possession. If Monsieur Domini still hesitates to believe you, you
know that the doctor promises to find the poison which killed
Sauvresy."

M. Plantat stopped and hesitated.

"In short," he resumed, "I think you will be able to keep silence
as to what you have heard from me."

M. Lecoq took him by the hand, and pressing it significantly, said:

"Count on me, Monsieur."

At this moment Dr. Gendron appeared at the door.

"Courtois is better," said he. "He weeps like a child; but he will
come out of it."

"Heaven be praised!" cried the old justice of the peace. "Now,
since you've come, let us hurry off to Corbeil; Monsieur Domini,
who is waiting for us this morning, must be mad with impatience."

XXIII

M. Plantat, in speaking of M. Domini's impatience, did not exaggerate
the truth. That personage was furious; he could not comprehend the
reason of the prolonged absence of his three fellow-workers of the
previous evening. He had installed himself early in the morning in
his cabinet, at the court-house, enveloped in his judicial robe; and
he counted the minutes as they passed. His reflections during the
night, far from shaking, had only confirmed his opinion. As he
receded from the period of the crime, he found it very simple and
natural--indeed, the easiest thing in the world to account for.
He was annoyed that the rest did not share his convictions, and he
awaited their report in a state of irritation which his clerk only
too well perceived. He had eaten his breakfast in his cabinet, so
as to be sure and be beforehand with M. Lecoq. It was a useless
precaution; for the hours passed on and no one arrived.

To kill time, he sent for Guespin and Bertaud and questioned them
anew, but learned nothing more than he had extracted from them the
night before. One of the prisoners swore by all things sacred that
he knew nothing except what he had already told; the other preserved
an obstinate and ferocious silence, confining himself to the remark:
"I know that I am lost; do with me what you please."

M. Domini was just going to send a mounted gendarme to Orcival to
find out the cause of the delay, when those whom he awaited were
announced. He quickly gave the order to admit them, and so keen
was his curiosity, despite what he called his dignity, that he got
up and went forward to meet them.

"How late you are!" said he.

"And yet we haven't lost a minute," replied M. Plantat. "We