VII + 

Footprints in the Snow + 

тАЬMy dear friendтБатАФ + 

тАЬYou must be thinking me very ungrateful. I have been here three weeks; and you have had not one letter from me! Not a word of thanks! And yet I ended by realizing from what terrible death you saved me and understanding the secret of that terrible business! But indeed, indeed I couldnтАЩt help it! I was in such a state of prostration after it all! I needed rest and solitude so badly! Was I to stay in Paris? Was I to continue my expeditions with you? No, no, no! I had had enough adventures! Other peopleтАЩs are very interesting, I admit. But when one is oneтАЩs self the victim and barely escapes with oneтАЩs life?тБатАКтБатАж Oh, my dear friend, how horrible it was! Shall I ever forget it?тБатАКтБатАж + 

тАЬHere, at la Ronci├иre, I enjoy the greatest peace. My old spinster cousin Ermelin pets and coddles me like an invalid. I am getting back my colour and am very well, physicallyтБатАКтБатАж so much so, in fact, that I no longer ever think of interesting myself in other peopleтАЩs business. Never again! For instance (I am only telling you this because you are incorrigible, as inquisitive as any old charwoman, and always ready to busy yourself with things that donтАЩt concern you), yesterday I was present at a rather curious meeting. Antoinette had taken me to the inn at Bassicourt, where we were having tea in the public room, among the peasants (it was market-day), when the arrival of three people, two men and a woman, caused a sudden pause in the conversation. + 

тАЬOne of the men was a fat farmer in a long blouse, with a jovial, red face, framed in white whiskers. The other was younger, was dressed in corduroy and had lean, yellow, cross-grained features. Each of them carried a gun slung over his shoulder. Between them was a short, slender young woman, in a brown cloak and a fur cap, whose rather thin and extremely pale face was surprisingly delicate and distinguished-looking. + 

тАЬтАКтАШFather, son and daughter-in-law,тАЩ whispered my cousin. + 

тАЬтАКтАШWhat! Can that charming creature be the wife of that clodhopper?тАЩ + 

тАЬтАКтАШAnd the daughter-in-law of Baron de Gorne.тАЩ + 

тАЬтАКтАШIs the old fellow over there a baron?тАЩ + 

тАЬтАКтАШYes, descended from a very ancient, noble family which used to own the ch├вteau in the old days. He has always lived like a peasant: a great hunter, a great drinker, a great litigant, always at law with somebody, now very nearly ruined. His son Mathias was more ambitious and less attached to the soil and studied for the bar. Then he went to America. Next, the lack of money brought him back to the village, whereupon he fell in love with a young girl in the nearest town. The poor girl consented, no one knows why, to marry him; and for five years past she has been leading the life of a hermit, or rather of a prisoner, in a little manor-house close by, the Manoir-au-Puits, the Well Manor.тАЩ + 

тАЬтАКтАШWith the father and the son?тАЩ I asked. + 

тАЬтАКтАШNo, the father lives at the far end of the village, on a lonely farm.тАЩ + 

тАЬтАКтАШAnd is Master Mathias jealous?тАЩ + 

тАЬтАКтАШA perfect tiger!тАЩ + 

тАЬтАКтАШWithout reason?тАЩ + 

тАЬтАКтАШWithout reason, for Natalie de Gorne is the straightest woman in the world and it is not her fault if a handsome young man has been hanging around the manor-house for the past few months. However, the de Gornes canтАЩt get over it.тАЩ + 

тАЬтАКтАШWhat, the father neither?тАЩ + 

тАЬтАКтАШThe handsome young man is the last descendant of the people who bought the ch├вteau long ago. This explains old de GorneтАЩs hatred. J├йr├┤me VignalтБатАФI know him and am very fond of himтБатАФis a good-looking fellow and very well off; and he has sworn to run off with Natalie de Gorne. ItтАЩs the old man who says so, whenever he has had a drop too much. There, listen!тАЩ + 

тАЬThe old chap was sitting among a group of men who were amusing themselves by making him drink and plying him with questions. He was already a little bit тАШonтАЩ and was holding forth with a tone of indignation and a mocking smile which formed the most comic contrast: + 

тАЬтАКтАШHeтАЩs wasting his time, I tell you, the coxcomb! ItтАЩs no manner of use his poaching round our way and making sheepтАЩs-eyes at the wench.тБатАКтБатАж The coverts are watched! If he comes too near, it means a bullet, eh, Mathias?тАЩ + 

тАЬHe gripped his daughter-in-lawтАЩs hand: + 

тАЬтАКтАШAnd then the little wench knows how to defend herself too,тАЩ he chuckled. тАШEh, you donтАЩt want any admirers, do you Natalie?тАЩ + 

тАЬThe young wife blushed, in her confusion at being addressed in these terms, while her husband growled: + 

тАЬтАКтАШYouтАЩd do better to hold your tongue, father. There are things one doesnтАЩt talk about in public.тАЩ + 

тАЬтАКтАШThings that affect oneтАЩs honour are best settled in public,тАЩ retorted the old one. тАШWhere IтАЩm concerned, the honour of the de Gornes comes before everything; and that fine spark, with his Paris airs, shanтАЩt.тБатАКтБатАжтАЩ + 

тАЬHe stopped short. Before him stood a man who had just come in and who seemed to be waiting for him to finish his sentence. The newcomer was a tall, powerfully-built young fellow, in riding-kit, with a hunting-crop in his hand. His strong and rather stern face was lighted up by a pair of fine eyes in which shone an ironical smile. + 

тАЬтАКтАШJ├йr├┤me Vignal,тАЩ whispered my cousin. + 

тАЬThe young man seemed not at all embarrassed. On seeing Natalie, he made a low bow; and, when Mathias de Gorne took a step forward, he eyed him from head to foot, as though to say: + 

тАЬтАКтАШWell, what about it?тАЩ + 

тАЬAnd his attitude was so haughty and contemptuous that the de Gornes unslung their guns and took them in both hands, like sportsmen about to shoot. The sonтАЩs expression was very fierce. + 

тАЬJ├йr├┤me was quite unmoved by the threat. After a few seconds, turning to the innkeeper, he remarked: + 

тАЬтАКтАШOh, I say! I came to see old Vasseur. But his shop is shut. Would you mind giving him the holster of my revolver? It wants a stitch or two.тАЩ + 

тАЬHe handed the holster to the innkeeper and added, laughing: + 

тАЬтАКтАШIтАЩm keeping the revolver, in case I need it. You never can tell!тАЩ + 

тАЬThen, still very calmly, he took a cigarette from a silver case, lit it and walked out. We saw him through the window vaulting on his horse and riding off at a slow trot. + 

тАЬOld de Gorne tossed off a glass of brandy, swearing most horribly. + 

тАЬHis son clapped his hand to the old manтАЩs mouth and forced him to sit down. Natalie de Gorne was weeping beside them.тБатАКтБатАж + 

тАЬThatтАЩs my story, dear friend. As you see, itтАЩs not tremendously interesting and does not deserve your attention. ThereтАЩs no mystery in it and no part for you to play. Indeed, I particularly insist that you should not seek a pretext for any untimely interference. Of course, I should be glad to see the poor thing protected: she appears to be a perfect martyr. But, as I said before, let us leave other people to get out of their own troubles and go no farther with our little experiments.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

R├йnine finished reading the letter, read it over again and ended by saying: + 

тАЬThatтАЩs it. EverythingтАЩs right as right can be. She doesnтАЩt want to continue our little experiments, because this would make the seventh and because sheтАЩs afraid of the eighth, which under the terms of our agreement has a very particular significance. She doesnтАЩt want toтБатАКтБатАж and she does want toтБатАКтБатАж without seeming to want to.тАЭ + 

He rubbed his hands. The letter was an invaluable witness to the influence which he had gradually, gently and patiently gained over Hortense Daniel. It betrayed a rather complex feeling, composed of admiration, unbounded confidence, uneasiness at times, fear and almost terror, but also love: he was convinced of that. His companion in adventures which she shared with a good fellowship that excluded any awkwardness between them, she had suddenly taken fright; and a sort of modesty, mingled with a certain coquetry; was impelling her to hold back. + 

That very evening, Sunday, R├йnine took the train. + 

And, at break of day, after covering by diligence, on a road white with snow, the five miles between the little town of Pompignat, where he alighted, and the village of Bassicourt, he learnt that his journey might prove of some use: three shots had been heard during the night in the direction of the Manoir-au-Puits. + 

тАЬThree shots, sergeant. I heard them as plainly as I see you standing before me,тАЭ said a peasant whom the gendarmes were questioning in the parlour of the inn which R├йnine had entered. + 

тАЬSo did I,тАЭ said the waiter. тАЬThree shots. It may have been twelve oтАЩclock at night. The snow, which had been falling since nine, had stoppedтБатАКтБатАж and the shots sounded across the fields, one after the other: bang, bang, bang.тАЭ + 

Five more peasants gave their evidence. The sergeant and his men had heard nothing, because the police-station backed on the fields. But a farm-labourer and a woman arrived, who said that they were in Mathias de GorneтАЩs service, that they had been away for two days because of the intervening Sunday and that they had come straight from the manor-house, where they were unable to obtain admission: + 

тАЬThe gate of the grounds is locked, sergeant,тАЭ said the man. тАЬItтАЩs the first time IтАЩve known this to happen. M. Mathias comes out to open it himself, every morning at the stroke of six, winter and summer. Well, itтАЩs past eight now. I called and shouted. Nobody answered. So we came on here.тАЭ + 

тАЬYou might have enquired at old M. de GorneтАЩs,тАЭ said the sergeant. тАЬHe lives on the high road.тАЭ + 

тАЬOn my word, so I might! I never thought of that.тАЭ + 

тАЬWeтАЩd better go there now,тАЭ the sergeant decided. Two of his men went with him, as well as the peasants and a locksmith whose services were called into requisition. R├йnine joined the party. + 

Soon, at the end of the village, they reached old de GorneтАЩs farmyard, which R├йnine recognized by HortenseтАЩs description of its position. + 

The old fellow was harnessing his horse and trap. When they told him what had happened, he burst out laughing: + 

тАЬThree shots? Bang, bang, bang? Why, my dear sergeant, there are only two barrels to MathiasтАЩ gun!тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat about the locked gate?тАЭ + 

тАЬIt means that the ladтАЩs asleep, thatтАЩs all. Last night, he came and cracked a bottle with meтБатАКтБатАж perhaps twoтБатАКтБатАж or even three; and heтАЩll be sleeping it off, I expectтБатАКтБатАж he and Natalie.тАЭ + 

He climbed on to the box of his trapтБатАФan old cart with a patched tiltтБатАФand cracked his whip: + 

тАЬGoodbye, gentlemen all. Those three shots of yours wonтАЩt stop me from going to market at Pompignat, as I do every Monday. IтАЩve a couple of calves under the tilt; and theyтАЩre just fit for the butcher. Good day to you!тАЭ + 

The others walked on. R├йnine went up to the sergeant and gave him his name: + 

тАЬIтАЩm a friend of Mlle.┬аErmelin, of La Ronci├иre; and, as itтАЩs too early to call on her yet, I shall be glad if youтАЩll allow me to go round by the manor with you. Mlle.┬аErmelin knows Madame de Gorne; and it will be a satisfaction to me to relieve her mind, for thereтАЩs nothing wrong at the manor-house, I hope?тАЭ + 

тАЬIf there is,тАЭ replied the sergeant, тАЬwe shall read all about it as plainly as on a map, because of the snow.тАЭ + 

He was a likable young man and seemed smart and intelligent. From the very first he had shown great acuteness in observing the tracks which Mathias had left behind him, the evening before, on returning home, tracks which soon became confused with the footprints made in going and coming by the farm-labourer and the woman. Meanwhile they came to the walls of a property of which the locksmith readily opened the gate. + 

From here onward, a single trail appeared upon the spotless snow, that of Mathias; and it was easy to perceive that the son must have shared largely in the fatherтАЩs libations, as the line of footprints described sudden curves which made it swerve right up to the trees of the avenue. + 

Two hundred yards farther stood the dilapidated two-storeyed building of the Manoir-au-Puits. The principal door was open. + 

тАЬLetтАЩs go in,тАЭ said the sergeant. + 

And, the moment he had crossed the threshold, he muttered: + 

тАЬOho! Old de Gorne made a mistake in not coming. TheyтАЩve been fighting in here.тАЭ + 

The big room was in disorder. Two shattered chairs, the overturned table and much broken glass and china bore witness to the violence of the struggle. The tall clock, lying on the ground, had stopped at twenty past eleven. + 

With the farm-girl showing them the way, they ran up to the first floor. Neither Mathias nor his wife was there. But the door of their bedroom had been broken down with a hammer which they discovered under the bed. + 

R├йnine and the sergeant went downstairs again. The living-room had a passage communicating with the kitchen, which lay at the back of the house and opened on a small yard fenced off from the orchard. At the end of this enclosure was a well near which one was bound to pass. + 

Now, from the door of the kitchen to the well, the snow, which was not very thick, had been pressed down to this side and that, as though a body had been dragged over it. And all around the well were tangled traces of trampling feet, showing that the struggle must have been resumed at this spot. The sergeant again discovered MathiasтАЩ footprints, together with others which were shapelier and lighter. + 

These latter went straight into the orchard, by themselves. And, thirty yards on, near the footprints, a revolver was picked up and recognized by one of the peasants as resembling that which J├йr├┤me Vignal had produced in the inn two days before. + 

The sergeant examined the cylinder. Three of the seven bullets had been fired. + 

And so the tragedy was little by little reconstructed in its main outlines; and the sergeant, who had ordered everybody to stand aside and not to step on the site of the footprints, came back to the well, leant over, put a few questions to the farm-girl and, going up to R├йnine, whispered: + 

тАЬIt all seems fairly clear to me.тАЭ + 

R├йnine took his arm: + 

тАЬLetтАЩs speak out plainly, sergeant. I understand the business pretty well, for, as I told you, I know Mlle.┬аErmelin, who is a friend of J├йr├┤me VignalтАЩs and also knows Madame de Gorne. Do you supposeтБатАКтБатАжтАК?тАЭ + 

тАЬI donтАЩt want to suppose anything. I simply declare that someone came there last night.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬBy which way? The only tracks of a person coming towards the manor are those of M. de Gorne.тАЭ + 

тАЬThatтАЩs because the other person arrived before the snowfall, that is to say, before nine oтАЩclock.тАЭ + 

тАЬThen he must have hidden in a corner of the living-room and waited for the return of M. de Gorne, who came after the snow?тАЭ + 

тАЬJust so. As soon as Mathias came in, the man went for him. There was a fight. Mathias made his escape through the kitchen. The man ran after him to the well and fired three revolver-shots.тАЭ + 

тАЬAnd whereтАЩs the body?тАЭ + 

тАЬDown the well.тАЭ + 

R├йnine protested: + 

тАЬOh, I say! ArenтАЩt you taking a lot for granted?тАЭ + 

тАЬWhy, sir, the snowтАЩs there, to tell the story; and the snow plainly says that, after the struggle, after the three shots, one man alone walked away and left the farm, one man only, and his footprints are not those of Mathias de Gorne. Then where can Mathias de Gorne be?тАЭ + 

тАЬBut the wellтБатАКтБатАж can be dragged?тАЭ + 

тАЬNo. The well is practically bottomless. It is known all over the district and gives its name to the manor.тАЭ + 

тАЬSo you really believeтБатАКтБатАжтАК?тАЭ + 

тАЬI repeat what I said. Before the snowfall, a single arrival, Mathias, and a single departure, the stranger.тАЭ + 

тАЬAnd Madame de Gorne? Was she too killed and thrown down the well like her husband?тАЭ + 

тАЬNo, carried off.тАЭ + 

тАЬCarried off?тАЭ + 

тАЬRemember that her bedroom was broken down with a hammer.тАЭ + 

тАЬCome, come, sergeant! You yourself declare that there was only one departure, the strangerтАЩs.тАЭ + 

тАЬStoop down. Look at the manтАЩs footprints. See how they sink into the snow, until they actually touch the ground. Those are the footprints of a man, laden with a heavy burden. The stranger was carrying Madame de Gorne on his shoulder.тАЭ + 

тАЬThen thereтАЩs an outlet this way?тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, a little door of which Mathias de Gorne always had the key on him. The man must have taken it from him.тАЭ + 

тАЬA way out into the open fields?тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, a road which joins the departmental highway three quarters of a mile from here.тБатАКтБатАж And do you know where?тАЭ + 

тАЬWhere?тАЭ + 

тАЬAt the corner of the ch├вteau.тАЭ + 

тАЬJ├йr├┤me VignalтАЩs ch├вteau?тАЭ + 

тАЬBy Jove, this is beginning to look serious! If the trail leads to the ch├вteau and stops there, we shall know where we stand.тАЭ + 

The trail did continue to the ch├вteau, as they were able to perceive after following it across the undulating fields, on which the snow lay heaped in places. The approach to the main gates had been swept, but they saw that another trail, formed by the two wheels of a vehicle, was running in the opposite direction to the village. + 

The sergeant rang the bell. The porter, who had also been sweeping the drive, came to the gates, with a broom in his hand. In answer to a question, the man said that M. Vignal had gone away that morning before anyone else was up and that he himself had harnessed the horse to the trap. + 

тАЬIn that case,тАЭ said R├йnine, when they had moved away, тАЬall we have to do is to follow the tracks of the wheels.тАЭ + 

тАЬThat will be no use,тАЭ said the sergeant. тАЬThey have taken the railway.тАЭ + 

тАЬAt Pompignat station, where I came from? But they would have passed through the village.тАЭ + 

тАЬThey have gone just the other way, because it leads to the town, where the express trains stop. The procurator-general has an office in the town. IтАЩll telephone; and, as thereтАЩs no train before eleven oтАЩclock, all that they need do is to keep a watch at the station.тАЭ + 

тАЬI think youтАЩre doing the right thing, sergeant,тАЭ said R├йnine, тАЬand I congratulate you on the way in which you have carried out your investigation.тАЭ + 

They parted. R├йnine went back to the inn in the village and sent a note to Hortense Daniel by hand: + 

тАЬMy very dear friend, + 

тАЬI seemed to gather from your letter that, touched as always by anything that concerns the heart, you were anxious to protect the love-affair of J├йr├┤me and Natalie. Now there is every reason to suppose that these two, without consulting their fair protectress, have run away, after throwing Mathias de Gorne down a well. + 

тАЬForgive me for not coming to see you. The whole thing is extremely obscure; and, if I were with you, I should not have the detachment of mind which is needed to think the case over.тАЭ + 

It was then half-past ten. R├йnine went for a walk into the country, with his hands clasped behind his back and without vouchsafing a glance at the exquisite spectacle of the white meadows. He came back for lunch, still absorbed in his thoughts and indifferent to the talk of the customers of the inn, who on all sides were discussing recent events. + 

He went up to his room and had been asleep some time when he was awakened by a tapping at the door. He got up and opened it: + 

тАЬIs it you?тБатАКтБатАж Is it you?тАЭ he whispered. + 

Hortense and he stood gazing at each other for some seconds in silence, holding each otherтАЩs hands, as though nothing, no irrelevant thought and no utterance, must be allowed to interfere with the joy of their meeting. Then he asked: + 

тАЬWas I right in coming?тАЭ + 

тАЬYes,тАЭ she said, gently, тАЬI expected you.тАЭ + 

тАЬPerhaps it would have been better if you had sent for me sooner, instead of waiting.тБатАКтБатАж Events did not wait, you see, and I donтАЩt quite know whatтАЩs to become of J├йr├┤me Vignal and Natalie de Gorne.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat, havenтАЩt you heard?тАЭ she said, quickly. тАЬTheyтАЩve been arrested. They were going to travel by the express.тАЭ + 

тАЬArrested? No.тАЭ R├йnine objected. тАЬPeople are not arrested like that. They have to be questioned first.тАЭ + 

тАЬThatтАЩs whatтАЩs being done now. The authorities are making a search.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhere?тАЭ + 

тАЬAt the ch├вteau. And, as they are innocent.тБатАКтБатАж For they are innocent, arenтАЩt they? You donтАЩt admit that they are guilty, any more than I do?тАЭ + 

He replied: + 

тАЬI admit nothing, I can admit nothing, my dear. Nevertheless, I am bound to say that everything is against themтБатАКтБатАж except one fact, which is that everything is too much against them. It is not normal for so many proofs to be heaped up one on top of the other and for the man who commits a murder to tell his story so frankly. Apart from this, thereтАЩs nothing but mystery and discrepancy.тАЭ + 

тАЬWell?тАЭ + 

тАЬWell, I am greatly puzzled.тАЭ + 

тАЬBut you have a plan?тАЭ + 

тАЬNone at all, so far. Ah, if I could see him, J├йr├┤me Vignal, and her, Natalie de Gorne, and hear them and know what they are saying in their own defence! But you can understand that I shanтАЩt be permitted either to ask them any questions or to be present at their examination. Besides, it must be finished by this time.тАЭ + 

тАЬItтАЩs finished at the ch├вteau,тАЭ she said, тАЬbut itтАЩs going to be continued at the manor-house.тАЭ + 

тАЬAre they taking them to the manor-house?тАЭ he asked eagerly. + 

тАЬYesтБатАКтБатАж at least, judging by what was said to the chauffeur of one of the procuratorтАЩs two cars.тАЭ + 

тАЬOh, in that case,тАЭ exclaimed R├йnine, тАЬthe thingтАЩs done! The manor-house! Why, we shall be in the front row of the stalls! We shall see and hear everything; and, as a word, a tone of the voice, a quiver of the eyelids will be enough to give me the tiny clue I need, we may entertain some hope. Come along.тАЭ + 

He took her by the direct route which he had followed that morning, leading to the gate which the locksmith had opened. The gendarmes on duty at the manor-house had made a passage through the snow, beside the line of footprints and around the house. Chance enabled R├йnine and Hortense to approach unseen and through a side-window to enter a corridor near a back-staircase. A few steps up was a little chamber which received its only light through a sort of bullтАЩs-eye, from the large room on the ground-floor. R├йnine, during the morning visit, had noticed the bullтАЩs-eye, which was covered on the inside with a piece of cloth. He removed the cloth and cut out one of the panes. + 

A few minutes later, a sound of voices rose from the other side of the house, no doubt near the well. The sound grew more distinct. A number of people flocked into the house. Some of them went upstairs to the first floor, while the sergeant arrived with a young man of whom R├йnine and Hortense were able to distinguish only the tall figure: + 

тАЬJ├йr├┤me Vignal,тАЭ said she. + 

тАЬYes,тАЭ said R├йnine. тАЬThey are examining Madame de Gorne first, upstairs, in her bedroom.тАЭ + 

A quarter of an hour passed. Then the persons on the first floor came downstairs and went in. They were the procuratorтАЩs deputy, his clerk, a commissary of police and two detectives. + 

Madame de Gorne was shown in and the deputy asked J├йr├┤me Vignal to step forward. + 

J├йr├┤me VignalтАЩs face was certainly that of the strong man whom Hortense had depicted in her letter. He displayed no uneasiness, but rather decision and a resolute will. Natalie, who was short and very slight, with a feverish light in her eyes, nevertheless produced the same impression of quiet confidence. + 

The deputy, who was examining the disordered furniture and the traces of the struggle, invited her to sit down and said to J├йr├┤me: + 

тАЬMonsieur, I have not asked you many questions so far. This is a summary enquiry which I am conducting in your presence and which will be continued later by the examining-magistrate; and I wished above all to explain to you the very serious reasons for which I asked you to interrupt your journey and to come back here with Madame de Gorne. You are now in a position to refute the truly distressing charges that are hanging over you. I therefore ask you to tell me the exact truth.тАЭ + 

тАЬMr.┬аDeputy,тАЭ replied J├йr├┤me, тАЬthe charges in question trouble me very little. The truth for which you are asking will defeat all the lies which chance has accumulated against me. It is this.тАЭ + 

He reflected for an instant and then, in clear, frank tones, said: + 

тАЬI love Madame de Gorne. The first time I met her, I conceived the greatest sympathy and admiration for her. But my affection has always been directed by the sole thought of her happiness. I love her, but I respect her even more. Madame de Gorne must have told you and I tell you again that she and I exchanged our first few words last night.тАЭ + 

He continued, in a lower voice: + 

тАЬI respect her the more inasmuch as she is exceedingly unhappy. All the world knows that every minute of her life was a martyrdom. Her husband persecuted her with ferocious hatred and frantic jealousy. Ask the servants. They will tell you of the long suffering of Natalie de Gorne, of the blows which she received and the insults which she had to endure. I tried to stop this torture by restoring to the rights of appeal which the merest stranger may claim when unhappiness and injustice pass a certain limit. I went three times to old de Gorne and begged him to interfere; but I found in him an almost equal hatred towards his daughter-in-law, the hatred which many people feel for anything beautiful and noble. At last I resolved on direct action and last night I took a step with regard to Mathias de Gorne which wasтБатАКтБатАж a little unusual, I admit, but which seemed likely to succeed, considering the manтАЩs character. I swear, Mr.┬аDeputy, that I had no other intention than to talk to Mathias de Gorne. Knowing certain particulars of his life which enabled me to bring effective pressure to bear upon him, I wished to make use of this advantage in order to achieve my purpose. If things turned out differently, I am not wholly to blame.тБатАКтБатАж So I went there a little before nine oтАЩclock. The servants, I knew, were out. He opened the door himself. He was alone.тАЭ + 

тАЬMonsieur,тАЭ said the deputy, interrupting him, тАЬyou are saying somethingтБатАФas Madame de Gorne, for that matter, did just nowтБатАФwhich is manifestly opposed to the truth. Mathias de Gorne did not come home last night until eleven oтАЩclock. We have two definite proofs of this: his fatherтАЩs evidence and the prints of his feet in the snow, which fell from a quarter past nine oтАЩclock to eleven.тАЭ + 

тАЬMr.┬аDeputy,тАЭ J├йr├┤me Vignal declared, without heeding the bad effect which his obstinacy was producing, тАЬI am relating things as they were and not as they may be interpreted. But to continue. That clock marked ten minutes to nine when I entered this room. M. de Gorne, believing that he was about to be attacked, had taken down his gun. I placed my revolver on the table, out of reach of my hand, and sat down: тАШI want to speak to you, monsieur,тАЩ I said. тАШPlease listen to me.тАЩ He did not stir and did not utter a single syllable. So I spoke. And straightway, crudely, without any previous explanations which might have softened the bluntness of my proposal, I spoke the few words which I had prepared beforehand: тАШI have spent some months, monsieur,тАЩ I said, тАШin making careful enquiries into your financial position. You have mortgaged every foot of your land. You have signed bills which will shortly be falling due and which it will be absolutely impossible for you to honour. You have nothing to hope for from your father, whose own affairs are in a very bad condition. So you are ruined. I have come to save you.тАЩтБатАКтБатАж He watched me, still without speaking, and sat down, which I took to mean that my suggestion was not entirely displeasing. Then I took a sheaf of banknotes from my pocket, placed it before him and continued: тАШHere is sixty thousand francs, monsieur. I will buy the Manoir-au-Puits, its lands and dependencies and take over the mortgages. The sum named is exactly twice what they are worth.тАЩтБатАКтБатАж I saw his eyes glittering. He asked my conditions. тАШOnly one,тАЩ I said, тАШthat you go to America.тАЩтБатАКтБатАж Mr.┬аDeputy, we sat discussing for two hours. It was not that my offer roused his indignationтБатАФI should not have risked it if I had not known with whom I was dealingтБатАФbut he wanted more and haggled greedily, though he refrained from mentioning the name of Madame de Gorne, to whom I myself had not once alluded. We might have been two men engaged in a dispute and seeking an agreement on common ground, whereas it was the happiness and the whole destiny of a woman that were at stake. At last, weary of the discussion, I accepted a compromise and we came to terms, which I resolved to make definite then and there. Two letters were exchanged between us: one in which he made the Manoir-au-Puits over to me for the sum which I had paid him; and one, which he pocketed immediately, by which I was to send him as much more in America on the day on which the decree of divorce was pronounced.тБатАКтБатАж So the affair was settled. I am sure that at that moment he was accepting in good faith. He looked upon me less as an enemy and a rival than as a man who was doing him a service. He even went so far as to give me the key of the little door which opens on the fields, so that I might go home by the shortcut. Unfortunately, while I was picking up my cap and greatcoat, I made the mistake of leaving on the table the letter of sale which he had signed. In a moment, Mathias de Gorne had seen the advantage which he could take of my slip: he could keep his property, keep his wifeтБатАКтБатАж and keep the money. Quick as lightning, he tucked away the paper, hit me over the head with the butt-end of his gun, threw the gun on the floor and seized me by the throat with both hands. He had reckoned without his host. I was the stronger of the two; and after a sharp but short struggle, I mastered him and tied him up with a cord which I found lying in a cornerтБатАКтБатАж Mr.┬аDeputy, if my enemyтАЩs resolve was sudden, mine was no less so. Since, when all was said, he had accepted the bargain, I would force him to keep it, at least in so far as I was interested. A very few steps brought me to the first floorтБатАКтБатАж I had not a doubt that Madame de Gorne was there and had heard the sound of our discussion. Switching on the light of my pocket-torch, I looked into three bedrooms. The fourth was locked. I knocked at the door. There was no reply. But this was one of the moments in which a man allows no obstacle to stand in his way. I had seen a hammer in one of the rooms. I picked it up and smashed in the door.тБатАКтБатАж Yes, Natalie was lying there, on the floor, in a dead faint. I took her in my arms, carried her downstairs and went through the kitchen. On seeing the snow outside, I at once realized that my footprints would be easily traced. But what did it matter? Was there any reason why I should put Mathias de Gorne off the scent? Not at all. With the sixty thousand francs in his possession, as well as the paper in which I undertook to pay him a like sum on the day of his divorce, to say nothing of his house and land, he would go away, leaving Natalie de Gorne to me. Nothing was changed between us, except one thing: instead of awaiting his good pleasure, I had at once seized the precious pledge which I coveted. What I feared, therefore, was not so much any subsequent attack on the part of Mathias de Gorne, but rather the indignant reproaches of his wife. What would she say when she realized that she was a prisoner in my hands?тБатАКтБатАж The reasons why I escaped reproach Madame de Gorne has, I believe, had the frankness to tell you. Love calls forth love. That night, in my house, broken by emotion, she confessed her feeling for me. She loved me as I loved her. Our destinies were henceforth mingled. She and I set out at five oтАЩclock this morningтБатАКтБатАж not foreseeing for an instant that we were amenable to the law.тАЭ + 

J├йr├┤me VignalтАЩs story was finished. He had told it straight off the reel, like a story learnt by heart and incapable of revision in any detail. + 

There was a brief pause, during which Hortense whispered: + 

тАЬIt all sounds quite possible and, in any case, very logical.тАЭ + 

тАЬThere are the objections to come,тАЭ said R├йnine. тАЬWait till you hear them. They are very serious. ThereтАЩs one in particular.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

The deputy-procurator stated it at once: + 

тАЬAnd what became of M. de Gorne in all this?тАЭ + 

тАЬMathias de Gorne?тАЭ asked J├йr├┤me. + 

тАЬYes. You have related, with an accent of great sincerity, a series of facts which I am quite willing to admit. Unfortunately, you have forgotten a point of the first importance: what became of Mathias de Gorne? You tied him up here, in this room. Well, this morning he was gone.тАЭ + 

тАЬOf course, Mr.┬аDeputy, Mathias de Gorne accepted the bargain in the end and went away.тАЭ + 

тАЬBy what road?тАЭ + 

тАЬNo doubt by the road that leads to his fatherтАЩs house.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhere are his footprints? The expanse of snow is an impartial witness. After your fight with him, we see you, on the snow, moving away. Why donтАЩt we see him? He came and did not go away again. Where is he? There is not a trace of himтБатАКтБатАж or rather.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

The deputy lowered his voice: + 

тАЬOr rather, yes, there are some traces on the way to the well and around the wellтБатАКтБатАж traces which prove that the last struggle of all took place there.тБатАКтБатАж And after that there is nothingтБатАКтБатАж not a thing.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

J├йr├┤me shrugged his shoulders: + 

тАЬYou have already mentioned this, Mr.┬аDeputy, and it implies a charge of homicide against me. I have nothing to say to it.тАЭ + 

тАЬHave you anything to say to the fact that your revolver was picked up within fifteen yards of the well?тАЭ + 

тАЬNo.тАЭ + 

тАЬOr to the strange coincidence between the three shots heard in the night and the three cartridges missing from your revolver?тАЭ + 

тАЬNo, Mr.┬аDeputy, there was not, as you believe, a last struggle by the well, because I left M. de Gorne tied up, in this room, and because I also left my revolver here. On the other hand, if shots were heard, they were not fired by me.тАЭ + 

тАЬA casual coincidence, therefore?тАЭ + 

тАЬThatтАЩs a matter for the police to explain. My only duty is to tell the truth and you are not entitled to ask more of me.тАЭ + 

тАЬAnd if that truth conflicts with the facts observed?тАЭ + 

тАЬIt means that the facts are wrong, Mr.┬аDeputy.тАЭ + 

тАЬAs you please. But, until the day when the police are able to make them agree with your statements, you will understand that I am obliged to keep you under arrest.тАЭ + 

тАЬAnd Madame de Gorne?тАЭ asked J├йr├┤me, greatly distressed. + 

The deputy did not reply. He exchanged a few words with the commissary of police and then, beckoning to a detective, ordered him to bring up one of the two motorcars. Then he turned to Natalie: + 

тАЬMadame, you have heard M. VignalтАЩs evidence. It agrees word for word with your own. M. Vignal declares in particular that you had fainted when he carried you away. But did you remain unconscious all the way?тАЭ + 

It seemed as though J├йr├┤meтАЩs composure had increased Madame de GorneтАЩs assurance. She replied: + 

тАЬI did not come to, monsieur, until I was at the ch├вteau.тАЭ + 

тАЬItтАЩs most extraordinary. DidnтАЩt you hear the three shots which were heard by almost everyone in the village?тАЭ + 

тАЬI did not.тАЭ + 

тАЬAnd did you see nothing of what happened beside the well?тАЭ + 

тАЬNothing did happen. M. Vignal has told you so.тАЭ + 

тАЬThen what has become of your husband?тАЭ + 

тАЬI donтАЩt know.тАЭ + 

тАЬCome, madame, you really must assist the officers of the law and at least tell us what you think. Do you believe that there may have been an accident and that possibly M. de Gorne, who had been to see his father and had more to drink than usual, lost his balance and fell into the well?тАЭ + 

тАЬWhen my husband came back from seeing his father, he was not in the least intoxicated.тАЭ + 

тАЬHis father, however, has stated that he was. His father and he had drunk two or three bottles of wine.тАЭ + 

тАЬHis father is not telling the truth.тАЭ + 

тАЬBut the snow tells the truth, madame,тАЭ said the deputy, irritably. тАЬAnd the line of his footprints wavers from side to side.тАЭ + 

тАЬMy husband came in at half-past-eight, monsieur, before the snow had begun to fall.тАЭ + 

The deputy struck the table with his fist: + 

тАЬBut, really, madame, youтАЩre going right against the evidence!тБатАКтБатАж That sheet of snow cannot speak false!тБатАКтБатАж I may accept your denial of matters that cannot be verified. But these footprints in the snowтБатАКтБатАж in the snow.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

He controlled himself. + 

The motorcar drew up outside the windows. Forming a sudden resolve, he said to Natalie: + 

тАЬYou will be good enough to hold yourself at the disposal of the authorities, madame, and to remain here, in the manor-house.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

And he made a sign to the sergeant to remove J├йr├┤me Vignal in the car. + 

The game was lost for the two lovers. Barely united, they had to separate and to fight, far away from each other, against the most grievous accusations. + 

J├йr├┤me took a step towards Natalie. They exchanged a long, sorrowful look. Then he bowed to her and walked to the door, in the wake of the sergeant of gendarmes. + 

тАЬHalt!тАЭ cried a voice. тАЬSergeant, right aboutтБатАКтБатАж turn!тБатАКтБатАж J├йr├┤me Vignal, stay where you are!тАЭ + 

The ruffled deputy raised his head, as did the other people present. The voice came from the ceiling. The bulls-eye window had opened and R├йnine, leaning through it, was waving his arms: + 

тАЬI wish to be heard!тБатАКтБатАж I have several remarks to makeтБатАКтБатАж especially in respect of the zigzag footprints!тБатАКтБатАж It all lies in that!тБатАКтБатАж Mathias had not been drinking!тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

He had turned round and put his two legs through the opening, saying to Hortense, who tried to prevent him: + 

тАЬDonтАЩt move.тБатАКтБатАж No one will disturb you.тАЭ + 

And, releasing his hold, he dropped into the room. + 

The deputy appeared dumbfounded: + 

тАЬBut, really, monsieur, who are you? Where do you come from?тАЭ + 

R├йnine brushed the dust from his clothes and replied: + 

тАЬExcuse me, Mr.┬аDeputy. I ought to have come the same way as everybody else. But I was in a hurry. Besides, if I had come in by the door instead of falling from the ceiling, my words would not have made the same impression.тАЭ + 

The infuriated deputy advanced to meet him: + 

тАЬWho are you?тАЭ + 

тАЬPrince R├йnine. I was with the sergeant this morning when he was pursuing his investigations, wasnтАЩt I, sergeant? Since then I have been hunting about for information. ThatтАЩs why, wishing to be present at the hearing, I found a corner in a little private room.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬYou were there? You had the audacity?тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬOne must needs be audacious, when the truthтАЩs at stake. If I had not been there, I should not have discovered just the one little clue which I missed. I should not have known that Mathias de Gorne was not the least bit drunk. Now thatтАЩs the key to the riddle. When we know that, we know the solution.тАЭ + 

The deputy found himself in a rather ridiculous position. Since he had failed to take the necessary precautions to ensure the secrecy of his enquiry, it was difficult for him to take any steps against this interloper. He growled: + 

тАЬLetтАЩs have done with this. What are you asking?тАЭ + 

тАЬA few minutes of your kind attention.тАЭ + 

тАЬAnd with what object?тАЭ + 

тАЬTo establish the innocence of M. Vignal and Madame de Gorne.тАЭ + 

He was wearing that calm air, that sort of indifferent look which was peculiar to him in moments of actions when the crisis of the drama depended solely upon himself. Hortense felt a thrill pass through her and at once became full of confidence: + 

тАЬTheyтАЩre saved,тАЭ she thought, with sudden emotion. тАЬI asked him to protect that young creature; and he is saving her from prison and despair.тАЭ + 

J├йr├┤me and Natalie must have experienced the same impression of sudden hope, for they had drawn nearer to each other, as though this stranger, descended from the clouds, had already given them the right to clasp hands. + 

The deputy shrugged his shoulders: + 

тАЬThe prosecution will have every means, when the time comes, of establishing their innocence for itself. You will be called.тАЭ + 

тАЬIt would be better to establish it here and now. Any delay might lead to grievous consequences.тАЭ + 

тАЬI happen to be in a hurry.тАЭ + 

тАЬTwo or three minutes will do.тАЭ + 

тАЬTwo or three minutes to explain a case like this!тАЭ + 

тАЬNo longer, I assure you.тАЭ + 

тАЬAre you as certain of it as all that?тАЭ + 

тАЬI am now. I have been thinking hard since this morning.тАЭ + 

The deputy realized that this was one of those gentry who stick to you like a leech and that there was nothing for it but to submit. In a rather bantering tone, he asked: + 

тАЬDoes your thinking enable you to tell us the exact spot where M. Mathias de Gorne is at this moment?тАЭ + 

R├йnine took out his watch and answered: + 

тАЬIn Paris, Mr.┬аDeputy.тАЭ + 

тАЬIn Paris? Alive then?тАЭ + 

тАЬAlive and, what is more, in the pink of health.тАЭ + 

тАЬI am delighted to hear it. But then whatтАЩs the meaning of the footprints around the well and the presence of that revolver and those three shots?тАЭ + 

тАЬSimply camouflage.тАЭ + 

тАЬOh, really? Camouflage contrived by whom?тАЭ + 

тАЬBy Mathias de Gorne himself.тАЭ + 

тАЬThatтАЩs curious! And with what object?тАЭ + 

тАЬWith the object of passing himself off for dead and of arranging subsequent matters in such a way that M. Vignal was bound to be accused of the death, the murder.тАЭ + 

тАЬAn ingenious theory,тАЭ the deputy agreed, still in a satirical tone. тАЬWhat do you think of it, M. Vignal?тАЭ + 

тАЬIt is a theory which flashed through my own mind. Mr.┬аDeputy,тАЭ replied J├йr├┤me. тАЬIt is quite likely that, after our struggle and after I had gone, Mathias de Gorne conceived a new plan by which, this time, his hatred would be fully gratified. He both loved and detested his wife. He held me in the greatest loathing. This must be his revenge.тАЭ + 

тАЬHis revenge would cost him dear, considering that, according to your statement, Mathias de Gorne was to receive a second sum of sixty thousand francs from you.тАЭ + 

тАЬHe would receive that sum in another quarter, Mr.┬аDeputy. My examination of the financial position of the de Gorne family revealed to me the fact that the father and son had taken out a life-insurance policy in each otherтАЩs favour. With the son dead, or passing for dead, the father would receive the insurance-money and indemnify his son.тАЭ + 

тАЬYou mean to say,тАЭ asked the deputy, with a smile, тАЬthat in all this camouflage, as you call it, M. de Gorne the elder would act as his sonтАЩs accomplice?тАЭ + 

R├йnine took up the challenge: + 

тАЬJust so, Mr.┬аDeputy. The father and son are accomplices.тАЭ + 

тАЬThen we shall find the son at the fatherтАЩs?тАЭ + 

тАЬYou would have found him there last night.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat became of him?тАЭ + 

тАЬHe took the train at Pompignat.тАЭ + 

тАЬThatтАЩs a mere supposition.тАЭ + 

тАЬNo, a certainty.тАЭ + 

тАЬA moral certainty, perhaps, but youтАЩll admit thereтАЩs not the slightest proof.тАЭ + 

The deputy did not wait for a reply. He considered that he had displayed an excessive goodwill and that patience has its limits and he put an end to the interview: + 

тАЬNot the slightest proof,тАЭ he repeated, taking up his hat. тАЬAnd, above all,тБатАКтБатАж above all, thereтАЩs nothing in what youтАЩve said that can contradict in the very least the evidence of that relentless witness, the snow. To go to his father, Mathias de Gorne must have left this house. Which way did he go?тАЭ + 

тАЬHang it all, M. Vignal told you: by the road which leads from here to his fatherтАЩs!тАЭ + 

тАЬThere are no tracks in the snow.тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, there are.тАЭ + 

тАЬBut they show him coming here and not going away from here.тАЭ + 

тАЬItтАЩs the same thing.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat?тАЭ + 

тАЬOf course it is. ThereтАЩs more than one way of walking. One doesnтАЩt always go ahead by following oneтАЩs nose.тАЭ + 

тАЬIn what other way can one go ahead?тАЭ + 

тАЬBy walking backwards, Mr.┬аDeputy.тАЭ + 

These few words, spoken very simply, but in a clear tone which gave full value to every syllable, produced a profound silence. Those present at once grasped their extreme significance and, by adapting it to the actual happenings, perceived in a flash the impenetrable truth, which suddenly appeared to be the most natural thing in the world. + 

R├йnine continued his argument. Stepping backwards in the direction of the window, he said: + 

тАЬIf I want to get to that window, I can of course walk straight up to it; but I can just as easily turn my back to it and walk that way. In either case I reach my goal.тАЭ + 

And he at once proceeded in a vigorous tone: + 

тАЬHereтАЩs the gist of it all. At half-past eight, before the snow fell, M. de Gorne comes home from his fatherтАЩs house. M. Vignal arrives twenty minutes later. There is a long discussion and a struggle, taking up three hours in all. It is then, after M. Vignal has carried off Madame de Gorne and made his escape, that Mathias de Gorne, foaming at the mouth, wild with rage, but suddenly seeing his chance of taking the most terrible revenge, hits upon the ingenious idea of using against his enemy the very snowfall upon whose evidence you are now relying. He therefore plans his own murder, or rather the appearance of his murder and of his fall to the bottom of the well and makes off backwards, step by step, thus recording his arrival instead of his departure on the white page.тАЭ + 

The deputy sneered no longer. This eccentric intruder suddenly appeared to him in the light of a person worthy of attention, whom it would not do to make fun of. He asked: + 

тАЬAnd how could he have left his fatherтАЩs house?тАЭ + 

тАЬIn a trap, quite simply.тАЭ + 

тАЬWho drove it?тАЭ + 

тАЬThe father. This morning the sergeant and I saw the trap and spoke to the father, who was going to market as usual. The son was hidden under the tilt. He took the train at Pompignat and is in Paris by now.тАЭ + 

R├йnineтАЩs explanation, as promised, had taken hardly five minutes. He had based it solely on logic and the probabilities of the case. And yet not a jot was left of the distressing mystery in which they were floundering. The darkness was dispelled. The whole truth appeared. + 

Madame de Gorne wept for joy and J├йr├┤me Vignal thanked the good genius who was changing the course of events with a stroke of his magic wand. + 

тАЬShall we examine those footprints together, Mr.┬аDeputy?тАЭ asked R├йnine. тАЬDo you mind? The mistake which the sergeant and I made this morning was to investigate only the footprints left by the alleged murderer and to neglect Mathias de GorneтАЩs. Why indeed should they have attracted our attention? Yet it was precisely there that the crux of the whole affair was to be found.тАЭ + 

They stepped into the orchard and went to the well. It did not need a long examination to observe that many of the footprints were awkward, hesitating, too deeply sunk at the heel and toe and differing from one another in the angle at which the feet were turned. + 

тАЬThis clumsiness was unavoidable,тАЭ said R├йnine. тАЬMathias de Gorne would have needed a regular apprenticeship before his backward progress could have equalled his ordinary gait; and both his father and he must have been aware of this, at least as regards the zigzags which you see here since old de Gorne went out of his way to tell the sergeant that his son had had too much drink.тАЭ And he added тАЬIndeed it was the detection of this falsehood that suddenly enlightened me. When Madame de Gorne stated that her husband was not drunk, I thought of the footprints and guessed the truth.тАЭ + 

The deputy frankly accepted his part in the matter and began to laugh: + 

тАЬThereтАЩs nothing left for it but to send detectives after the bogus corpse.тАЭ + 

тАЬOn what grounds, Mr.┬аDeputy?тАЭ asked R├йnine. тАЬMathias de Gorne has committed no offence against the law. ThereтАЩs nothing criminal in trampling the soil around a well, in shifting the position of a revolver that doesnтАЩt belong to you, in firing three shots or in walking backwards to oneтАЩs fatherтАЩs house. What can we ask of him? The sixty thousand francs? I presume that this is not M. VignalтАЩs intention and that he does not mean to bring a charge against him?тАЭ + 

тАЬCertainly not,тАЭ said J├йr├┤me. + 

тАЬWell, what then? The insurance-policy in favour of the survivor? But there would be no misdemeanour unless the father claimed payment. And I should be greatly surprised if he did.тБатАКтБатАж Hullo, here the old chap is! YouтАЩll soon know all about it.тАЭ + 

Old de Gorne was coming along, gesticulating as he walked. His easygoing features were screwed up to express sorrow and anger. + 

тАЬWhereтАЩs my son?тАЭ he cried. тАЬIt seems the bruteтАЩs killed him!тБатАКтБатАж My poor Mathias dead! Oh, that scoundrel of a Vignal!тАЭ + 

And he shook his fist at J├йr├┤me. + 

The deputy said, bluntly: + 

тАЬA word with you, M. de Gorne. Do you intend to claim your rights under a certain insurance-policy?тАЭ + 

тАЬWell, what do you think?тАЭ said the old man, off his guard. + 

тАЬThe fact isтБатАКтБатАж your sonтАЩs not dead. People are even saying that you were a partner in his little schemes and that you stuffed him under the tilt of your trap and drove him to the station.тАЭ + 

The old fellow spat on the ground, stretched out his hand as though he were going to take a solemn oath, stood for an instant without moving and then, suddenly, changing his mind and his tactics with ingenuous cynicism, he relaxed his features, assumed a conciliatory attitude and burst out laughing: + 

тАЬThat blackguard Mathias! So he tried to pass himself off as dead? What a rascal! And he reckoned on me to collect the insurance-money and send it to him? As if I should be capable of such a low, dirty trick!тБатАКтБатАж You donтАЩt know me, my boy!тАЭ + 

And, without waiting for more, shaking with merriment like a jolly old fellow amused by a funny story, he took his departure, not forgetting, however, to set his great hobnail boots on each of the compromising footprints which his son had left behind him. + 

Later, when R├йnine went back to the manor to let Hortense out, he found that she had disappeared. + 

He called and asked for her at her cousin ErmelinтАЩs. Hortense sent down word asking him to excuse her: she was feeling a little tired and was lying down. + 

тАЬCapital!тАЭ thought R├йnine. тАЬCapital! She avoids me, therefore she loves me. The end is not far off.тАЭ + 