first interview with John Mauprat at the spring at Fougeres, the
latter had let fall a few words about a friar of the same order who was
travelling with him, and had passed the night at the Goulets farm. I
thought it advisable to mention this fact to my counsel. He discussed it
in a low voice with the abbe, who was sitting among the witnesses. The
latter remembered the circumstance quite clearly, but was unable to add
any further details.

When it came to the abbe's turn to give evidence he looked at me with
an expression of agony; his eyes filled with tears, and he answered the
formal questions with difficulty, and in an almost inaudible voice. He
made a great effort to master himself, and finally he gave his evidence
in these words:

"I was driving in the woods when M. le Chevalier Hubert de Mauprat
requested me to alight, and see what had become of his daughter, Edmee,
who had been missing from the field long enough to cause him uneasiness.
I ran for some distance, and when I was about thirty yards from Gazeau
Tower I found M. Bernard de Mauprat in a state of great agitation. I
had just heard a gun fired. I noticed that he was no longer carrying his
carbine; he had thrown it down (discharged, as has been proved), a few
yards away. We both hastened to Mademoiselle de Mauprat, whom we found
lying on the ground with two bullets in her. Another man had reached her
before us and was standing near her at this moment. He alone can make
known the words he heard from her lips. She was unconscious when I saw
her."

"But you heard the exact words from this individual," said the
president; "for rumour has it that there is a close friendship between
yourself and the learned peasant known as Patience."