointment at Versailles, in which I
heard, with a sinking heart, how thoroughly even there the toils were
spread around me. It appeared that the reason of the neglect I then
experienced was an order from the minister that I should not be noticed
in any way; that the object of my being placed there was to test my
fidelity, which already was suspected; that it was supposed such neglect
might naturally have the eff