o romance about a
clerk who cuts the throat of his employer to rob him; there is no woman
in the case, no mystery.

Saniel preferred that Phillis should remain at home with her mother, but
in spite of his wishes and prayers she insisted on going to court. She
must be there so that Florentin would see her and take courage; he would
defend himself better if she were there.

He defended himself badly, or at least indifferently, like a man who
gives up because he knows beforehand that whatever he may say will be
useless.

Until Saniel's deposition the witnesses who testified were insignificant
enough, and revealed nothing that was not already known; only Valerius,
with his pretensions to a professional secret, which he developed
slowly, amused the audience. This deposition Saniel made brief and
exact, contenting himself with repeating his report. But then Nougarede
rose, and begged the president to ask the witness to explain the
struggle which should have taken place between the victim and his
assassin; and the president, who had commenced by arguing, before the
insistence of the defence, decided to ask this question. Then Saniel
slowly explained how the position of the body in the armchair and his
condition were scientific proof that there was no struggle.

"This is an opinion," said the president dryly; "the jury will
appreciate it."

"Perfectly," replied Nougarede, "and I intend to make the jury feel the
weight that it carries on the authority of him who formulated it."

This phrase for effect was destined to invalidate in advance the
contradictions that the prosecution would, he believed, raise against
the testimony; but nothing of the kind occurred, and Saniel could go and
take his place beside Phillis without being called to the bar to sustain
his opinion against a physician whose scientific authority would be
opposed to his.

In default of Madame Dammauville, Nougarede had summoned the concierge
of Rue Sainte-Anne, as well as the maid and the cook, who had heard
their mistress say that the man who drew Caffies curtains did not
resemble Florentin's portrait; but this was only gossip repeated by
persons of no importance, who could not produce the effect of the 'coup
de theatre' on which he had based his defence.

When the advocate-general pronounced his address, it was evident why
Saniel's opinion on the absence of a struggle was not contradicted.
Although the prosecution believed in this struggle, it wished