登陆注册
34946500000155

第155章 XXXI.(7)

The first is the excellent priest from Brechy. He confirms the statement of the accused. He was dining, the evening of the crime, at the house of M. de Besson; his servant had come for him; and the parsonage was deserted. He states that he had really arranged with M. de Boiscoran that the latter should come some evening of that week to fulfil the religious duties which the church requires before it allows a marriage to be consecrated. He has known Jacques de Boiscoran from a child, and knows no better and no more honorable man. In his opinion, that hatred, of which so much has been said, never had any existence. He cannot believe, and does not believe, that the accused is guilty.

The second witness is the priest of an adjoining parish. He states, that, between nine and ten o'clock, he was on the road, near the Marshalls' Cross-roads. The night was quite dark. He is of the same size as the priest at Brechy; and the little girl might very well have taken him for the latter, thus misleading M.

de Boiscoran.

Three other witnesses are introduced; and then, as neither the accused nor his counsel have any thing to add, the prosecuting attorney begins his speech.

[The Charge.]

M. Gransiere's eloquence is so widely known, and so justly appreciated, that we need not refer to it here. We will only say that he surpassed himself in this charge, which, for more than an hour, held the large assembly in anxious and breathless suspense, and caused all hearts to vibrate with the most intense excitement.

He commences with a description of Valpinson, "this poetic and charming residence, where the noble old trees of Rochepommier are mirrored in the crystal waves of the Seille.

"There," he went on to say,--"there lived the Count and the Countess Claudieuse,--he one of those noblemen of a past age who worshipped honor, and were devoted to duty; she one of those women who are the glory of their ***, and the perfect model of all domestic virtues.

"Heaven had blessed their union, and given them two children, to whom they were tenderly attached. Fortune smiled upon their wise efforts. Esteemed by all, cherished, and revered, they lived happy, and might have counted upon long years of prosperity.

"But no. Hate was hovering over them.

"One evening, a fatal glare arouses the count. He rushes out; he hears the report of a gun. He hears it a second time, and he sinks down, bathed in his blood. The countess also is alarmed by the explosion, and hastens to the spot: she stumbles; she sees the lifeless body of her husband, and sinks unconscious to the ground.

"Are the children also to perish? No. Providence watches. A flash of intelligence pierces the night of an insane man, who rushes through the flames, and snatches the children from the fire that was already threatening their couch.

"Their lives are saved; but the fire continues its destructive march.

"At the sound of the terrible fire-bell, all the inhabitants of the neighboring villages hurry to the spot. But there is no one to direct their efforts; there are no engines; and they can do nothing.

"But all of a sudden a distant rumbling sound revives hope in their hearts. They know the fire-engines are coming. They come; they reach the spot; and whatever men can do is done at once.

"But great God! What mean those cries of horror which suddenly rise on all sides? The roof of the house is falling, and buries under its ruins two men, the most zealous and most courageous of all the zealous and courageous men,--Bolton the drummer, who had just now summoned his neighbors to come to the rescue, and Guillebault, a father with five children.

"High above the crash and the hissing of flames rise their heart-rending cries. They call for help. Will they be allowed to perish?

A gendarme rushes forward, and with him a farmer from Brechy. But their heroism is useless: the monster keeps its prey. The two men also are apparently doomed; and only by unheard-of efforts, and at great peril of life, can they be rescued from the furnace. But they are so grievously wounded, that they will remain infirm for the rest of their lives, compelled to appeal to public charity for their subsistence."Then the prosecuting attorney proceeds to paint the whole of the disaster at Valpinson in the sombrest colors, and with all the resources of his well-known eloquence. He describes the Countess Claudieuse as she kneels by the side of her dying husband, while the crowd is eagerly pressing around the wounded man and struggling with the flames for the charred remains of the unfortunate firemen. With increasing vehemence, he says next,--"And during all this time what becomes of the author of these fearful misdeeds? When his hatred is gratified, he flees through the wood, and returns to his home. Remorse, there is none. As soon as he reaches the house, he eats, drinks, smokes his cigar. His position in the country is such, and the precautionary measures he had taken appear to him so well chosen, that he thinks he is above suspicion. He is calm. He feels so perfectly safe, that he neglects the commonest precautions, and does not even take the trouble of pouring out the water in which he has washed his hands, blackened as they are by the fire he has just kindled.

"He forgets that Providence whose torch on great occasions illumines and guides human justice.

"And how, indeed, could the law ever have expected to find the guilty man in one of the most magnificent chateaux of the country but for a direct intervention of Providence?

"For the incendiary, the assassin, was actually there, at the Chateau Boiscoran.

"And let no one come and tell us that the past life of Jacques de Boiscoran is such as to protect him against the formidable charges that are brought against him. We know his past life.

同类推荐
  • 信心铭

    信心铭

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 赵氏孤儿大报仇

    赵氏孤儿大报仇

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 迦叶结经

    迦叶结经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 佛顶尊胜陀罗尼注义

    佛顶尊胜陀罗尼注义

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 苏谈

    苏谈

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 重生三国之袁基

    重生三国之袁基

    一次意外使得原本宅男一个的石林穿越到了三国的袁府成了袁逢的小儿子袁基,难得来一次不好好折腾折腾多对不起自己啊。且看袁基从一个痴傻之人一步步走向一统天下的帝王之路。
  • 仙家有夫咱没约

    仙家有夫咱没约

    木兮枝猩猩式仰天鬼嚎,这年头杀手还赶潮流玩穿越.杀手穿越都是老套剧情了,为毛她还是穿了.还穿成小说中的恶毒女配,是女主修仙的垫脚石.木兮枝小童鞋表示不服,咱知道剧情怎样走,开了外挂就算你是女主也不能把我咋滴.抢机缘、抢物资,就是抢不了美男,美男一个个把她当仇人.
  • 天行

    天行

    号称“北辰骑神”的天才玩家以自创的“牧马冲锋流”战术击败了国服第一弓手北冥雪,被誉为天纵战榜第一骑士的他,却受到小人排挤,最终离开了效力已久的银狐俱乐部。是沉沦,还是再次崛起?恰逢其时,月恒集团第四款游戏“天行”正式上线,虚拟世界再起风云!
  • 陌元

    陌元

    苦心人,天不负,三千越,甲可吞吴,吾愿成为这苦心人只为报仇
  • 无上无敌

    无上无敌

    天地玄黄宇宙洪荒,世界无穷之大。系统在手,天下我有,看一个林家小子如何纵横百族,脚踏天才!爆抢神女……
  • 懒女理论

    懒女理论

    苏晓满,懒惰,一无是处,她是黑暗中的小虫,她没有理想没有目标,有的只是吃饭睡觉。上官瑾,高傲,冷峻,苏晓满的老板,最讨厌的便是女人,他认为女人是世界上最烦人的生物,可是他却碰上了世上最麻烦的苏晓满。林沐阳,苏晓满的前男友,潇洒,多情,最喜欢漂亮的女人,平均三个月就换一次女朋友,可是苏晓满却是他唯一公开承认的女朋友,可是他被甩了,没错,风度翩翩的贵公子被一个一无是处的女人给甩了。如果懒惰是一种病,那么苏晓满已经病的无可救药了,可是她一直认为懒惰的人才是世界上最聪明的人,所以她誓要将懒惰进行到底。
  • 星际女神要修仙

    星际女神要修仙

    琼瑶赶上穿越大潮,穿越到了一个科技极其发达的地方,看她如何征服星际,将中华文化在星际发扬光大。
  • 天行

    天行

    号称“北辰骑神”的天才玩家以自创的“牧马冲锋流”战术击败了国服第一弓手北冥雪,被誉为天纵战榜第一骑士的他,却受到小人排挤,最终离开了效力已久的银狐俱乐部。是沉沦,还是再次崛起?恰逢其时,月恒集团第四款游戏“天行”正式上线,虚拟世界再起风云!
  • 灵度天启

    灵度天启

    一个新的世界一个新的时代灵脉主宰着人们的命运所有人都仆倒在它的脚下分裂的帝国,新生的势力,不断在这个世界争夺着生存空间,黑暗中低语者随着战火而蠢蠢欲动死亡的气息让他们复苏是谁让我来到这个世界?真相到底在哪里毁灭还是救赎只有一步一步走下去推荐作品《玄境侠影之武道鏖锋》
  • 入伍之路

    入伍之路

    故事讲述了上世纪90年代初一个农村孩子为了摆脱命运的束缚,在多次争取之下,终于如愿以偿走出农村,时过境迁,而今的他虽然已经离开农村几十年,却又对农村多了几份牵挂。