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Updated: June 26, 2025
Fandor realised that the corporal had decided to make a clean breast of it. "It sometimes happened after I had had a scene with Nichoune, and had quitted her in a fury, that I would go for a long bicycle ride into the country, taking my shame and rage with me. On a certain Saturday, bestriding my faithful bike, I went for a spin along the dusty high-road which runs past the camp.
After a moment's reflection he added: "But of course, you must know more about it than anyone, Vagualame, because you saw her just before the end. Didn't you have a talk with Nichoune on the Friday, the eve of her death?" Juve-Vagualame was about to speak. De Loubersac added: "The innkeeper saw you!" "Did he now? What is this?" thought Juve. This statement opened up a fresh view of things.
"I do not imagine anything, Colonel I state facts!... Nichoune is dead, murdered: there is not a shadow of a doubt about that.... Nichoune was the mistress of Corporal Vinson.... This Vinson was on the point of playing the traitor, if he had not already done so; he was also a friend of Captain Brocq, and Brocq died just when the document disappeared the document confided to him by our service ... so much for facts."
Just as another singer appeared on the platform, Nichoune reached the last row of chairs, and was about to leave, when she heard her name uttered in a low voice by a man enveloped in a large cloak. He was standing, and was leaning against the wall at the extreme end of the concert-room: he was an aged man.
He had barely time to seat himself in an arm-chair near his accordion, lying on the floor, when Nichoune entered. "Good day!" cried she. Vagualame pretended to wake up with a start. "Ha, ha! Good day, Nichoune! Tell me, you have not seen Belfort? Eh?" "How do you know that?" demanded Nichoune, on the defensive. She looked surprised.
Brocq's mistress was not a society woman, as you thought: on the contrary, she was a girl of the lower orders ... a music-hall singer, called Nichoune ... of Châlons!" "You have proof of it?" The colonel, with a superior air, held out a packet of letters to Juve. "Here is the correspondence letters written by Brocq to the girl! One of my collaborators seized them at girl's place."...
Her admirers were merciless: they had no consideration for her fatigue: they would have kept her on the platform from eight o'clock till midnight! The manager rushed to Nichoune's dressing-room. "Come! Come at once! They will smash up everything if you do not hurry on." Nichoune got up. "Ah, ha! If I don't get a rise after this well, I shall be off! You will see!
"Wits wool-gathering, lieutenant!" echoed Juve-Vagualame. "There is no lieutenant, I tell you!" cried de Loubersac, with a stamp of his foot. "It is Monsieur Henri just Henri, if you like. How many more times am I to tell you this?" Juve-Vagualame's reply was an equivocal gesture. "You do not know about the Châlons affair the assassination of the singer, Nichoune?" "No that is to say."...
You are at perfect liberty to do what seems good to you, and if you have just come in for some money!"... "No one has left me any money," interrupted Nichoune. "Oh, well," replied Vagualame, "if you despise the nice sum I bring you every month, that's your business! But I don't suppose you want to leave your old comrade in a fix, do you?" Nichoune hesitated.
They will have to have me back, too!" The manager showed by a shrug of the shoulders that this was a matter of profound indifference to him. "Come on to the platform, my dear! And be quick about it!" Nichoune raced down the stairs and appeared before the clamouring crowd panting. At sight of her, calm succeeded storm: the idol was going to sing!
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