V + 

Th├йr├иse and Germaine + 

The weather was so mild that autumn that, on the 12th of October, in the morning, several families still lingering in their villas at ├Йtretat had gone down to the beach. The sea, lying between the cliffs and the clouds on the horizon, might have suggested a mountain-lake slumbering in the hollow of the enclosing rocks, were it not for that crispness in the air and those pale, soft and indefinite colours in the sky which give a special charm to certain days in Normandy. + 

тАЬItтАЩs delicious,тАЭ murmured Hortense. But the next moment she added: тАЬAll the same, we did not come here to enjoy the spectacle of nature or to wonder whether that huge stone Needle on our left was really at one time the home of Ars├иne Lupin.тАЭ + 

тАЬWe came here,тАЭ said Prince R├йnine, тАЬbecause of the conversation which I overheard, a fortnight ago, in a dining-car, between a man and a woman.тАЭ + 

тАЬA conversation of which I was unable to catch a single word.тАЭ + 

тАЬIf those two people could have guessed for an instant that it was possible to hear a single word of what they were saying, they would not have spoken, for their conversation was one of extraordinary gravity and importance. But I have very sharp ears; and though I could not follow every sentence, I insist that we may be certain of two things. First, that man and woman, who are brother and sister, have an appointment at a quarter to twelve this morning, the 12th of October, at the spot known as the Trois Mathildes, with a third person, who is married and who wishes at all costs to recover his or her liberty. Secondly, this appointment, at which they will come to a final agreement, is to be followed this evening by a walk along the cliffs, when the third person will bring with him or her the man or woman, I canтАЩt definitely say which, whom they want to get rid of. That is the gist of the whole thing. Now, as I know a spot called the Trois Mathildes some way above ├Йtretat and as this is not an everyday name, we came down yesterday to thwart the plan of these objectionable persons.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat plan?тАЭ asked Hortense. тАЬFor, after all, itтАЩs only your assumption that thereтАЩs to be a victim and that the victim is to be flung off the top of the cliffs. You yourself told me that you heard no allusion to a possible murder.тАЭ + 

тАЬThat is so. But I heard some very plain words relating to the marriage of the brother or the sister with the wife or the husband of the third person, which implies the need for a crime.тАЭ + 

They were sitting on the terrace of the casino, facing the stairs which run down to the beach. They therefore overlooked the few privately-owned cabins on the shingle, where a party of four men were playing bridge, while a group of ladies sat talking and knitting. + 

A short distance away and nearer to the sea was another cabin, standing by itself and closed. + 

Half-a-dozen bare-legged children were paddling in the water. + 

тАЬNo,тАЭ said Hortense, тАЬall this autumnal sweetness and charm fails to attract me. I have so much faith in all your theories that I canтАЩt help thinking, in spite of everything, of this dreadful problem. Which of those people yonder is threatened? Death has already selected its victim. Who is it? Is it that young, fair-haired woman, rocking herself and laughing? Is it that tall man over there, smoking his cigar? And which of them has the thought of murder hidden in his heart? All the people we see are quietly enjoying themselves. Yet death is prowling among them.тАЭ + 

тАЬCapital!тАЭ said R├йnine. тАЬYou too are becoming enthusiastic. What did I tell you? The whole of lifeтАЩs an adventure; and nothing but adventure is worth while. At the first breath of coming events, there you are, quivering in every nerve. You share in all the tragedies stirring around you; and the feeling of mystery awakens in the depths of your being. See, how closely you are observing that couple who have just arrived. You never can tell: that may be the gentleman who proposes to do away with his wife? Or perhaps the lady contemplates making away with her husband?тАЭ + 

тАЬThe dтАЩOrmevals? Never! A perfectly happy couple! Yesterday, at the hotel, I had a long talk with the wife. And you yourself.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬOh, I played a round of golf with Jacques dтАЩOrmeval, who rather fancies himself as an athlete, and I played at dolls with their two charming little girls!тАЭ + 

The dтАЩOrmevals came up and exchanged a few words with them. Madame dтАЩOrmeval said that her two daughters had gone back to Paris that morning with their governess. Her husband, a great tall fellow with a yellow beard, carrying his blazer over his arm and puffing out his chest under a cellular shirt, complained of the heat: + 

тАЬHave you the key of the cabin, Th├йr├иse?тАЭ he asked his wife, when they had left R├йnine and Hortense and stopped at the top of the stairs, a few yards away. + 

тАЬHere it is,тАЭ said the wife. тАЬAre you going to read your papers?тАЭ + 

тАЬYes. Unless we go for a stroll?тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬI had rather wait till the afternoon: do you mind? I have a lot of letters to write this morning.тАЭ + 

тАЬVery well. WeтАЩll go on the cliff.тАЭ + 

Hortense and R├йnine exchanged a glance of surprise. Was this suggestion accidental? Or had they before them, contrary to their expectations, the very couple of whom they were in search? + 

Hortense tried to laugh: + 

тАЬMy heart is thumping,тАЭ she said. тАЬNevertheless, I absolutely refuse to believe in anything so improbable. тАШMy husband and I have never had the slightest quarrel,тАЩ she said to me. No, itтАЩs quite clear that those two get on admirably.тАЭ + 

тАЬWe shall see presently, at the Trois Mathildes, if one of them comes to meet the brother and sister.тАЭ + 

M. dтАЩOrmeval had gone down the stairs, while his wife stood leaning on the balustrade of the terrace. She had a beautiful, slender, supple figure. Her clear-cut profile was emphasized by a rather too prominent chin when at rest; and, when it was not smiling, the face gave an expression of sadness and suffering. + 

тАЬHave you lost something, Jacques?тАЭ she called out to her husband, who was stooping over the shingle. + 

тАЬYes, the key,тАЭ he said. тАЬIt slipped out of my hand.тАЭ + 

She went down to him and began to look also. For two or three minutes, as they sheered off to the right and remained close to the bottom of the under-cliff, they were invisible to Hortense and R├йnine. Their voices were covered by the noise of a dispute which had arisen among the bridge-players. + 

They reappeared almost simultaneously. Madame dтАЩOrmeval slowly climbed a few steps of the stairs and then stopped and turned her face towards the sea. Her husband had thrown his blazer over his shoulders and was making for the isolated cabin. As he passed the bridge-players, they asked him for a decision, pointing to their cards spread out upon the table. But, with a wave of the hand, he refused to give an opinion and walked on, covered the thirty yards which divided them from the cabin, opened the door and went in. + 

Th├йr├иse dтАЩOrmeval came back to the terrace and remained for ten minutes sitting on a bench. Then she came out through the casino. Hortense, on leaning forward, saw her entering one of the chalets annexed to the H├┤tel Hauville and, a moment later, caught sight of her again on the balcony. + 

тАЬEleven oтАЩclock,тАЭ said R├йnine. тАЬWhoever it is, he or she, or one of the cardplayers, or one of their wives, it wonтАЩt be long before someone goes to the appointed place.тАЭ + 

Nevertheless, twenty minutes passed and twenty-five; and no one stirred. + 

тАЬPerhaps Madame dтАЩOrmeval has gone.тАЭ Hortense suggested, anxiously. тАЬShe is no longer on her balcony.тАЭ + 

тАЬIf she is at the Trois Mathildes,тАЭ said R├йnine, тАЬwe will go and catch her there.тАЭ + 

He was rising to his feet, when a fresh discussion broke out among the bridge-players and one of them exclaimed: + 

тАЬLetтАЩs put it to dтАЩOrmeval.тАЭ + 

тАЬVery well,тАЭ said his adversary. тАЬIтАЩll accept his decisionтБатАКтБатАж if he consents to act as umpire. He was rather huffy just now.тАЭ + 

They called out: + 

тАЬDтАЩOrmeval! DтАЩOrmeval!тАЭ + 

They then saw that dтАЩOrmeval must have shut the door behind him, which kept him in the half dark, the cabin being one of the sort that has no window. + 

тАЬHeтАЩs asleep,тАЭ cried one. тАЬLetтАЩs wake him up.тАЭ + 

All four went to the cabin, began by calling to him and, on receiving no answer, thumped on the door: + 

тАЬHi! DтАЩOrmeval! Are you asleep?тАЭ + 

On the terrace Serge R├йnine suddenly leapt to his feet with so uneasy an air that Hortense was astonished. He muttered: + 

тАЬIf only itтАЩs not too late!тАЭ + 

And, when Hortense asked him what he meant, he tore down the steps and started running to the cabin. He reached it just as the bridge-players were trying to break in the door: + 

тАЬStop!тАЭ he ordered. тАЬThings must be done in the regular fashion.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat things?тАЭ they asked. + 

He examined the Venetian shutters at the top of each of the folding-doors and, on finding that one of the upper slats was partly broken, hung on as best he could to the roof of the cabin and cast a glance inside. Then he said to the four men: + 

тАЬI was right in thinking that, if M. dтАЩOrmeval did not reply, he must have been prevented by some serious cause. There is every reason to believe that M. dтАЩOrmeval is woundedтБатАКтБатАж or dead.тАЭ + 

тАЬDead!тАЭ they cried. тАЬWhat do you mean? He has only just left us.тАЭ + 

R├йnine took out his knife, prized open the lock and pulled back the two doors. + 

There were shouts of dismay. M. dтАЩOrmeval was lying flat on his face, clutching his jacket and his newspaper in his hands. Blood was flowing from his back and staining his shirt. + 

тАЬOh!тАЭ said someone. тАЬHe has killed himself!тАЭ + 

тАЬHow can he have killed himself?тАЭ said R├йnine. тАЬThe wound is right in the middle of the back, at a place which the hand canтАЩt reach. And, besides, thereтАЩs not a knife in the cabin.тАЭ + 

The others protested: + 

тАЬIf so, he has been murdered. But thatтАЩs impossible! There has been nobody here. We should have seen, if there had been. Nobody could have passed us without our seeing.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

The other men, all the ladies and the children paddling in the sea had come running up. R├йnine allowed no one to enter the cabin, except a doctor who was present. But the doctor could only say that M. dтАЩOrmeval was dead, stabbed with a dagger. + 

At that moment, the mayor and the policeman arrived, together with some people of the village. After the usual enquiries, they carried away the body. + 

A few persons went on ahead to break the news to Th├йr├иse dтАЩOrmeval, who was once more to be seen on her balcony. + 

And so the tragedy had taken place without any clue to explain how a man, protected by a closed door with an uninjured lock, could have been murdered in the space of a few minutes and in front of twenty witnesses, one might almost say, twenty spectators. No one had entered the cabin. No one had come out of it. As for the dagger with which M. dтАЩOrmeval had been stabbed between the shoulders, it could not be traced. And all this would have suggested the idea of a trick of sleight-of-hand performed by a clever conjuror, had it not concerned a terrible murder, committed under the most mysterious conditions. + 

Hortense was unable to follow, as R├йnine would have liked, the small party who were making for Madame dтАЩOrmeval; she was paralysed with excitement and incapable of moving. It was the first time that her adventures with R├йnine had taken her into the very heart of the action and that, instead of noting the consequences of a murder, or assisting in the pursuit of the criminals, she found herself confronted with the murder itself. + 

It left her trembling all over; and she stammered: + 

тАЬHow horrible!тБатАКтБатАж The poor fellow!тБатАКтБатАж Ah, R├йnine, you couldnтАЩt save him this time!тБатАКтБатАж And thatтАЩs what upsets me more than anything, that we could and should have saved him, since we knew of the plot.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

R├йnine made her sniff at a bottle of salts; and when she had quite recovered her composure, he said, while observing her attentively: + 

тАЬSo you think that there is some connection between the murder and the plot which we were trying to frustrate?тАЭ + 

тАЬCertainly,тАЭ said she, astonished at the question. + 

тАЬThen, as that plot was hatched by a husband against his wife or by a wife against her husband, you admit that Madame dтАЩOrmevalтБатАКтБатАжтАК?тАЭ + 

тАЬOh, no, impossible!тАЭ she said. тАЬTo begin with, Madame dтАЩOrmeval did not leave her roomsтБатАКтБатАж and then I shall never believe that pretty woman capable.тБатАКтБатАж No, no, of course there was something else.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬWhat else?тАЭ + 

тАЬI donтАЩt know.тБатАКтБатАж You may have misunderstood what the brother and sister were saying to each other.тБатАКтБатАж You see, the murder has been committed under quite different conditionsтБатАКтБатАж at another hour and another place.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬAnd therefore,тАЭ concluded R├йnine, тАЬthe two cases are not in any way related?тАЭ + 

тАЬOh,тАЭ she said, тАЬthereтАЩs no making it out! ItтАЩs all so strange!тАЭ + 

R├йnine became a little satirical: + 

тАЬMy pupil is doing me no credit today,тАЭ he said. тАЬWhy, here is a perfectly simple story, unfolded before your eyes. You have seen it reeled off like a scene in the cinema; and it all remains as obscure to you as though you were hearing of an affair that happened in a cave a hundred miles away!тАЭ + 

Hortense was confounded: + 

тАЬWhat are you saying? Do you mean that you have understood it? What clues have you to go by?тАЭ + 

R├йnine looked at his watch: + 

тАЬI have not understood everything,тАЭ he said. тАЬThe murder itself, the mere brutal murder, yes. But the essential thing, that is to say, the psychology of the crime: IтАЩve no clue to that. Only, it is twelve oтАЩclock. The brother and sister, seeing no one come to the appointment at the Trois Mathildes, will go down to the beach. DonтАЩt you think that we shall learn something then of the accomplice whom I accuse them of having and of the connection between the two cases?тАЭ + 

They reached the esplanade in front of the Hauville chalets, with the capstans by which the fishermen haul up their boats to the beach. A number of inquisitive persons were standing outside the door of one of the chalets. Two coastguards, posted at the door, prevented them from entering. + 

The mayor shouldered his way eagerly through the crowd. He was back from the post-office, where he had been telephoning to Le Havre, to the office of the procurator-general, and had been told that the public prosecutor and an examining-magistrate would come on to ├Йtretat in the course of the afternoon. + 

тАЬThat leaves us plenty of time for lunch,тАЭ said R├йnine. тАЬThe tragedy will not be enacted before two or three oтАЩclock. And I have an idea that it will be sensational.тАЭ + 

They hurried nevertheless. Hortense, overwrought by fatigue and her desire to know what was happening, continually questioned R├йnine, who replied evasively, with his eyes turned to the esplanade, which they could see through the windows of the coffee-room. + 

тАЬAre you watching for those two?тАЭ asked Hortense. + 

тАЬYes, the brother and sister.тАЭ + 

тАЬAre you sure that they will venture?тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬLook out! Here they come!тАЭ + 

He went out quickly. + 

Where the main street opened on the seafront, a lady and gentleman were advancing with hesitating steps, as though unfamiliar with the place. The brother was a puny little man, with a sallow complexion. He was wearing a motoring-cap. The sister too was short, but rather stout, and was wrapped in a large cloak. She struck them as a woman of a certain age, but still good-looking under the thin veil that covered her face. + 

They saw the groups of bystanders and drew nearer. Their gait betrayed uneasiness and hesitation. + 

The sister asked a question of a seaman. At the first words of his answer, which no doubt conveyed the news of dтАЩOrmevalтАЩs death, she uttered a cry and tried to force her way through the crowd. The brother, learning in his turn what had happened, made great play with his elbows and shouted to the coastguards: + 

тАЬIтАЩm a friend of dтАЩOrmevalтАЩs!тБатАКтБатАж HereтАЩs my card! Fr├йd├йric Astaing.тБатАКтБатАж My sister, Germaine Astaing, knows Madame dтАЩOrmeval intimately!тБатАКтБатАж They were expecting us.тБатАКтБатАж We had an appointment!тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

They were allowed to pass. R├йnine, who had slipped behind them, followed them in without a word, accompanied by Hortense. + 

The dтАЩOrmevals had four bedrooms and a sitting-room on the second floor. The sister rushed into one of the rooms and threw herself on her knees beside the bed on which the corpse lay stretched. Th├йr├иse dтАЩOrmeval was in the sitting-room and was sobbing in the midst of a small company of silent persons. The brother sat down beside her, eagerly seized her hands and said, in a trembling voice: + 

тАЬMy poor friend!тБатАКтБатАж My poor friend!тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

R├йnine and Hortense gazed at the pair of them: and Hortense whispered: + 

тАЬAnd sheтАЩs supposed to have killed him for that? Impossible!тАЭ + 

тАЬNevertheless,тАЭ observed R├йnine, тАЬthey are acquaintances; and we know that Astaing and his sister were also acquainted with a third person who was their accomplice. So that.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬItтАЩs impossible!тАЭ Hortense repeated. + 

And, in spite of all presumption, she felt so much attracted by Th├йr├иse that, when Fr├йd├йric Astaing stood up, she proceeded straightway to sit down beside her and consoled her in a gentle voice. The unhappy womanтАЩs tears distressed her profoundly. + 

R├йnine, on the other hand, applied himself from the outset to watching the brother and sister, as though this were the only thing that mattered, and did not take his eyes off Fr├йd├йric Astaing, who, with an air of indifference, began to make a minute inspection of the premises, examining the sitting-room, going into all the bedrooms, mingling with the various groups of persons present and asking questions about the manner in which the murder had been committed. Twice his sister came up and spoke to him. Then he went back to Madame dтАЩOrmeval and again sat down beside her, full of earnest sympathy. Lastly, in the lobby, he had a long conversation with his sister, after which they parted, like people who have come to a perfect understanding. Fr├йd├йric then left. These manoeuvers had lasted quite thirty or forty minutes. + 

It was at this moment that the motorcar containing the examining-magistrate and the public prosecutor pulled up outside the chalets. R├йnine, who did not expect them until later, said to Hortense: + 

тАЬWe must be quick. On no account leave Madame dтАЩOrmeval.тАЭ + 

Word was sent up to the persons whose evidence might be of any service that they were to go to the beach, where the magistrate was beginning a preliminary investigation. He would call on Madame dтАЩOrmeval afterwards. Accordingly, all who were present left the chalet. No one remained behind except the two guards and Germaine Astaing. + 

Germaine knelt down for the last time beside the dead man and, bending low, with her face in her hands, prayed for a long time. Then she rose and was opening the door on the landing, when R├йnine came forward: + 

тАЬI should like a few words with you, madame.тАЭ + 

She seemed surprised and replied: + 

тАЬWhat is it, monsieur? I am listening.тАЭ + 

тАЬNot here.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhere then, monsieur?тАЭ + 

тАЬNext door, in the sitting-room.тАЭ + 

тАЬNo,тАЭ she said, sharply. + 

тАЬWhy not? Though you did not even shake hands with her, I presume that Madame dтАЩOrmeval is your friend?тАЭ + 

He gave her no time to reflect, drew her into the next room, closed the door and, at once pouncing upon Madame dтАЩOrmeval, who was trying to go out and return to her own room, said: + 

тАЬNo, madame, listen, I implore you. Madame AstaingтАЩs presence need not drive you away. We have very serious matters to discuss, without losing a minute.тАЭ + 

The two women, standing face to face, were looking at each other with the same expression of implacable hatred, in which might be read the same confusion of spirit and the same restrained anger. Hortense, who believed them to be friends and who might, up to a certain point, have believed them to be accomplices, foresaw with terror the hostile encounter which she felt to be inevitable. She compelled Madame dтАЩOrmeval to resume her seat, while R├йnine took up his position in the middle of the room and spoke in resolute tones: + 

тАЬChance, which has placed me in possession of part of the truth, will enable me to save you both, if you are willing to assist me with a frank explanation that will give me the particulars which I still need. Each of you knows the danger in which she stands, because each of you is conscious in her heart of the evil for which she is responsible. But you are carried away by hatred; and it is for me to see clearly and to act. The examining-magistrate will be here in half-an-hour. By that time, you must have come to an agreement.тАЭ + 

They both started, as though offended by such a word. + 

тАЬYes, an agreement,тАЭ he repeated, in a more imperious tone. тАЬWhether you like it or not, you will come to an agreement. You are not the only ones to be considered. There are your two little daughters, Madame dтАЩOrmeval. Since circumstances have set me in their path, I am intervening in their defence and for their safety. A blunder, a word too much; and they are ruined. That must not happen.тАЭ + 

At the mention of her children, Madame dтАЩOrmeval broke down and sobbed. Germaine Astaing shrugged her shoulders and made a movement towards the door. R├йnine once more blocked the way: + 

тАЬWhere are you going?тАЭ + 

тАЬI have been summoned by the examining-magistrate.тАЭ + 

тАЬNo, you have not.тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, I have. Just as all those have been who have any evidence to give.тАЭ + 

тАЬYou were not on the spot. You know nothing of what happened. Nobody knows anything of the murder.тАЭ + 

тАЬI know who committed it.тАЭ + 

тАЬThatтАЩs impossible.тАЭ + 

тАЬIt was Th├йr├иse dтАЩOrmeval.тАЭ + 

The accusation was hurled forth in an outburst of rage and with a fiercely threatening gesture. + 

тАЬYou wretched creature!тАЭ exclaimed madame dтАЩOrmeval, rushing at her. тАЬGo! Leave the room! Oh, what a wretch the woman is!тАЭ + 

Hortense was trying to restrain her, but R├йnine whispered: + 

тАЬLet them be. ItтАЩs what I wantedтБатАКтБатАж to pitch them one against the other and so to let in the daylight.тАЭ + 

Madame Astaing had made a convulsive effort to ward off the insult with a jest; and she sniggered: + 

тАЬA wretched creature? Why? Because I have accused you?тАЭ + 

тАЬWhy? For every reason! YouтАЩre a wretched creature! You hear what I say, Germaine: youтАЩre a wretch!тАЭ + 

Th├йr├иse dтАЩOrmeval was repeating the insult as though it afforded her some relief. Her anger was abating. Very likely also she no longer had the strength to keep up the struggle; and it was Madame Astaing who returned to the attack, with her fists clenched and her face distorted and suddenly aged by fully twenty years: + 

тАЬYou! You dare to insult me, you! You after the murder you have committed! You dare to lift up your head when the man whom you killed is lying in there on his deathbed! Ah, if one of us is a wretched creature, itтАЩs you, Th├йr├иse, and you know it! You have killed your husband! You have killed your husband!тАЭ + 

She leapt forward, in the excitement of the terrible words which she was uttering; and her fingernails were almost touching her friendтАЩs face. + 

тАЬOh, donтАЩt tell me you didnтАЩt kill him!тАЭ she cried. тАЬDonтАЩt say that: I wonтАЩt let you. DonтАЩt say it. The dagger is there, in your bag. My brother felt it, while he was talking to you; and his hand came out with stains of blood upon it: your husbandтАЩs blood, Th├йr├иse. And then, even if I had not discovered anything, do you think that I should not have guessed, in the first few minutes? Why, I knew the truth at once, Th├йr├иse! When a sailor down there answered, тАШM. dтАЩOrmeval? He has been murdered,тАЩ I said to myself then and there, тАШItтАЩs she, itтАЩs Th├йr├иse, she killed him.тАЩтАКтАЭ + 

Th├йr├иse did not reply. She had abandoned her attitude of protest. Hortense, who was watching her with anguish, thought that she could perceive in her the despondency of those who know themselves to be lost. Her cheeks had fallen in and she wore such an expression of despair that Hortense, moved to compassion, implored her to defend herself: + 

тАЬPlease, please, explain things. When the murder was committed, you were here, on the balcony.тБатАКтБатАж But then the daggerтБатАКтБатАж how did you come to have itтБатАКтБатАжтАК? How do you explain it?тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬExplanations!тАЭ sneered Germaine Astaing. тАЬHow could she possibly explain? What do outward appearances matter? What does it matter what anyone saw or did not see? The proof is the thing that tells.тБатАКтБатАж The dagger is there, in your bag, Th├йr├иse: thatтАЩs a fact.тБатАКтБатАж Yes, yes, it was you who did it! You killed him! You killed him in the end!тБатАКтБатАж Ah, how often IтАЩve told my brother, тАШShe will kill him yet!тАЩ Fr├йd├йric used to try to defend you. He always had a weakness for you. But in his innermost heart he foresaw what would happen.тБатАКтБатАж And now the horrible thing has been done. A stab in the back! Coward! Coward!тБатАКтБатАж And you would have me say nothing? Why, I didnтАЩt hesitate a moment! Nor did Fr├йd├йric. We looked for proofs at once.тБатАКтБатАж And IтАЩve denounced you of my own free will, perfectly well aware of what I was doing.тБатАКтБатАж And itтАЩs over, Th├йr├иse. YouтАЩre done for. Nothing can save you now. The dagger is in that bag which you are clutching in your hand. The magistrate is coming; and the dagger will be found, stained with the blood of your husband. So will your pocketbook. TheyтАЩre both there. And they will be found.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

Her rage had incensed her so vehemently that she was unable to continue and stood with her hand outstretched and her chin twitching with nervous tremors. + 

R├йnine gently took hold of Madame dтАЩOrmevalтАЩs bag. She clung to it, but he insisted and said: + 

тАЬPlease allow me, madame. Your friend Germaine is right. The examining-magistrate will be here presently; and the fact that the dagger and the pocketbook are in your possession will lead to your immediate arrest. This must not happen. Please allow me.тАЭ + 

His insinuating voice diminished Th├йr├иse dтАЩOrmevalтАЩs resistance. She released her fingers, one by one. He took the bag, opened it, produced a little dagger with an ebony handle and a grey leather pocketbook and quietly slipped the two into the inside pocket of his jacket. + 

Germaine Astaing gazed at him in amazement: + 

тАЬYouтАЩre mad, monsieur! What right have youтБатАКтБатАжтАК?тАЭ + 

тАЬThese things must not be left lying about. I shanтАЩt worry now. The magistrate will never look for them in my pocket.тАЭ + 

тАЬBut I shall denounce you to the police,тАЭ she exclaimed, indignantly. тАЬThey shall be told!тАЭ + 

тАЬNo, no,тАЭ he said, laughing, тАЬyou wonтАЩt say anything! The police have nothing to do with this. The quarrel between you must be settled in private. What an idea, to go dragging the police into every incident of oneтАЩs life!тАЭ + 

Madame Astaing was choking with fury: + 

тАЬBut you have no right to talk like this, monsieur! Who are you, after all? A friend of that womanтАЩs?тАЭ + 

тАЬSince you have been attacking her, yes.тАЭ + 

тАЬBut IтАЩm only attacking her because sheтАЩs guilty. For you canтАЩt deny it: she has killed her husband.тАЭ + 

тАЬI donтАЩt deny it,тАЭ said R├йnine, calmly. тАЬWe are all agreed on that point. Jacques dтАЩOrmeval was killed by his wife. But, I repeat, the police must not know the truth.тАЭ + 

тАЬThey shall know it through me, monsieur, I swear they shall. That woman must be punished: she has committed murder.тАЭ + 

R├йnine went up to her and, touching her on the shoulder: + 

тАЬYou asked me just now by what right I was interfering. And you yourself, madame?тАЭ + 

тАЬI was a friend of Jacques dтАЩOrmeval.тАЭ + 

тАЬOnly a friend?тАЭ + 

She was a little taken aback, but at once pulled herself together and replied: + 

тАЬI was his friend and it is my duty to avenge his death.тАЭ + 

тАЬNevertheless, you will remain silent, as he did.тАЭ + 

тАЬHe did not know, when he died.тАЭ + 

тАЬThatтАЩs where you are wrong. He could have accused his wife, if he had wished. He had ample time to accuse her; and he said nothing.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhy?тАЭ + 

тАЬBecause of his children.тАЭ + 

Madame Astaing was not appeased; and her attitude displayed the same longing for revenge and the same detestation. But she was influenced by R├йnine in spite of herself. In the small, closed room, where there was such a clash of hatred, he was gradually becoming the master; and Germaine Astaing understood that it was against him that she had to struggle, while Madame dтАЩOrmeval felt all the comfort of that unexpected support which was offering itself on the brink of the abyss: + 

тАЬThank you, monsieur,тАЭ she said. тАЬAs you have seen all this so clearly, you also know that it was for my childrenтАЩs sake that I did not give myself up. But for thatтБатАКтБатАж I am so tiredтБатАКтБатАжтАК!тАЭ + 

And so the scene was changing and things assuming a different aspect. Thanks to a few words let fall in the midst of the dispute, the culprit was lifting her head and taking heart, whereas her accuser was hesitating and seemed to be uneasy. And it also came about that the accuser dared not say anything further and that the culprit was nearing the moment at which the need is felt of breaking silence and of speaking, quite naturally, words that are at once a confession and a relief. + 

тАЬThe time, I think, has come,тАЭ said R├йnine to Th├йr├иse, with the same unvarying gentleness, тАЬwhen you can and ought to explain yourself.тАЭ + 

She was again weeping, lying huddled in a chair. She too revealed a face aged and ravaged by sorrow; and, in a very low voice, with no display of anger, she spoke, in short, broken sentences: + 

тАЬShe has been his mistress for the last four years.тБатАКтБатАж I canтАЩt tell you how I suffered.тБатАКтБатАж She herself told me of itтБатАКтБатАж out of sheer wickednessтБатАКтБатАж Her loathing for me was even greater than her love for JacquesтБатАКтБатАж and every day I had some fresh injury to bearтБатАКтБатАж She would ring me up to tell me of her appointments with my husbandтБатАКтБатАж she hoped to make me suffer so much I should end by killing myself.тБатАКтБатАж I did think of it sometimes, but I held out, for the childrenтАЩs sakeтБатАКтБатАж Jacques was weakening. She wanted him to get a divorceтБатАКтБатАж and little by little he began to consentтБатАКтБатАж dominated by her and by her brother, who is slyer than she is, but quite as dangerousтБатАКтБатАж I felt all thisтБатАКтБатАж Jacques was becoming harsh to me.тБатАКтБатАж He had not the courage to leave me, but I was the obstacle and he bore me a grudge.тБатАКтБатАж Heavens, the tortures I suffered!тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬYou should have given him his liberty,тАЭ cried Germaine Astaing. тАЬA woman doesnтАЩt kill her husband for wanting a divorce.тАЭ + 

Th├йr├иse shook her head and answered: + 

тАЬI did not kill him because he wanted a divorce. If he had really wanted it, he would have left me; and what could I have done? But your plans had changed, Germaine; divorce was not enough for you; and it was something else that you would have obtained from him, another, much more serious thing which you and your brother had insisted onтБатАКтБатАж and to which he had consentedтБатАКтБатАж out of cowardiceтБатАКтБатАж in spite of himself.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬWhat do you mean?тАЭ spluttered Germaine. тАЬWhat other thing?тАЭ + 

тАЬMy death.тАЭ + 

тАЬYou lie!тАЭ cried Madame Astaing. + 

Th├йr├иse did not raise her voice. She made not a movement of aversion or indignation and simply repeated: + 

тАЬMy death, Germaine. I have read your latest letters, six letters from you which he was foolish enough to leave about in his pocketbook and which I read last night, six letters in which the terrible word is not set down, but in which it appears between every line. I trembled as I read it! That Jacques should come to this!тБатАКтБатАж Nevertheless the idea of stabbing him did not occur to me for a second. A woman like myself, Germaine, does not readily commit murder.тБатАКтБатАж If I lost my head, it was after thatтБатАКтБатАж and it was your fault.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

She turned her eyes to R├йnine as if to ask him if there was no danger in her speaking and revealing the truth. + 

тАЬDonтАЩt be afraid,тАЭ he said. тАЬI will be answerable for everything.тАЭ + 

She drew her hand across her forehead. The horrible scene was being reenacted within her and was torturing her. Germaine Astaing did not move, but stood with folded arms and anxious eyes, while Hortense Daniel sat distractedly awaiting the confession of the crime and the explanation of the unfathomable mystery. + 

тАЬIt was after that and it was through your fault GermaineтБатАКтБатАж I had put back the pocketbook in the drawer where it was hidden; and I said nothing to Jacques this morningтБатАКтБатАж I did not want to tell him what I knew.тБатАКтБатАж It was too horrible.тБатАКтБатАж All the same, I had to act quickly; your letters announced your secret arrival today.тБатАКтБатАж I thought at first of running away, of taking the train.тБатАКтБатАж I had mechanically picked up that dagger, to defend myself.тБатАКтБатАж But when Jacques and I went down to the beach, I was resigned.тБатАКтБатАж Yes, I had accepted death: тАШI will die,тАЩ I thought, тАШand put an end to all this nightmare!тАЩтБатАКтБатАж Only, for the childrenтАЩs sake, I was anxious that my death should look like an accident and that Jacques should have no part in it. That was why your plan of a walk on the cliff suited me.тБатАКтБатАж A fall from the top of a cliff seems quite naturalтБатАКтБатАж Jacques therefore left me to go to his cabin, from which he was to join you later at the Trois Mathildes. On the way, below the terrace, he dropped the key of the cabin. I went down and began to look for it with himтБатАКтБатАж And it happened thenтБатАКтБатАж through your faultтБатАКтБатАж yes, Germaine, through your faultтБатАКтБатАж JacquesтАЩ pocketbook had slipped from his jacket, without his noticing it, and, together with the pocketbook, a photograph which I recognized at once: a photograph, taken this year, of myself and my two children. I picked it upтБатАКтБатАж and I saw.тБатАКтБатАж You know what I saw, Germaine. Instead of my face, the face in the photograph was yours!тБатАКтБатАж You had put in your likeness, Germaine, and blotted me out! It was your face! One of your arms was round my elder daughterтАЩs neck; and the younger was sitting on your knees.тБатАКтБатАж It was you, Germaine, the wife of my husband, the future mother of my children, you, who were going to bring them upтБатАКтБатАж you, you!тБатАКтБатАж Then I lost my head. I had the daggerтБатАКтБатАж Jacques was stoopingтБатАКтБатАж I stabbed him.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

Every word of her confession was strictly true. Those who listened to her felt this profoundly; and nothing could have given Hortense and R├йnine a keener impression of tragedy. + 

She had fallen back into her chair, utterly exhausted. Nevertheless, she went on speaking unintelligible words; and it was only gradually by leaning over her, that they were able to make out: + 

тАЬI thought that there would be an outcry and that I should be arrested. But no. It happened in such a way and under such conditions that no one had seen anything. Further, Jacques had drawn himself up at the same time as myself; and he actually did not fall. No, he did not fall! I had stabbed him; and he remained standing! I saw him from the terrace, to which I had returned. He had hung his jacket over his shoulders, evidently to hide his wound, and he moved away without staggeringтБатАКтБатАж or staggering so little that I alone was able to perceive it. He even spoke to some friends who were playing cards. Then he went to his cabin and disappeared.тБатАКтБатАж In a few moments, I came back indoors. I was persuaded that all of this was only a bad dreamтБатАКтБатАж that I had not killed himтБатАКтБатАж or that at the worst the wound was a slight one. Jacques would come out again. I was certain of it.тБатАКтБатАж I watched from my balcony.тБатАКтБатАж If I had thought for a moment that he needed assistance, I should have flown to him.тБатАКтБатАж But truly I didnтАЩt knowтБатАКтБатАж I didnтАЩt guess.тБатАКтБатАж People speak of presentiments: there are no such things. I was perfectly calm, just as one is after a nightmare of which the memory is fading away.тБатАКтБатАж No, I swear to you, I knew nothingтБатАКтБатАж until the momentтБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

She interrupted herself, stifled by sobs. + 

R├йnine finished her sentence for her, + 

тАЬUntil the moment when they came and told you, I suppose?тАЭ + 

Th├йr├иse stammered: + 

тАЬYes. It was not till then that I was conscious of what I had doneтБатАКтБатАж and I felt that I was going mad and that I should cry out to all those people, тАШWhy, it was I who did it! DonтАЩt search! Here is the daggerтБатАКтБатАж I am the culprit!тАЩ Yes, I was going to say that, when suddenly I caught sight of my poor Jacques.тБатАКтБатАж They were carrying him along.тБатАКтБатАж His face was very peaceful, very gentle.тБатАКтБатАж And, in his presence, I understood my duty, as he had understood his.тБатАКтБатАж He had kept silent, for the sake of the children. I would be silent too. We were both guilty of the murder of which he was the victim; and we must both do all we could to prevent the crime from recoiling upon them.тБатАКтБатАж He had seen this clearly in his dying agony. He had had the amazing courage to keep his feet, to answer the people who spoke to him and to lock himself up to die. He had done this, wiping out all his faults with a single action, and in so doing had granted me his forgiveness, because he was not accusing meтБатАКтБатАж and was ordering me to hold my peaceтБатАКтБатАж and to defend myselfтБатАКтБатАж against everybodyтБатАКтБатАж especially against you, Germaine.тАЭ + 

She uttered these last words more firmly. At first wholly overwhelmed by the unconscious act which she had committed in killing her husband, she had recovered her strength a little in thinking of what she had done and in defending herself with such energy. Faced by the intriguing woman whose hatred had driven both of them to death and crime, she clenched her fists, ready for the struggle, all quivering with resolution. + 

Germaine Astaing did not flinch. She had listened without a word, with a relentless expression which grew harder and harder as Th├йr├иseтАЩs confessions became precise. No emotion seemed to soften her and no remorse to penetrate her being. At most, towards the end, her thin lips shaped themselves into a faint smile. She was holding her prey in her clutches. + 

Slowly, with her eyes raised to a mirror, she adjusted her hat and powdered her face. Then she walked to the door. + 

Th├йr├иse darted forward: + 

тАЬWhere are you going?тАЭ + 

тАЬWhere I choose.тАЭ + 

тАЬTo see the examining-magistrate?тАЭ + 

тАЬVery likely.тАЭ + 

тАЬYou shanтАЩt pass!тАЭ + 

тАЬAs you please. IтАЩll wait for him here.тАЭ + 

тАЬAnd youтАЩll tell him what?тАЭ + 

тАЬWhy, all that youтАЩve said, of course, all that youтАЩve been silly enough to say. How could he doubt the story? You have explained it all to me so fully.тАЭ + 

Th├йr├иse took her by the shoulders: + 

тАЬYes, but IтАЩll explain other things to him at the same time, Germaine, things that concern you. If IтАЩm ruined, so shall you be.тАЭ + 

тАЬYou canтАЩt touch me.тАЭ + 

тАЬI can expose you, show your letters.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat letters?тАЭ + 

тАЬThose in which my death was decided on.тАЭ + 

тАЬLies, Th├йr├иse! You know that famous plot exists only in your imagination. Neither Jacques nor I wished for your death.тАЭ + 

тАЬYou did, at any rate. Your letters condemn you.тАЭ + 

тАЬLies! They were the letters of a friend to a friend.тАЭ + 

тАЬLetters of a mistress to her paramour.тАЭ + 

тАЬProve it.тАЭ + 

тАЬThey are there, in JacquesтАЩ pocketbook.тАЭ + 

тАЬNo, theyтАЩre not.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhatтАЩs that you say?тАЭ + 

тАЬI say that those letters belonged to me. IтАЩve taken them back, or rather my brother has.тАЭ + 

тАЬYouтАЩve stolen them, you wretch! And you shall give them back again,тАЭ cried Th├йr├иse, shaking her. + 

тАЬI havenтАЩt them. My brother kept them. He has gone.тАЭ + 

Th├йr├иse staggered and stretched out her hands to R├йnine with an expression of despair. R├йnine said: + 

тАЬWhat she says is true. I watched the brotherтАЩs proceedings while he was feeling in your bag. He took out the pocketbook, looked through it with his sister, came and put it back again and went off with the letters.тАЭ + 

R├йnine paused and added, + 

тАЬOr, at least, with five of them.тАЭ + 

The two women moved closer to him. What did he intend to convey? If Fr├йd├йric Astaing had taken away only five letters, what had become of the sixth? + 

тАЬI suppose,тАЭ said R├йnine, тАЬthat, when the pocketbook fell on the shingle, that sixth letter slipped out at the same time as the photograph and that M. dтАЩOrmeval must have picked it up, for I found it in the pocket of his blazer, which had been hung up near the bed. Here it is. ItтАЩs signed Germaine Astaing and it is quite enough to prove the writerтАЩs intentions and the murderous counsels which she was pressing upon her lover.тАЭ + 

Madame Astaing had turned grey in the face and was so much disconcerted that she did not try to defend herself. R├йnine continued, addressing his remarks to her: + 

тАЬTo my mind, madame, you are responsible for all that happened. Penniless, no doubt, and at the end of your resources, you tried to profit by the passion with which you inspired M. dтАЩOrmeval in order to make him marry you, in spite of all the obstacles, and to lay your hands upon his fortune. I have proofs of this greed for money and these abominable calculations and can supply them if need be. A few minutes after I had felt in the pocket of that jacket, you did the same. I had removed the sixth letter, but had left a slip of paper which you looked for eagerly and which also must have dropped out of the pocketbook. It was an uncrossed cheque for a hundred thousand francs, drawn by M. dтАЩOrmeval in your brotherтАЩs nameтБатАКтБатАж just a little wedding-presentтБатАКтБатАж what we might call pin-money. Acting on your instructions, your brother dashed off by motor to Le Havre to reach the bank before four oтАЩclock. I may as well tell you that he will not have cashed the cheque, for I had a telephone-message sent to the bank to announce the murder of M. dтАЩOrmeval, which stops all payments. The upshot of all this is that the police, if you persist in your schemes of revenge, will have in their hands all the proofs that are wanted against you and your brother. I might add, as an edifying piece of evidence, the story of the conversation which I overheard between your brother and yourself in a dining-car on the railway between Brest and Paris, a fortnight ago. But I feel sure that you will not drive me to adopt these extreme measures and that we understand each other. IsnтАЩt that so?тАЭ + 

Natures like Madame AstaingтАЩs, which are violent and headstrong so long as a fight is possible and while a gleam of hope remains, are easily swayed in defeat. Germaine was too intelligent not to grasp the fact that the least attempt at resistance would be shattered by such an adversary as this. She was in his hands. She could but yield. + 

She therefore did not indulge in any playacting, nor in any demonstration such as threats, outbursts of fury or hysterics. She bowed: + 

тАЬWe are agreed,тАЭ she said. тАЬWhat are your terms?тАЭ + 

тАЬGo away. If ever you are called upon for your evidence, say that you know nothing.тАЭ + 

She walked away. At the door, she hesitated and then, between her teeth, said: + 

тАЬThe cheque.тАЭ + 

R├йnine looked at Madame dтАЩOrmeval, who declared: + 

тАЬLet her keep it. I would not touch that money.тАЭ + 

When R├йnine had given Th├йr├иse dтАЩOrmeval precise instructions as to how she was to behave at the enquiry and to answer the questions put to her, he left the chalet, accompanied by Hortense Daniel. + 

On the beach below, the magistrate and the public prosecutor were continuing their investigations, taking measurements, examining the witnesses and generally laying their heads together. + 

тАЬWhen I think,тАЭ said Hortense, тАЬthat you have the dagger and M. dтАЩOrmevalтАЩs pocketbook on you!тАЭ + 

тАЬAnd it strikes you as awfully dangerous, I suppose?тАЭ he said, laughing. тАЬIt strikes me as awfully comic.тАЭ + 

тАЬArenтАЩt you afraid?тАЭ + 

тАЬOf what?тАЭ + 

тАЬThat they may suspect something?тАЭ + 

тАЬLord, they wonтАЩt suspect a thing! We shall tell those good people what we saw and our evidence will only increase their perplexity, for we saw nothing at all. For prudence sake we will stay a day or two, to see which way the wind is blowing. But itтАЩs quite settled: they will never be able to make head or tail of the matter.тАЭ + 

тАЬNevertheless, you guessed the secret and from the first. Why?тАЭ + 

тАЬBecause, instead of seeking difficulties where none exist, as people generally do, I always put the question as it should be put; and the solution comes quite naturally. A man goes to his cabin and locks himself in. Half an hour later, he is found inside, dead. No one has gone in. What has happened? To my mind there is only one answer. There is no need to think about it. As the murder was not committed in the cabin, it must have been committed beforehand and the man was already mortally wounded when he entered his cabin. And forthwith the truth in this particular case appeared to me. Madame dтАЩOrmeval, who was to have been killed this evening, forestalled her murderers and while her husband was stooping to the ground, in a moment of frenzy stabbed him in the back. There was nothing left to do but look for the reasons that prompted her action. When I knew them, I took her part unreservedly. ThatтАЩs the whole story.тАЭ + 

The day was beginning to wane. The blue of the sky was becoming darker and the sea, even more peaceful than before. + 

тАЬWhat are you thinking of?тАЭ asked R├йnine, after a moment. + 

тАЬI am thinking,тАЭ she said, тАЬthat if I too were the victim of some machination, I should trust you whatever happened, trust you through and against all. I know, as certainly as I know that I exist, that you would save me, whatever the obstacles might be. There is no limit to the power of your will.тАЭ + 

He said, very softly: + 

тАЬThere is no limit to my wish to please you.тАЭ + 