Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Who had made the key, the indispensable key without which Danegre, on leaving the apartment, could not have locked the door behind him? Who had ever seen such a key, and what had become of it? Who had seen the assassin's knife, and where is it now? "In any event," argued the prisoner's counsel, "the prosecution must prove, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the prisoner committed the murder.
The man raised his glass, and said: "To your health, Victor Danegre." Victor started in alarm, and stammered: "I!....I!....no, no....I swear to you...." "You will swear what? That you are not yourself? The servant of the countess?" "What servant? My name is Dufour. Ask the proprietor." "Yes, Anatole Dufour to the proprietor of this restaurant, but Victor Danegre to the officers of the law."
"If you refuse, I shall post this letter to the Procureur of the Republic; in which letter Mademoiselle de Sincleves denounces you as the assassin." Danegre poured out two glasses of wine which he drank in rapid succession, then, rising, said: "Pay the bill, and let us go. I have had enough of the cursed affair." Night had fallen.
So he said: "How much will you give me, if I give you the pearl?" "Nothing." "Oh! you are joking! Or do you mean that I should give you an article worth thousands and hundreds of thousands and get nothing in return?" "You will get your life. Is that nothing?" The unfortunate man shuddered. Then Grimaudan added, in a milder tone: "Come, Danegre, that pearl has no value in your hands.
There is, also, another obscure point. At seven o'clock in the morning, Danegre went to the tobacco-shop on the Boulevard de Courcelles; the concierge and the shop-keeper both affirm this fact.
The deplorable antecedents of Victor Danegre, habitual criminal, drunkard and rake, influenced the judge, and despite the fact that nothing new was discovered in corroboration of the early clues, his official opinion remained firm and unshaken. He closed his investigation, and, a few weeks later, the trial commenced. It proved to be slow and tedious.
The prosecution must show that the mysterious individual who entered the house at three o'clock in the morning is not the guilty party. To be sure, the clock indicated eleven o'clock. But what of that? I contend, that proves nothing. The assassin could turn the hands of the clock to any hour he pleased, and thus deceive us in regard to the exact hour of the crime." Victor Danegre was acquitted.
His speech was dry and hard, with a tone of firmness and precision. Danegre was trembling with fear, and yet he struggled desperately to maintain an air of indifference. "Is that all the evidence you have?" "Oh! no, not at all. I have plenty more. For instance, after the crime, you went out the same way you had entered.
On the other hand, the countess' companion and cook, who sleep at the end of the hall, both declare that, when they arose at eight o'clock, the door of the antechamber and the door of the kitchen were locked. These two persons have been in the service of the countess for twenty years, and are above suspicion. The question is: How did Danegre leave the apartment? Did he have another key?
These are matters that the police will investigate." As a matter of fact, the police investigation threw no light on the mystery. It was learned that Victor Danegre was a dangerous criminal, a drunkard and a debauchee. But, as they proceeded with the investigation, the mystery deepened and new complications arose. In the first place, a young woman, Mlle.
Word Of The Day