"Vagualame? You ask who he is, and you search among the thieves, the
receivers of stolen goods and light-fingered gentry, you search among
the secret agents, among that low unclean crowd which gravitates to
your Staff Offices and circulates about them, forever on the watch, on
the prowl to surprise some secret, to buy over some conscience, to
sell and bargain over some purloined document!... Look higher than
that, gentlemen--much higher! Look higher than the Staff Offices, than
the leaders in the political world, than members of the Government,
even--fix your attention on the accredited representatives of foreign
powers."...

Bobinette was unable to continue.... Commandant Dumoulin had been too
excited to remain in his seat. He rushed towards the witness, who was
making what he considered to be wild and outrageous statements: he put
his big hand over her mouth, effectually silencing her....

The commandant turned to the colonel, shouting:

"Colonel! Monsieur the president!... I demand that this case be now
heard in camera! Such accusations must not be heard in public!... I
beg you to order that the rest of this case be heard behind closed
doors!"

The counsel for the defence rose in his turn, and in a calm tone,
which contrasted with the violence of Commandant Dumoulin, declared:

"I am in agreement with this demand, Monsieur the President.... Will
you order that the further hearing of this case be in camera?"

Here Commandant Dumoulin, to whom Lieutenant Servin had made a
suggestion, intervened anew:

"Monsieur the President, gentlemen, having regard to the grave
declarations made by this witness, I require her immediate arrest!"

Hardly had this demand been voiced when a loud cry rang out,
electrifying the whole court. Bobinette had swallowed the contents of
a small phial hidden in her muff!

Juve, guessing Bobinette's intention, had rushed to her, but, in spite
of his rapid action, he reached her only in time to receive the
fainting girl in his arms.

"She has poisoned herself!" shouted Juve.

The public broke bounds, knocked over chairs and benches, rolled in a
surge of excited curiosity to the very feet of the Council of War,
crowding round this fresh centre of interest--Bobinette!

Fandor was too stunned by the avalanche of incidents to move.

"The hearing is suspended!" shouted the colonel in an angry voice.
There was nothing else to be done: the court was in an uproar!

It was nine in the ev