darmes had taken the road to Argentan, where
he arrived at five in the evening. He stopped at Point-de-France, where
he had to take a sixth chest containing 33,000 francs, which was
delivered in the evening by the agents of M. Larroc, receiver of
finances. The carriage, carefully covered, remained in the inn yard
during the night. Gousset, who had been drinking, went to and fro
"talking to every one of his charge"; he even called a traveller, M.
Lapeyriere, and winking at the chest that was being hoisted on the
waggon, said: "If we each had ten times as much our fortunes would be
made." He harnessed up at four o'clock on Sunday, the 7th. He had been
given a fourth horse, and three gendarmes accompanied him. They made the
five leagues between Argentan and Falaise rather slowly, arriving about
half past ten. Gousset stopped with Bertaine at the "Cheval Noir,"
where the gendarmes left him; he dined there, and as it was very hot,
rested till three in the afternoon, during which time the waggon stayed
in front of the inn unguarded. It was noticed that the horses were
harnessed three hours before starting, and the conclusion was drawn that
Gousset did not want to arrive before night at Langannerie, where he
would sleep. In fact, he took his time. At a quarter past three he
started, without escort, as all the men of the brigade of Falaise were
employed in the recruiting that took place that day. As he left the
village he chanced to meet Vinchon, gendarme of the brigade of
Langannerie, who was returning home on foot with his nephew, a young boy
of seventeen, named Antoine Morin. They engaged in conversation with the
carrier, who walked on the left of the waggon, and went with him. These
chance companions were in no hurry, and Gousset did not appear to be in
any haste to arrive. At the last houses of the suburbs he offered some
cider; after some hundred yards the gendarme returned the compliment and
they stopped at the "Sauvage." A league further, another stop was made
at the "Vieille Cave." Gousset then proposed a game of skittles, which
the gendarme and Morin accepted. It was nearly seven in the evening when
they passed Potigny. The evening was magnificent and the sun still high
on the horizon; as they knew they would not see another inn until the
next stage was reached, they made a fourth stop there. At last Gousset
and his companions started again; they could now reach Langannerie in
an hour, where they would stop for the nigh