ce, as the only means of rehabilitating
him and lulling the vigilance of justice. What the widow of Martin
Guerre must have suffered in this life of effort was a secret between God
and herself, but she looked at her little daughter, she thought of her
fast approaching confinement, and took courage.

One evening, towards nightfall, she was sitting near him in the most
private corner of the garden, with her little child on her knee, whilst
the adventurer, sunk in gloomy thoughts, absently stroked Sanxi's fair
head. Both were silent, for at the bottom of their hearts each knew the
other's thoughts, and, no longer able to talk familiarly, nor daring to
appear estranged, they spent, when alone together, long hours of silent
dreariness.

All at once a loud uproar broke the silence of their retreat; they heard
the exclamations of many persons, cries of surprise mixed with angry
tones, hasty footsteps, then the garden gate was flung violently open,
and old Marguerite appeared, pale, gasping, almost breathless. Bertrande
hastened towards her in astonishment, followed by her husband, but when
near enough to speak she could only answer with inarticulate sounds,
pointing with terror to the courtyard of the house. They looked in this
direction, and saw a man standing at the threshold; they approached him.
He stepped forward, as if to place himself between them. He was tall,
dark; his clothes were torn; he had a wooden leg; his countenance was
stern. He surveyed Bertrande with a gloomy look: she cried aloud, and
fell back insensible; . . . she recognised her real husband!

Arnauld du Thill stood petrified. While Marguerite, distracted herself,
endeavoured to revive her mistress, the neighbours, attracted by the
noise, invaded the house, and stopped, gazing with stupefaction at this
astonishing resemblance. The two men had the same features, the same
height, the same bearing, and suggested one being in two persons. They
gazed at each other in terror, and in that superstitious age the idea of
sorcery and of infernal intervention naturally occurred to those present.
All crossed themselves, expecting every moment to see fire from heaven
strike one or other of the two men, or that the earth would engulf one of
them. Nothing happened, however, except that both were promptly arrested,
in order that the strange mystery might be cleared up.

The wearer of the wooden leg, interrogated by the judges, related that he
came from Spain,