a
criminal! There was absolutely no motive to prompt him to the deed, and
his mother is in an asylum! That is the whole explanation of the crime!
If he committed murder, it was in a fit of temporary insanity! He is
dead; I refuse to cover his memory with the stain of infamy!"

"In other words, according to you Charles Rambert did confess, but you
don't want to say so."

"I do not say he did confess."

"You leave it to be inferred."

Etienne Rambert made no reply, and the judge passed on to another point.

"What exactly did you do after you left the chateau?"

"What anyone does, I suppose, when he runs away. We wandered miserably
about, going through fields and woods, I accusing him and he defending
himself. We avoided the villages, scarcely venturing even in the early
morning to go and buy food, and walked quickly, wishing to get as far
away as possible. We spent the most frightful time it is possible to
conceive."

"How long was all this?"

"I was with my son for four days, sir."

"So it was on the fourth day that you killed him?"

"Have pity, sir! I did not kill my son. It was a murderer that I had
with me, a murderer for whom the police were hunting and for whom the
guillotine was waiting!"

"A murderer, if you prefer it so," said the judge, entirely heedless of
the unhappy man's protests. "But you had no right to assume the
functions of executioner. Come, you admit you did kill him?"

"I do not admit it."

"Do you deny that you killed him?"

"I did what my duty told me to do!"

"Still the same story!" said the judge, angrily drumming his fingers on
the desk. "You refuse to answer. But even in your own interests you must
have the courage to adopt some definite theory. Well, would you have
been glad if your son had taken his own life?"

"May I entreat you to remember that my son is dead!" Etienne Rambert
said once more. "I can only remember the one fact that he was my son. I
can't say that I desired his death. I don't even know now if he was
guilty. Whatever horror I may feel for a crime, I can only remember now
that Charles was not in his right mind, and that he was the son of my
loins!"

Again a tremor of emotion passed through the court, and again the judge
made an angry gesture ordering silence.

"So you decline to answer any of the principal points of the indictment?
The jury will no doubt appreciate the reason. Well, can you let us know
any of the advice you gave your son? If you did not