e was the marquise equally imprudent.
The confession contained seven articles, and began thus, "I confess to
God, and to you, my father," and was a complete avowal, of all the crimes
she had committed.

In the first article she accused herself of incendiarism;

In the second, of having ceased to be a virgin at seven years of age;

In the third of having poisoned her father;

In the fourth, of having poisoned her two brothers;

In the fifth, that she had tried to poison her sister, a Carmelite nun.

The two other articles were concerned with the description of strange and
unnatural sins. In this woman there was something of Locusta and
something of Messalina as well: antiquity could go no further.

M. de Palluau, fortified by his knowledge of this important document,
began his examination forthwith. We give it verbatim, rejoicing that we
may substitute an official report for our own narrative.

Asked why she fled to Liege, she replied that she left France on account
of some business with her sister-in-law.

Asked if she had any knowledge of the papers found in the box, she
replied that in the box there were several family papers, and among them
a general confession which she desired to make; when she wrote it,
however, her mind was disordered; she knew not what she had said or done,
being distraught at the time, in a foreign country, deserted by her
relatives, forced to borrow every penny.

Asked as to the first article, what house it was she had burnt, she
replied that she had not burnt anything, but when she wrote that she was
out of her senses.

Asked about the six other articles she replied that she had no
recollection of them.

Asked if she had not poisoned her father and brothers, she replied that
she knew nothing at all about it.

Asked if it were not Lachaussee who poisoned her brothers, she replied
that she knew nothing about it.

Asked if she did not know that her sister could not live long, having
been poisoned, she said that she expected her sister to die, because she
suffered in the same way as her brothers; that she had lost all memory of
the time when she wrote this confession; admitted that she left France by
the advice of her relations.

Asked why her relations had advised her thus, she replied that it was in
connection with her brothers' affairs; admitted seeing Sainte-Croix since
his release from the Bastille.

Asked if Sainte-Croix had not persuaded her to get rid of her father, s