'Nonsense, I advise you to give over being silly that you may not
feel ashamed of it afterwards.'

"Well, the confinement came. The husband got the very best midwife
from the town. It was his wife's first confinement, but it could
not have gone better. When it was all over she asked to look at her
baby. She looked at it and said:

"'Well, now I can die.'

"She said good-bye, shut her eyes, and half an hour later gave up
her soul to God. She was fully conscious up to the last moment.
Anyway when they gave her milk instead of water she whispered softly:

"'Why are you giving me milk instead of water?'

"So that is what happened. She died as she predicted."

The examining magistrate paused, gave a sigh and said:

"Come, explain why she died. I assure you on my honour, this is not
invented, it's a fact."

The doctor looked at the sky meditatively.

"You ought to have had an inquest on her," he said.

"Why?"

"Why, to find out the cause of her death. She didn't die because
she had predicted it. She poisoned herself most probably."

The examining magistrate turned quickly, facing the doctor, and
screwing up his eyes, asked:

"And from what do you conclude that she poisoned herself?"

"I don't conclude it, but I assume it. Was she on good terms with
her husband?"

"H'm, not altogether. There had been misunderstandings soon after
their marriage. There were unfortunate circumstances. She had found
her husband on one occasion with a lady. She soon forgave him
however."

"And which came first, her husband's infidelity or her idea of
dying?"

The examining magistrate looked attentively at the doctor as though
he were trying to imagine why he put that question.

"Excuse me," he said, not quite immediately. "Let me try and
remember." The examining magistrate took off his hat and rubbed his
forehead. "Yes, yes . . . it was very shortly after that incident
that she began talking of death. Yes, yes."

"Well, there, do you see? . . . In all probability it was at that
time that she made up her mind to poison herself, but, as most
likely she did not want to kill her child also, she put it off till
after her confinement."

"Not likely, not likely! . . . it's impossible. She forgave him at
the time."

"That she forgave it quickly means that she had something bad in
her mind. Young wives do not forgive quickly."

The examining magistrate gave a forced smile, and, to conceal his
too noticeable agitation, began li