the poison obeys, falls downwards, and takes the lower
place.

"The trial by fire is no less certain: the fire evaporates and disperses
all that is innocent and pure, leaving only acrid and sour matter which
resists its influence. The effect produced by poisons on animals is
still more plain to see: its malignity extends to every part that it
reaches, and all that it touches is vitiated; it burns and scorches all
the inner parts with a strange, irresistible fire.

"The poison employed by Sainte-Croix has been tried in all the ways, and
can defy every experiment. This poison floats in water, it is the
superior, and the water obeys it; it escapes in the trial by fire,
leaving behind only innocent deposits; in animals it is so skilfully
concealed that no one could detect it; all parts of the animal remain
healthy and active; even while it is spreading the cause of death, this
artificial poison leaves behind the marks and appearance of life. Every
sort of experiment has been tried. The first was to pour out several
drops of the liquid found into oil of tartar and sea water, and nothing
was precipitated into the vessels used; the second was to pour the same
liquid into a sanded vessel, and at the bottom there was found nothing
acrid or acid to the tongue, scarcely any stains; the third experiment
was tried upon an Indian fowl, a pigeon, a dog, and some other animals,
which died soon after. When they were opened, however, nothing was found
but a little coagulated blood in the ventricle of the heart. Another
experiment was giving a white powder to a cat, in a morsel of mutton. The
cat vomited for half an hour, and was found dead the next day, but when
opened no part of it was found to be affected by the poison. A second
trial of the same poison was made upon a pigeon, which soon died. When
opened, nothing peculiar was found except a little reddish water in the
stomach."

These experiments proved that Sainte-Croix was a learned chemist, and
suggested the idea that he did not employ his art for nothing; everybody
recalled the sudden, unexpected deaths that had occurred, and the bonds
from the marquise and from Penautier looked like blood-money. As one of
these two was absent, and the other so powerful and rich that they dared
not arrest him without proofs, attention was now paid to the objection
put in by Lachaussee.

It was said in the objection that Lachaussee had spent seven years in the
service of Sainte-Croix,