the attentive sagacity of a magistrate who realizes the immense
weight of even the slightest detail, and who fully appreciates the
eloquence of circumstantial evidence.

"This is a serious affair," he said gravely; "very serious."

The commissary's only response was to lift his eyes to heaven. A gesture
that plainly implied, "I quite agree with you!" The fact is, that for
the past two hours the worthy commissary's responsibility had weighed
heavily upon him, and he secretly blessed the investigating magistrate
for relieving him of it.

"The public prosecutor was unable to accompany me," resumed M.
d'Escorval, "he has not the gift of omnipresence, and I doubt if it will
be possible for him to join me here. Let us, therefore, begin operations
at once."

The curiosity of those present had become intense; and the commissary
only expressed the general feeling when he said: "You have undoubtedly
questioned the murderer, sir, and have learnt--"

"I have learnt nothing," interrupted M. d'Escorval, apparently much
astonished at the interruption.

He took a chair and sat himself down, and while his clerk was busy in
authenticating the commissary's _proces-verbal_, he began to read the
report prepared by Lecoq.

Pale, agitated, and nervous, the young police agent tried to read upon
the magistrate's impassive face the impression produced by the document.
His future depended upon the magistrate's approval or disapproval; and
it was not with a fuddled mind like that of Father Absinthe that he had
now to deal, but with a superior intelligence.

"If I could only plead my own cause," he thought. "What are cold written
phrases in comparison with spoken, living words, palpitating with
emotion and imbued with the convictions of the speaker."

However, he was soon reassured. The magistrate's face retained its
immobility, but again and again did M. d'Escorval nod his head in token
of approval, and occasionally some point more ingenious than the others
extorted from his lips the exclamations: "Not bad--very good!"

When he had finished the perusal he turned to the commissary and
remarked: "All this is very unlike your report of this morning, which
represented the affair as a low broil between a party of miserable
vagabonds."

The observation was only too just and fair; and the commissary deeply
regretted that he had trusted to Gevrol's representations, and remained
in bed. "This morning," he responded evasively, "I only gave you