Within an Inch of His Life

by Emile Gaboriau

  XXVI.

  Like all very clever men, Dr. Seignebos made the mistake of thinkingother people as cunning as he was himself. M. Galpin was, of course,watching him, but by no means with the energy which one would haveexpected from so ambitious a man. He had, of course, been the first tobe notified that the case was to be tried in open court, and from thatmoment he felt relieved of all anxiety.

  As to remorse, he had none. He did not even regret any thing. He did notthink of it, that the prisoner who was thus to be tried had once beenhis friend,--a friend of whom he was proud, whose hospitality he hadenjoyed, and whose favor he had eagerly sought in his matrimonialaspirations. No. He only saw one thing,--that he had engaged in adangerous affair, on which his whole future was depending, and that hewas going to win triumphantly.

  Evidently his responsibility was by no means gone; but his zeal inpreparing the case for trial was no longer required. He need not appearat the trial. Whatever must be the result, he thought he should escapethe blame, which he should surely have incurred if no true bill had beenfound. He did not disguise it from himself that he should be lookedat askance by all Sauveterre, that his social relations were well-nighbroken off, and that no one would henceforth heartily shake hands withhim. But that gave him no concern. Sauveterre, a miserable little townof five thousand inhabitants! He hoped with certainty he would notremain there long; and a brilliant preferment would amply repay him forhis courage, and relieve him from all foolish reproaches.

  Besides, once in the large city to which he would be promoted, hecould hope that distance would aid in attenuating and even effacing theimpression made by his conduct. All that would be remembered aftera time would be his reputation as one of those famous judges, who,according to the stereotyped phrase, "sacrifice every thing to thesacred interests of justice, who put inflexible duty high above all theconsiderations that trouble and disturb the vulgar mind, and whose heartis like a rock, against which all human passions are helplessly brokento pieces."

  With such a reputation, with his knowledge of the world, and hiseagerness to succeed, opportunities would not be wanting to put himselfforward, to make himself known, to become useful, indispensable even. Hesaw himself already on the highest rungs of the official ladder. He wasa judge in Bordeaux, in Lyons, in Paris itself!

  With such rose-colored dreams he fell asleep at night. The next morning,as he crossed the streets, his carriage haughtier and stiffer than ever,his firmly-closed lips, and the cold and severe look of his eyes, toldthe curious observers that there must be something new.

  "M. de Boiscoran's case must be very bad indeed," they said, "or M.Galpin would not look so very proud."

  He went first to the commonwealth attorney. The truth is, he was stillsmarting under the severe reproaches of M. Daubigeon, and he thought hewould enjoy his revenge now. He found the old book-worm, as usual, amonghis beloved books, and in worse humor than ever. He ignored it, handedhim a number of papers to sign; and when his business was over, andwhile he was carefully replacing the documents in his bag with hismonogram on the outside, he added with an air of indifference,--

  "Well, my dear sir, you have heard the decision of the court? Which ofus was right?"

  M. Daubigeon shrugged his shoulders, and said angrily,--

  "Of course I am nothing but an old fool, a maniac: I give it up; and Isay, like Horace's man,--

  'Stultum me fateor, liceat concedere vires Atque etiam insanum.'"

  "You are joking. But what would have happened if I had listened to you?"

  "I don't care to know."

  "M. de Boiscoran would none the less have been sent to a jury."

  "May be."

  "Anybody else would have collected the proofs of his guilt just as wellas I."

  "That is a question."

  "And I should have injured my reputation very seriously; for they wouldhave called me one of those timid magistrates who are frightened at anothing."

  "That is as good a reputation as some others," broke in the commonwealthattorney.

  He had vowed he would answer only in monosyllables; but his anger madehim forget his oath. He added in a very severe tone,--

  "Another man would not have been bent exclusively upon proving that M.de Boiscoran was guilty."

  "I certainly have proved it."

  "Another man would have tried to solve the mystery."

  "But I have solved it, I should think."

  M. Daubigeon bowed ironically, and said,--

  "I congratulate you. It must be delightful to know the secret of allthings, only you may be mistaken. You are an excellent hand at suchinvestigations; but I am an older man than you in the profession. Themore I think in this case, the less I understand it. If you know everything so perfectly well, I wish you would tell me what could have beenthe motive for the crime, for, after all, we do not run the risk oflosing our head without some very powerful and tangible purpose. Wherewas Jacques's interest? You will tell me he hated Count Claudieuse. Butis that an answer. Come, go for a moment to your own conscience. Butstop! No one likes to do that."

  M. Galpin was beginning to regret that he had ever come. He had hoped tofind M. Daubigeon quite penitent, and here he was worse than ever.

  "The Court of Inquiry has felt no such scruples," he said dryly.

  "No; but the jury may feel some. They are, occasionally, men of sense."

  "The jury will condemn M. de Boiscoran without hesitation."

  "I would not swear to that."

  "You would if you knew who will plead."

  "Oh!"

  "The prosecution will employ M. Gransiere!"

  "Oh, oh!"

  "You will not deny that he is a first-class man?"

  The magistrate was evidently becoming angry; his ears reddened up; andin the same proportion M. Daubigeon regained his calmness.

  "God forbid that I should deny M. Gransiere's eloquence. He is apowerful speaker, and rarely misses his man. But then, you know, casesare like books: they have their luck or ill luck. Jacques will be welldefended."

  "I am not afraid of M. Magloire."

  "But Mr. Folgat?"

  "A young man with no weight. I should be far more afraid of M. Lachant."

  "Do you know the plan of the defence?"

  This was evidently the place where the shoe pinched; but M. Galpin tookcare not to let it be seen, and replied,--

  "I do not. But that does not matter. M. de Boiscoran's friends at firstthought of making capital out of Cocoleu; but they have given that up.I am sure of that! The police-agent whom I have charged to keep his eyeson the idiot tells me that Dr. Seignebos does not trouble himself aboutthe man any more."

  M. Daubigeon smiled sarcastically, and said, much more for the purposeof teasing his visitor than because he believed it himself,--

  "Take care! do not trust appearances. You have to do with very cleverpeople. I always told you Cocoleu is probably the mainspring of thewhole case. The very fact that M. Gransiere will speak ought to make youtremble. If he should not succeed, he would, of course, blame you, andnever forgive you in all his life. Now, you know he may fail. 'There ismany a slip between the cup and the lip.'

  "And I am disposed to think with Villon,--

  'Nothing is so certain as uncertain things.'"

  M. Galpin could tell very well that he should gain nothing by prolongingthe discussion, and so he said,--

  "Happen what may, I shall always know that my conscience supports me."

  Then he made great haste to take leave, lest an answer should come fromM. Daubigeon. He went out; and as he descended the stairs, he said tohimself,--

  "It is losing time to reason with that old fogy who sees in the eventsof the day only so many opportunities for quotations."

  But he struggled in vain against his own feelings; he had lost hisself-confidence. M. Daubigeon had revealed to him a new danger which hehad not foreseen. And what a danger!--the resentment of one of the mosteminent men of the French bar, one of those bitter, bilious men wh
onever forgive. M. Galpin had, no doubt, thought of the possibility offailure, that is to say, of an acquittal; but he had never consideredthe consequences of such a check.

  Who would have to pay for it? The prosecuting attorney first andforemost, because, in France, the prosecuting attorney makes theaccusation a personal matter, and considers himself insulted andhumiliated, if he misses his man.

  Now, what would happen in such a case?

  M. Gransiere, no doubt, would hold him responsible. He would say,--

  "I had to draw my arguments from your part of the work. I did not obtaina condemnation, because your work was imperfect. A man like myself oughtnot to be exposed to such an humiliation, and, least of all, in a casewhich is sure to create an immense sensation. You do not understand yourbusiness."

  Such words were a public disgrace. Instead of the hoped-for promotion,they would bring him an order to go into exile, to Corsica, or toAlgiers.

  M. Galpin shuddered at the idea. He saw himself buried under the ruinsof his castles in Spain. And, unluckily, he went once more over allthe papers of the investigation, analyzing the evidence he had, like asoldier, who, on the eve of a battle, furbishes up his arms. However,he only found one objection, the same which M. Daubigeon had made,--whatinterest could Jacques have had in committing so great a crime?

  "There," he said, "is evidently the weak part of the armor; and I woulddo well to point it out to M. Gransiere. Jacques's counsel are capableof making that the turning-point of their plea."

  And, in spite of all he had said to M. Daubigeon, he was very muchafraid of the counsel for the defence. He knew perfectly wellthe prestige which M. Magloire derived from his integrity anddisinterestedness. It was no secret to him, that a cause which M.Magloire espoused was at once considered a good cause. They said ofhim,--

  "He may be mistaken; but whatever he says he believes." He could not buthave a powerful influence, therefore, not on judges who came into courtwith well-established opinions, but with jurymen who are under theinfluence of the moment, and may be carried off by the eloquence of aspeech. It is true, M. Magloire did not possess that burning eloquencewhich thrills a crowd, but M. Folgat had it, and in an uncommon degree.M. Galpin had made inquiries; and one of his Paris friends had writtento him,--

  "Mistrust Folgat. He is a far more dangerous logician than Lachant, andpossesses the same skill in troubling the consciences of jurymen,in moving them, drawing tears from them, and forcing them into anacquittal. Mind, especially, any incidents that may happen during thetrial; for he has always some kind of surprise in reserve."

  "These are my adversaries," thought M. Galpin. "What surprise, I wonder,is there in store for me? Have they really given up all idea of usingCocoleu?"

  He had no reason for mistrusting his agent; and yet his apprehensionsbecame so serious, that he went out of his way to look in at thehospital. The lady superior received him, as a matter of course, withall the signs of profound respect; and, when he inquired about Cocoleu,she added,--

  "Would you like to see him?"

  "I confess I should be very glad to do so."

  "Come with me, then."

  She took him into the garden, and there asked a gardener,--

  "Where is the idiot?"

  The man put his spade into the ground; and, with that affected reverencewhich characterizes all persons employed in a convent, he answered,--

  "The idiot is down there in the middle avenue, mother, in his usualplace, you know, which nothing will induce him to leave."

  M. Galpin and the lady superior found him there. They had taken offthe rags which he wore when he was admitted, and put him into thehospital-dress, which was a large gray coat and a cotton cap. He did notlook any more intelligent for that; but he was less repulsive. He wasseated on the ground, playing with the gravel.

  "Well, my boy," asked M. Galpin, "how do you like this?"

  He raised his inane face, and fixed his dull eye on the lady superior;but he made no reply.

  "Would you like to go back to Valpinson?" asked the lawyer again. Heshuddered, but did not open his lips.

  "Look here," said M. Galpin, "answer me, and I'll give you a ten-centpiece."

  No: Cocoleu was at his play again.

  "That is the way he is always," declared the lady superior. "Since heis here, no one has ever gotten a word out of him. Promises, threats,nothing has any effect. One day I thought I would try an experiment;and, instead of letting him have his breakfast, I said to him, 'Youshall have nothing to eat till you say, "I am hungry."' At the end oftwenty-four hours I had to let him have his pittance; for he would havestarved himself sooner than utter a word."

  "What does Dr. Seignebos think of him?"

  "The doctor does not want to hear his name mentioned," replied the ladysuperior.

  And, raising her eyes to heaven, she added,--

  "And that is a clear proof, that, but for the direct intervention ofProvidence, the poor creature would never have denounced the crime whichhe had witnessed."

  Immediately, however, she returned to earthly things, and asked,--

  "But will you not relieve us soon of this poor idiot, who is a heavycharge on our hospital? Why not send him back to his village, where hefound his support before? We have quite a number of sick and poor, andvery little room."

  "We must wait, sister, till M. de Boiscoran's trial is finished,"replied the magistrate.

  The lady superior looked resigned, and said,--

  "That is what the mayor told me, and it is very provoking, I must say:however, they have allowed me to turn him out of the room which they hadgiven him at first. I have sent him to the Insane Ward. That is the namewe give to a few little rooms, enclosed by a wall, where we keep thepoor insane, who are sent to us provisionally."

  Here she was interrupted by the janitor of the hospital, who came up,bowing.

  "What do you want?" she asked.

  Vaudevin, the janitor, handed her a note.

  "A man brought by a gendarme," he replied. "Immediately to be admitted."

  The lady superior read the note, signed by Dr. Seignebos.

  "Epileptic," she said, "and somewhat idiotic: as if we wanted any more!And a stranger into the bargain! Really Dr. Seignebos is too yielding.Why does he not send all these people to their own parish to be takencare of?"

  And, with a very elastic step for her age, she went to the parlor,followed by M. Galpin and the janitor. They had put the new patient inthere, and, sunk upon a bench, he looked the picture of utter idiocy.After having looked at him for a minute, she said,--

  "Put him in the Insane Ward: he can keep Cocoleu company. And let thesister know at the drug-room. But no, I will go myself. You will excuseme, sir."

  And then she left the room. M. Galpin was much comforted.

  "There is no danger here," he said to himself. "And if M. Folgat countsupon any incident during the trial, Cocoleu, at all events, will notfurnish it to him."