IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 V 
 
 / 
 
 // 
 
 V 
 
 O 
 
 .^ 
 
 -^' ^ #/ 
 
 ù< 
 
 w. 
 
 (/a 
 
 fA 
 
 1.0 
 
 l.l 
 
 1.25 
 
 llitt 
 
 ll!3_2 
 
 25 
 
 |Z2 
 .> lil^ '""^ 
 "^ ="" il 2.0 
 
 1.4 
 
 1.6 
 
 
 Photographie 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 73 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N Y I4SB0 
 
 ( 716) 872-4S03 
 
 iV 
 
 « 
 
 L1>' 
 
 \\ 
 
 
 <* 
 
 6^ 
 
i-?. 
 
 CIHM/ICMH 
 
 Microfiche 
 
 Series. 
 
 CIHM/ICMH 
 Collection de 
 microfiches. 
 
 Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut canadien de microreproductions historiq 
 
 ues 
 
 iV 
 
Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques 
 
 The Institute has attempted to obtain the best 
 original copy available for filming. Features of this 
 copy which may be bibliographically unique, 
 which may alter any of the images in the 
 reproduction, or which may significantly change 
 the usual method of filming, are checked below. 
 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 □ 
 
 □ 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 □ 
 
 Coloured covers/ 
 Couverture de couleur 
 
 Covers damaged/ 
 Couverture endommagée 
 
 Covers restored and/or laminated/ 
 Couverture restaurée et/ou pelliculée 
 
 Cover title missing/ 
 
 Le titre de couverture manque 
 
 Coloured maps/ 
 
 Cartes géographiques en couleur 
 
 Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ 
 Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) 
 
 Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ 
 Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur 
 
 Bound with other material/ 
 Relié avec d'auvres documents 
 
 Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion 
 along interior margin/ 
 
 La reliure serrée oeut causer de l'ombre ou de la 
 distortion le long de la marge intérieure 
 
 Blank leaves added during restoration may 
 appear within the text. Whenever possible, these 
 have been omitted from filming/ 
 II se peut quo certaines pages blanches ajoutées 
 lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, 
 mais, lorsque cela était possible, ces pages n'ont 
 pas été filmées. 
 
 Additional comments:/ 
 Commentaires supplémentaires; 
 
 L'Institut a microfilmé le meilleur exemplaire 
 qu'il lui a été possible de se procurer. Les détails 
 de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-être uniques du 
 point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier 
 une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une 
 modification dans la méthode normale de filmage 
 sont indiqués ci-dessous. 
 
 The 
 
 to tl 
 
 I I Coloured pages/ 
 
 Pages de couleur 
 
 Pages damaged/ 
 Pages endommagées 
 
 Pages restored and/oi 
 
 Pages restaurées et/ou pelliculées 
 
 I I Pages damaged/ 
 
 j I Pages restored and/or laminated/ 
 
 □ 
 
 □ 
 
 El 
 
 D 
 
 Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ 
 Pages décolorées, tachetées ou piquées 
 
 Pages detached/ 
 Pages détachées 
 
 Showthrough/ 
 Transparence 
 
 Quality of print varies/ 
 ■Qualité inégale de l'impression 
 
 □ Includes supplementary material/ 
 Comi 
 
 prend du matériel supplémentaire 
 
 edition available/ 
 Seule édition disponible 
 
 I I Only edition available/ 
 
 □ Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata 
 slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to 
 ensu.-e the best possible image/ 
 Les pages totalement ou partiellement 
 obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, 
 etc., ont été lilmée^ à nouveau de façon à 
 obtenir la meilleure image possible. 
 
 The 
 
 POS! 
 of tl 
 film 
 
 Orig 
 
 begi 
 
 the 
 
 sien 
 
 othc 
 
 first 
 
 sien 
 
 or ill 
 
 The 
 shall 
 TINl 
 whi( 
 
 Map 
 difffl 
 entir 
 begii 
 right 
 requ 
 metf 
 
 This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ 
 
 Ce document est filmé au taux de réduction indiqué ci-dessous. 
 
 10X 
 
 
 
 
 14X 
 
 
 
 
 18X 
 
 
 
 
 22X 
 
 
 
 
 26X 
 
 
 
 
 30X 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 >/ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 12X 
 
 
 
 
 16X 
 
 
 
 
 20X 
 
 
 
 
 24X 
 
 
 
 
 28X 
 
 
 
 
 32X 
 
 
The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks 
 to the generosity of: 
 
 National Library of Canada 
 
 L'exemplaire filmé fut reproduit grâce à ia 
 générosité de: 
 
 Bibliothèque nationale du Canada 
 
 The images appearing here are the best quality 
 possible considering the condition and legibility 
 of the original copy and in keeping with the 
 filming contract specifications. 
 
 Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed 
 beginning with the front cover and ending on 
 the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- 
 sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All 
 other original copies are filmed beginning on the 
 first page with a printed or illustrated impres- 
 sion, and ending on the last page with a printed 
 or illustrated impression. 
 
 The last recorded frame on each microfiche 
 shall contain the symbol — ^> (meaning "CON- 
 TINUED "). or the symbol V (meaning "END"), 
 whichever applies. 
 
 Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at 
 different reduction ratios. Those too large to be 
 entirely included in one exposure are filmed 
 beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to 
 right and top to bottom, as many frames as 
 required. The following diagrams illustrate the 
 method: 
 
 Les images suivantes ont été reproduites avec le 
 plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et 
 de la netteté de l'exemplaire filmé, et en 
 conformité avec les conditions du contrat de 
 filmage. 
 
 Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en 
 papier est imprimée sont filmés en commençant 
 par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la 
 dernière page qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second 
 plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires 
 originaux sont filmés en commençant par la 
 première page qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par 
 la dernière page qui comporte une telle 
 empreinte. 
 
 Un des symboles suivants apparaîtra sur la 
 dernière image de chaque microfiche, selon le 
 cas: le symbole — ^ signifie "A SUIVRE ", le 
 symbole V signifie "FIN". 
 
 Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent être 
 filmés à des taux de réduction différents. 
 Lorsque le document est trop grand pour être 
 reproduit en un seul cliché, il est filmé à partir 
 de l'angle supérieur gauche, de gauche è droite, 
 et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre 
 d'images nécessaire. Les diagrammes suivants 
 illustrent la méthode. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
w 
 
 «. 
 
 \ 
 
 11 
 
It. \ 
 
 % 
 
 THE 
 
 CASE OF DOCTOR PLEMEN 
 
 M 
 
THE 
 
 CASE OF DOCTOR PLEMEN 
 
 BY 
 
 RENÉ DE PONT-JEST 
 
 AUTHOR OH 
 t«B DBTEtTIVB's MBMOIRS," "tHB THUGS 
 
 TMJI MVOKCBO rUNCUS," «TC. «TC. 
 
 ' TKIAI," "tmK KBM titWHm 
 
 AUTSJO/i^S COPYRIGHT TRANSLATION 
 
 TORONTO: 
 W r L I. I A M li K Y C E . 
 
Kiititiod aooordinjyir to Act of Parliament <v Oanada, in the Offloe of the Kliiiister ol 
 AgriouUure, liv WiiiLiAu Bktob, in cne year oue thouaaitd oiirht hundred and 
 eifhtjr-eitfhit. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 THE HOUSE IN THE RUE BOISSIERE 
 
 PACK 
 I 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 PART I. 
 I. THE "county town" OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 
 
 SEINE Er LOIRE 23 
 
 II. ELIAS PANTON AND CO. 35 
 
 III. IN WHICH THE REV. J. THOMPSON SAVES THE 
 
 HONOUR OF THE PANTONS . . . . $6 
 
 IV. PROVINCIAL STRUGGLES 78 
 
 V. HOW DR. PLEMEN IS VANQUISHED . , , 96 
 VL THE BEAUTIFUL MRS. GOULD-PARK EK , • "7 
 
 711. SUDDEN AMBITION I32 
 
 VIII. "FROU-FROU" AT THE DEBLAIN^ . . .144 
 
 IX. jenny's CONFESSIONS . . . • • . 156 
 
 PART II. 
 
 I. A COUNTRY ELECTION 167 
 
 IL THE MYSTERY ••••••• I?, 
 
vi CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAI'. PACB 
 
 III. IN WHICH THE. EXAMINING JUDGE, M. BABOU, 
 
 COMES FORWARD ....... l88 
 
 IV. PROFESSIONAL SECRECY 204 
 
 V. THE HOUSE OF DETENTION . . . .227 
 
 VI. ON THE INFLUENCE, AS YET UNDISCOVERED, OF 
 VERONESE GREEN ON THE HONOUR OF AN 
 
 ARTIST 241 
 
 VIl. WILLIAM WITSON APPEARS AT VERMEL . 260 
 VIII. IN WHICH THE READER WILL AGAIN VEET 
 ELIAS PANTON AND THE REVEREND JONATHAN 
 
 THOMPSON 279 
 
 IX. THE INVESTIGATION 29O 
 
 X. BEFORE THE HEARING 316 
 
 XL BEFORE THE JURY 324 
 
 XII. IJEl'WEEN DuCrOKS 352 
 
 XIII. AN UNEXPECTED EVF.NT ...... 369 
 
 EPILOGUE. 
 WILLIAM wri son's SECKKX • 
 
 389 
 
THE 
 
 CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 I »» 
 
 INTRODUCTION , 
 
 THE HOUSE IN THE RUE BOISSlâPE 
 
 It would have been difficult, anywhere in 
 the whol« town of Paris, to discover a more 
 attractive-looking dwelling than that which 
 bore the number 164 in the Rue Boissiere, at 
 Passy. 
 
 Through the bars of the iron railing which 
 separated it from the public road might be 
 seen a little garden luxuriant with roses and 
 hydrangeas, and beyond, a pretty one-storied 
 house in the Italian style, its wnlls almost 
 buried in honeysuckle and Virginia creeper. 
 
 It suggested a shy retreat for lovers, for in 
 it peace and quiet seemed to reign supreme, 
 and its tranquillity was but rarely broken in 
 upon by visitors from the outer world. 
 
 B 
 
2 THE CASE OF DA. PLEMEN . 
 
 The interior of this charm in^r little nest was 
 as comfortable as the outside was attractive. 
 It was not fitted up according to the cold, dry, 
 symmetrical English notions of comfort, which, 
 in the wealthiest houses in London, make you 
 think of furnished lodgings — sometimes indeed 
 of lodgings that have long stood empty — but 
 with that warm Parisian comfort which is the 
 envy and the despair of foreign imitators. 
 
 The severe style of the furniture in the large 
 study told plainly enough that its occupant 
 was a man, and a man of studious habits ; -it 
 the dining-room with its bright flowers ever 
 carefully tended, the drawing-room with its 
 albums and artistic trifles, told as plainly that 
 here dwelt a woman, youthful, and of exquisite 
 taste, the soul of this peaceful home. 
 
 Indeed, it would sometimes happen that 
 passers-by who had stopped only to look at 
 the garden of the pretty town-house of the 
 Rue Boissiere, were struck with admiration at 
 the sight of a young girl whose beautiful head 
 would appear at one of the windows, as it 
 were set in a frame of sweet-scented flowers. 
 
 The neighbours knew no moj-e about this 
 pretty young girl than that she was called Jane, 
 was seventeen or eighteen years of age, seemed 
 gentle and lovable, and that she lived there 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 with her father, Mr. William Witson, who, 
 however, was supposed to be her father only 
 by adoption. 
 
 Although Mr. Witson and Miss Jane spoke 
 French with the utmost correctness, they were 
 taken to be foreigners — either English or 
 American. All attempts of inquisitive people 
 to find out more aL /Ut them had proved 
 futile. ' ' - 
 
 There were cn*y two suivants : a cook, who 
 would perhaps have ;^cîssiped, had she had 
 anything interestiiig t.Q communicate, but who 
 had entered Mr. Witson's service only when 
 the latter arrived in Paris ; and a lady's-maid, 
 who knew not a word of French, and never 
 went out without her youn^ mistress. 
 
 The house sheltered yet a fifth person^ but 
 she looked so forbidding, and was so reserved, 
 that none would have ventured to ask her any 
 questions. This was Mrs. Wanwright. She 
 had been governess to Jane, to whom she was 
 entirely devoted, and now remained with her 
 as housekeeper and manager. 
 
 As to William Witson himself, he was a man 
 of about forty years of age, strong and healthy- 
 looking, with finely cut and high-bred features, 
 and evidently a gentleman. Carefully shaven, 
 except for his long fair whiskers, he had some- 
 
 R 2 
 
THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 thing about him of the French judge or the 
 naval officer. 
 
 A very early riser, he would walk up and 
 down the garden-paths from daybreak until 
 Jane came to bid him good-morning and offer 
 him her forehead for a kiss. He then withdrew 
 into his study, and immediately set to work to 
 look through his newspapers with somewhat of 
 a hasty, anxious manner. He took papers from 
 pretty much every part of the world, a large 
 proportion of them dealing exclusively with legal 
 and criminal questions, such as the Paris Droit 
 and Gazelle des Tribunaux^ the London Police 
 News, the Berlin Jurislische Blaeller, the 
 Frankfort FreischulZy the Vienna Gerichlshalle, 
 and the New York Ilhislraled Police News and 
 Police Gazelle. 
 
 The great rapidity with which Witson ran 
 through all these papers proved his entire fami- 
 liarity with many different languages. He did 
 not desert his labours until he sat down to 
 breakfast with Jane, at ten o'clock. And then 
 would begin the young girl's daily efforts to 
 carry sunshine into the life of the man whom 
 she called *' her friend " — to draw him away 
 from the brooding thoughts that seemed for 
 ever to haunt his mind. For the most part, 
 these attempts had but a momentary success. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 rt. 
 
 Witson used indeed to listen with an affec- 
 tionate smile to the admonitions of the young 
 girl concerning the trying existence he led, and 
 used to promise he would become more sociable 
 and enjoy more amusement ; but very often his 
 eye would be fixed on the pretty preacher with 
 an expression of mingled pain and tenderness. 
 
 He seemed to be reproaching her with not 
 understanding more clearly the aim and object 
 of his life — witlj not seeing that her fate was as 
 much affected by the result of his labours as 
 his own. 
 
 And thereupon, no doubt with th^ intention 
 of counteracting the deep feelings stirred up 
 within him at such moments, Witson would 
 again bury himself in his law reports, and devour 
 the story of one of those crimes of which both 
 the cause and the object are an insoluble mys- 
 tery to the psychologist — crimes that can be 
 explained only by the love of wickedness, whose 
 authors, monstrous anomalies in the realm of 
 morals, seem as it were irresponsible actors. 
 
 Probably that was not exactly what the 
 stranger was anxious to find, for though reports 
 of this kind could take up his attention for a 
 short time, he soon threw the newspapers 
 from him with a gtisiure of annoyance and 
 disgust. 
 
THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 On such occasions nothing but one of Jane's 
 affectionate caresses could pacify him. 
 
 Sometimes William would leave the house 
 after a hasty lunch, and almost always alone. 
 
 On those days he went straight to the Law 
 Courts. He was held in high esteem by many 
 members of the Bench, so that he had every 
 possible facility for closely following all im- 
 portant criminal trials. 
 
 Half hidden amongst the crowd — in spite of 
 the seat reserved for him in the visitors' gallery 
 near the judges — he would listen to every 
 argumer^t with the utmost attention. 
 
 It was evident that he went there in the 
 capacity of a writer of books, or as a student 
 of criminal law, for he held the maxim that, 
 however abject might be the man who was 
 struggling to save his honour or his life, he 
 should never be exhibited as a spectacle for 
 idlers and for women suffering frcm that form 
 of nervous disease which is called morbid 
 curiosity. 
 
 What specially struck those with whom our 
 mysterious friend compared notes during the 
 adjournment of the court, was not only his 
 profound knowledge of law, of procedure, one 
 might almost say of everything in general, but 
 also his indulgence, his pity tor the accused, 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 however great might be their crimes, or how- 
 ever plainly they might confess them. 
 
 " You cannot tell," was a favourite saying of 
 his; "you can never tell! Just as often there 
 is no more reason for accepting a prisoner's 
 confessions than there is for believing in his 
 denials. The ferment that arises in the mind 
 of a person suddenly and completely isolated 
 from all around, should be carefully taken into 
 account. People do not sufficiently realize the 
 physical tortures of imprisonment on suspicion, 
 any more than they understand the mental 
 anguish of a criminal investigation. In the 
 clutches of a clever man of the law, harassed 
 by questions which, in spite of their irrelevance, 
 are repeated in a thousand different shapes, 
 humiliated by his tormentor who has but one 
 object — to find his criminal — and who, deter- 
 mined to find him in the man before him, 
 assumes a hostile tone, confounds him, sets 
 traps for him, snatches at his smallest utter- 
 ance, and then dictates it to his clerk with the 
 interpretation most in accordance with his own 
 views ; — I say that in the clutches of this re- 
 lentless inquisitor the prisoner often loses his 
 head, and then his contradictory answers, the 
 rectifications he attempts, his explanations on 
 second thoughts, are one and all set down a:^ 
 

 8 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 SO much evidence against him. If he defends 
 himself with too much energy, it merely shows 
 that he has clearly recognized the risk he is 
 running — he has prepared for the struggle — 
 he is trying to mislead the court. Proof posi- 
 tive that he is guilty. Does he grow indig- 
 nant ? Indignation of that sort is merely a 
 farce, and shows that he is not worthy of the 
 slightest sympathy. If, on the other hand, he 
 stammers, hangs his head, changes colour, has 
 nothing to say for himself, he betrays that he 
 has clearly recognized how entirely futile would 
 be any attempt at disproving the facts alleged 
 against him. His guilt is self-evident. If he 
 weeps, he is terror-stricken ; if he laughs, he is 
 a cynic." 
 
 Once fairly started on this subject, Witson 
 never knew when to stop. His usual calmness 
 forsook him, and his heightened colour be- 
 trayed that it cost him a considerable struggle 
 to control the violent excitement working 
 within him. It was especially that indispens- 
 able but cruelly dangerous auxiliary of justice 
 — the medical jurist — that called forth his un- 
 qualified and almost si'vage condemnation. 
 
 " The most terrible part of the business is," 
 he would continue, " when the Criminal Inves- 
 tigation Department call to their assistance one 
 
INTRODUCTION 9 
 
 of those scientists who are ready to sacrifice 
 anything and everything to a system, who re- 
 fuse to recognize anything outside their own 
 theories, whose professional pride does not 
 permit them for one single moment to doubt 
 their own infallibility. They will allow ten 
 innocent men to be condemned rather than 
 make the slightest alteration in the arguments 
 of their report. Sooner than acknowledge a 
 blunder, they will invent chemical and physio- 
 logical phenomena that are utterly irreconcil- 
 able with all the known laws of Nature." 
 
 And in connection with this special point, 
 Witson would tell the story of a shocking mis- 
 carriage of justice a few years previously, tlie 
 victim of which had been a young woman of 
 Douai. 
 
 Accused of child murder, she was hunted 
 down, arrested, thrown into prison. During 
 two long months of solitary confinement she 
 was incessantly worried and tortured by the 
 investigating judge, threatened with the indefi- 
 nite prolongation of her detention on suspicion 
 unless she would confess, until at last the poor 
 creature pleaded guilty. Committed to take 
 her trial at the assizes, she was condemned to 
 five years imprisonment, lîut, less than three 
 months after, she was delivered of a full-grown 
 
lO 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 child in the central prison of Melun. So that 
 merely taking the dates supplied by the prose- 
 cution, the poor woman was four months oone 
 with child at the very moment when she was 
 supposed to have given birth to and to have 
 killed her baby. 
 
 However, this palpable proof of innocence, 
 or rather of the impossibility of the woman's 
 guilt, did not in the least degree disturb the 
 equanimity of the medical jurist or of the 
 judges who had pronounced sentence upon 
 her. 
 
 The doctor whom the prosecution had called 
 in proved as plainly as that twice two is four, 
 that they had to deal with a case of double 
 pregnancy, of two distinct and independent 
 conceptions — in one word, a case of what is 
 called superfœtation, an occurrence which was 
 by no means without precedent. Now this 
 was a monstrous statement to make. It is 
 true that isolated instances have been known 
 among animals, especially horses, but the pos- 
 sibility of such a thing with human beings is 
 gr^tatly questioned. Moreover, without enter- 
 ing into details which would lead us out of our 
 way, it is sufficient to point out that physio- 
 logists admit superfœtation to be possible only 
 under special circumstances, which had not 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 It 
 
 marked the case of the woman in question. 
 Besides all this, how can we possibly believe 
 in the proper qualification of a medical prac- 
 titioner who, when certifying that a woman 
 has recently been confined, does not recognize 
 that on the contrary it is a case of a five- 
 months' pregnancy ! There can be no question 
 that the prisoner should at least have had the 
 benefit of the doubt. But then, what would 
 have become of the infallibility of judges and 
 medical jurisprudence ? The sentence was duly 
 confirmed. 
 
 The authorities were, however, graciously 
 pleased to shorten the term of imprisonment 
 inflicted on the victim of this monstrous 
 blunder. 
 
 When Witson had been induced thus to 
 express his convictions concerning criminal in- 
 vestigation, he used to return home from the 
 court more depressed than ever. For some 
 days after, Jane's efforts to cheer him would 
 remain fruitless. 
 
 And yet the dear child did her best, for she 
 felt the deepest affection for her kind friend. At 
 times she was afraid of betraying her feelings, 
 because she had noticed an extraordinary cir- 
 cumstance : when she showed too much atten- 
 tion, he seemed to grow colder and more 
 
la 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 reserved ; when, on the contrary, she neorlected 
 him a little, his tender regard for her became 
 more apparent. He seemed to waver between 
 the dread of being loved too much and the 
 terror of not being loved enough. 
 
 An observer would have thought this man 
 worshipped the child in Jane, and dreaded the 
 moment when he must acknowledge to himself 
 that she was a woman. 
 
 The truth is that William was desperately in 
 love with the young girl whom he had taken 
 under his protection ten years ago, and that he 
 tried to conceal this affection as if he thought it 
 a crime. Under a constant fear of betraying 
 himself, he had repeatedly made up his mind to 
 separate from her. But whenever the moment 
 came for him to announce this decision to Jane, 
 his courage had failed him. Consequently, no 
 change had taken place in their daily life. 
 
 It was evident that this continuous struggle, 
 and the determined silence he maintained, were 
 no light burden to bear. And yet Witson 
 turned a deaf ear whenever Mrs. Wanwright 
 advised him to act differently. 
 
 When that excellent lady had informed him 
 that his adopted daughter had given him her 
 heart entirely, William had turned very pale. 
 He exclaimed : 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 13 
 
 ** I shall never dare to tell her the horrible 
 secret which separates us. Her love would 
 turn to hatred ! I can do only one thing, I 
 must keep silence, even though I were to 
 suffer ten times what I suffer now. She is 
 young, beautiful, well educated — and she is 
 rich, because I have wealth to give her. Try 
 to draw her thoughts away from me. Some 
 day she will feel that she has met the man 
 whom she really loves. That day will be the 
 beginning of her happiness — I shall disappear, 
 and my wrongs will be redeemed." 
 
 Jane knew nothing of all these mental strug- 
 gles. She set down his uncertain temper and 
 his fits of moroseness to his constant studies and 
 researches, the purpose of which also was un 
 known to her. Meanwhile her love increased 
 day by day, and in her innocence she never 
 stopped to ask herself what might be the nature 
 of her affection for him. 
 
 One thing, however, was quite clear to her : 
 she could not have felt otherwise towards him. 
 William Witson was all in all to her. She 
 could quite well remember that she had noi 
 always dwelt under his roof There still re- 
 mained in her mind the vague recollection of a 
 far-off time when she had been suddenly left 
 alone in the world, abruptly separated from a 
 
14 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 iM 
 
 young woman who must have been her mother, 
 and who had fondly clung to her and wept 
 bitterly before she tore herself away. 
 
 When had this happened, and in what 
 country ? Here her memory failed her en- 
 tirely, nor had she been able to obtain any 
 information from her governess. Mrs. Wan- 
 wright put an end to all the young girl's incon- 
 venient questions by assuring her that she 
 had been with her only ten years, that it was 
 Mr. Witson who had put Jane under her 
 charge, and that consequently she could not 
 possibly know anything of events that hap- 
 pened before her time. 
 
 Thereupon Jane had ventured to ask William 
 Witson himself. But at her very first words he 
 had interrupted her by saying : 
 
 " My dear child, you did not know your 
 mother ; you were too young when you lost 
 her. You were left alone in the world, and 
 that is why I took you in, adopted you, 
 brought you up, and have always loved you 
 and cherished you like a daughter. If I have 
 succeeded in making you happy, do not ask to 
 know any more!" 
 
 He seemed so much distressed that Jane had 
 flung her arms round his neck and begged him 
 to forgive her inconsiderate inquiries. From 
 
îMTkOÙVCTÎOM 
 
 tj 
 
 that time forward she had given up all idea of 
 fathoming the mystery that hung over her 
 childhood, and she lived entirely in the pre- 
 sent. There was one point especially that was 
 constantly present to her mind. 
 
 She would ask herself with a kind of terror, 
 and with very natural feminine curiosity, why 
 he who was to her as a father travelled about 
 from one country to another in the way he did, 
 why he appeared at different places under dif- 
 ferent names, and why he would often, utterly 
 rei;ardless of danger, rush in and become an 
 active participator in the most romantic adven- 
 tures, as though he were driven by an irresist- 
 ible sense of duty ? 
 
 She remembered that five or six years ago 
 he had left her in New York under the protec- 
 tion of Mrs. Wan Wright, and had gone to Paris. 
 Her letters to him at that time had been ad- 
 dressed to William Dow. Only last year, when 
 he took her to Boston, he assumed the name 
 of Charles Murray. To-day he was William . 
 Witson. 
 
 Which one among all these names was really 
 his own 1 What could be the object of this 
 strange restless existence, which was often 
 •gloomy and always mysterious ? 
 
 The young girl was at a loss to guess, and 
 
I6 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 I \ 
 
 ill;! 
 
 
 % 
 
 her uncertainty made her live in a state of con- 
 tinual anxiety. Moreover, she bore the constant 
 strain of hiding her fears, for she could not bear 
 the idea of hurting him who was so dear to her. 
 
 Such was the state of things in the elegant 
 little home of the Rue de Boissiere, when one 
 morning William Witson, when he had scarcely 
 begun his usual study of the papers, uttered an 
 exclamation of surprise. 
 
 Jane laid down the album sne held in her 
 hands, anxiously asking what \xas thj matter. 
 
 '* It is very strange," ar.swei od th^ American, 
 whose face betrayed the utmoot interest. " Still, 
 I really do not know that ycu wil care to hear 
 it. It is just an item of general news in the 
 Gazette des Tribunaux here, sucu as these legal 
 papers contain every day. Bu- it so happens 
 that I know the name of one of the persons 
 concerned — a lady, and an An erican." 
 
 " I must not heai* cny more I suppose ?" 
 
 " By all means, if you wish it. I will read it 
 out to you." 
 
 The account ran thus :^ — **We receive the 
 following from Vermel : * Our town, usually so 
 peaceful, is in a state of the utmost excitement, 
 in consequence of an event which as yet is sur- 
 rounded by a good deal .of mystery. A fortnight 
 ago the wealthy factory-owner, Raymond Deblain, 
 
 ll!;i:li!! 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 17 
 
 who had appeared to be in excellent health, was 
 found dead in his bed when his valet entered 
 the room' in the morning.' One of our best- 
 known doctors, being immediately sent for, 
 could do no more than certify that life was 
 extinct, and he attributed death to a sudden 
 2X\.2icko( angina pectoris. M Deblain's funeral 
 took place in due course, and was attended by 
 an enormous concourse of people. Now, sud- 
 denly, when the unexpected death of our la- 
 mented fellow-townsman was beginning to fade 
 from people's minds, the Pu!)lic Prosecutor has 
 ordered the body to be exhumed and to be 
 conveyed to the operating-room at the School 
 of Medicine. Dr. Piemen, whose reputation 
 we need not dwell upon, has been instructed to 
 make the post-mortem examination. It would 
 seem . that mention has been made of poison, 
 but it will be readily understood that the utmost 
 reserve is laid upon us. 
 
 " ' M. Deblain, who was barely five-and-forty 
 years of age, enjoyed general respect. Three 
 years ago he married a young and beautiful 
 American lady, Miss Rhea Panton of Phila- 
 delphia, whose arrival in this town produced a 
 considerable stir. Their home was a very 
 happy one, and the house of the Deblains was 
 always gay and full of visitors.' " 
 
mm 
 
 18 
 
 r///: CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 ; ii. 
 
 I- ! 
 
 The article concluded with the following 
 paragraph : 
 
 "We must abstain from giving currency to 
 the various reports concerning this event, both 
 from respect for those suffering ui.der a great 
 affliction, and so as not to interfere with the 
 course of the law." v 
 
 '•Then that is the lady whom you know?" 
 asked Jane. 
 
 ' ' " I used often to see her when she was a 
 child, I was great friends with the whole 
 family." 
 
 "In Philadelphia?- * 
 
 " Yes — that is the town." Witson changed 
 colour as he stopped short, and used this ex- 
 pression instead of mentioning the name of 
 Philadelphia. 1 ^ 
 
 The young girl had not noticed her friend's 
 embarrassment, and she continued : 
 
 " Philadelphia ! that name seems to call up 
 confused recollections in my mind." 
 
 •' Oh, we never went there," said the American 
 quickly; and, evidently anxious to turn her from 
 the train of thought she seemed likely to pursue, 
 he added : 
 
 " To-morrow, or the day after, we shall know 
 more about it. I will get all the Vermel papers. 
 Poor little woman I A widow already I Why, 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 »9 
 
 she cannot be more than twenty-one. What- 
 ever could induce her father to marry her to a 
 Frenchman, and a man twice her age ? If 
 there are no children, she will most likely return 
 to America. However, we shall soon see." 
 
 During the next two days the three Vermel 
 papers brought no particular news concerning 
 M. Deblain's death. Twenty -four hours later, 
 however, William Witson read in one of them 
 an account which visibly made the deepest im- 
 pression upon him : ^ • ■ . 
 
 "The eminent physician, Dr. Piemen, 
 having come to the conclusion that M. Ray- 
 mond Deblain was poisoned by means of 
 verdigris, the Public Prosecutor ordered a 
 search to be instituted in the town-house of our 
 ili-fated townsman. The result of this search 
 has proved so compromising for the widow, 
 ,that the latter has been arrested. The whole 
 town is in the utmost consternation. People; 
 refuse to believe in the guilt of Madame 
 Debiain, for her husband worshipped her, and 
 the young couple were very happy together. 
 The Public Prosecutor, and M. Babon, the in- 
 vestigating judge conducting the case, are 
 universally blamed for their hasty action. 
 
 " As for Dr. Piemen, the mission entrusted to 
 him must have bçen doubly painful, for not^ 
 
 C 3 
 

 
 20 
 
 TlfE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 only was he the closest friend of the man who 
 is the victim in this tragedy, but the hospitable 
 house in which reigned the beautiful Madame 
 Deblain was almost his second home. But a 
 man like Dr. Piemen does not hesitate to obey 
 the call of duty. The eminent physician has 
 set a noble example of professional self- 
 denial. 
 
 "We shall not say any more for the present, 
 since we do not mean to repeat the romantic 
 rumours which have been put in circulation con- 
 cerning Madame Deblain. She is kept in soli- 
 tary confinement, rigorously enforced, in the 
 prison called the Carmelite Convent. 
 
 "We shall carefully watch every stage of the 
 inquiry, and keep our readers fully informed." 
 
 Witson had read this account over repeatedly, 
 every now and again interrupting himself with 
 the exclamation : 
 
 " Why, it's not possible ! How can the 
 daughter of my old friend Panton be guilty of 
 such a crime ?" 
 
 He jumped up, and walking up and down his 
 study with long strides, he murmured to 
 himself : 
 
 "What a startling coincidence I A case of 
 poisoning by verdigris, and supported by so 
 learned a toxicologist at* Or, PJefl^e^ \ The man 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 SI 
 
 the 
 of 
 
 must be mistaken. I am determined to know 
 more about this business, if only for the sake of 
 the poor woman's father." 
 
 Here he was interrupted by Jane, who 
 eagerly inquired if there were any news from 
 Vermel. * 
 
 Witson gave her all the details, and concluded 
 by saying : 
 
 " I shall start this evening." 
 " Going to leave me again ?" said Jane, and, 
 however gentle, there was something of a 
 reproach in her words. 
 
 " I must. I owe it to my fellow-countryman 
 Panton. Of course the accusation against his 
 daughter is a mistake from beginning to end." 
 
 He had taken her hands in his own, and was 
 trying to comfort her. But Jane continued : 
 
 "It is a great trial to me every time you go 
 away. A fe'v years ago, when you left me in 
 America and went to Paris, I only felt very 
 sorry. But last year, when you went out 
 among the Sioux Indians to procure evid{mce 
 against Gobson, I was in a state of constant 
 terror at the risks you were running. What 
 would become of me if an accident happened to 
 you ? I believe I should die." 
 
 As she spoke, Jane rested her sweet girlish 
 head on her friend's shoulder. 
 
^cm 
 
 iz 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 lin: Il 
 
 fi! 
 ■il! 
 
 m 
 
 I! 
 
 Plil 
 
 m 
 
 •* My dear child," answered Witson, making 
 a strong effort to appear calm, *' you see that 
 this time there is nothing of the kind. Vermel 
 is only at a few hours distance from Paris. I 
 shall not run any danger, and who k»^^ws 
 whether this expedition Will not lead me to the 
 end of my trouble, which I have not sufficiently 
 concealed from you ? May it turn out to be the 
 last of my trials 1" 
 
 *' And the last of mine," murmured the young 
 girl blushing, but speaking so softly that 
 William heard as it were only with his heart. 
 
 The next morning, having procured such 
 letters of introduction as he thought necessary, 
 he left Paris. 
 
 I • I", 
 
 '■ ■ •■'"I ■ ■•'■'•■< 
 
 I >■•.■(■, < » ■ 
 ,1 ',;*' 
 
 • ■■ , / ' 
 
 il-, ' ; f.' 
 
 ;ii !:,;,.■• H.' 
 
 1j.-rt . 
 
 l' »> ■ it 
 
 ^•-•'.♦^Vft >»^4 i fttart"-^ 
 
PART I 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE * COUNTY TOWN** OF THE DEPARTMENT 
 OF SEINE ET LOIRE 
 
 M. Raymond Deblain, the rich factory-owner 
 at Vermel, had started for North America with 
 purely business intentions. He meant to settle 
 certain points that had caused litigation for 
 several years past, and to take the opportunity 
 of extending his connections on the other side 
 of the ocean. He had been gone barely three 
 months, when suddenly the rumour spread in 
 his native town that he had got married in 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 At first people refused to believe a word of 
 this news, for, knowing what they did concern- 
 ing his views and habits, it seemed not only 
 unlikely, but really incredible. 
 
 Raymond Deblain had reached his forty-first 
 
II.'»!!'' 
 
 111: 
 
 %. 
 
 !t: li 
 
 24 
 
 TNE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 year without ever expressing any intention of 
 taking a wife, at least in the acc( pted sense of 
 the term. The awkward mishaps that had 
 befallen some of the husbands he knew, made 
 him congratulate himself again and again on 
 having remained a bachelor. Consequently, 
 it was in vain that the choice lay open to him 
 among the prettiest heiresses of the depart- 
 ment. For he was a very good match : a 
 handsome fellow, rich, just a little bit free and 
 easy perhaps in his manners, but a delightful 
 companion, full of go and of high spirits. 
 
 During the Franco-German war, although 
 no longer liable to serve, he had immediately 
 enrolled among the volunteers, and the medal 
 he had earned exactly suited his style and 
 appearance, making him look more than ever 
 , like a retired cavalry officer. 
 
 In one word, he was an excellent specimen 
 
 of that very pleasant type—the provincial man 
 
 ; of the world. Elegant, jovial, sceptical, and 
 
 J fond of chaff, he yet managed never openly to 
 
 offend the prejudices or the narrow-minded 
 
 } notions of his neighbours. 
 
 Really, it was utterly unlikely that M. De- 
 blain would make such a sudden and entire 
 change in his whole existence, and that, too, in 
 favour of some "Miss" with all her eccentri- 
 
 m. 
 
 \t 
 
THE ''COUPAT Y TOWN** 
 
 25 
 
 cities : for such is the notion too often enter- 
 tained in France, especially in the provinces, 
 concerning the maidens of the United States. 
 
 Those of his friends, therefore, who knew 
 his taste for Independence, his love of easy 
 pleasures and of merely transitory love affairs, 
 treated the whole of this outlandish marriage 
 as a preposterous invention. 
 
 Supposing "le beau Raymond," as he was 
 always called, had really intended to get 
 married and settled, would he not simply have 
 chosen one of the fair ones in his own town ? 
 Surely, he could never have overlooked the 
 fact that at Vermel there were ten, twenty 
 charming young girls of good family and with 
 handsome fortunes, and that amongst them he 
 had but to choose ! 
 
 Besides, was it at all probable that he would 
 ever have got married without consulting his 
 bosom friend — his alter ego, Dr. Eric Piemen ? 
 Would he have done such a thing without 
 asking his friend's permission, or without, at 
 any rate, telling him of it beforehand ? 
 
 For more than ten years the two men, 
 Deblain and Piemen, had been inseparable. 
 This is easily explained. Though they fol- 
 lowed different vocations in life, they had 
 exactly the same tas i es, defects, and good 
 
26 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 1 
 
 i: .1:; 
 
 m 
 
 qualities. Both understood exactly how to 
 make serious work and the most worldly amuse- 
 ments keep pace with each other. 
 
 Each of them owned a house in the Boule- 
 vard Thiers — almost every provincial town has 
 a Boulevard Thiers or an Avenue Thiers — and 
 not only so, but the two houses joined each 
 other. The large and well-kept gardens behind 
 these houses were connected by a dooi, and as 
 both Eric and Raymond had a key, they could 
 run in and see each other whenever it suited 
 them, at any hour of the day or the night, with- 
 out even the servants knowing anything about it. 
 
 The great manufacturer, intelligent and 
 active, never neglected his business. Dr. Eric 
 Piemen was not only a very able medical man, 
 devoted to his patients and open-handed with 
 the poor, but he was a scientist of the first rank, 
 and had already established his fame as a toxi- 
 cologist. 
 
 Several of his treatises had carried off the 
 prize awarded by the Academy of Medicine. 
 Vermel was very proud of him, but at the same 
 time much surprised that a man of his weight 
 should not have gone to Paris. There could 
 be no doubt that in the capital he would have 
 taken a high place among the members of the 
 faculty. 
 
THE ** COUNTY TOWN** 
 
 *y 
 
 It was during the late cholera epidemic that 
 he had been sent down to the principal town of 
 the Seine et Loire, and now it was ambition, so 
 people supposed, which kept him there. 
 
 During several months he had fought against 
 the scourge with an amount of self-devotion 
 which almost amounted to heroism. He had 
 won golden opinions from all, and thereupon, 
 no doubt considering that this great industrial 
 centre would offer him a good field, he had 
 settled there, and had rapidly acquired an 
 excellent practice. 
 
 A member of the Legion of Honour, head- 
 physician to the hospital, with a seat in the 
 departmental Board of Works, he nursed the 
 ambition of being one day sent as deputy to 
 the Chamber, to swell the ranks of those 
 medical men the presence of some of whom in 
 Paris is no doubt of the utmost benefit to their 
 patients in the provinces — but which seems at 
 the same time to point rather pathetically to the- 
 serious condition of our poor country. A 
 swarm of leeches at the sick woman's bedside, 
 doing their utmost, dose upon dose, to physic 
 her out of existence. 
 
 As to his outward man, Eric Piemen pre- 
 sented a fine specimen of the handsome 
 Slavonian, for he was not a Frenchman. He 
 
 y 
 
'm 
 
 38 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 ii:'!;'! 
 
 W 
 
 
 I 
 
 < 'iiiiii 
 
 i!;|ill,;i': 
 
 was thirty-six years of age, with an intellectual 
 face, eyes of fire, full sensual lips, and a quick 
 ardent temperament. 
 
 Born in Hungary, but educated in Paris, he 
 had distinguished himself as a student, and had 
 finally taken the highest honours at the medical 
 faculty of the University of France. Having 
 become a naturalized subject, he had entered 
 the profession. At Vermel, where he had 
 come to settle in consequence of the chain of 
 circumstances which we know, people were 
 only too glad to have secured so able and so 
 faithful a practitioner. 
 
 In character he was ambitious, determined, 
 and had a very strong will. He did not admit 
 that there was such a thing as a difficulty that 
 could not be overcome, if a man had once made 
 up his mind to reach a certain goal. He had 
 furnished more than one proof of his creed 
 by experiments and operations which had 
 fortunately up to that moment always proved 
 successful, and had thus justified his audacity. 
 
 Accordingly, he had an unhmited influence 
 over his friend Raymond, who was a good 
 fellow, easily led, and would consult the doctor 
 about everything, even concerning details in 
 the manufacturing of his goods. 
 
 But when the merchant had done with 
 
 filli!!:^' 
 
THE '\ COUNTY TO^VN' 
 
 29 
 
 business, and the medical man with his pro- 
 fessional labours, the two met on common 
 ground. They gave themselves up entirely to 
 pleasure, and it would have been difficult to say 
 which of them was the better man at the card- 
 table, at a dinner-party, as a huntsman, or 
 which of the two was the best judge of a pretty 
 woman's smile. They managed, however, to 
 keep within bounds, and quite understood how 
 to practise just that little bit of hypocrisy which 
 life in the provinces lays even upon those who 
 are pretty careless as to what people say about 
 them. 
 
 Besides, it was onl) the echo, so to speak, of 
 their little escapades that reached Vermel. 
 M. Deblain had a branch establishment of his 
 firm in Paris. He paid frequent visits to the 
 capital, and Dr. Piemen would join him there in 
 his elegant bachelor's lodgings in the Boule- 
 vard Haussmann. About four or five miles 
 from Vermel th(,' great manufacturer possessed, 
 moreover, a very fine country-house. It stood 
 in the centre of its own grounds, and the dense 
 shrubbery of the plantation protected it from 
 the indiscreet gaze of outsiders. The house- 
 keepers, a man named Ternier and his wife, 
 who looked after this country-seat, which was 
 modestly called " The Lodge," but to which the 
 
1 
 
 ^ 
 
 THE CASE OF Dk. PLÈMÊM 
 
 1-1 
 
 young folk of Vermel had given the romantic 
 name of " La Tour de Nesle " — these two 
 good people seemed to have no eyes, never 
 gossiped, and were certainly not to be bribed. 
 Such were the two friends. And now, to make 
 the news still more improbable, folks said that 
 one of these Siamese twins, M. Deblain, the son 
 of a clerical and orthodox family, had married 
 a Protestant. 
 
 Consequently, no one could or would believe 
 in this match. Dr. Piemen, being questioned 
 by everybody, merely shrugged his shoulders, 
 for he had not received the slightest hint from 
 his friend Raymond. On the contrary, in a 
 long letter of recent date Raymond had dwelt 
 with the utmost satisfaction, with his usual 
 high spirits and a touch of irony, upon the 
 liberty which young girls enjoy according to 
 American notions, and upon his flirtation with 
 a certain Miss Rhea Panton, the daughter 
 of a great manufacturer of Philadelphia, 
 an old-established business connection of 
 Deblain's. 
 
 It therefore appeared quite impossible to him, 
 not that Deblain had changed his opinions — 
 he was too well aware of his friend's want of 
 energy, his easy temper, and his impre.ssionable 
 mind — but that he would have gone so far in 
 this social revolution without at least informing 
 
2 HE ''CO UN I y TOW M'* 
 
 31 
 
 him of it as soon as the absurdity was com- 
 mitted. 
 
 Accordingly, he waited patiently and let the 
 world talk, satisfied that a word from his friend 
 would soon enable him to contradict this gossip 
 from America, or that the traveller would him- 
 self disprove it by returning as he had gone — a 
 bachelor. 
 
 And now, before going any further, we will 
 here explain incidentally that our readers "must 
 not look on the map of France for either the 
 town of Vermel or the department of the Seine 
 et Loire ; because some of them may feel con- 
 cerned as to the reproaches çf ignorance in 
 geography that are flung at us so freely by our 
 enemies on the other side of the Rhine, just 
 as they accuse us of immorality — they, the 
 manufacturers of transparent photographs — 
 Augeas attending to the cleaning of other 
 people s stables. 
 
 The two names are merely imaginary, in- 
 vented for the purpose of giving us entire 
 liberty in our narrative. Whilst putting on 
 the stage provincial types taken from life, 
 whilst subjecting abuses and judicial stupidity 
 to the severest crfticism, whilst unmasking poli- 
 tical cowardice and hypocrisy, we are yet 
 anxious not to incur reproaches which might 
 seem to a certain degree well deserved. 
 
32 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 i' 
 
 We are compelled by the nature of the drama 
 we are about to relate to lay the scene of it in a 
 town large enough to be the seat of a hic;h 
 court of justice. Were we not to choose an 
 imaginary spot, we should run considerable 
 risk either of reproducing personages really 
 existing in such and such a town, or of seeing 
 our strictures cleverly twisted and disfigured, 
 and perhaps applied, by the very people whom 
 they most nearly concern — to men whom, on 
 the contrary, we admit e and respect. 
 
 And here may we be allowed to take the 
 opportunity of dwelling upon a point of somo 
 importance. • 
 
 No doubt an author does not always draw 
 upon his imagination solely. His inspiration is 
 often supplied by a phaae of society which he 
 has studied, by an event that he has wit- 
 nessed, by characters or foibles that have been 
 displayed before him ; but that social phase, 
 that fact, those characters and weaknesses, are 
 merely motives, materials, germs, which he has 
 to establish, classify, and to co-ordinate and 
 develop in logical sequence. 
 
 Anxious to create a type entirely in harmony 
 with the adventures he means to bring upon the 
 stage, he no more photographs an individual, 
 good or bad, than he copies literally the situa- 
 
THE "COU.WTY TOWN'' 
 
 33 
 
 tion which, having made a deep impression upon 
 him, supplied him with the original outline of his 
 work. 
 
 Whatever may be his virtues or his vices, 
 man is rarely complete ; the novelist is com- 
 pelled, by the exigencies of his case, to make 
 his hero neither worse nor better than he really 
 was. It so happens that real events are some- 
 times so oddly linked together by chance, they 
 are so often the proof that truth is stranger than 
 fiction, that the reader would actually not believe 
 a story in which the effects — as it frequently 
 happens in Nature — appeared to be anything 
 but the direct results of the causes. 
 
 The writer, therefore, who has a definite 
 object in view, and tries to reach it by logical 
 means, borrows from each one of the models 
 pres^* :t3{' to him some of their faults and some 
 of their good qualities, in order to create charac- 
 teri. ..hat exactly fit the circumstances he means 
 to n pissent. 
 
 \\ it does happen that in these fictitious 
 chai'acters certain individuals really in existence 
 are recogfnized, the explanation usually is, not 
 that the novelist has i-ini^^ly taken a portrait 
 from life, but that Nati.r^- has had the fancy, 
 once in a way, a» prodi>ce an entity as complete 
 as the writer hab \ ^api'ied it. 
 
T 
 
 34 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 .1 ',i 
 
 
 il' il' 
 
 In these cases of accidental agreement, the 
 advantage is all on the side of truth ; let him 
 wear the cap whom it fits. 
 
 Now, to return to Vermel and the sensation 
 produced by the mere supposition of Raymond 
 Deblain's American marriage. 
 
 As we have already stated, people obstinately 
 refused to admit the possibility ^" an event 
 which upset so many cherishes nciions, and 
 a goodly number of matrimonial speculations. 
 Dr. Piemen especially would not hear of such 
 'a thing. However, one fine morning doubt be- 
 came no longer possible ; for, scarcely a month 
 after the news which had so greatly dis- 
 turbed his friends, M. Deblain returned to his 
 native city, accompanied by the young lady 
 whom he had most undoubtedly married on ^'«f 
 other side of the Atlantic, under the extrc el) 
 odd circumstances we are about to rciafj. '^ ; 
 
 vs; 
 
( 35 ) 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 ELIAS PANTON AND CO. 
 
 Raymond Deblain was by no means a novice 
 on the sea when he embarked in one of those 
 magnificent steamers of the Transatlantic Line 
 which easily accomplish the voyage from Havre 
 to New York in less than nine days. Not that 
 he had doubled the Cape of Good Hope or 
 sailed through the Straits of Magellan ; but 
 he had been southward as far as Algiers and 
 Eo^ypt, and, in the north, he had visited Stock- 
 holm and Copenhagen. Now, though the Me- 
 diterrnean as a rule behaves fairly well to 
 those whom it bears on its waters, such is by 
 no means the case as regards the Channel and 
 the North Sea, where storms are just sa fre- 
 puent and as voilent sa they can qossibly be 
 in those latitudse that are reputed the most 
 dangerous. 
 
 Consequently, Dr. Piemen's friend had his 
 sea-legs on, and cut by no means a poor figure 
 
 D a 
 
r : M 
 
 ■ I! 
 
 36 
 
 THE CASE OP DR. PLEMEN 
 
 I; ill:!. 
 
 li:* 
 
 ^''ui;:':.. 
 
 ! 1 
 
 on board the Pereire. He thoroughly enjoyed 
 the passage, and arrived in America in robust 
 health and in excellent spirits. 
 
 He spent a week in New York, the " Impe- 
 rial City," as the Yankees call it. The noise 
 and turmoil of Broadway did not entirely take ' 
 his breath away, nor was he overcome more 
 . un might have been expected by the sight 
 oi the famous Brooklyn bridge. However, he 
 did not omit the regulation visit to Barnum's 
 Museum, nor the time-honoured excursion to 
 the Falls of the Passaïc, and afterwards he took 
 the train to Philadelphia. 
 
 He had announced his arrival to Mr. Panton, 
 the great merchant, for, in coming to America, 
 his special object was to visit this gentleman. 
 
 The connection between the houses, Deblain 
 of Vermel, and Panton of Philadelphia, was of 
 old standing ; it had been established by the 
 fathers of the present heads of the two 
 firms. 
 
 For more than a generation they had ex- 
 changed their goods, in virtue of the maxim 
 which, though mostly false, is very fortunately 
 put into practice; — it being the mainspring of a 
 great many international business transactions 
 — that " nothing is good but what comes from 
 some other country." 
 
ELIAS P ANTON AND CO. 
 
 37 
 
 The French, especially, are very fond of this 
 notion, or at least they talk as if they were. 
 
 Just try, if you can, to persuade our dandies 
 who so often make themselves ridiculous by 
 their extraordinary " get-up," that a tailleur of 
 the Boulevard des Italiens would make their 
 clothes just as well as a tailor of Regent Street, 
 or that a shoemaker's wares would be none the 
 worse, though his name did not happen to have 
 the magic termination ker, kof, or ky. Get one 
 of our frail and fashionable young ladies to 
 believe, if you can, that her dog may be of 
 excellent breed, and yet not be called Charlie 
 or Polly ! v 
 
 Just try to convince those who are smitten 
 with the -lania for foreiorn things that Swedish 
 gloves are manufactured in France — as are 
 English note-paper, Havannah cigars, Madeira 
 wine, and ever so many other articles labelled 
 with grand names ; and that lovely Fatima is 
 of the tribe of Beni-Batignolles— that is, that 
 her fathers may be dwellers in the East, but 
 that their tents liave never been pitched farther 
 eastward than Whitechapel. 
 
 Could the name of a tenor end with anything 
 but the sacred letter z, though he should happen 
 to be born in the Place Maulicrt or in Blooms- 
 qury Square ? — Nicholas, Niccolini. And is not 
 

 3» 
 
 7//i^ CASE OF DR. PLICMEA 
 
 
 
 ^Li;!;..!' 
 
 a foreign accent almost sufficient to prove to the 
 Parisian public that you are a genius ? 
 
 Three or four years ago, at the time of the 
 great invasion from Toulouse, some knowing 
 people learned the Gascon dialect. There were 
 certain words of the Langfue d'Oc that came to 
 be just as powerful as the "Open Sesame" of 
 old. 
 
 It was this very principle that formed the 
 ^•/eat connecting link between the houses of 
 Panton and Deblain — the principle of being 
 foreign, of coming from a long distance. Con- 
 sequently, it was merely logical that Mr. Pantoq 
 should prepare a very cordial welcome for Ray- 
 mond Deblain, a man coming from France. 
 
 At that particular moment the Panton family 
 consisted of the said Elias Panton, its head, of 
 his wife, Bertha, and their two daughters, Jenny 
 and Rhea ; of Mrs. Panton 's brother, the Rev. 
 Jonathan Thompson ; and the son of the latter, 
 a tall youth of about five-and-twenty, who, 
 partly from vocation and partly from a feeling 
 of obedience, followed the same profession as 
 his father. 
 
 Jonathan was a lanky individual, as weari- 
 some and wire-drawn as a long day's fast. He 
 invariably wore a tight-fitting black overcoat, 
 buttoned right up to the chin, like a cassock, 
 
ELIAS FAN TON AND CO. 
 
 39 
 
 and only slightly displaying the stiff white collar, 
 which gripped his crane's neck like a vice. 
 
 Above this appeared a cadaverous hatchet- 
 face, always close shaven. His air was sancti- 
 monious, his eyes colourless, with no particular 
 expression, shaded by large bushy eyebrows, 
 while his most amiable smile could not conscien- 
 tiously be described as anything but a grin. 
 
 His long ape-like arms terminated in huge 
 "hands of " hirsute proportion," to borrow a 
 phrase from Sir Walter. This human monu- 
 ment of eclectic architecture had for its base 
 enormous feet, always cased in heavy shoes, and 
 for its summit a high hat, from under which 
 escaped a few red locks of hair, and with a brim 
 of such width as to afford its owner complete 
 shelter from either sunshine or rain. 
 
 This worthy individual was one of the most 
 indefatigable commentators of the Bible ever 
 produced by the right of free inquiry — that 
 right which is both the reason of Protestantism 
 and one of its results. 
 
 In consequence of exercising this privilege 
 and of forgetting the proverb which teaches us 
 to "let well alone," the Rev. Jonathan had 
 come to his sixteenth stage of religious 
 reform. 
 
 He had been by turns a Presbyterian, a 
 

 40 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 \^^ 
 
 Methodist, a Unitarian, a Puseyite — but so 
 decided a Puseyite that his friends felt sure he 
 was on the verge of Romanism — a Quaker, and 
 one of the " Pecuhar People." Just at the time 
 when we present him to our readers he was 
 showing great leanings towards Swedenbor- 
 gianism, and was beg 'nning to relate, like the 
 celebrated Swedish dreamer, his interviews with 
 God and the angels. Thus, it seemed plain 
 that he would end either as a madman or 
 an atheist. 
 
 Like the worthy Jonathan, his son Archi- 
 bald was tall and thin ; he had tow-coloured 
 hair, and was a grave and bold interpreter of 
 Holy Scripture ; consequently there were, be- 
 tween father and son, endless theological dis- 
 cussions. The reverend gentleman affirmed 
 that his worthy son would be one of the great 
 lights of the Reformed Church ; but meanwhile 
 he was urging him on to marry his' cousin Rhea, 
 with whom he was in love, and who would 
 have a good fortune, a thing by no means 
 despised by these Thompsons, clergymen 
 though they were. 
 
 Elias Panton, the head of the family, was a 
 stout man of about sixty, rosy, strongly built, 
 and, to the great despair of his brother-in-law, 
 not a member of any temperance society, but 
 
ELIAS FANION AND CO. 
 
 41 
 
 ut SO 
 
 ire he 
 r, and 
 i time 
 2 was 
 Mibor- 
 ce the 
 s with 
 plain 
 an or 
 
 Archi- 
 ll cured 
 eter of 
 e, bé- 
 ai dis- 
 firmed 
 
 great 
 iwhile 
 
 Rhea, 
 would 
 
 fond of good living ; he was very practical, yet 
 straightforward and honourable in business, as 
 many Americans are, notwithstanding what any 
 one may say to the contrary ; and, to express 
 ourselves as Americans do when they are 
 speaking of a man's fortune, he was worth 
 a good million of dollars. 
 
 Mrs. Panton was a tall, thin, perfectly insig- 
 nificant person, who, having been born of a 
 Puritan family, had never known anything of 
 worldly pleasures, and had no taste for elegance 
 of dress or surroundings ; she was very clever, 
 however, at making plum-puddings and pump- 
 kin pies, and she had the greatest admiration 
 for her brother Jonathan, of which admiration 
 he took too frequent advantage, by dragging 
 her away from her household cares, in order to 
 expound to her a verse of the Bible, or to relate 
 to her his latest Swedenborgian vision. 
 
 As to the girls Jenny and Rhea, whose 
 respective ages were nineteen and eighteen, 
 they were most perfect and charming specimens 
 of American female education, and of that rapid 
 civilization to which the United States owe 
 their wonderful development in the last half- 
 century. 
 
 Both were very pretty and very daring ; hav- 
 ing perfect confidence in themselves, they were 
 

 M! ■:} 
 
 42 
 
 TH£ CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 m 
 
 '% fli 
 
 very free in manner, yet perfectly good and 
 modest ; hardly looked after at all by their father, 
 who perfectly trusted to their precocious wis- 
 dom as to their choice of husbands— for Rhea 
 would not tolerate the idea of marrying her 
 cousin, just as her sister by her coldness drove 
 to desperation a certain Colonel Barnaby 
 Goul<;l- Parker, an ambitious, rough soldier, who 
 had asked her ten times to marry him ; left 
 perfectly free, also, by their mother, who did 
 not dare to find the least fault with them, 
 although they were very respectful to her, and 
 receiving with bursts of laughter the mystical 
 commAinications of their uncle Jonathan ; they 
 had, in Philadelphia, the name of being the 
 liveliest girls and the most daring horsewomen 
 that could be met anywhere. 
 
 To complete the picture of the two charming 
 daughters of Elias, we must mention the 
 boundless affection which united them to each 
 other, the interest each took in the other's tastes 
 and pleasures, notwithstanding the great differ- 
 ence that existed between their dispositions 
 and characters. 
 
 Rhea especially, who was bolder and more 
 outspoken than Jenny, had the most ardent 
 affection for her sister, and would certainly 
 have sacrificed for her, not only all the Archi- 
 
 1 \m 
 'II 
 
 ili 
 
ELIAS P ANTON AND CO. 
 
 43 
 
 balds and all the colonels in the world, but any 
 other affection whatever, if it could have contri- 
 buted to her happiness. If any one tried to be 
 complimentary to her and did not include 
 Jenny, she would instantly turn her back on the 
 unlucky man. 
 
 The Misses Panton had a sort of croverness 
 or companion, who was supposed to go out 
 with them. She was a Miss Gowentall, a stout 
 woman of about forty, and excessively near- 
 sighted ; but most frequently the poor woman 
 lost sight of the girls as soon as they were out 
 of the house, and she nearly always sought for 
 them in a diametrically opposite direction to 
 that they had taken. She would hunt for them 
 for hours, sometimes in company with the Rev. 
 Jonathan and his son Archibald, whom the 
 girls' conduct scandalized, and who would profit 
 by the occasion to deliver one of their sermons. 
 ' Jenny and Rhea were both elegant- looking 
 girls ; they spoke French very i rrectly, closely 
 followed French fashions, and, if they had noi 
 married long ago, it was merely because thc\ 
 thought they would some day get their father 
 to take them to Paris, where they were per- 
 suaded they would find husbands to suit them, 
 thanks to their beauty and their fortunes of a 
 hundred thousand dollars apiece. 
 
i,:!. 
 
 \'r 1 
 
 iinJi 
 
 
 ill 
 
 aiiiiijil! 
 
 ! 1 < / 
 
 '' IP ^.i' ' iiii i 
 
 ,<:: -» f 
 
 ,!:i: I , 
 
 «ii: 
 
 1^ 
 
 44 
 
 TUE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 Unfortunately for the ambition of his daugh- 
 ters, Ehas Panton turned a i .i ear to this 
 plan of theirs ; and Jenny, warm-hearted a: id 
 romantic, was getting tired of waiting, whilst 
 her sister, cooler and more practical, was con- 
 tent to wait for a good chance, taking care, 
 however,* to keep out of the way of her sallow, 
 dismal-looking cousin. 
 
 Things were just in this condition when the 
 American manufacturer informed his daughters 
 of the arrival of Raymond Deblr'^, his Vermel 
 correspondent and his friend, a. igh he had 
 never seen him. Like a true Yankee, who 
 never forgets his own interests, Mr. Panton 
 told his children and his wife, as well as 
 his brother and nephew, that he should 
 expect them to make things pleasant for his 
 
 guest. 
 
 The lanky Mrs. Panton thought immediately 
 of preparing some gastronomic surprise for the 
 Frenchman ; the honourable Jonathan asked 
 if he belonged to the Protestant Church, to 
 which question Elias replied by shrugging his 
 shoulders ; and the pretty girls, without even 
 asking if their father's friend were young or old, 
 thought only of proving to him that American 
 girls were neither less charming nor less fashion- 
 able than Parisians. 
 
ELIAS P ANTON AND CO, 
 
 45 
 
 These were the various ideas of the different 
 members of the family, when the carriage which 
 Raymond Deblain had taken at the Wilmington 
 Station brought him to the door of the very 
 handsome house in which Elias and his family 
 lived, in Walnut Street; the street in Philadelphia 
 in which are most of the banks and high-class 
 business houses. The head of the house of 
 Pan ton & Co. had telegraphed to M. Deblain 
 on his arrival at New York, that his room was 
 ready for him under his roof, and that it had 
 been so ever since M. Deblain's departure from 
 Havre ; and Dr. Piemen's friend, who soon 
 had had enough of American hotels, v.hich are 
 immense caravanserais, in which people live 
 quite in public, had hastened to reply to his 
 correspondent that he would gladly accept his 
 hospitality. 
 
 Very soon after his arrival in the large hall 
 of Mr. Panton's house, the manufacturer of 
 Vermel had made acquaintance with all the 
 family, whom Elias introduced to him, hav- 
 ing first introduced himself. It was done in 
 the coolest way possible, in such a way as to 
 put Raymond Deblain quite at his ease, even 
 though it took him a little by surprise. 
 
 " My wife," said the rich Yankee, in a curious 
 kind of French, " an excellent housewife, who, 
 

 I !i ii!ii 
 
 I "' 
 
 46 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 I am sure, will let you want for nothing ; my 
 brother-in-law, the Reverend J. Thompson, who, 
 if you will allow him, and perhaps whether you 
 allow him or not, will try to convert you; my 
 daughters, Jenny and Rhea, two madcaps, 
 whose only thought will be to find out from 
 you the newest French fashions, and to procure 
 for you every possible amusement ; lastly, my 
 nephew, Archibald Edward Thompson, one of 
 the future great lights of the Protestant Church, 
 according to his father." 
 
 Raymond Deblain bowed respectfully to 
 Mrs. Panton ; distrustfully to the reverend 
 gentleman and his son, who bowed to him as 
 if they were automata, not a muscle of their 
 shaven faces betraying the least feeling ; and 
 he warmly returned the clasp of the two girls, 
 who smilingly gave him their hands. 
 The same day Elias introduced his guest at 
 his club, the Union Reform Club. The young 
 ladies sang to him, after dinner, with the most 
 comical expression, half a dozen songs from the 
 '• Little Duke " and the " Little Bride," instead 
 of the hymns which their uncle had devoutly 
 brought to the piano ; and, when the guest of 
 the Pantons went up to his room, he found, 
 besides the cnp of tea with which his hostess 
 had provided him, a pretty little Bible, the first 
 
 
ÈUAS PANTON AND CO. 
 
 47 
 
 landmark towards conversion, placed there by 
 the Reverend Jonathan himself. 
 
 The next day, and during the week, our 
 hero, who was very much interested in American 
 manufactories, visited with Elias all the most 
 important ones of Philadelphia, Burlington and 
 Camden, the two manufacturing towns which 
 stand on the left bank of the Delaware. He 
 devo*-ed himself entirely to the business which 
 had brought him to America; but soon after 
 that Jenny and Rhea took possession of him, 
 and then there was nothing for Raymond but 
 pleasure parties, in which the younger of the 
 sisters decidedly took the lead. 
 
 Almost every morning he rode with them, 
 and it was fortunate that he was a good horse- 
 man, for hardly had they reached Fairmount 
 Park, or the banks of the Wissahickon, the 
 usual riding-ground of the people of the city, 
 than they would set off at a mad gallop, during 
 which Rhea took a wicked pleasure in terrifying 
 him by her recklessness. 
 
 Sometimes, accompanied by Miss Gowentall, 
 the girls would go with M. Dcblain on one of 
 the small steamers down to the Point, where 
 the Schuylkill enters the Delaware, at the ter- 
 mination of the great peninsula on which stands 
 Philadelphia, with its streets ten miles long, 
 
m 
 ^■4 
 
 m 
 
 l'i'ip 
 î 
 
 u;i1 
 m 
 
 ,!""" 
 
 i 
 
 48 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 running north and south, and cut at right angles 
 by other streets going east and west ; its three 
 hundred churches and six thousand factories; 
 or they would go down to the verdant Windmill 
 island in the middle of the river, or up the 
 magnificent water-coursf -o Wilmington and 
 return by rail. 
 
 Then it generally happened that the worthy 
 governess, having no less horror of water as a 
 means of locomotion than as a beverage, the 
 moment the boat started took refuge below, 
 and the two pretty girls were as much as ever 
 alone with M. Deblain, who was perfectly 
 charmed with their youthful gaiety. 
 
 Then there were the theatres — all the theatres, 
 great and small, which he must see ; the dinner- 
 parties which Elias gave in honour of his guest ; 
 the dances, at which the friend of Dr. Piemen 
 was constantly the partner of the two girls ; the 
 frequent suppers at the Belmont Mansion — in 
 fact, such endless amusements that Raymond 
 retired at night quite delighted, but worn out 
 with fatigue, and wondering whether or not his 
 young friends were made of iron, to be able to 
 endure such a life. 
 
 On. these particular nights he used to fall 
 asleep without thinking of opening any of the 
 little Bibles, black, red, blue, or green, which 
 
ELIAS P ANTON AND CO. 
 
 49 
 
 were accumulating in his room — placed urrder 
 his pillow by the Rev. Jonathan, who some- . 
 times would stop him to say, in prophetic 
 tones : •' He who is not with me is against 
 me ; " " Woe to the man by whom evil cometh," 
 &c. — Biblical maxims which M. Deblain thought 
 excellent, but of which the frequent and mono- 
 tonous repetition made him compare the lanky 
 clergyman to one of the sandwich-men who 
 go about the low parts of London with their 
 boards exhorting sinners to repentance. Thus 
 the pitiless Thompson wore himself out in vain 
 endeavours, merely because his brother's guest 
 was generally thinking of nothing but the last» 
 smile or hand-clasp he had received from the 
 younger daughter of the stout Elias ; for it 
 happened inevitably that, notwithstanding his 
 experience and his forty years, our hero felt 
 greatly attracted by Miss Rhea — not that he 
 was passionately in love with her, but he found 
 her most amusing, and felt all the pleasure an 
 old bachelor can in the easy intimacy in which 
 he v/as living with a pretty girl of less than 
 twenty, who was gay and witty, who treated 
 him as a friend, and who was not the least angry 
 if he held in his hand a few moments longer 
 than was necessary the little foot by which he 
 helped her to mount her horse ; or if he pressed 
 
 B 
 
1 
 
 ; 
 
 ' \ ' 
 
 r 
 
 1 
 
 ■ 
 
 t 
 
 i 
 
 
 1 ; 
 
 1 
 
 
 ii 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 1' 
 
 1 
 
 lii;!lli 
 
 50 
 
 THE CASE OE DR. P LE M EM 
 
 her a little too close to him in waltzing ; and 
 who would laugh merrily, like a woman who- 
 understands a jest, when he murmured in her 
 ear some gallant speech. 
 
 Every morning he sent to each of the sisters, 
 by their maid, a handsome bouquet, and each 
 would place a flower from it in her dress ; but 
 Jenny would only thank him by a pleasant 
 word, while Rhea completed the expression of 
 her gratitude by fastening a rose in his button- 
 hole. 
 
 Raymond had thus come to flirting, and it 
 was just then that he wrote to his friend 
 Piemen : 
 
 " These American q^irls are reallv the most 
 adorable creatures ' in the world ; quite like 
 pnricinns, but with more frankness and sincerit!y, 
 and less of mannerism. One would think they 
 were born for nothing but pleasure, and that 
 their gay lives could never have any dark days 
 in them ! It is delightful here, for neither 
 father nor mother is watching you ; nor aiming 
 to catch you as a son-in-law. I go about with 
 the two charming daughters of Elias Panton 
 without either the public or himself finding the 
 least fault, because it is done every day ; nor 
 does their mother say a word, and she takes as 
 
ELIAS PAN TON AND CO. 
 
 5» 
 
 much care of me as if I were a boy, and her 
 own son. 
 
 " There is no shadow to the picture except a 
 certain Miss Gowentall, the companion of the 
 Misses Panton — but I wish you could see how 
 they ignore her — and a very strict clergyman, 
 their uncle, who is anxious to make of me a 
 disciple of Swedenborg, and who slips little 
 Bibles into my pockets, to the intense amuse- 
 ment of his young nieces. 
 
 '* He is a second and grotesque edition of my 
 aunt Dusartois. Ah, by the way, how lost she 
 would think me, if she knew what a life I am 
 leading here, in the midst of these heretics, 
 and constantly associating with two such pretty 
 madcaps ! 
 
 "One of them especially. Miss Rhea, is lovely; 
 and, zounds, if I had not made a vow of celi- 
 bacy ! But there, I must content myself with 
 being very friendly with the sweet girl, who has 
 lovely blue eyes, red lips, a complexion of lilies 
 and roses, pearly teeth, a wasp-like waist, rav(in 
 hair, and the wit and fun of a perfect little 
 demon ! 
 
 '• Very soon, however, I shall have ended my 
 business here, and, although I like PhilacJclphia, 
 I do not forget Vermel nor my old friends, I 
 certainly shall take away with me a very pleasant 
 
 2 E 
 
illl 
 
 m 
 
 
 m 
 
 I 
 
 J2 
 
 7//i: CASE OF DK. PLL:.]fEN 
 
 remembrance of Miss Rhea, who, I think, likes 
 me very well, in spite of my forty years; but in 
 our own good town pretty faces are not wanting, 
 which will drive her out of my head. It is not 
 in America that one should forget that liberty 
 is the greatest of all blessings — so hurrah for 
 Liberty ! " 
 
 l' H m 
 îl 
 
 \''m 
 
 '11!' 
 
 ill!: 
 
 ¥• 
 
 \' I 
 
 '1 
 
 It will be seen by the tone of this letter that 
 Raymond Deblain, although he found thePanton 
 girls very much to his taste, had no idea of 
 breaking through his vow of celibacy ; conse- 
 quently, he now and then thought with com- 
 punction of the devotion he was showing to 
 Rhea, but only to fall back into the same ways 
 at the first opportunity which presented itself. 
 He was also sincerely inclined to think that, 
 in consecjuence of the peculiarity of American 
 manners, his attentions would seem unimportant; 
 and besides, when Rhea gave him her little 
 hand or hung upon his arm, his feelings were 
 deeply touched by the youth and beauty of the 
 girl, and his good resolutions were thrown to 
 the winds. 
 
 The young Archibald had at first thought - 
 with the greatest indifference of the stranger's 
 residence at his uncle's house; and wl ^m M. 
 Deblain went out constantly with his cousins, 
 
ELIAS P ANTON AND CO. 
 
 53 
 
 ik, likcs 
 but in 
 
 vantino^, 
 t is not 
 liberty 
 
 rrah for 
 
 » i ■■, 
 
 ter that 
 : Panton 
 idea of 
 conse- 
 h com- 
 ving to 
 le ways 
 d itself, 
 ik that, 
 merican 
 sortant; 
 ir little 
 js were 
 '' of the 
 own to 
 
 bought 
 anger's 
 ^en M. 
 cousins, 
 
 he had only blamed the intimacy on the ground 
 that it would get them talked about ; but when 
 he saw the attentions of Raymond Deblain to 
 Rhea, he became jealous, and looked with an 
 evil eye on him whom he considered a dangerous 
 rival ; so one morning, in the garden, he stopped 
 Rhea, and said to her : 
 
 " Beware of that Frenchman — all his country- 
 men are immoral : he will ruin your reputation, 
 will swear to love you, and will one day disap- 
 pear, after having seriously compromised you." 
 
 " Are you mad, Archibald ? " replied the girl, 
 laughing. " M. Deblain has not an idea of 
 paying his addresses to me." 
 
 " Then why are you and your sister so eag(tr 
 to go for rides and excursions with him ? " 
 
 "Just because it amuses us; because M. 
 Deblain is lively, witty, and polite ; because be 
 does not keep making disagreeable remarks 
 about our dress, our pleasures, our ways, as 
 you do." 
 
 *' But I love you, cousin, and have but one 
 wish — that of making you my wife." 
 
 " I'm much obliged to you ; but I have told 
 you a hundred times I have no taste for the 
 kind of life you offer me.'' 
 
 " You are risking your eternal welfare ! " 
 
 " Indeed ! Well, I don't believe that ; but i^ 
 
I '5 • 
 
 ilWilM 
 
 54 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 I did, I should ■ prefer the risk to your way of 
 savinij me from it." 
 
 " Then you never mean to be my wife ? " 
 
 " Never !" 
 
 '• Then suppose this wicked Frenchman should 
 wish to marry you ?" 
 
 " He ! He is very nice, but he is twice my 
 age ! Besides, I don't beiieve he has the least 
 idea of marrying. In a fortnight's time he will 
 be gone, and will think no more of me than I 
 of him." 
 
 " Then you don't care for him, and he has 
 never told you he loves you ? " 
 
 " Oh, my good cousin, that has nothing to do 
 with you !" And, after making him a low curtsey, 
 Rhea ran off. Archibald siglied, raised his eyes 
 to heaven, and joined his father, who had just 
 come into the garden, and whose appearance 
 had probably hastened the departure of the 
 young lady. 
 
 *' Well," asked the reverend gentleman, " what 
 explaiiation has your cousin given you ? " 
 
 " Not one in which I can put any faith," said 
 the young man sadly. ''She declares that this 
 accursed foreigner is not courting her, and that 
 she does not care for him." 
 
 " Then why does sh(^ let him compromise 
 her ? For the honour of the family, this must 
 
 t 
 
ELIAS P ANTON AND CO. 
 
 S5 
 
 ir way of 
 
 ife ? " 
 
 an should 
 
 twice my 
 the least 
 e he will 
 e than I 
 
 i he has 
 
 ng to do 
 '■ curtsey, 
 his eyes 
 had just 
 ^earance 
 : of the 
 
 J, " what 
 
 h," said 
 hat this 
 nd that 
 
 be stopped ;" then he added, *'and for the sake 
 of our fortunes also." 
 
 He took his son's arm, and began speaking 
 to him in a low tone, as if he did not wish one 
 of his words to be overheard ; and he worked 
 up Archibald to such a fit of enthusiasm that, a 
 quarter of an hour later, the latter, quite trans- 
 formed, held out his hand to Rhea, and said : 
 
 " Have all the fun you can now, my pretty 
 cousin ; when your guest has gone back to 
 F* ranee, we will resume our recent conversation. 
 I hope it may be very soon." 
 
 Miss Panton walked away, making him no 
 answer beyond a slight shrug of her shoulders. 
 
 promise 
 is must 
 
( 56 ) 
 
 l.!l 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 IN WHICH THE REV. J. THOMPSON SAVES THE 
 HONOUR OF THE PANTONS 
 
 Miss Rhea had spoken truly, for ,M. Deblain 
 was indeed thinking of returning to Europe, 
 and he had already mentioned his departure to 
 Mr. Panton, when, the day after Archibald's 
 last exhortation to his cousin, about nine o'clock 
 in the morning, a servant came to tell Ray- 
 mond that Miss Panton was expecting him to 
 take his usual daily ride with her. 
 
 Our friend, being quite ready, went down 
 immediately, but was surprised to see only Rhea 
 in the courtyard of the house, and that she 
 had already mounted her horse. 
 
 "Where is Miss Jenny ?" he asked. 
 
 *' My sister has such a bad headache she can- 
 not come with us to-day. Shall you be afraid 
 to go out alone with me ? " 
 
 He answered this question by pressing his 
 
 i; I !i' 
 
THE HONOUR OF THE PA NT ON S 
 
 lips to the hand the young girl held out to him, 
 and, as he mounted, he said : 
 
 ** Where are we going ? " 
 
 " To Camden Place. Will that suit you ! " 
 V *' Perfectly well, but it is such a distance ; we 
 shall never be back in time for lunch." 
 
 " Then we will have lunch out there." 
 
 Rhea rode out first, and M. Deblain followed 
 her. 
 
 After having passed the first square, they 
 went up Twentieth Street, through Pennsylvania 
 Avenue to Fairmount Park, then through the 
 woods to Camden Place, a pretty country-place 
 about fifteen miles from Philadelphia. 
 
 So long as they were in the city, where, not- 
 withstanding the early hour, the roads were 
 crowded, the riders, being forced to go slowly 
 and to keep clear of the vehicles, had not 
 exchanged many words, but once under the 
 beautiful avenue of great trees which leads to 
 the Wissahickon, they drew nearer to each 
 other, and Raymond said to Rhea : 
 
 "You cannot imagine how glad I am that 
 you determined to ride this morning, notwith- 
 standing your sister's indisposition. When we 
 all three take these excursions together on 
 horseback, it is delightful, but for us two alone — 
 just like two " 
 
MK 
 
 Iti ''4 
 
 
 ill 
 
 wmm 
 
 ii: 
 
 I' mi: ,. 
 
 r 1 
 
 li^iii 
 
 58 
 
 THE CASE Of DR. P LE M EN ' 
 
 As he Stopped abruptly the coquettish 
 young American said smilingly : 
 
 "Just like two " 
 
 " Well, two lovers — since you make me com- 
 plete my sentence. ' 
 
 " Do you love me, then, M. Deblain ; and 
 do you suppose that I love you ? " 
 
 It would be difficult to make any one under- 
 stand the tone, at once childish and coquettish, 
 in which these words were said. 
 
 Raymond was for a moment embarrassed by 
 them, but, instantly recovering his self-posses- 
 sion, he replied : 
 
 "To the first of your questions. Miss Rhea, 
 I have the right to answer, yes — because 
 I have never met a more charming woman 
 than you ; but I . am not foolish enough to 
 suppose you care for me : I content myself 
 with the hope that I am not indifferent to 
 you. It is for you to enliq-htci me on the 
 subject." 
 
 " Do French girls . ever r ike such 
 
 admissions ?" 
 
 " I don't know at all, because I never asked 
 any of them." 
 
 " Oh, come now, did you never, never? And 
 there is my cousin Archibald, with such a 
 dreadfully bad opinion of you I" 
 
 f 
 
THE HONOUR OF THE P ANTON S 
 
 59 
 
 me 
 
 " What, has he been saying bad things about 
 ?" 
 
 " Yes, if it be bad to say that you are, like all 
 Frenchmen, a dangerous associate for a girl." 
 
 " Oh, that is just the notion of a jealous man, 
 and, unfortunately, there is not the least reason 
 for saying it of me. Has not that very good 
 young Mr. Archibald been more or less 
 engaged to you ?" 
 
 " Never ! never in my life ! Not that he has 
 never asked me to share the existence of a 
 future light of the Church, as his father calls 
 him. Even so late as yesterday he tried to 
 allure me by assuring me I was running into 
 danger of eternal perdition. Alas ! I have not 
 the slightest desire to be a parson's wife, even 
 though he should attain to the highest dig- 
 nities." 
 
 " Well, really I cannot fancy you in that kind 
 of company — you, so pretty, so gay — and such 
 a daring rider." 
 
 M. Deblain ended his phrase in these 
 words, because just as he was speaking Miss 
 Rhea, with a sharp cut of her whip, had 
 chastised her horse for a slight stumble. They 
 had got beyond the Wissahickon, to the edgQ 
 of the wood ; the road stretched before them, 
 deserted and shady. 
 
6o 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 ! : 
 
 ■i;;' 'i 
 
 *' Now for a gallop, and let him follow who 
 loves me !" exclaimed the girl, starting her 
 horse into a gallop. 
 
 Raymond imitated his companion, and for 
 half an hour they went a wild chase under the 
 thick foliage of the ancient trees of that beau- 
 tiful forest, which extends to the south of 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 Sometimes our friend remained a few paces 
 behind, so as to admire at his leisure the figure 
 of the girl, whose habit displayed to perfection 
 her waist and splendid shoulders ; who, firmly 
 placed on her saddle, her hair blown about by 
 the breeze, lovely in her beauty and courage, 
 urged on her horse with whip and voice. 
 
 Then he overtook her, gained upon her a 
 little, and found her still more fascinating ; her 
 bosom heaving with her quickened breath, her 
 complexion brilliant with youth, her lips 
 wreathed with smiles, and the expression of her 
 eyes full of fr.mkness and daring. 
 
 At last she stopped almost suddenly, and, as 
 her foaming steed shook himself, pricked up his 
 ears, and whisked his mane, she turned towards 
 her companion, and said to him with a hector- 
 ing air '. 
 
 '• Well, what say you ? If he were my 
 husband, and not even greater than a bishoj). 
 
 iiiiii 
 
THE HONOUR OP THE P ANTON 3 
 
 6i 
 
 do you think my grave cousin would let me do 
 as I am doing now? Ah ! how delightful is 
 the open air, with free exercise and liberty !" 
 
 " I say you are perfectly charming, that I 
 have never seen a more intrepid horsewoman, 
 nor a lovelier creature than you. But I 
 suppose you mean to give the worthy Mr. 
 Archibald reason for thinking his suspicions 
 well-founded." 
 
 "How so?" M :.. 
 
 *' Well, by so acting that he has some right 
 to be jealous of me — of the man who loves 
 you. .. , ,, 
 
 "M. Deblain!" 
 
 " Oh, I beg your pardon ; I know well that a 
 declaration of love, when one is on horseback, 
 is out of place. Such thini^s shoukl be 
 whispered, hand clasping hand, the lover 
 kneeling at his lady's feet." \ 
 
 " Oh, not in America," said Rhea, laughing : 
 " however, I see my cousin was quite right ; 
 Frenchmen are dangeroiis creatures ; so, if you 
 please, we will talk of something else." 
 
 Feeling more deeply touclu d than she 
 wished to appear, the coquettish heiress of tiic 
 rich American pushed her horse into a trot. 
 
 A quarter of an hour later, the two riders, 
 whose conversation had bcc;n turned to indif- 
 
m 
 
 "''^■'\^ 
 
 II"'' 
 
 I 
 
 il! 
 
 Ml 
 
 lU ' 
 
 
 i ill I' 
 
 Il 'M! 
 
 l'iii'iiNa 
 
 iirni 
 
 l'-iii 
 
 |,i,nJ 
 
 ^mi: 
 
 j 
 
 63 
 
 TH£ CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 ferent matters, stopped at Camden Place, in the 
 courtyard of the Star Tavern. 
 
 Deblain, who had dismounted first, then 
 helped Rhea, and he held her in his arms 
 a moment or two longer than was quite 
 necessary. 
 
 It would be impossible to say how, at once 
 chaste and frank, was the manner of the girl in 
 this momentary embrace — her face turned 
 aside, but with smiling lips, her figure bent 
 slightly backward, she let herself be lifted 
 down by this man who was eagerly regarding 
 her, and the beating of whose heart she could 
 almost hear. But hardly had her feet touched 
 the ground, when she stamped a little and beat 
 her riding-habit with her whip, holding it up in 
 her left hand. She was completely mistress of 
 herself, and exclaimed : 
 
 '• Now for lunch ! I am famished." ' 
 
 "Why, of course," said Raymond, in the 
 same gay tones, " we will have lunch here 
 tocrether." 
 
 •' Yes, unless you would like to invite Mr. 
 Booth." 
 
 Booth was the landlord of the Star, who, 
 having recognized the daughter of the great 
 manufac^turer, P21ias Panton, one of his best 
 customers, came forward to take her orders, 
 
THE HONOUR OF THE P ANTON S 
 
 63 
 
 Î, in the J without showing any surprise at seeing her with 
 
 3t, then 
 is arms 
 quite 
 
 at once 
 e girl in 
 turned 
 re bent 
 s h'fted 
 garding 
 e could 
 touched 
 nd beat 
 it up in 
 tress of 
 
 in the 
 h here 
 
 te Mr. 
 
 r, who, 
 i great 
 is best 
 orders. 
 
 a stranger. 
 
 "What can you give us ?" asked Rhea. " I 
 want you to surpass yourself, so that this 
 gentleman, M. Deblain, a friend of my father's, 
 may have pleasant recollections of the cooking 
 at the best hotel at Camden Place." 
 
 " Leave it to me, Miss," said Mr. Booth. 
 " Will you have your lunch in the saloon, or in 
 the garden ? " 
 
 " Oh, in the garden : yonder, in that arbour, 
 we shall be very comfortable." 
 
 She pointed to a mass of honeysuckle in 
 bloom. 
 
 " Ii) ten minutes you shall be served," said 
 the hotel-keeper ; and he went into the house 
 to give his orders. 
 
 Miss Panton came back to M. Deblain, who, 
 although he had ceased to be surprised at 
 anything, was not the less charmed ; and she 
 said to him : 
 
 '• When I think that at this very moment 
 they may be at lunch at home, and that my 
 uncle Jonathan and his son Archibald may be 
 saying all sorts of bad things about you to my 
 father, and telling him that I am compromising 
 myself by going out alone with a stranger — a 
 «Frenchman — I begin to tiiink perhaps they 
 
•mm, III 
 
 
 ■i'iïil 
 
 1H 
 
 i 
 
 !/ 
 
 
 ll'I'li ■ 
 
 mit 
 
 64 
 
 TWiÇ C^6-i? (9F DR. PLEA/EAT 
 
 are right ; perhaps I ought not to have come 
 out riding to-day without my sister. What a 
 state that good Miss Gowentall must be in ! 
 
 Rhea said all this in the midst of bursts 
 of laughter, walking on with M. Deblain, and 
 cutting with her whip at the rose-trees and 
 acacias. 
 
 They had just made the tour of the garden 
 when a waiter came to tell them their lunch 
 was served. 
 
 They went into the arbour where their table 
 was set, and sat down opposite each other — 
 Rhea all smiles, and delighted at her escapade ; 
 Raymond slightly embarrassed at finding him- 
 self alone with the beautiful girl, whom he was 
 beginning really to love. 
 
 Mr. Booth had kept his word. The table 
 was elegantly decked with flowers ; and the 
 first course, some delicious little river-trout, 
 promised well for the rest of the lunch. As 
 for the wine, champagne of one of the best 
 brands of Rheims was cooling in an ice-pail. 
 
 Miss Panton had taken off her hat, and with 
 a slight movement of her hand, pushed back 
 her hair. She was really lovely, with her fear- 
 less grace and youthful ingenuousness. 
 
 " You are not eating," said she to her com- 
 panion, who never took his eyes off her. ** I 
 
 I 
 
 ai 
 ui 
 s 
 
THE HONOUR OF THE P ANTON S 
 
 65 
 
 ve come 
 What a 
 e in ! ' 
 
 ►f bursts 
 ain, and 
 *ees and % 
 
 garden 
 ir lunch 
 
 eir table 
 other — 
 capade ; 
 tig him- 
 he was 
 
 le table 
 md the 
 ^r-trout, 
 h. As 
 le best 
 pail, 
 id with 
 d back 
 ir fear- 
 
 r com- 
 r. "I 
 
 am sure Miss Govventall would think me most 
 unpoetical because I am so hungry — not that 
 she lives on air by any means. Don't you like 
 this fish ? It is excellent, and you should follow 
 my example." ' ; 
 
 " You are right," said Raymond ; " but really 
 you are so pretty " 
 
 " That it quite takes away your appetite } 
 I suppose you want to get thin and sallow, 
 like my cousin Archibald. Well, I don't ; and 
 I advise you not to. Give me some champagne, 
 if you please." 
 
 The young girl held out her glass, thus dis 
 playing the rounded form of her bust. 
 
 Deblain rose, and, taking care to fill Rhea's 
 glass slowly, he kissed the hand which was 
 nearest to him, saying : * ' - ' ' 
 
 " Rhea, I love you — I do really love you ! " 
 
 " Then," sa'd a scjemn voice, " this is the 
 wedding-breaktast ! " 
 
 Amazed, they lifted their eyes to the entrance 
 of the arbour, at which stood Mr. Thompson 
 and his son. 
 
 It was the reverend gentleman who had 
 said these words, addressing at once his niece, 
 M. Deblain, and a third person who was stand- 
 ing behind the two cler^'^ymen. 
 
 •' Why, it is my uncle and cousin ! " cried 
 
 F 
 
66 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 
 mm 
 
 I*' 
 
 'Rhea merrily, to whom the phrase she had just 
 heard was but a joke, and one in very bad taste. 
 " By what fortunate chance have we the pleasure 
 of seeing you ? " v 
 
 *' It is not by any chance that we are here ; it 
 is by the will of the Almighty." 
 
 " And for the honour of the family," added 
 Archibald, also very solemnly. 
 
 " The will of the Almighty and the honour 
 of the family ! " said Raymond, rising. " What 
 is the meaning of this nonsense ? In what way 
 is Miss Panton's good name compromised by 
 her coming to Camden Place and having lunch 
 with me, in the open air, in a public garden ? " 
 
 Looking very red, the girl also had risen. 
 Her face showed violent emotion and indignant 
 pride. 
 
 , " It is possible," resumed Jonathan, in a 
 monotonous way, as if he were preaching a 
 sermon, "that such things are unimportant in 
 your country, but it is not so here in the States. 
 A man who has been constantly in the company 
 of a young girl for a month, who takes her away 
 from her father's house, and says to her, ' I love 
 you,* that man declares himself affianced. He 
 takes upon him an engagement, and must unite 
 himself with her by the sacred ties of marriage. 
 Before Mr. Macdonald, the Sheriff of the 
 
THE HONOUR OF THE PANTONS 
 
 67 
 
 id just 
 i taste, 
 leasure 
 
 ere; it 
 
 added 
 
 bonour 
 ♦ What 
 at way 
 sed by 
 lunch 
 [en ? " 
 I risen, 
 lignant 
 
 , in "a 
 hing a 
 :ant in 
 States, 
 mpany 
 r away 
 I love 
 l. He 
 t unite 
 Triage. 
 ?f the 
 
 district" — the clergyman pointed to the man 
 who accompanied him — " it is my right and 
 my duty, M. Deblain, to ask you if you intend' 
 repairing by marriage the moral wrong you 
 have done my niece ? *' 
 
 " Why, uncle, you must be mad ! " cried Rhea 
 indignantly. 
 
 ** You are disrespectful to a minister of the 
 Lord," said Jonathan. " It is this gendeman 
 I am addressing, and it is for him to answer 
 
 me. 
 
 »» 
 
 " Yes ; it is he who must answer us, repeated 
 the lanky Archibald, in sad accents, and with 
 supplicating looks at his cousin. ,v 
 
 "Gentlemen," said Raymond, who had re- 
 covered a little from his first amazement, '• I 
 do not understand you " ' " ' > * 
 
 Rhea stopped him suddenly by saying : 
 
 "I answer for him. No; M. Deblain has 
 never made me any promises. It is I who 
 brought him here ; I who made him come with 
 me — a thing he has done, 'however, nearly every 
 day." 
 
 " Until to-day you have always been accom- 
 panied by your sister or Miss Gowentall," said 
 her uncle; "to-day you are alone with this 
 gentleman, in a lonely spot, and we came up 
 just at the moment when he was kissing your 
 
 F 2 
 
:':.ill!l|ll 
 
 %m 
 
 II 
 
 Bmm 
 
 ililiiili 
 
 HliiiililiiiiMiliiii 
 
 PP '-'"i ill 
 il b' iW 
 
 é8 
 
 The case of dr. plemem 
 
 hand and declaring his love to you. Is this 
 true?" 
 
 "It is true," said Raymond, anxious to put 
 an end to this ridiculous scene, by which Miss 
 Panton seemed much humiliated. " Yes ; I 
 have told the young lady that I love her, and 
 it is perfectly true that, if she likes, I will 
 become her husband. But what has it to do 
 with you ?" ' 
 
 The two clergymen raised their hands and 
 eyes to Heaven, in witness of the blasphemy ol 
 the stranger. " ^ . 
 
 "Did Mr. Panton send you?" continued 
 Raymond. " If he did, in an hour's time I will 
 ask him for his daughter's hand ; if he did not 
 send you, go about your own business and 
 leave us alone." , , 
 
 " Sir," said the Sheriff, '* you do not seem to 
 understand our laws. A gentleman seen alone 
 with a young lady, on as intimate terms as you 
 and Miss Rhea appear to be, has contracted 
 with her an engagement." 
 
 " Unless the young girl herself refuse to 
 accept him," said Rhea proudly. 
 
 " Oh, do refuse ! " murmured Archibald, in 
 his cousin's ear. " I have never doubted your 
 honour ; I love you ; you will be my wife ; and 
 then no one will ever think of blaming you." 
 
THE HONOUR OF THE PANTONS 
 
 69 
 
 Is this 
 
 to put 
 1 Miss 
 (^es; I 
 IV, and 
 will 
 to do 
 
 I 
 
 Is and 
 2my ol 
 
 itinued 
 : I will 
 id not 
 ;s and 
 
 ;em to 
 
 alone 
 
 is you 
 
 racted 
 
 se to 
 
 lid, in 
 
 your 
 
 ; and 
 
 " Ah, now I understand your little plan," 
 lid Miss Panton aloud, and drawing nearer to 
 Raymond as if to ask his protection. *' You 
 lought that, as I should certainly refuse to be 
 )ur accomplice in dragging M. Deblain into 
 latrimony, I should only be too glad to get 
 It of the scrape by becoming your wife. You 
 
 lave made a mistake, cousin. I won't have 
 
 [ou because I don't like you ; and M. Deblain 
 
 lall not marry me because '* y 
 
 " If I have not the happiness to become 
 
 |our husband," interrupted M. Deblain, taking 
 Lhea's hand, " it will be because you will not 
 ive me. Accept my name, and I shall bless 
 
 fven the singular intervention of these gentle- 
 
 M 
 
 u. 
 
 I> 
 
 len. 
 
 Without drawing her hand away from Ray- 
 lond's, but also without uttering a word, Rhea 
 lung down her head. 
 
 " Then," said Jonathan to M. Deblain, " you 
 ire willing to marry Miss Panton ?" - 
 
 "Certainly, if she 'ill have me for her hiis- 
 )and." 
 
 "And you, Rhea?" ' = '>• ^ 
 
 The lovely girl raised her eyes to her compa- 
 lion's, and, seeing that he was regarding her 
 ith smiling and affectionate looks, she an- 
 swered : 
 
r^^ 
 V 
 
 70 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 1'. 
 11 ■ 
 
 !: ! 1! 
 
 
 !!| 
 
 m 
 
 " I will do just what M. Raymond wishes." 
 
 The sallow, pale Archibald became still morel 
 yellow ; the Sheriff put on a grin of satisfaction ;| 
 and as to the Rev. Jonathan, he drew from thej 
 depths of one of his pockets a Bible, and said^ 
 sanctimoniously: ..^ -■.■ 
 
 " Then all is well in the sight of the Lord ! "; 
 And opening his book and addressing M. De- 
 blain, he began reading: "Wilt thou have this^ 
 woman to be thy wedded wife, to live together 
 after God's ordinance in the holy estate of! 
 matrimony ? Wilt thou " 
 
 " Excuse me, Mr. Thompson," interrupted 
 Deblain, " but why are you saying this to me, 
 when I have told you that, immediately after 
 my return to Philadelphia, I will askr your 
 brother-in-law for his daughter's hand ? " 
 
 "There is no need of that; I am marrying 
 you." 
 
 " You are marrying us, without any sort of 
 formality, in the midst of lunch, out in the open 
 air!" 
 
 " The time and place for celebrating the 
 marriage of two of His creatures are unimpor- 
 tant in the eyes of the Almighty. I beg of you 
 not to interrupt me." • •' '- '■■ 
 
 M. Deblain shrugged his shoulders, and looked 
 smilingly at Rhea, as if he would say, " Well, 
 
 let I 
 
 lim. 
 
 St 
 )ack 
 icqu 
 
 T 
 
 toou 
 
 ler 
 
 )the] 
 
 )oth 
 
 said 
 
 le i 
 
 >fit 
 
 'liis V 
 
 Snge 
 Itnutt 
 
 ^' Zo 
 
 hothi 
 
 ] 
 
 (( 
 
 lee 
 ivith 
 
 .|he 1 
 
 ;ihe ] 
 
 Jrem 
 
 liis t 
 
 iiresui 
 
 ■if.,' 
 
THE HONOUR OF THE P ANTON S 
 
 n 
 
 let us listen to your uncle, if that will please 
 
 y I 
 
 um. 
 
 Standing with both her hands resting on the 
 )ack of a chair, Rhea gave him a glance of 
 icquiescence. 
 
 The reverend gentleman continued: "Wilt 
 \hou love he., comfort her, honour and keep 
 ler in sickness and health : and, forsaking all 
 )ther, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye 
 )oth shall live ? " Then, turning to Rhea, he 
 »aid nearly the same words, and went through 
 le Marriage Service till he came to that part 
 >f it concerning the ring, when, taking one out of 
 lis waistcoat-pocket, he placed it on the fourth 
 inger of his niece, saying to M. Deblain, who 
 luttered to himself at sight of the ring : 
 [* Zounds ! the reverend gentleman has forgotten 
 lothing!" 
 
 " Repeat these last words : ' With this ring I 
 
 [hee wed, with my body I thee worship, and 
 
 nth all my worldly goods I thee endow! In 
 
 [he name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
 
 [he Holy Ghost. Amen.'" 
 
 The friend of Dr. Piemen obeyed, Rhea 
 rembling a little; then the clergyman closed 
 lis book, and, raising his hat, said : 
 
 "My dear nephew and niece, you can now 
 îsume your lunch." And signing to his son 
 
;i |.iîf 
 
 T 
 
 n 
 
 THE CASE OF DR, P LE M EN 
 
 :ii 
 
 il'i' 
 
 and the Sheriff to follow him, the good pastor 
 
 retired. ;- < 
 
 ^ The ceremony had lasted ten minutes. 
 
 ** Then are we really married ? " asked Ray- 
 mond, as soon as he found himself alone with 
 Rhea. 
 
 " For your sake, I am afraid we are," an- 
 swered Rhea, with a smile. 
 
 ''Afraid, for my sake! For mine alone? 
 And how about you ? " 
 
 " Oh, as for me, I am only afraid of one thing, 
 and that is, that you should think I was in 
 league with my uncle and cousin to play you| 
 this trick?" • 
 
 "Play me a trick! Oh, Rhea, that expres- 
 sion deserves a severe punishment ; " and he 
 drew her gently to him and kissed her tenderly. 
 
 " Oh, Monsieur Deblain! " said the gi^l, strug- 
 gling a little. ' .; : 
 
 " Madame Deblain," answered Raymond 
 gaily, " you have soon forgotten the words you 
 have just pronounced : ' I will love, honour, and 
 obey.' Loving me will come in time, perhaps ; 
 meanwhile, you must obey me." 
 
 " Then you are not angry with me?" 
 
 " For being my wife ? " 
 . '• For being your wife — rather in spite of I 
 
 you 
 
 )> 
 
 ■ \ 
 
THE HONOUR OF THE PANTONS 
 
 73 
 
 " The fact is that, on leaving Walnut Street 
 this morning with you, I never suspected I 
 should return from my ride, married — irrevo- 
 cably married. However, if the matter has not 
 caused you too much pain and annoyance " 
 
 The charming girl placed her hand on her 
 husband's shoulder, and said, " You must not 
 think I am pained or annoyed." . - 
 
 " Then, hurrah for the Reverend Jonatlian 
 and his son, not forgetting the Sheriff!'' lie 
 again kissed the girl, who no longer refused his 
 caress. ■ ' " " 
 
 " Now," said he, **as we both owe obedience 
 to your worthy uncle, let us sit down at table 
 again — not ceremoniously opposite each other, 
 but side by side, and eat our wedding-breakfast." 
 
 He placed his chair by that of Rhea, and 
 gave her a partridge wing, adding: 
 
 " How surprised your father will be ! I only 
 hope he may not be very angry ! " ^^^ 
 
 "He would only be angry if he thought I had 
 been entrapped against my will," said Rhea 
 coquettishly. 
 
 " Then you do not quite detest me ? " 
 
 '* No, not quite. I had determined, in my 
 own mind, to marry a Frenchman ; so much tlui 
 worse for you that you happened to be the only 
 one in my way.". 
 
'■ ;i 
 
 74 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PIEMEN 
 
 
 I i 
 
 i I ii 
 
 The very slioht amount of coolness that ha» e.ich 
 ever existed between them was gone, and, fi\( ]\lr. 
 mir-'îtes afterwards, the new-married pair wen Liugl 
 perfectly in accord with each other; and, when "' 
 they mounted their horses to return to the cit) gjrl ; 
 would have scandalized the Rev. Jonathan by Jvnov^ 
 their light-heartedness, if he could have seen land, 
 and heard them. 
 
 The truth is, Rhea was delighted to have^j 
 become a Frenchwoman. She was going tc %tory 
 live in Paris — live just as she liked — so, at least coun 
 she thought. She would have her dresses fron^ her 
 the very best dressmakers in Paris ; she would %hat 
 no longer have to listen to the moralizings oi ^fo 
 Miss Gowentall, the sermons of her uncle, nor })ald 
 the sighs of her cousin Archibald. 
 
 As to M. Deblain, if he admitted to himselfj 
 that he would never have had the courage to 
 get married, because he was so accustomed to 
 his old-bachelor life, and because he would never| 
 have dared to face the jokes of his friend Piemen, 
 yet he was delighted that matrimony had been 
 forced upon him, since it was with so charming 
 a woman that he felt he should love her with 
 his whole heart. 
 
 Thus Rhea and Raymond rode on as happily 
 as possible, and it was not till they got to Walnut 
 Street and had dismounted that they looked dX'% 
 
 hroi 
 f V 
 pon 
 
 yoi 
 ;oR 
 low 
 
 ay 
 att 
 atl 
 
THE HONOUR OF THE PANTONS 
 
 75 
 
 to the city 
 nathan by 
 have seen 
 
 d to have 
 3 going to 
 
 s that had leach other, wondering how they should tell 
 ^, and, five mir. Panton about it — then they both burst out 
 pair were'laughing. 
 
 and, wheni «' Well, it is your business," said the young 
 irl ; "I must go and cl Linge my dress. You 
 now, at this hour, father is always in his office ;" 
 nd, kissing her hand to M. Deblain, she ran 
 way to her room. 
 
 "Well," said M. Deblain to himself, "the 
 
 tory is not too easy to tell. What a queer 
 
 30, at least "icountry ' Rhea is a charming girl, and so is 
 
 esses from Éier sister; but is for the rest of the family, 
 
 she would 'prhat oddities they are ! Luckily, uncle lonathan 
 
 •alizings ol É— for I am his nephew now ! — and cousin Archi- 
 
 uncle, nor paid will not go with us to France." 
 
 I While thus thinking, Rhea's husband passed 
 to himself |through tre hall and entered the private office 
 :ouraee to lof Mr. I'anton, who was busy with his corre- 
 pondunce. 
 ^. " Ah, here you are," said his host, looking up; 
 'you have come just in time, for I was writing 
 :o Roubaix about that cloth of which I wanted 
 ou to give me your opinion." 
 " Excuse me, my dear Mr. Panton," said 
 aymond, "but I have a much more delicate 
 atter about which I must speak to you — a 
 atter which concerns you much more nearly." 
 *' Indeed : pray what is it ? " 
 
 istomecl to 
 ould nevcM 
 id Piemen, 
 ' had been 
 ) charminc 
 2 her with 
 
 as happily 
 to Walnut 
 looked at 
 
 i 
 
 S 
 
 i 
 
mm 
 
 If 
 
 \ 
 
 1 1 
 
 IE 
 
 n 
 
 ; i, 
 
 m 
 
 76 
 
 THE CASE OF DR, P LE M EN 
 
 n 
 
 " You know I went out for a ride this mornini 
 with your daughter Rhea ; well, out there, a| 
 Camden Place " 
 
 *' You married her." 
 
 " What ! do you know it ?" 
 
 '* Of course I do ; my brotlier Jonathan camJ 
 and told me himself. While you were finishinj 
 your lundi, he came ba-k by rail, and told ni| 
 the story." 
 
 "And you think it nothing extraordinary." 
 
 " Not the least. You were coi rti'^cr mii 
 daughter; she liked you, she has married you 
 and you are a good fellow, whom I lilce vç.x\ 
 nuich. It was your business, not mine. I kno\| 
 you caimot have had a very jolly wedding, beinj 
 married by my lanky brother-in-law ; but 1 hope 
 he won't bring you any ill-luck. You may than! 
 )()ur stars he did not preach you a long sermoi 
 [)ut though y(3U have been let off this time, hi 
 will catch you yet! Well, shake hands, my son 
 and, by-the-by, you owe me twenty dollars foi 
 the ring Thompson put on Riiea's finger. Hij 
 brought me the bill for it ; I shall deduct it froivj 
 Rhea's fortune." 
 
 Perfectly amazed, but much deliglited, Rheî 
 husband cordially shook hands with Mr. PantonJ 
 and hastened away to his wife. 
 
 The next day this stiauge marriage was 
 
m 
 
 lis mornin 
 
 THE HONOUR OF THE P ANTON S 
 
 77 
 
 athan cam^ 
 re finfshinj 
 id told m 
 
 urricci yoii 
 I like ven 
 »e. I knov i 
 <^îin^, beiii^ f 
 but I h()|i 
 may than' : 
 ngseriTKu 
 is time, h ■ 
 Is, my s(Mi 
 ^lollars I. 
 iger. II, 
 ict it fruii 
 
 ^cl. Rhea 
 r. Pa II to I! 
 
 iage wa^f 
 
 lep^ally performed at the Frenc'ii Lei^ation, and a 
 fortnight later Monsieur and Madame Deblain 
 sailed for France. ■ » 
 
 Although Raymond was delighted with his 
 good fortune, he had not dared to announce his 
 marriage to Dr. Piemen ; he meant to do it by 
 a telegraphic despatch from Havre. 
 
 Naturally the good Mrs. Panton had wept 
 much on separating from her daughter, and the 
 worthy Jonathan had avenged himself for the 
 marriage he himself had brought about by ad- 
 dressing a long sermon to the hai)py pair, and 
 by stuffing Raymond's luggage with religious 
 tracts. 
 
 As to Jenny, who was left alone to the tender 
 mercies of Miss Gowentall, slie whi:prA'_ \ as 
 she tenderly embraced her sister : 
 
 " How lucky you are to get away to France 
 — to see Paris! Ah well, I will soon join you 
 there, even though I should be (obliged to marry 
 Colonel Parker." 
 
 This is how, three months after leaving 
 Vermel, the friend of Dr. Piemen, ihe hartlened 
 old bachelor, returned to it married, and very 
 much in love with her to whom he had given 
 his name, in the midst of a lunch, in the gardens 
 of the Star, at Camden Place, in the State of 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
( 78 ) 
 
 îiiiii 
 
 ! ' I 
 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 PROVINCIAL STRUGGLES 
 
 ê . 
 
 At the time of which we are writing Vermel 
 had been long connected with Paris by a railway, 
 yet it had not lost the provincial air which does 
 disappear from the most remote towns as railway 
 communication brings them into closer connec- 
 tion with the metropolis. By means of rapidity 
 and facility of communication^ the smallest towns 
 become Parisianized ; and if, here and there, in 
 some ancient cities the picturesque has not 
 entirely disappeared — if all parts of them, re- 
 minding us by their ancient buildings of bygone 
 ilays, have not yet been replaced by '* Terminus 
 Boulevards" or " vStation Avenues" — yet man- 
 ners and customs at least have been transformed. 
 Life in the provinces has ceased to have the 
 calmness and regularity of former times ; it has 
 grown more expensive, and, consequently, more 
 anxious, feverish, troubled. The love of luxury 
 and the desire for show have crept into the 
 
 
PROVINCIAL STRUGGLES 
 
 7è 
 
 ■f 
 
 humblest households ; and whereas formerly 
 people were rich with ten thousand francs a 
 year, now, with the same income, they are in 
 straitened circumstances. 
 
 Parisian importations have killed off the small 
 local industries. The gentlemen have their 
 clothes from Parisian tailors, who come twice a 
 year to take the orders of their country custo- 
 mers ; and the lawver's wife of the smallest 
 country town would blush if she could not, now 
 and then, order a gown from a fashionable 
 Parisian dressmaker. 
 
 Paris absorbs everything ; men of real talent, 
 the plucked ones, the ambitious ones, and the 
 pretty girls. It is true that, by way of com- 
 pensation, Paris sends into the provinces its 
 lawyers who can get uo business to do, and 
 whom the provinces return as their members, 
 although they know nothing concerning the 
 interests of their constituents ; just as Paris gets 
 itself represented in Parliament by the school- 
 masters, chemists, and brewers of the provinces, 
 whose country neighbours would not listen to 
 them for a moment. 
 
 If, when railways were first thought of, M. 
 Thiers declared himself their enemy, it was 
 perhaps more because he fon^saw all the 
 chaiiges they would occasion than because 
 
;l!l 
 
 éo 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEME!^ 
 
 he doubted the practical utility of the in- 
 vention. 
 
 From the present state of things, and from 
 the application of universal suffrage, there has 
 resulted a fusion of all classes of society in the 
 towns, where the lines of demarcation were 
 once most strictly observed. Where once 
 nobility, law, manufactures, trade, formed sepa- 
 rate castes, all are now united ; the struggle 
 against the difficulties of life on the one side, 
 ambition on the other, has produced this social 
 phenomenon. 
 
 Politics at once divide people and group 
 them ; self-love and personal dignity disappear 
 in toadying to voters. The rich landowner 
 pays court to his farmers, who are members of 
 the municipal council ; the great manufacturer 
 bargains with his foremen, who cajole the 
 workmen for their votes ; the proudest ladies 
 flatter their servants, whose husbands or 
 lovers are influential men, orators at public 
 meetings. 
 
 The smallest county town has its racecourse, 
 with its bookmakers, its thimble-riggers, its 
 pickpockets, as well as two or three clubs, at 
 which baccarat brings its victims to grief even 
 more speedily than it does in Paris. 
 
 One of the consequences of this decentrali- 
 
 \ 
 
 i 
 
 M 
 
 > ' vi 
 
PROVINCIAL STRUGGLES 
 
 il 
 
 Lnd from 
 liere has 
 y in the 
 3n were 
 re once 
 ed sepa- 
 striiggle 
 )ne side, 
 lis social 
 
 i group 
 sappear 
 idowner 
 ibers of 
 facturer 
 Die the 
 t ladies 
 ids or 
 public 
 
 :course, 
 ïrs, its 
 ubs, at 
 f even 
 
 întrali- 
 
 l 
 
 zatîon, in the worst sense of the word, is that 
 family hfe has ahnost disappeared everywhere. 
 If some one of a statistical turn were to n-ive 
 his mind to this curious calculation, he would 
 certainly find, in the Marais, or any othei 
 commercial district of Paris, more respectable 
 women than in many county towns of a hundred 
 thousand inhabitants. 
 
 But if the provinces have become thus 
 modified, they have none the less preserved 
 two of their own special vices — envy and 
 slander. They have acquired from Paris a 
 goodly number of faults, but very few desirable 
 qualities. ' ' 
 
 Littleness of mind has remained intact, while 
 true generosity is almost uni nown ; the people 
 are full of distrust, and new-comers, whose 
 business may take them there, are the objects 
 of a thousand secret jealousies and animosities. 
 " Where do they come from ? what has their 
 past life been ? who are their relations ?" And 
 when they have not complete and indisputable 
 information on all these points, the most im- 
 probable fables are invented about the unfortu- 
 nate strangers. 
 
 In Paris, on the contrary, it is for strangers, 
 provided they know how to manage, that the 
 heartiest welcome, the most unlimited credit, 
 
 G 
 
«a 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 1-1 
 
 o 
 
 hat 
 esi 
 ho 
 oli 
 he 
 IV 
 act' 
 ot\ 
 inar 
 
 the most brilliant success is reserved. Often 
 this is carried to a most unjust aud ridiculous 
 extent, and costs the Parisians rather dear. In 
 the provinces every new-comer is suspected, 
 watched, and isolated. 
 
 This picture is a tolerably just one of the 
 state of society at Vermel in i88 — . 
 
 There was but a small and restricted group 
 which was composed of a few families of the 
 old nobility, and of those of the presidents and 
 councillors of the Court of Appeal, who did >tioni 
 not belong to that new race of judges whom l|iny 
 the Republic has so hastily drawn from Aad 
 obscurity, in consequence of the need it feels fow 
 for having, in every position, men devoted to Jami 
 its institutions. feerv 
 
 These latter functionaries, who were destined | T 
 soon to become more numerous — thanks to that I lis 
 iniquitous measure, which, paradoxically, has'|iviv( 
 been called the purification of the magistracy — Ver 
 had no access to these exclusive circles, in md 
 which were cherished conservative and reli- 
 gious opinions : they and their colleagues 
 consorted with their political and religious 
 sympathizers in the other groups of the society 
 of Vermel. 
 
 We thus see that the magistracy of the chief 
 town of the Seine et Loire was divided into 
 
PRO VI NCI A L STR UGGLE6 
 
 «3 
 
 :d. Often 
 ridiculous 
 dear. In 
 
 suspected, 
 
 )ne of the 
 
 ted group * 
 les of the 
 dents and 
 , who did 
 ges whom 
 wn from 
 ed it feels 
 levoted to 
 
 e destined 
 iks to that 
 ically, has 
 gistracy — 
 circles, in 
 
 and reli- 
 colleagues 
 
 religious 
 he society 
 
 f the chief 
 /ided iutQ 
 
 wo distinct castes, and it is easy to undi-rstand 
 hat this division, and the antagonism "which 
 esulted from it, were very detrimental to those 
 ho became amenable to the law — unless 
 olitics happened to be completely foreign to 
 he cause in question. - ' 
 
 M. Deblain, who belonged to the rich manu 
 "acturing class, was a favourite with everybody, 
 otwithstanding his great popularity as a ladies' 
 
 an, because he was known to be a very 
 
 onourable man, and most open-handed to 
 
 ?|iny one who was in trouble ; but he had not 
 
 ad much to do with the higher society of the 
 
 ;own, although, from the known opinions of his 
 
 mily, he might have been supposed a Gon- 
 er vative. 
 
 To these dignified circles he much preferred 
 I lis own lively and gay world, peoph^d by the 
 kvives and daughters of the rich industriels of 
 
 ermel, who were quite Parisian in their tastes 
 iSmd manners, and of which he was a distin- 
 
 "■-'em 
 
 uished member. 
 
 His family did not trouble him much, for he 
 
 lad but one near relation : an aunt, his 
 
 nother's sister, Madame Dusortois, who was 
 
 oor, and a widow with two dauglUers. 
 
 This Madame Dusortois, who was a very 
 
 îjevout person, an excellent mother, but very 
 
 G 2 
 
S: •! 
 ■'■ J'. 
 
 04 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 va, 
 
 îl 
 
 ■i 
 
 ê 
 
 '' ' .■ "l'i il 
 
 i^rccdy of money, had always hoped that Ray- 
 mond-would marry her elder daughter Bertha, 
 a pretty girl, who liked her cousin more because 
 her mother wished it than from any inclina- 
 tion of her own, and in order to have a son-in- 
 law who would share her religious opinions. 
 Madame Dusortois was always vainly trying to 
 bring her nephew back to the paths of virtue 
 and the bosom of the Church. 
 
 Not that M. Deblain gave himself out as 
 an atheist, or even a freethinker ; his education, 
 and his respect for his mother's memory, made 
 it impossible for him ever to speak lightly of 
 sacred things. But he was indifferent, and sel 
 dom appeared at church, and this frequentl) 
 brought upon him the animadversions of the 
 strictly religious Madame Dusortois. . - 
 
 " You do very wrong," she would say to him 
 whenever she had an opportunity to speak 
 " you are never seen at church, and I daresa) 
 you never say your prayers. " 
 
 Then her nephew — out of patience, and per 
 haps feeling that his aunt was not entirely 
 wrong — said to her one day, with rather douhi 
 ful gravity : 
 
 " It is too true, my dear aunt, too true, that I 
 am an unbeliever. But it is not my fault ; ont 
 cannot alter one's disposition. However, if you 
 
 -n 
 
 i 
 
 • « 
 
 i_ 
 
» ^'' 
 
 PRO VI NCI A L S TR UGGLES 
 
 85 
 
 elf out asf 
 education, 
 lory, made^ 
 c lightly of \ 
 it, and sel- 
 frequentl) 
 ons of the 
 
 ;ay to him., 
 
 to speak ^| 
 
 I daresa) I 
 
 la 
 
 e, and perl 
 3t entirelyi 
 :her doubtl 
 
 true, that 
 fault ; one^H 
 îver, if yoii;^^ 
 
 like, we can arran^^e the matter satisfactorily — 
 you shall go to church and pray for me, and I 
 will give alms for you and m.yself. By that 
 means God in His goodness, and the poor in 
 their misery, will each be satisfied," r- 
 
 This reply, which hit rather hard, had been 
 talked over in the town, and had caused a cool 
 ness between the aunt and nephew ; and the 
 good lady had never returned to the charge, 
 though fully intending in her own mind to resume 
 her plans of conversion when Raymond should 
 be her son-in-law ; for she never ceased to 
 entertain this hope, and never admitted the 
 possibility of her nephew thinking of marryin;^ 
 any one but her daughter Bertha. And if, by 
 any ill-luck, he should remain a bachelor, well, 
 her children would inherit his wealth : thus she 
 had determined it must be. 
 
 As to Dr. Piemen, he went everywhere, and 
 everywhere was well received. 
 
 If some people thought him too fashionable- 
 looking for a doctor, if some thought him too 
 fond of worldly pleasures, all recognized his un- 
 doubted skill, his devotedness to his patients, 
 and his perfect tact. 
 
 * Being always grave and respectful to the 
 dowagers, erudite with the learned men, gallant 
 with the coquettish and fashionable ladies of 
 
 <^ • 
 
% 
 
 \T 
 
 
 
 \ i> % 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 1.25 
 
 • 132 
 
 11 
 
 
 1.4 
 
 IIIIM 
 
 12.0 
 
 18 
 1.6 
 
 
 
 
 
 w 
 
 
 M 
 
 or- 
 
 Photograpnic 
 
 Sciences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 ■!>' 
 
 iV 
 
 J 
 
 ;\ 
 
 V 
 
 <^ 
 
 
 .V 
 
 \ 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 w^^ 
 
 33 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, NY 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
 ^ 
 
 ■^'' 
 
L^ I 
 
 C^- 
 
■ft'' 
 
 I I 
 
 
 
 «n 
 
 86 
 
 7"//^^ C.46/f O/^ Z?A'. P LE M EN 
 
 the great manufacturing families, pleasantly 
 familiar with the tradespeople, and generous 
 with the working-class, he had acquired the 
 reputation of being a charming man ; and, in 
 fact, he was so. , 
 
 Under circumstances most perilous to his 
 political ambition, he had given a proof of 
 his ready-wittedness, and, at the same time, 
 acquired new friends. This had been on the 
 occasion of the plan for secularizing the hospital 
 of which he was the head doctor. 
 
 The honourable members of the municipal 
 council of Vermel, jealous of the laurels of 
 their colleagues of Paris, had decided that the 
 Sisters should be superseded by paid nurses, 
 and that the priests should never offer the con- 
 solations of religion to any patients, unless the 
 latter expressly desired such ministrations. 
 
 At a public meeting. Dr. Plemrn, being con- 
 sulted on this subject, thus replied : 
 
 "It is not for me to examine this question 
 from a religious or philosophical point of view ; 
 my private opinions have nothing to do with 
 the matter. My respect for liberty is well 
 known, and I consider liberty of conscience as 
 the most precious of all. I therefore shall give 
 my opinion merely as a doctor ; and, as a "doctor, 
 I do not hesitate to say I greatly prefer the 
 
 I, 
 
 «li'.i 
 
PROVINCIAL STRUGGLES 
 
 87 
 
 Sisters to paid nurses — not because I doubt 
 the kindness that any good women would show 
 to those confided to their care ; and poor women 
 are accustomed to fatigue, and know much of 
 human misery, from having had, alas ! practical 
 experience of it. But these women, happily 
 for them, have not renounced, as nuns have, all 
 family joys ; they have fathers, mothers, hus- 
 bands, children. How, then, can we suppose 
 that they would forget all these natural affec- 
 tions on crossing the threshold of a hospital ? 
 To suppose it, would be an insult to their ten- 
 derness of heart. What would happen at the 
 time when an epidemic should be raging around 
 them ? Would they not, naturally, be seized by 
 a fear of carrying the malady to those they love ? 
 Is it likely that the woman who is called home by 
 her own child would dare to hang over the bed 
 of another little creature dying of croup ? She 
 must be either a bad mother or a bad nurse ! 
 That is inevitable, because it is human. I have 
 no need to pursue this argument farther. It 
 must immediately strike those who judge things 
 from the point of view of the general welfare. 
 As to the priests, it is also by medical argu- 
 ments that I shall oppose their systematic 
 exclusion from hospitals. That you should 
 oppose the indiscreet offers of their ministra» 
 
Tir 
 
 W 
 
 ';■ ,:[:;! 
 
 88 
 
 THE CASE or DR. P LE M EN 
 
 ,M^ 
 
 
 
 
 kL 
 
 ^ 
 
 'i 
 
 tions to those who are terrified at the sight of 
 them, I grant yon ; for I myself, not only in the 
 hospital, but at any sick-bed, would oppose my 
 patient's condition being aggravated by in- 
 opportune visits from a priest. If I ordered 
 that a patient should be kept perfectly quiet, 
 nothing should be allowed to disturb him. If, 
 on the contrary, a suffering and dying man had 
 been brought up in strict faith, it is evident that 
 the sight of a priest would cause him no terror ; 
 but would comfort him, and give him hope and 
 courage. Why, then, should you drive away 
 the priest ? . ■ . i 
 
 " We doctors are allowed to use chloroform, 
 nitrous oxide, even hypnotism—in a word, any 
 anaesthetics to soothe the pain, not only of 
 those on whom we operate, but also of those 
 whose end is inevitable, imminent ; why, then, 
 deprive of the ministrations of the priest and 
 the consolations of religion, those who will feel 
 moral and physical comfort from them, as cer- 
 tain as if we administered to them the most pow- 
 erful anaesthetics } The nervous phenomenon 
 of insensibility to pain may be brought about 
 by mental excitement ; courage may be born of 
 the hope of a future life ; the patience to endure 
 sickness may have its source in beliefs you do 
 not share ; calmness may be given by religious 
 
PRO VINCI AL S TA UGGLES 
 
 89 
 
 be sight of 
 only in the 
 Dppose my 
 là by in- 
 
 I ordered 
 2Ctly quiet, 
 3 him. If, 
 y man had 
 vident that 
 
 no terror ; 
 1 hope and 
 Irive away 
 
 :hloroform, 
 word, any 
 )t only of 
 3 of those 
 why, then, 
 Driest and 
 will feel 
 m, as cer- 
 most pow- 
 enomenon 
 ght about 
 3e born of 
 to endure 
 fs you do 
 r religious 
 
 .11; 
 
 I 
 
 consolations which you deny. Now, calmness, 
 patience, courage, insensibility to pain, are the 
 things a doctor tries hardest to obtain for his 
 patients ; if he succeed, he often saves what 
 seem the most desperate cases. 
 
 "Why, then, refuse to science such powerful 
 auxiliaries when it is permitted, for the same 
 purposes, to use any known chemical agents ? 
 If atheism could comfort the patient by saying 
 to him, ' There is no God : there is nothing 
 after this life ; when the malady which is tortur- 
 ing you puts an end to your life, you will 
 utterly cease to exist ; ' I, a doctor, whose 
 mission it is to cure, would leave the atheist at 
 the bedside of my patients. How then can 
 you wish me to drive away him who says : 
 * Your pains here will be counted to you in a 
 better world ! God may do a miracle to save 
 you ! Death is deliverance, and brings eternal 
 joy ; ' and who in saying this, be it true or false, 
 gives the courage, calmness, patience, we 
 desire ? These are the reasons why, as a 
 doctor, I entreat the council not to deprive the 
 hospital of the Sisters or the priests !" 
 
 It may easily be imagined what an effect Dr. 
 Piemen's speech produced. Religious people 
 concluded from it that the learned doctor was a 
 believer, because, while using arguments which 
 
'■i "uv 
 
 i'i. 
 
 iri 
 
 m 
 
 ill. ;t 
 
 90 
 
 T//£ cash: of dr. plemen 
 
 were needed for the success of his cause, he 
 had, none the less, defended the priests and the 
 Sisters ; and the freethinkers judged him 
 according to their ideas ; since he had de- 
 manded, solely on medical grounds, the main- 
 tenance in the hospital of those whom they 
 wished to drive out. 
 
 As to the municipal councillors of Vermel, 
 who perhaps were a little afraid of the measure 
 they had proposed merely with a view to po- 
 pular applause, they secretly thanked the man 
 whose skill had enabled them to forego carry- 
 ing out their proposition. - ' ' ' 
 
 By this master-stroke Eric Piemen had 
 adroitly prepared all parties to support him as 
 a candidate for election. 
 
 Such was the chief town of Seine et Loire, 
 with its faults and good qualities jlS a large 
 provincial town, with its divisions into castes 
 and groups, at the moment of the marriage of 
 M. Deblain ; for, on landing at Havre, he had 
 telegraphed to his friend Piemen ; then he 
 had written to him that he should not stay in 
 Paris more than a week, and would soon be at 
 Vermel with his wife, a charming young 
 American, who had been Miss Rhea Panton. 
 
 Raymond ended his letter thus : 
 
 '• You see, my dear Eric, one has to come to 
 
 jiiiti'' 
 
PROVINCIAL STRUGGLES 
 
 91 
 
 anse, he 
 > and the 
 ;ed him 
 had de- 
 he main- 
 lom they 
 
 Vermel, 
 
 measure 
 
 w to po- 
 
 the man 
 
 ^o carry- 
 
 rten had 
 t him as 
 
 et Loire, 
 Î a large 
 to castes 
 rriage of 
 e, he had 
 then he 
 )t stay in 
 Don be at 
 young 
 Panton. 
 
 > come to 
 
 m 
 
 it, one must marry at last; you will come to it 
 yourself, because a doctor who is married and a 
 father inspires more confidence, and you will 
 find, even more easily than I, because you are 
 a learned, celebrated and handsome fellow, a 
 pretty little wife to make you happy. 
 
 " I hope, therefore, that you won't chaff me 
 too unmercifully. I shall have quite enough to 
 undergo at the hands of my aunt Dusortois, 
 especially when she learns that her new niece 
 is a Protestant. Now, she will be in despair 
 about my eternal welfare ! As for you, when 
 you know my wife, you will think of nothing 
 but envying me my fate.'' ^ • 
 
 On reading these lines, Piemen was for a 
 moment utterly amazed — we would not like to 
 affirm that he did not utter the word " idiot," in 
 thinking of his friend, but he soon recovered 
 from his surprise. Such was not the case with 
 the terrible aunt when she learnt that her 
 nephew had escaped her, at once as son-in-law, 
 and as a person whose fortune her daughters 
 might inherit. , , # . 
 
 • "I knew," she exclaimed, "that Raymond 
 would turn out badly !" 
 
 Not to have married her daughter, was "turn- 
 ing out badly," in the opinion of this estimable 
 lady. 
 
^ 
 
 
 iiQ.:»!,l, 
 
 ça 
 
 77/Zi CV46£ OF D/^. PLEMEN 
 
 In her anger she went about telling every one 
 how M. Dcblain was bringing from America 
 an adventuress, a good-for-nothing woman, to 
 whom he had given his name ! ' '' ^ • 
 
 During this time Rhea, living in the hand- 
 some apartments of her husband in the Boule- 
 vard Haiissmann, where the doctor and Ray- 
 mond had often entertained such gay company, 
 was making acquaintance with Paris, its theatres, 
 its promenades, its restaurants, its fashionable 
 milliners ; and she wrote to her sister : "r 
 
 "Since my arrival in France, or rather in 
 Paris, I have led a delightful life, every day 
 there has been some new pleasure. I have 
 everything I want, except you, my darling. 
 My husband is double my age, but in disposi- 
 tion he is as young as I am. None but 
 Frenchmen can be so favoured. Get married 
 as soon as you can, to some nice fellow who 
 will bring you here. I have been here a fort- 
 night, and, if I were single, I would marry even 
 my cousin Archibald for the sake of .staying here." 
 
 This letter crossed, on the ocean, the letters 
 from Rhea's family. In fact, a few days later, 
 Rhea received from Jenny news of those she 
 had left in Philadelphia. 
 
 " I could never tell you, dear sir- or," wrote 
 the young girl, " how dismal the hous'i has been 
 
Provincial struggles 
 
 93 
 
 [nee yon went away. Father and mother are 
 1st the same — he very indifferent, she gentle 
 id kind ; but now that you are no longer here, 
 am quite given over to the tender mercies of 
 [iss Gowentall and the Thompsons, father and 
 )n. • 
 
 ''Uncle Jonathan never spares me any of 
 lis sermons ; cousin Archibald keeps very close 
 
 me, for if I am not as pretty, or as gay, or as 
 ritty as you, I have just as good a fortune, 
 ^ut I have no more desire than you had to 
 icome his wife. 
 
 " As to Miss Gowentall, she took it into her 
 ;ad to learn to ride, so that she might accom- 
 iny me to Fairmount Park I Luckily, after 
 lalf a dozen lessons, our portly governess grew 
 Tightened, and gave it up. i *'.; m ^jî 
 
 " After that papa got me a groom to escort 
 le, and he looks very nice, with his cockade, 
 lis top-boots, and his tight-fitting coat, with a 
 )se in his button-hole. 
 
 " This steady young man, John, keeps about 
 
 ^enty yards behind me, but is no hindrance to 
 ii\,t dreadful Colonel Gould- Parker, who comes 
 lovvn on me like a thunder-clap with his ad- 
 Ircsses. He still seems to be extremely in lov(^ 
 rith me, and takes advantage of my loneliness, 
 low that you have left me. Ah, if he were a 
 
h: 
 
 hii 
 
 : ' 1 
 
 94 
 
 r//E CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 mere captain in the service of France, how 
 quickly would I marry him, so as to be with 
 you! Your poor Jenny loves you more than| 
 ever." , .,,. . . ^ : ,, ^. . ..-;,.. | 
 
 " The darling ! " said Rhea, crying a little, as 
 she read and re-read this letter ; " how I wish "^ 
 my father would bring her here ; we would soon| 
 find her a husband !" 
 
 After that she went about ransacking the! 
 shops, so as to send her sister all kinds of Pari- 
 sian novelties, in order to console her a little 
 and induce her to be patient. 
 
 This busy life on the part of the newly 
 married pair had lasted about a month, when 3 
 M. Deblain told Rhea that he was called home 
 by his business affairs; and one fine morning 
 they went by rail to Vermel — Rhea feeling a 
 little timid, for she did not know what kind of| 
 society she should find there ; Raymond alarmedj 
 about the reception his friends would give him, 
 especially Dr. Piemen, who, far from accepting} 
 his invitation to join him at the Boule vardl 
 Haussmann, had excused himself on account of| 
 his work, and had thus terminated the first d% 
 his letters : 
 
 '• Since you now have an uncle a clergyman, 
 he ought to have said to you what St. Paul 
 said to the Corinthians : * Art thou bound unto. 
 
ŒN 
 
 France, how 
 > to be with J 
 )u more thanj 
 
 insf a little, asl 
 
 " how I wish* 
 
 ^e would soon- 
 
 msacking the] 
 cinds of Pari- 
 e her a little" 
 
 PROVINCIAL STRUGGLES 
 
 91 
 
 wife ? seek not to be loosed ! Art thou loosed 
 rom a wife ? seek not a wife! He that giveth 
 ^is daughter in marriage, doeth well ; but he 
 lat giveth her not in marriage, doeth better.' ^ 
 'hus, you see, Rabelais and Molière were 
 llagiarists of the Apostles !" 
 
 Now, Deblain could not forget these sarcastic 
 [nes ; and, as he knew he could not measure his 
 'its against those of the doctor, he counted on 
 .hea's sweet smiles to vanquish him. 
 
 )f the newly 
 month, when I 
 s called home 
 fine morning 
 hea feeling a 
 what kind of^ 
 lond alarmed^ 
 uld give himJ 
 Dm accepting! 
 le Boulevard| 
 3n account of^ 
 d the first of,; 
 
 1 ■> 
 
 / / 
 
 \ ' 
 
 ■w 
 
 ) ■;. r 
 
 
 a clergyman- 
 hat St. Paul^ 
 1 bound untoi 
 

 ( 90 ) 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 m 
 
 •'■ tv 
 
 J = 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 IV 
 
 HOW DR. PLEMEN IS VANQUISHED 
 
 ,w 
 
 On leaving the carriage, the first person whom 
 Raymond saw was Eric Piemen. He wa^ 
 walking up and down the platform, aw\ûting 
 the arrival of the train. 
 
 After having warmly greeted him, Raymond 
 introduced him to Rhea, who offered him her 
 hand, saying very graciously : " I have known 
 you, Monsieur, a long time. My husband has 
 told me so much of your mutual affection that I 
 felt sure you would meet us here to bid us 
 welcome." ' ' - 
 
 " Madame," replied Piemen, ^ Raymond need 
 not have named you. He wrote to me that he 
 had married the prettiest woman in America. 
 That was sufficient ; I should have recognized 
 you immediately." 
 
 He had offered his arm to Madame Deblain, 
 whom he conducted to her carriage, and, as he 
 was leaving her, he gallantly kissed her hand 
 Her husband took his seat beside her. 
 
HOIV DR. PLEMEN IS VANQUISHED 
 
 97 
 
 " Are you not going home ? " asked Deblain. 
 
 " Not just yet," replied Eric ; " I must go to 
 the hospital, but I shall soon be back." 
 
 •' You will dine with us, I hope ? " 
 
 " Oh, I don't know whether I ought to accept 
 — the very day you arrive " 
 
 "Pray, do come, Moi.sieur," said Rhea, 
 smiling. 
 
 " It is agreed ; yovi may rely upon me." 
 
 Respectfully bowing to d , young lady, is the 
 carriage drove off, he murmured : 
 
 " If Raymond has done a foolish thing, he 
 has good excuse, for she is very lovely- -too* 
 beautiful, perhaps, considering how weak he is. 
 She is evidently a little person who will turn all 
 the heads in Vermel !" 
 
 Just then Rhea was saying to her husband : 
 
 " Monsieur Piemen is a delightful man ; he is 
 the kind of doctor I like ; and if all doctors 
 resembled him, sick people would be less afraid 
 of them." 
 
 It was plain that M. Deblain had been 
 right in reckoning on his wife's smiles to con- 
 quer his formidable friend. 
 
 That very evening, at dinner, Rhea com- 
 pleted her conquest; and the next day Eric 
 had quite pardoned his old friend for having 
 married, A fortnight later Rhea had com- 
 
 IT 
 
WW 
 
 98 
 
 THE CASE OF DU. PLEMEN 
 
 pletely won over everybody, male and female, 
 to whom her husband introduced her. 
 
 Every one agreed in thinking her equally 
 witty and pretty. They expected that she ;■ 
 would give quite a new impulse to the society 
 of the town ; and, as she had the tact to call at 
 once on the Protestant minister, and on the old 
 ladies who were at the head of the Reformed 
 Church, and to take her place among them, 
 there was soon a perfect chorus of praises sung 
 about the young American. 
 
 Besides, it was soon found out that Madame 
 Deblain was the daughter of a rich manufac- 
 turer of Philadelphia, Elias Panton, who was 
 well known in Vermel, with which town his 
 house had long done important business^, and 
 then everybody complimented the handsome 
 Raymond on his choice. j 
 
 > There were only his bachelor friends and a 
 few coquettish ladies, who were deprived by 
 his marriage of his attentions, who said he had 
 married a person much too young for him, and 
 who charitably predicted that he would rue it, 
 sooner or later. 
 
 We need hardly say that Deblain had taken 
 care to tell no one but his most intimate 
 friend the extremely American form in which 
 his marriage had taken place. Although the 
 
HO IV DR, PLEMEN IS VANQUISHED 
 
 99 
 
 words of this union, so lightly pronounced by 
 the Rev. Jonathan, in the garden of the Star 
 Tavern, had been legalized according to French 
 law, provincial prudery would never have 
 acknowledged it as a true marriage, had its 
 singular incidents been known\ However, we 
 must admit that the liking for Rhea was far from 
 being unanimous. First, Madame Dusortois, 
 to whose house M Deblain had taken his wife, 
 from mere motives of deference, and because . 
 he thought he ought to do so, received her 
 very stiffly, and had returned Rhea's visit 
 ivery unwillingly, and not accompanied by her 
 [daughters. 
 
 The avaricious old lady could not forgive 
 her nephew for having so completely ruined all 
 the hopes she had had of becoming his mother- 
 in-law, and she felt logically justified in hating 
 her who had taken the place of her elder 
 daughter. 
 
 In her small world, and with her strict, or 
 rather narrow, principles, Madame Dusortois 
 easily found people to agree with her ; and if 
 they had at first reserved their opinions, they 
 no longer dissimulated their envious feelings 
 concerning the new-comer, when they fourni 
 her sought after, flattered^^and giving parties to 
 which invitations were coAsidered a distinction. 
 
 II 2 
 
:=|'i 
 
 100 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 The wives of men of small property, of 
 office-holders, and of certain magistrates who 
 were obliged to live very economically, talked 
 of Madame Deblain as a feather-brainfîd 
 coquette, . who Avould ruin her husband and 
 render him ridiculous, and said she was certain 
 to come to a bad end. 
 
 According to these jealous spirits, it was 
 scandalous for a foreigner thus to take the 
 lead, and to brave public opinion, bringing her 
 American manners to a hitherto quiet place, 
 and setting a bad example to all young girls. 
 
 This was what was said, and what was 
 repeated, by Raymond's aunt and some of her 
 friends — among others, by Mesdames La- 
 chaussée and Babou, the wives of the Attorney- 
 General and of the Investigating Judge ; and 
 by others still, who, until the arrival of the 
 daughter of the rich American, had held a 
 certain rank, but who were now quite eclipsed. 
 It is true that the charming Madame Deblain 
 had neglected nothing — had, on the contrary, 
 done everything, though very innocently — to 
 draw down on herself this enmity and petty 
 jealousy. 
 
 Her husband, who loved her dearly, and 
 whose weakness of character we know, hav- 
 ing allowed her to arrange her household in 
 
now DR. PLËMËN ÏS VANQUISHED tôt 
 
 1er own fashion, his town-house, from having 
 )een merely comfortable, had become, in the 
 isteful hands of Rhea, the most elegant of 
 Iwellings. 
 
 The young lady's special apartments, con- 
 
 |iguous to those of her husband, on the first- 
 
 loor, would have made the most coquettish 
 
 *arisian envious. Everywhere there were the 
 
 lost expensive trifles, works of art, and 
 
 tncient tapestries, which she brought from 
 
 *aris at each of her visits. Her bath room 
 
 ras regarded as a wonder of luxurious arrange- 
 
 lent. 
 
 At the first large dinner-party that Deblain 
 
 ive to inaugurate his restored mansion, the 
 ible was strewn with flowers. Nobody had 
 ^ver seen anything of the kind in Vermel. 
 
 The garden, which had been merely kept 
 leat while Raymond was single, had been 
 [ransformed. Communicating with the ground- 
 loor, there was now a large conservatory, con- 
 lining all sorts of wonderful tropical plants and 
 [he rarest flowers. 
 
 The coach-houses no longer contained, as 
 hey once did, only the brougham and the dog- 
 irt of the master. There were also now a 
 rictoria and a phaeton, which Rhea herself 
 Irove ; and the stable, which formerly had held 
 
Pip,, 
 
 !::! if 
 
 III :, 
 
 liii 
 
 tpfiii 
 
 ^^■û- 
 
 
 103 
 
 T//£ CASE OF DR, PLEMEN 
 
 only the pair of carriage-horses and one saddle- 
 horse, was now augmented , by a pair of 
 ponies and a splendid mare, which Madame 
 Deblain rode almost every morning, either 
 accompanied by her husband or by such of 
 her lady friends as she had persuaded to join 
 her in her rides ; sometimes she rode alone, 
 followed at the usual distance by a most correctly 
 dressed groom. All this was considered quite 
 scandalous by the good citizens, who, not havino; 
 the means to do the same, asserted that such 
 amusements were in dreadfully bad taste. 
 
 Then Rhea brought forward the fashion of 
 playing croquet and lawn-tennis. Also they 
 had paper-chases in the beautiful woods which 
 surrounded the Malle, a country-house of her 
 husband's at three leagues from Vermel. She 
 had her five o'clock tea-parties, and many 
 imitated her. She organized fancy fairs, thea- 
 trical representations, and tableaiix-vivants ; and 
 then the society of the town divided into two 
 very decided parties. In the one, they wor- 
 shipped the beautiful American, the soul of all 
 fêtes and pleasures ;. in the other, they hated 
 her, and talked of her, plainly, as an abandoned 
 woman, and of her husband as a fool. 
 
 However, Piemen defended her always and 
 everywhere, affirming, what was true, that with 
 
EAt 
 
 HO IV DR. PLEMEN IS VANQUISHED 163 
 
 L one saddle- 
 
 a pair of 
 ch Madame 
 •ning, either 
 
 by such of 
 ided to join 
 rode alone, 
 est correctly 
 idered quite 
 ►, not having 
 d that such 
 
 taste, 
 le fashion of 
 
 Also they 
 voods which 
 ouse of her 
 ermel. She 
 
 and many 
 y fairs, thea- 
 /ivants ; and 
 ed into two 
 ;, they wor- 
 e soul of all 
 
 they hated 
 1 abandoned 
 3I. 
 
 always and 
 le, that with 
 
 [all her eccentric ways, Madame Déblai n was 
 a thoroughly virtuous woman. At last, as 
 Jhe was so eager to break lances in Rhea's 
 I defence, the good creatures did not fear to in- 
 jsinuate that the handsome doctor had fallen in 
 [love with the coquettish stranger. And all this 
 vvhen she had been only about six or eight 
 months married ! 
 
 The truth is that Piemen, who until now had 
 [cared only for flirtations, had fallen under the 
 [charm of Rhea, whom hp thought perfectly 
 >vely ; and, whilst living with the Deblains in 
 the freest intimacy, he had, almost unknown to 
 limsclf, glided down the declivity of such an 
 ill-absorbinof love as makes a slave of even the 
 strongest man ; for nothing had been changed 
 [in the relations of the friends ; and Deblain, 
 [just as when he was single, could do nothing 
 [without consulting Piemen. 
 
 The garden-gate which connected the two 
 [houses had remained unfastened ; nothing was 
 done by Rhea's husband without the advice of 
 IPlemen, which sometimes rather annoyed Rhea ; 
 [Erie's place at the dinner- table was always 
 [ready for him, and Raymond would hesitate 
 ibout going to Paris with his wife — a journey 
 they frequently made — if his inseparable friend 
 îould not accompany them, 
 

 104 
 
 TN£ CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 llil:iK:, 
 
 It was, in fact, in all honour, a household of 
 three. 
 
 * 
 
 Deblain was not passionately in love with 
 the woman who bore his name, but he was 
 proud of her beauty, of her elegance, of thei 
 part that she played, and made him play, ati 
 Vermel; he loved to have compliments paidj 
 to him about her, es[)ecially by the doctor, 
 who was rather embarrassed at having to playi 
 Gyges to this modern Candaule, for he was! 
 soon forced to admit to himself that his! 
 friend's wife was growing more and more dear' 
 to him. 
 
 He had even begun to think that Rhea had 
 done a foolish thing in marrying a man of in- 
 telligence so inferior to her own — of such a 
 commonplace type — so destitute of imagination; 
 having no ambition beyond that of getting on 
 in his business. 
 
 Why had not he accompanied Deblain to 
 Philadelphia } Very certainly it was him whom 
 the daughter of the rich Elias Panton would 
 have chosen, and he would not have needed 
 the intervention of the Reverend Jonathan to 
 become her husband. 
 
 Was not this marriage, as it had been accom- 
 plished, perfectly absurd "^ Was it not amply 
 proved that Miss Panton, in submitting to her 
 
household of 
 
 //OIV DR. PLËMËN IS VANQUISHED 105 
 
 uncle's will, had thought of nothing but getting 
 I away from her cousin Archibald, and coming to 
 live in France ? 
 
 When a friend, living with married people in 
 close intimacy, gives way to such reflections, 
 treacherous intentions are not far off. Pity for 
 the woman is often the cowardly excuse that a 
 man makes to himself when he designs to attack 
 the honour of another. 
 
 In his strange and fatal aberration, Piemen 
 soon came to saying to himself that, after all, he 
 [would be doing a humane action in consoling 
 the adorable creature who was so ill -mated, and 
 rho must be unhappy. 
 Now, as to the latter point, the doctor waé 
 [quite in the wrong. Madame Deblain neither 
 was, nor thought herself, an object of pity. 
 Certainly she was not much in love with her 
 I husband, but he was far from being disagreeable 
 !to her. Perhaps she might have liked him 
 better if he had been younger, less common 
 land prosaic, more ambitious ; but if Raymond 
 lacked these good qualities, at least he left his 
 •wife completely mistress of his house ; whatever 
 might be her expenditure, however extravagant 
 light be some of her fêtes and excursions, he 
 lever made the slightest objection to any- 
 thing. 
 
7^ 
 
 mi 
 
 "'''■'MiKS' 
 
 to6 
 
 TBE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 J': 
 
 ■■■ '■'"■"<'i?'llii,]ilt 
 
 ■I ;l 
 
 When circumstances were about at this pass, 
 Rhea received from her sister news for which 
 preceding letters had not prepared her. 
 
 Jenny wrote : " I am married ! Since yester- 
 day I have been the wife of Colonel Gould- 
 Parker, attaché to the United States Embassy 
 at Paris! You know now the reason for this 
 sudden marriage. Attaché to the Embassy in 
 Paris ! How could I resist that ? Besides, it is 
 only outwardly that .my husband is rough and 
 harsh. French manners will reform him, even 
 if the great love he has for me does not suffice 
 to do it. I wish yx^u could have seen cousin 
 Archibald's consternation when father told him 
 that he had sanctioned my marriage with Mr. 
 Gould- Parker ! He wandered about the house, 
 raising his hands and eyes heavenward ! You 
 would have thought,, to see him hanging round 
 mother, that he was in hopes she would find 
 him a third Miss Panton — that is, a third for- 
 tune of a hundred thousand dollars ! And then 
 
 , poor Miss GowentaJJ's despair! She could not 
 get over it till father promised her an annuity, 
 to indemnify her for the good care she had 
 taken of us. Then,, in the delirium of her grati- 
 tude, she threw herself into uncle Jonathan's 
 arms, as he happened to be just in the way, and 
 
 , over he went ! The reverend gentleman is a 
 
 3 
 
 ,:|j 
 
EN 
 
 HOW DR. PLEiMEN IS VANQUISHED 107 
 
 at this pass, | 
 ws for which 
 her. 
 
 Since yester- 
 
 lonel Gould- 
 
 tes Embassy 
 
 ison for this 
 
 : Embassy in 
 
 Besides, it is 
 
 is rough and 
 
 m him, even 
 
 2s not suffice 
 
 seen cousin 
 
 her told him 
 
 3io[e with Mr. 
 
 at the house, 
 
 ward ! You 
 
 norinof round 
 
 t would find 
 
 a third for- 
 
 ! And then 
 
 he could not 
 
 • an annuity, 
 
 are she had 
 
 of her grati- 
 
 2 Jonathan's 
 
 the way, and 
 
 itleman is a 
 
 widower, and he is poor ; can Miss Gowentall 
 be thinkhig 
 
 " Forofive me all this nonsense, dearest ; but 
 I am so happy at being married — no, I mean I 
 am so happy in the thought of seeing you 
 again soon : we sail in eight days, for the 
 Colonel has orders to join the Embassy imme- 
 diately. 
 
 " So I shall soon be with you ; we shall be 
 reunited, darling little sister ; and, to complete 
 my happiness, father has promised that he will 
 soon .come to France with mamma. I hope he 
 won't think of bringing uncle Jonathan and 
 cousin Archibald ! 
 
 " Good-bye then, dear Rhea, for a little while. 
 I feel sure that you will be in Paris to receive 
 n..e when I arrive." . '," ^ « 
 
 Madame Deblain's joy on reading this letter 
 may be imagined. She did not care whom 
 Jenny had married — Colonel Gould- Parker or 
 any other — so that she came to France ! She 
 should see her, should prove to her how unal- 
 tered was her love, and that was all she cared 
 about! Immediately after receiving the tele- 
 gram informing her that Mrs. Gould- Parker 
 had sailed on the America, she dragged 
 [: Raymond away to Havre, where, eight days 
 later, from the bridge of the steamer, Jenny 
 
 1 
 
io8 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 \ 
 
 V ■ 
 
 '-....J 
 
 
 J' ■ 
 1 ' 
 
 i ill 
 
 
 
 il 
 
 II 
 i ■.\; 
 
 ' . V-yV ■■■' ' ''■ ' !'" 
 
 recognized Rhea at the end of the jetty. Less] 
 than half an hour Liter the sisters were in each 
 other's arms, and the American colonel, stiff as 
 a ramrod, serious as a soldier on duty, was 
 vigorously shaking hands with M. Deblain, 
 and saying to him, in tones which would have] 
 suited a De Profundis : 
 
 "My dear brother-in-law, I am very happy] 
 to see you." 
 
 "Confound it!" thought Raymond, as hel 
 withdrew his benumbed fingers from the large 
 hand of the Yankee; ** marriage has not made- 
 this good colonel any more sprightly !" 
 
 Indeed the colonel, whilst trying to be: 
 gracious, lost nothing of his stern aspect 
 When he smiled it was like the grin of a wild 
 beast. ' . 
 
 He was a tall, thin, muscular man, always 
 severely buttoned up in military style, even à 
 when he was wearing a morning-coat ; with an 
 intelligent but harsh countenance. 
 
 He was supposed to be extremely fond ofj 
 his profession, excessively ambitious, and still 
 more jealous. He was one of those terrible 
 husbands always ready to twist the necks ofj 
 those who look with too much admiration at 
 their wives, and to make a widower of himself; 
 at the mere suspicion of infidelity on the parti 
 
 
//OIV DR. PLEMEN IS VANQUISHED 109 
 
 of her who had the happiness to bear his 
 name. 
 
 During the voyage he had almost got himself 
 into a dozen duels ; however, so far, Jenny had 
 not suffered much from the jealousy of her 
 Pennsylvanian Othello — at least, she did not 
 seem to pay much heed to it. 
 
 The next day the party set out for Paris, 
 where the colonel and his wife occupied the 
 apartments of Dr. Piemen in the Boulevard 
 Haussmann until they could find rooms to suit 
 them, and get them furnished ; consequently, for 
 a fortnight, the sisters were constantly running 
 about with this end in view, and Mr. Gould- 
 Parker could hardly get Jenny away from 
 Madame Deblahi lonij enouijh to make the 
 official visits which they owed to the important 
 members of the American colony in Paris. 
 
 Raymond, whose business called him to 
 Vermel, had returned there alone. His wife was 
 not to rejoin him until Mrs. Parker should be 
 established in her new home in the Rue 
 " Dumont d'Urville, close to the United States 
 Legation, and, from that time forward, Rhea's 
 journeys became more and more frequent; for if 
 the colonel had come to spend a few days at 
 Vermel with Jenny, his jealousy, which Parisian 
 life rendered more intense, would not have let 
 
 >\ 
 
"' mp 
 
 i :. 
 
 
 no 
 
 TBE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 
 f'Jiiil.i!!,- 
 
 I 
 
 him authorize her quitting Paris unless he 
 accompanied her. 
 
 Madame Deblain, like a veritable American, 
 was always travelling to and fro. For the 
 merest trifle she would jump into a train, alone 
 or with her husband ; would go to her sister's 
 house morning, noon, or night, often without 
 even sending a telegram to announce her arrival. 
 The three hours' journey which separated her 
 from Paris was a mere nothing. 
 
 It may be imagined what hold these continual 
 absences from home gave to the enemies of 
 Rhea — what scandal and gossip they gave rise 
 to, especially on the part of Madame Dusortois, 
 who, however, knew perfectly well that her 
 niece went to Paris to be with' her sister. 
 
 As to Jenny, it needed but a very few months 
 for her to become a complete Parisian. She 
 was talked of as one of the prettiest and most 
 elegant of the American ladies. The ** Society 
 papers" mentioned her dresses, her courage as 
 a horsewoman, and she soon- had her drawing- 
 rooms crowded with artists, literary men, and 
 the celebrities of all kinds with whom rich 
 Americans love to surround themselves. 
 
 This kind of life was rather a source of 
 anxiety to the colonel, but his flattered pride 
 silenced his conjugal fears. Besides, his wife's 
 
r^ 
 
 ko W DE. PIEMEN IS VANQ UISHED 1 1 i 
 
 ). 
 
 unless he 
 
 e American, 
 For the 
 train, alone 
 her sister's 
 
 ten without 
 
 : her arrival. 
 
 parated her 
 
 se continual 
 enemies of 
 y gave rise 
 : Dusortois, 
 I that her 
 ster. 
 
 few months 
 isian. She 
 t and most 
 - " Society 
 courage as 
 r drawing- 
 men, and 
 ^hom rich 
 
 ÎS. 
 
 source of 
 
 :red pride 
 
 his wife's 
 
 conduct was irreproachable, even to the most 
 censorious. 
 
 There was a murmur of admiration whenever 
 the sisters arrived together at the Comédie 
 Française, at the Opéra, or in any of the 
 drawing-rooms to which their fortune and beauty 
 gave them access. This caused Rhea to regret 
 that she did not live altogether in Paris — that 
 she only appeared now and then like a meteor, 
 instead of shining steadily as a star. 
 
 When she returned to Vermel she took 
 Piemen into her confidence, and said to him, 
 with one of those bright smiles which were her 
 greatest charm : 
 
 " Doctors order their most robust patients to 
 watering-places, when the ladies have a desire 
 to go there. They ought also to discover a 
 malady for which a residence in Paris is the 
 necessary cure." 
 
 The gallant doctor hastened to reply, while 
 keeping in his own hands, much longer than was 
 necessary to feel her pulse, the hand of the 
 young lady : 
 
 " Indeed, a country tov/n is quite unworthy of 
 you. If I had had the happiness to be your 
 husband, I should have taken you away from 
 here long ago — away from this hole, which, 
 however, you have greatly improved. How 
 
 •..<i* 
 
ilii'i 'v 
 
 
 Hi 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEr4 
 
 could you think of marrying Raymond ? It is 
 true that the marriage was the work of your 
 uncle Jonathan. But Deblain, do what you 
 will with him, will never be more than a 
 commonplace man, incapable of understanding 
 you." 
 
 Sometimes Rhea, in a light-hearted way, 
 laughed at these speeches of the doctor ; some- 
 times, on the contrary, she would blush, and 
 withdraw her hand indignantly, saying, with a 
 certain firmness : • ' " , -r-.v 
 
 "You forget, Dr. Piemen, that Raymond is 
 your friend — and my husband!" ' - " '*"' '" 
 
 This was the answer of an honourable-minded 
 woman, but the doctor would answer with the 
 most perfect cynicism : 
 
 " Oh, no, I do not forget it ; that is what so 
 enrages me." Then he would add, in tones of 
 mere pleasantry : . ' - ■ ... 
 
 " Thanks to a verv intelliorent member of 
 Parliament from the South, we have the divorce 
 laws, just as you have in America ! Now, if a 
 pretty woman gets divorced in the provinces, it 
 must be because she wishes to go and live in 
 Paris — with the husband of her choice." 
 
 When Piemen expressed himself thus, Rh(»a 
 was obliged to laugh ; but as the great city and 
 its pleasures haunted her mind more and more 
 
 m 
 
 \\\ 
 
A^ 
 
 HOW DR. PLEMEN IS VANdUTSHED tij 
 
 ond ? It IS 
 3rk of your 
 what you 
 )re than a 
 derstaniding 
 
 arted way, 
 :tor ; some- 
 blush, and 
 ing, with a 
 
 Laymond is 
 
 ble-minded 
 r with the 
 
 is what so 
 n tones of 
 
 .-1. v. 
 
 Tiember of 
 :he divorce 
 Now, if a 
 •ovinces, it 
 nd live in 
 
 e. 
 
 >» 
 
 :hus, Rlu.'a 
 It city and 
 and more 
 
 incessantly, she more and more Parisian ized the 
 society of Vermel, with which she did just as 
 she pleased, to the great scandal of Madame 
 Dusortois, but to the delight o/ M. Deblain. 
 
 As to him, he thought his wife could do no 
 wrong ; and the day she returned from Paris, 
 bringing plans for a theatre to be built at the 
 Malle, at the end of the garden, and adjoining 
 the conservatory, he expressed himself delighted 
 
 [with the project, which, as soon as it was known, 
 
 [elicited great applause from all the friends of 
 
 [the beautiful American. 
 
 They would be able to have plays in a real 
 theatre, just as they did in Pari^, at the houses 
 )f the Duchess of X. and the Marchioness of Z. ! 
 livery one was delighted, and began discussing 
 tlie parts each would perform in the coming 
 
 ,plays. ■■ •■' -' -^ ■ • '^^''-5 ■• ' V •■' ;^t'' 
 
 As to Raymond, when Rhea introduced to 
 
 [him M. Felix Barthey, whose acquaintance she 
 had made at her sister's house, and whom he had 
 
 [met in society in Paris, he said to the artist : 
 
 " AiTange it all with Madame Deblain ; make 
 ^'ourself quite at home here and at the château. 
 
 [I approve beforehand all the arrangements you 
 may make in concert with her, only try not to 
 )reak up all the park, and don't be too extra- 
 vagant." 
 
114 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 Although Felix Barthey was not much past 
 thirty, he was considered one of the first artists 
 of the Jay, and his smallest pictures sold for 
 high prices. Success had come to him more ^ 
 easily than to many of his brethren, because he 
 had come to Paris as a man of fortune, which 
 he mnerited from his father, a rich merchant of 
 Lyons, to whose business his elder brother, 
 Armand, had succeeded. Felix, having a veri- 
 table vocation for art, had worked assiduously ; 
 and, from the commencement of his career, had 
 been noticed by the public. He had also re- 
 ceived the gold medal for the first picture he | 
 exhibited. 
 
 Besides this, during the war, he had volun- 
 teered, when he was under twenty, into a 
 marching regiment, and had won a medal on | 
 the field of battle. Thus he had everybody's 
 good word ; and, being handsome, witty, and 
 enterprising, his handsome house, in the Rue 
 d'Offémont, was visited by all the Parisian 
 • celebrities. , 
 
 It is easy to imagine that he and Madame 
 Deblain soon understood each other; and, as 
 they had full permission from Raymond, they 
 hastened to arrange their plans. It was then 
 the month of June, and the impatient Rhea, 
 who was to spend part of the summer at Trou* 
 
//OIV DR. PLEMEN IS VANQUISHED 
 
 115 
 
 ville with her sister, was determined that her 
 theatre should be ready by the winter. 
 
 During her absence the rough work could be 
 done ; on her return from the seaside, M. Barthey 
 would come to the château to paint the curtain 
 and the scenery. 
 
 It would have been Impossible for Madame 
 Deblain not to feel some affection and gratitude 
 for so indulgent a husband. Therefore, all who 
 sighed for her, Piemen included, wasted their 
 si<^hs and their time. The scandal-mongers 
 of Vermel were quite mistaken ; and Raymond 
 [was perfectly right to live, as he did, in the 
 [most perfect peace of mind. He was always 
 happy and cheerful, and did not observe the 
 'changes which were taking place in the dis- 
 position and manners of his friend the doctor. 
 Consequently, he was amazed when Piemen 
 said to him one morning, after Madame 
 Deblain had been about a fortnight at Trou- 
 , ville: 
 
 " Your wife is certainly irreproachable ; but 
 you do wrong to leave her at the seaside alone 
 with Madame Gould-Parker. Both the ladies 
 are too young and pretty to live at such a 
 place without giving rise to ill-natured rc- 
 ' larks." 
 
 v"Are you piad?" answered Raymond. 
 
 I a 
 
Ii6 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 " First, Rhea and Jenny are not alone/ Is 
 not the terrible colonel with them ? When the 
 colonel is there " 
 
 " Yes ; but the colonel will soon be gone, 
 and if he takes his wife with him, yours ^' "^ 
 remain quite alone, at the mercy of all the idle 
 men — who disappear invariably as the husbands' 
 train arrives." 
 
 ** The jealous men's train ! " said Raymond, 
 in that jesting tone which his marriage did not 
 hinder him from using. " Don't be afraid ; 
 Parker will go to Japan without his wife. It is 
 greatly against his inclination that he goes alone, 
 but it is decided that his wife shall remain in 
 Paris under our care." 
 
 Fearing to betray himself, Piemen answered 
 nothing. It was his love for Rhea, much more 
 than care for his friend's honour, which made 
 him uneasy about her. He shrugged his 
 shoulders, and turning away from Raymond he 
 muttered : » • - , 
 
 *' C'/:onels or not — they are all alike 1 " 
 
 •\\. 
 
 '▼ ■• •" r»^» •}• r- -, 
 
f Uf 
 
 ■Tm 
 
 .> ' ^ 
 
 I n 
 
 ;» >. 
 
 -J 
 
 V» 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 
 !! 
 
 THE BEAUTIFUL MRS. GOULD-PARKER 
 
 Colonel Gould-Parker was indeed on the 
 point of quitting France. His sojourn in 
 Paris, as military attaché to the United States 
 Leijation, had been but a step towards a dis- 
 tant and more important mission. He had just 
 been appointed by his Government to inspect 
 the mihtary estabHshments of Japan and of te 
 north of China. He was also to study certain 
 points around Behring's Strait. 
 
 Jenny's husband had at first thought of re- 
 fusing this appointment, which would keep him 
 absent from her a year ; for he could not think 
 of taking his wife with him. But ambition, 
 love of his profession, patriotism, and perhaps 
 fear of ridicule, had made him hide his jealous 
 feelings ; and he had decided, as Deblain had 
 told Piemen, to leave his wife in Paris, having 
 first made his brother and sister-in-law promise 
 that they would never lose sight of her. 
 
•i 
 
 I 
 
 " 
 
 
 
 |i!i!f!i 
 
 
 MiiJil 
 
 ii8 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 His departure was to be at the end of 
 August, just when Madame Deblain was to 
 return to Vermel, or rather to the Malle, there 
 to remain till the end of the summer. 
 
 It had been arranged that Jenny should stay 
 in the country with Rhea till the winter — for 
 the jealous husband, these three months passed 
 far from Parisian temptations was so much 
 gained — and then the sisters would often be 
 together, either in Vermel or in Paris. '"''"'' 
 
 The terrible Yankee never imagined that 
 there would be as much gaiety (and perhaps 
 more danger) at his sister-in-law's house as there 
 could be anywhere. At Paris, whatever people 
 may say or suppose, the virtue of women runs 
 less risk than in the isolation of some small 
 towns. ' ' '- ' ' 
 
 In Paris women are more on their guard; 
 they know they have to do with those who 
 will take advantage of every turn of fortune. 
 Besides, if their friends are numerous, if they 
 receive many people and go out a good deal, 
 they will not have much time for love-making. 
 The Parisian, having to attend church and fancy 
 bazaars— having to make her appearance at the 
 Bois, to see her dressmakers and milliners, &c. 
 — could she possibly find time for all the phases 
 of a romantic love affair ? — to write letters, make 
 
 ilil 
 
THE BEAUTIFUL MRS. GOULD-PARKER 119 
 
 appointments, and, above all, keep them ? 
 Parisian women who fall in the midst of this 
 busy existence are generally those whose virtue 
 has always been of a doubtful kind. 
 
 In the provinces the reverse is the case. 
 The obstinate pursuit by lovers — the books, 
 the solitude, and vacancy of mind incident 
 to married life — all war against conjugal hap- 
 piness. 
 
 But neither Madame Deblain nor her sister 
 seemed to have anything of this kind to fear, 
 since they had, as it were, transported Paris to 
 Vermel. ,-.; < .i ,,,.,., 
 
 Be this as it may, the colonel departed, feel- 
 5 ing only half comforted. And his wife soon 
 had the proof of it by receiving from him — 
 dated Suez, Point de Galle, and Singapore — 
 long letters, in which he spoke to her, in 
 almost threatening language, of the conduct a 
 good wife should observe in the absence of her 
 husband. 
 
 Rhea, to whom she read these letters, laughed 
 heartily at them ; and Jenny, who was not 
 dreaming of any adventures, soon forgot the 
 fierce letters of her husband, and gave herself 
 up to the frivolous life led by her sister and hei 
 sister's friends. 
 
 The famous theatre was built, and Felix 
 
•.(;/' 
 
 120 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 ■ i . ' ' 
 
 i'liiii 
 
 !!iiil 
 
 Barthcy was painting the scenery as fast as 
 he could. 
 
 Whenever they were not in Paris, at Vermel, 
 or out ridinor, the sisters spent all their time 
 in the painting-room — two conservatories from 
 which the plants had been cleared out : there 
 Felix sketched, altered, and re-paintcd accord- 
 ing to the fancies of the girls, in the midst of 
 bursts of laughter, of the arrival of visitors ; 
 living in a delightful intimacy, in which the 
 artist, in his white painting-dress, smudged 
 here and there with colours, like a harlequin's 
 dress, completely forgot his important work in 
 Paris. / ^ ..', ,:; ■ : /, - y ■ -:, ,.,"-•- ' •■.■\. 
 
 In the evening, in the great hall of the 
 house— where they had arrived at the begin- 
 ning of autumn — Felix Barthey gave out and 
 explained the characters and the pieces that 
 were to be played in the course of the winter, 
 and M. Deblain was deliofhted at his wife's 
 happiness ; for the good man, whose busin(*ss 
 kept him all day at Vermel, never appeared at 
 the Malle except on Sundays at dinner-time. 
 
 Piemen came very rarely to the country-house, 
 notwithstanding the numerous and pressing in- 
 vitations of Raymond. In order to excuse 
 himself, he alleged that he was obliged to give 
 up much time to a report on an.xsthetics, which 
 
THE BEAUTIFUL MRS. GOULD-PARKER 121 
 
 1 
 
 he intended sending to the Academy of Medi- 
 cine, and by which he expected to advance him- 
 self with that learned body. The doctor was 
 no less ambitious of becomingr celebrated in his 
 ov/n profession than he was of being a politician ; 
 and when he dfd appear at his friend's house, 
 it was generally to find fault with what was 
 going on, however gracious Rhea and her sister 
 might be to him. Then he would return home 
 in worse humour than when he came. 
 
 Deblain, who felt the same friendship for 
 Eric as he had ever felt, could not understand 
 this change, which he could not help seeing ; 
 but he was far from supposing Eric to be in 
 love with his wife ; hc^ thought he was vexed 
 with him for having freed himself from his 
 influence to bow to that of another ; that he 
 was dull from havinor to live so much alone, 
 and to forego that life of pleasure they two 
 had once shared. The unsuspicious man was, 
 as we know, mistaken. 
 
 The thing that was preying upon the doctor 
 was his growing passion for Rhea, and the 
 jealousy he felt at her intimacy with Felix 
 Barthey. i - ' ., 
 
 He was persuaded that the artist was paying 
 court to Madame Deblain ; besides, he heard it 
 hinted that the prolonged stay of the Parisian 
 
 li 
 
 
 I 
 
if 
 
 122 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 ■•''\ 
 
 at the Malle had given rise to great suspicion. 
 It appeared to him impossible, with his low 
 opinion of woman's virtue, that this artist — 
 gay, handsome, and enterprising — should not 
 very soon be master of this frivolous and 
 coquettish American, who could not possibly 
 love her husband. •= » ^ ' ^'^ .' .v 
 
 Then he was furious at Raymond's blindness 
 — a blindness he would have been glad of, had 
 he been the favoured lover he supposed Felix to 
 be. However, he saw plainly he could neither 
 play the part of informer, nor of Cato, without 
 either getting himself laughed at or denounced. 
 
 At last, no longer able to contain himself, he 
 determined to have a decisive explanation with 
 "Rhea. '\ " ' ^ ' • ■.. !/• ■ •■' ' :> ''■"■ :':'^v> 
 
 The occasion was soon offered to him, for, 
 about the end of October, Mrs. Gould- Parker 
 had returned for a few weeks to Paris, and her 
 sister had taken up her abode at Vermel ; but 
 she went every day to the Malle, where Felix 
 was finishing the curtain of the theatre. The 
 opening of this famous theatre was fixed to take 
 place during the Christmas holidays. 
 
 Madame Deblain intended to imitate the 
 English fashion, and have parties at her 
 country-house during the winter, which plan 
 met with great applause from her friends» 
 
THE BËÀUTÏFVL MRS. COtJLD-PÀRKEÈ îi3 
 
 The young lady was therefore constantly 
 going to and from the château. Very often 
 she had lunch there, and only returned to town 
 for dinner, with her " great artist," as she called 
 Fehx. * , . • ' . '^ ^ .. . ; 
 
 One morning Piemen entered his friend's 
 hou«e just as Rhea was about to drive off in 
 her phaeton. 
 
 " Ah ! is that you, doctor ? " said she with a 
 smile, on seeing her neighbour, whom she had 
 not seen for several dayo. " So early as this ! 
 To what do we owe this good fortune ? " 
 
 " Simply, dear Madame," replied Eric, press- 
 ing the hand which Raymond held out to him, 
 " simply because my patients leave me a little 
 liberty to-day." ' .. . ' 
 
 " Then go with me to the Malle. Yoa shall 
 see my theatre." 
 
 Madame Deblain thus met half-way the desire 
 Piemen felt to be alone with her. 
 
 *' Come," said Raymond, " be amiable for 
 once! It is a fine day, you will have a pleasant 
 drive. Besides, I shall be glad to have your 
 opinion on what my wife calls her 'splendid 
 theatre.' " 
 
 " All right," said Eric, wondering to himself 
 at Raymond's blindness ; and, as Rhea made 
 room for him on her left, he got into the car- 
 
 m 
 

 ê • 
 
 »n 
 
 r//E CASE OF Dk. PLEMËN 
 
 riagc 
 
 Ir; U:k ■lift 
 
 The groom jumped into his seat, and 
 Rhea, saluting her husband with her whip, drove 
 out of the courtyard. ' ' " ..' 
 
 Five minutes later, the phaeton was spinning 
 alonof the hiL>h-road to the château. 
 
 Whilst keeping a firm hand over her horses, 
 Rhea chatted with her usual liveliness. She 
 told her companion of her great theatrical 
 projects ; she related to him the surprises she 
 had in store for her guests, who would come 
 not only from Vermel, but from Paris. She 
 spoke with delight of the fury of these idiotic 
 provincials, and m.ean little households of petty 
 judges, such as the Lachausées, the Babous, and 
 others, who were compelled to be puritanical 
 and hypocritical; of their fury when they saw 
 that she was visited not only by the families 
 of the great manufacturers of the country but 
 also by a rrood number of the ladies of the old 
 aristocracy. ■ -; ^ y ; 
 
 It was true that Madame Deblain had con- 
 quered ail the best society in Vermel by her 
 elegance, her beauty, her irreproachable conduct, 
 and her inexhaustible charity to the poor, and 
 they therefore forgave her rather worldly ways. 
 
 Piemen listened, and only answered her in 
 approval of what she said, but he spoke rather 
 mechanically. He was thinking of the very 
 
 
THE BEAUTIFUL MRS. GOULD-PARKER 125 
 
 different things he wished to converse about, 
 [but, with tbe servant close at hand, it was im- 
 possible to speak ; he therefore decided to put 
 off to a more opportune moment the explana- 
 tion he was determined to have with his friend's 
 wife. 
 
 Rhea had never seemed to him more lovely 
 than as he looked at her perfect profile and her 
 figure, which was well defined by her jacket of 
 dark red velvet, trimmed with fur. 
 
 Being seated on a high cushion, she looked 
 down on him. With her bright complexion, her 
 red lips, the little curls of black hair which 
 escaped here and there from her fur cap, her 
 arms gracefully extended, in the efforts she was 
 obliged to make to keep her horses in hand — a 
 movement which threw forward her bust — she 
 was most seductive. 
 
 Seeing her thus, Eric, in spite of his desire 
 to be alone with her, fancied that but a few 
 minutes had passed since they left Vermel, 
 when the carriage, having passed the gates of 
 La Malle, stopped before the entrance to the 
 château. 
 
 The groom was already at the horses' heads, 
 and Madame Deblain had alighted before 
 Piemen awoke from his dream. 
 
 " Well, doctor, are you not coming ? " said 
 
 
1 2e 
 
 The Case of ùk. plemen 
 
 I » 
 
 II ! 
 
 Rhea as she slowly ascended the marble 
 stairs. - ^ ' '- " 
 
 Instead of going round the house to get to 
 the theatre, at the end of the garden, she was 
 going to pass through the hall, which, dividing 
 the ground-floor of the house into two parts, 
 was the means of communication with the two 
 sides of the building. 
 
 r Closed on each side 'by wide double glass 
 doors, this hall was like a large room, which, 
 even at this season, and at noon, was but dimly 
 lighted. "^ '" '^ ■ 
 
 Madame Deblain had just entered the hall 
 when Piemen overtook her. 
 
 They were alone ; the servants were busy 
 about the carriage, and the porter, after closing 
 the gates, had returned to his lodge. The cook 
 and the rest of the servants who had remained 
 at die Malle to wait on Felix Barthey and his 
 men, all lived in the basement. As to the artist 
 and his two helpers, they were at work in the 
 theatre. ' ' 
 
 " This Monsieur Barthey must make you pay 
 pretty handsomely for all this daubing," said 
 Piemen to Rhea, taking her gently by the arm. 
 . , ** Oh, daubing !" she replied, laughing. " How 
 you talk! My painter is a very great artist! 
 1:1 is work is beautiful, as you will see," 
 
THE BEAUTIFUL MRS, GOULD-PARKER 127 
 
 r(;at artist 1 
 
 " All the more reason for the price of his 
 work being very high." 
 
 " You are mistaken ; Monsieur Barthey is 
 doing it all because of his friendship for us. 
 Our theatre has become his also." 
 
 " It is from mere friendship that he has quitted 
 all his friends, all his occupations in Paris, for 
 months past?" ' - ', * : '■ 
 
 " Absolutely ; for mere friendship." 
 " I cannot believe it ! " ; </' - 
 
 " Then what do you think is his motive ? " 
 Madame Deblain's voice sounded a little 
 anxious. She took a step forward, but Eric, 
 whose paleness she did not observe, stopped 
 her again, saying : 
 
 " Because he loves you I " ^ ' ^ 
 
 "Monsieur Barthey loves me!" she ex- 
 claimed ; •' n ; r^ood friend, you are mad !" ♦ ' ' 
 " Yes. I am mad ! Mad with love and jea- 
 lousy 1 /ih, forgive me for speakiiAg so abruptly, 
 but for vix months this secret V been stifling 
 me I I love you, and your intimacy with this 
 man tortures me I " 
 
 Piemen had seized Rhea's hand, and he felt 
 
 it I remble in his own. H e thought it v/as from 
 
 fear, for she kf^pt srit-jice. 'xvA tried to escape 
 
 from his grasp. ,^ 
 
 ** You can underb.: nd ti^at for a man like me 
 
 "i-^i 
 
 m 
 
 &;•< 
 
l,i (• 
 
 'm 
 
 128 
 
 THE CASE OF DR, PLEMEN 
 
 to come to such a confession, love must be even 
 stronger than will. Before you came to Vermel, 
 I lived only for my work and ambition. Ah, I 
 was far from imagining that so powerful a feeling 
 as that with which you have inspired me could 
 ever take possession of my being ! I, the 
 indefatigable worker, the learned man, as 
 you call me ; the sceptic, ■ ^ j invulnerable 
 man, as I believed myself to he, I love — 
 I love to madness! And I love a woman 
 who is bound to one man, and whose heart 
 is another's ! " • i- , 
 
 " Ah ! that is not true, I swear to you ! " she 
 answered as she withdrew her hand. . ,, 
 
 "If Monsieur Barthey is not your lover, then 
 he is your sister's," said Eric roughly. 
 
 Madame Deblain uttered a cry of horror aav 
 returning to Piemen, she took his hand?., .ilnng 
 him in terrified accents : 
 
 '' Who dares say that ? You ? Oh, no, 3^011 
 cannot think it. You have never heard any one 
 accuse Jenny, have you ? 7ou ôo not know the 
 danger she wuukl incur if such a calumny were 
 spread abv ut! Her husband would kill her for 
 a mere suspicion ! My poor little sister ! Come; 
 now, tell me, is (here any one who douuts the 
 good conduct of Madame Goukl-Parker ? Ah, 
 it is too horrible " 
 
THE BEAUTIFUL MRS. GOULD-PARKER 129 
 
 Rheas beautiful eyes were filled with tears, 
 ind her voice was broken with sobs. 
 
 Not understanding this violent emotion, 
 Memen kept silence. 
 
 " I beg of you to tell me," repeated Madame 
 )eblain, placing her hands on the doctor's 
 shoulders, " has any one ever said before you 
 [hat Jenny had been false to her husband } " 
 
 " No ; no one has ever uttered a word of the 
 :ind," said Eric at last, " and I do not believe 
 iny one has ever thought it ; it is you who have 
 )een suspected — who are suspected ! " 
 
 " I ! Oh, if it is I, I care not ! " 
 
 She uttered these words with a nervous laugh. 
 
 " What, it is a matter of indifference to you ! 
 lut to me — to me, who love you I I was right, 
 then ! " 
 
 " You are no more right than are those who 
 
 lare to suspect my sister. • Come now, let us 
 
 lîk to each other as friends should. Do you 
 
 Imagine I had not found out the affection you 
 
 Jeel for me .?" 
 
 ''Afeciion!" ' 
 
 "Well, love, then ! Women always see such 
 lings as that ; and if you had not kept away 
 rom us like a savage ; if you had been one of 
 IS, as you used to be ; if you had been at our 
 ^tes, our parties, and had helped us in our 
 
 K 
 
 m 
 
i ft, r 
 
 i' 
 
 1, ^ ■ 
 
 f 
 
 
 >]i^ 4 
 
 É; 
 
 i i 
 
 r 
 
 1 1,1 
 
 1^ 
 
 130 
 
 i'T/A^ C/i6YC OF DR, PLEMEN 
 
 work, you would soon have seen that there is 
 nothing between Monsieur Barthey and me but 
 a kind of good-fellowship, which is the result of 
 our having the same kind of disposition and tastes. 
 Do you suppose that, if I were in love with my 
 r ^at painter, 1 should be as familiar with him 
 -i- ^ am ? You can know nothing of us daughters 
 of Eve ! Do we not always in public wear a 
 mask of indifference towards the one for whom 
 we care most ? " 
 
 *' If that be the case, I have a right to believe 
 that you love me ; for it would be impossible to 
 give any one a more 'cy reception than you have 
 given me for a long time past ! " 
 
 It would be difficult to express the bitter 
 irony with which the doctor spoke these last 
 words. 
 
 ** You are again mistaken," said Madame 
 Deblain, becoming mistress of herself ; " I ought 
 not to love you, and I will not I will never 
 betray the confidence nor bring dishonour on 
 the name of him who is your friend and my 
 husband ; still, I do not hesitate to tell you that 
 if, while I was free, I had met you, no other 
 man could have touched my heart." 
 
 " Rhea 1 My dear Rhea ! " cried Eric, wild 
 with joy, as he tried to clasp her in his arms. 
 
 " Ah, pardon me," said she, evading his em- 
 
there is 
 i me but 
 
 result of 
 .nd tastes. 
 ; with my 
 with him 
 laughters 
 ic wear a 
 for whom 
 
 to believe 
 ►ossible to 
 t you have 
 
 THE BEAUTIFUL MRS. GOULD-PARKER 131 
 
 brace ; " if I have made this confession to you, 
 it is because I feel strong enough to defend 
 myself; it is because I wish to calm you, to 
 appease your jealousy, and to remain your 
 friend. Will you let it be so ? " 
 
 She frankly and kindly held out her hand 
 to him, and he took it in his, covered it with 
 kisses, and spoke not a word ; but he was con- 
 quered. 
 
 " There, that is well ! " said she with an 
 adorable smile ; " now give me your arm, and 
 we will go and see my theatre, and pay our 
 compliments to Monsieur Barthey 1 " 
 
 "lt!r?:Tf' 
 
 
 ■ i 
 
 j" ; 
 
 :|;:|- 
 
 
 the bitter 
 these last 
 
 ''\ ■ r^ '■■ ' 
 
 Madame 
 ; " I ought 
 vill never 
 lonour on 
 i and my 
 1 you that 
 
 no other 
 
 u .-,>.;• 
 
 •' / 
 
 V, 
 
 i- 
 
 Eric, wild 
 s arms, 
 ig his em- 
 
 K 9 
 

 : il 
 
 
 mm 
 
 \& 
 
 m 
 
 i 
 
 :f 
 
 ( 132 ) 
 
 'f j Vi-:/ -'' 
 
 .'i. 
 
 ^4. 
 
 ! . ;« ■ 7 
 
 ^;j 
 
 > i 
 
 CHAPTER Vil 
 
 '/,' 
 
 ..!■ 
 
 SUDDEN AMBITION 
 
 From the earliest days of December, the winter 
 season had begun at Vermel, in the most 
 brilliant manner. Never had there been so 
 many parties and dances in the chief town of 
 Seine et Loire. 
 
 Fathers and husbands grumbled a little, 
 because all these gaieties cost money ; but the 
 young ladies were delighted, and the trades- 
 people, who benefited by these unwonted ex- 
 penses, spoke rapturously of Madame Deblain, 
 to whom the town owed these numerous 
 pleasures, which had been so rare before her 
 arrival. 
 
 Her example had been contagious. Certain 
 great families, whose houses had remained 
 almost closed, now opened them ; and the 
 public functionaries — the prefect, the mayor, 
 the receiver-general — in order not to be eclipsed, 
 had hastened to give their official balls. 
 
H- J,: 
 
 •:'■?' „■■■" >-'■"!--' 
 
 he winter 
 
 the most 
 
 been so 
 
 ■ town of 
 
 a little, 
 ; but the 
 le trades- 
 3nted ex- 
 ; Deblain, 
 numerous 
 lefore her 
 
 Certain 
 
 remained 
 
 and the 
 
 le mayor, 
 
 e eclipsed, 
 
 Is. 
 
 SUDDEN ÀMÈtttON 
 
 133 
 
 Rhea and her sister — for the latter was as 
 often at Vermel as at Paris — were the queens of 
 these parties ; they were graciously welcomed 
 at the houses of the Comtesse de Blernay and 
 the Baroness de Lorge — the two ladies who 
 represented the aristocracy of the place ; and 
 at the prefecture Madame Gould- Parker held a 
 certain rank, by right of her husband's diplo- 
 matic position ; but the social success of the 
 two Americans multiplied the number of their 
 enemies among the lower middle class. 
 
 Madame Dusortois was desperately angry, 
 first because her daughter did not get married, 
 and then because she had learnt, through the 
 indiscretion of M. Deblain's notary, that her 
 nephew, shortly after his return from the 
 United States, had made arrangements for 
 leaving to his wife all his property, even though 
 she should not have children — therefore all 
 hope of inheritance for her or hers was lost ; 
 and, when she talked of this disappointment 
 with some of her dear friends who shared 
 her hatred of the foreigner, Raymond's aunt 
 did not scruple to insinuate that if her niece 
 did not become a mother, it was doubtless 
 because she did not choose to be so, since she 
 had plenty of lovers ! Were there not Dr. 
 Piemen and the handsome Felix Barthey ? 
 
 ■■■:■': \ 
 
 1 
 
 ; V-f ; ; ■ 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 *..li 
 
 ',;:( 
 
«34 
 
 y 
 
 THE CASE OP DR. PLEMEN 
 
 , In fact, the artist was at every party given 
 in Vermel. He seemed to have forgotten 
 Paris, and not to care to be anywhere except at 
 the Deblains ; he was extremely attentive to 
 both the sisters, but especially so to Rhea, and 
 this gave rise to many ill-natured remarks. 
 
 As to the doctor, who, for more than a year, 
 had lived quite alone, absorbed in his work, 
 hardly seeing anything of Raymond, whatever 
 friendly advances he might make, he had 
 resumed his neighbourly ways ; had become 
 gay, talkative, sceptical, and more worldly than 
 
 ever,.--- -- *•■ r^-'?:"*> .. .-f.'. ...'... ./?-■-;... ..r 
 
 When the question arose of distributing the 
 parts of " Frou-Frou," which was to be the 
 opening play at the famous theatre, the doctor 
 offered to take the part of Sartorys, which was 
 very well suited to his rather serious counte- 
 nance, and to his disposition. 
 
 Had his love for Rhea grown calmer ? Was 
 he less afraid to be near her ; or, being more 
 master of himself, could he the better dissimu- 
 late ? and was he desirous of being constantly 
 in her society and sharing her pleasures, so that 
 he might watch over and defend her with 
 jealous care, against any preference she might 
 show for another than himself ? 
 
 No one could have answered these questions 
 
•"I'l'Jt'W^ 
 
 T7TT 
 
 SUDDEN AMB^IO^ 
 
 135 
 
 given 
 •gotten 
 cept at 
 tive to 
 ea, and 
 
 a year, 
 work, 
 latever 
 le had 
 become 
 ly than 
 
 ing the 
 be the 
 ; doctor 
 lich was 
 counte- 
 
 ? Was 
 ig more 
 dissimu- 
 nstantly 
 . so that 
 er with 
 e might 
 
 uestions 
 
 except, perhaps, Rhea herself, who could 
 always see that he regarded her with anxious 
 and passionate eyes ; yet she was very grateful 
 to him for making no farther manifestation of 
 a sentiment whose violence had once been 
 expressed during the few moments they were 
 alone in the hall of the château. 
 
 For a woman of Madame Deblain's nature — 
 who owed her precocious experience to her Ame- 
 rican education, whom no snare could entangle, 
 and who was incapable, if not from virtue, at 
 least from self-respect and pride, of yielding to 
 sensual passion — a man's love was only danger- 
 ous if this man were her superior ; one capable 
 of devotion and self-sacrifice, yet not inclined 
 to pose as a hero and martyr ; and, above all, if 
 he were patient and could wait for the weak 
 moment which sooner or later comes to every 
 feminine heart in which the feeling of duty does 
 not reign supreme. <• .■ . ^. jit;* 
 
 Now Rhea had been quite sincere when she 
 told Eric that, if she had known him before her 
 marriage, she would have preferred him to all 
 others; for this Sclavonian was very handsome, 
 a man of great intellect, of boundless ambition, 
 capable of passionate love, and, consequently, 
 quite her ideal husband. 
 
 However, she was by no means sufficiently 
 
 ;^'i'l, 
 
- is: ' 
 
 
 136 
 
 ' THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 in love with him to dream of being false to her 
 marriage vows ; yet she felt a certain pride in 
 being the object of such devoted love, and she 
 could not help comparing her husband, a rather 
 commonplace, middle-class man, with this sort 
 of Doctor Faust who had descended to earth 
 for her, and with whom, had he been her hus- 
 band, she would have had her pride thoroughly 
 gratified by being placed in a position more 
 worthy of her beauty than was this provincial 
 town in which she was condemned to live. 
 
 These thoughts, or rather feelings — for 
 Madame Deblain did not reason about the 
 ideas which were passing in her mind— natu- 
 rally led her to try to awaken the ambition of 
 Raymond, and to suggest to him the idea of 
 offering himself as a Parliamentary candidate, 
 in order at once to raise him in her estimation, 
 and, by going to Paris to live, to escape — not 
 from danger, she did not believe in it — but 
 simply from the worry she sometimes felt about 
 Piemen's love. . »-• • : • 
 
 But when she mentioned the subject, her 
 husband said, with his usual frankness and 
 good-humour : ' 
 
 " Well, now, that is an idea I have often had 
 since I knew of your great love for Paris, 
 where, by the way, I should not be sorry to 
 
Wf 
 
 36 to her 
 
 pride in 
 
 and she 
 
 a rather 
 
 this sort 
 
 to earth 
 
 her hus- 
 
 oroughly 
 
 ion more 
 
 )rovincial 
 
 live. 
 
 ings — for 
 bout the 
 id— natu- 
 ibition of 
 idea of 
 andidate, 
 timation, 
 ape — not 
 1 it — but 
 felt about 
 
 DJect, her 
 ness and 
 
 often had 
 or Paris, 
 sorry to 
 
 SUDDEN AMBITION 
 
 137 
 
 play a part myself. Unluckily, this place re- 
 turns but one member, and that member will 
 be our friend. Eric is at the head of the 
 Republican Conservative party ; his election is 
 certain ; we have been working for it these two 
 years. After having been his most active agent, 
 I cannot enter the lists against him, to say 
 nothing of our long-standing friendship, which 
 would forbid me to undermine him. Besides, 
 were we both to become candidates, the elec- 
 tors' votes would be divided between us, and 
 thus we should give a fine chance to our oppo- 
 nents." v-^'.^'yV :;■'.,:_. ,v,ri >_;: ■ 
 
 " But suppose the doctor were to withdraw 
 from the contest ? " said Rhea. 
 
 Deblain remained silent with surprise. 
 
 " Yes ; suppose he were to give up, leave the 
 field open to you, and become, in his turn, your 
 electoral agent ? " continued she. " Don't you 
 think that, between us, he and I could secure 
 your election ? Oh, I know how it is done ! In 
 Philadelphia I have often seen '^ ;tions, and 
 nothing would please me better than canvassing 
 on my own account, or, rather, on yours." 
 
 " Yes, no doubt," at last replied Deblain, who 
 was amused at the political enthusiasm of his 
 wife, and whose vanity was beginning to 
 awaken ; " yes, no doubt we should succeed. 
 
 :M'! 
 
 Tir 
 
 t, 
 
Hk 
 
 138 
 
 777A" CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 %\ 
 
 Î- 
 
 \ 
 
 !'■'■ 
 
 ;v 
 
 
 \ 
 
 M 
 
 ^ 
 
 f 
 
 But why has this idea of making of me a poli- 
 tical personage so suddenly seized y^^i ?" 
 
 " First from pride, because you >4.re much 
 more fit to be in Parliament than many others, 
 and " 
 
 "And then, because, if I were in Parliament, 
 you would live in Paris, near your sister." 
 
 " True enough !" 
 
 " You have already had enough of Vermel, 
 and yet you have completely changed the 
 ways of the people here. But how about your 
 theatre ? " 
 
 '■ We should come back here eve ummer." 
 
 " For two months ! But, I say, we are talking 
 of all this as if Eric did not exist." •. >v 
 
 " I will manage him, if you will give me per- 
 mission." \\; -i^ '>|. I " •- 
 
 "Pshaw! You fancy that, for a woman's 
 whim — for he will guess that the idea is yours 
 — ;h G will give up a plan he has cherished for 
 ten years! Don't you know that our friend 
 left Paris, where every success awaited him, and 
 came to Vermel with the express intention of 
 becoming our representative ? " 
 
 " Yes, I know that." 
 
 " For this political ambition he sacrificed the 
 Institute, a professorship at the School of Medi- 
 cine, the decoration of the Legion of Honour, 
 
TTTT^ 
 
 6'UDDEN AMBITION 
 
 »99 
 
 a poli- 
 
 much 
 others, 
 
 iament, 
 
 Vermel, 
 [ed the 
 •ut your 
 
 II 
 
 immer. 
 ! talking 
 
 me per- 
 » •' • • 
 k^oman's 
 s yours 
 hed for 
 friend 
 im, and 
 ition of 
 
 ced the 
 f Medi- 
 ionour, 
 
 a great fortune — for in Paris doctors take large 
 fees — perhaps a wealthy marriage ; and you 
 want me to ask him to forget the great object 
 of his life ! I should not dare to do it !" 
 
 " I tell you I will manage it." 
 
 " All right ! But / tell you plainly that, if 
 Piemen question me, I shall stoutly deny ever 
 h;;ving entertained the idea of taking his place." 
 
 " Then that is settled ! I shall see the 
 (doctor presently. We are rehearsing ' Frou- 
 Frou.' He is to play Sartorys ; and, let me 
 tell you, our learned friend is a capital actor." 
 
 " I have no doubt of it ; he is the most intel- 
 lii^ent fellow I ever knew. He would make a 
 first-rate member of Parliament, whilst I " 
 
 " You ! You shall become Prime Minister — 
 if I will have it so ! " 
 
 Madame Deblain said this in a tone at once 
 so positive and so comic that her husband accom- 
 panied her retreat with a loud burst of laughter. 
 
 The day before the opening of the theatre 
 had arrived : Barthey, who was to play Valreas, 
 had gone to Paris expressly to fetch his friend, 
 George Guillemot, who had been an actor at 
 the Gymnase, who had seen Desclee as Frou- 
 Frou, and was good enough to superintend the 
 stage management. 
 
 The famous day was fixed— the 26th of 
 
 ?■: \ 
 
 !•" .% 
 
HO 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 til 
 
 December. All the amateur artists were most 
 punctual at rehearsals, whether they took place 
 at the Malle or at the town-house, where they 
 sometimes met to go over certain scenes about 
 which the actors did not feel quite sure. 
 
 For these partial rehearsals they met in the 
 conservatory, which opened from the rooms on 
 the ground-floor. " - ; . 4 
 
 The doctor had sent word by his valet that 
 he would be there at three o'clock. It was very 
 near that time, and Rhea knew that he would 
 be more likely to come in too soon than to be 
 late. 
 
 In fact, just as her husband was getting into 
 his carriage, Madame Deblain saw her neigh- 
 bour coming through the garden towards the 
 hall. 
 
 She herself opened the door to him. 
 
 "You see, Madame," said Eric, as he gal- 
 lantly kissed her hand, " that Sartorys does not 
 keep Frou-Frou waiting." 
 
 " You are a model artist," answered the young 
 lady coquettishly. " I shall inspire you. But 
 I do not want Sartorys just now ; I want to 
 talk to Piemen." , • v , - ,« - • ' 
 
 "The doctor?" : ' • - ' ' J" 
 
 "No, the friend." ^ j' ' 
 
 " Say on ; you know you need only give your 
 orders to your friend." 
 
SUDDEN AMBITION 
 
 141 
 
 rere most 
 
 3ok place 
 lere they 
 les about 
 
 let in the 
 rooms on 
 
 I'alet that 
 ; was very 
 he would 
 han to be 
 
 tting into 
 er neigh- 
 i^ards the 
 
 Î he gal- 
 does not 
 
 he young 
 ou. But 
 \ want to 
 
 give your 
 
 Piemen placed Rhea's hand on his arm, and 
 they went into the drawing-room to pass to the 
 conservatory, w^here were Jenny, Barthey, and 
 the Baron de Manby — a charming old gentle- 
 man belonging to the best society of the town^ 
 who was a great admirer of Rhea. The Baron 
 had undertaken the part of Brigard, in which he 
 was as good as Ravel, and, in fact, he was rather 
 like him, ; ^ : .;t 
 
 " Well," said Rhea, stopping in the middle of 
 the drawing-room, " this is what I want to say 
 to you. Raymond is ambitious, and would like 
 to be in Parliament ; but as the vacant seat here 
 is meant for you, he refuses to become a candi- 
 date, not wishing to oppose you." 
 
 "Was it your husband who origmated this 
 idea?" asked Eric, without seeming surprised 
 at this strange confidence, but still looking 
 fixedly at the young woman. 
 
 She could not help blushing. Then, after a 
 moment's hesitation, she replied, laughing : 
 
 "The truth is, I am not quite innocent of 
 naving stirred up his ambition ! " 
 
 " I thought so ! And this is because you are 
 so fond of Paris ! You really mean to ask me 
 to give up my candidature, so as to leave the 
 place open to Raymond ?" 
 
 " I don't ask you for anything ; I only tell you 
 what I wish." 
 
 I . 
 
 W'r 
 
 '1 '. .' 
 
 
 <Mi 
 
 m 
 

 
 v 
 
 
 Mû. l'^t 
 
 / 
 
 
 
 
 
 wt . ijj 1 ' , 
 
 
 fi J 
 
 II, 
 
 
 142 
 
 TI/E CASE OF DR, PLEMEN 
 
 " That is exactly the same thing. Be it so ; 
 but supposing I do as you wish, and that those 
 who would vote for me, give their votes to 
 Deblain ; he will be elected, you will leave 
 Vermel, and then, what is to become of me ? " 
 
 "Of you?" ^ r ' 
 
 " Yes, of me. You know very well I cannot 
 live without seeing you. You have brought me 
 back to the worldly life I had quitted, because 
 of the fear I had of betraying myself; to be 
 with you a few moments longer, I consent to 
 play in a comedy, as if I were a mere idler ; 
 and you would have me remain here alone ! " 
 
 ** But allow me to remark, my dear friend, 
 that, if it is you who are elected, it is you who 
 will go away, whilst I shall stay here. We 
 should be none the less separated." 
 
 " That is true, but you go so often to Paris ! 
 If I did get into Parliament, I should make such 
 a stir, and should rise so high, that your heart 
 would beat a little for me in hearing my name 
 pronounced. Would you have me give up that 
 hope?" . '! ■ : 
 
 Plemeiî had taken Rhea's hand ; he was 
 pressing it so convulsively, and was speaking 
 in such an excited manner, that she said to 
 him, in terror: 
 
 *• Take care, we shall be seen from the con- 
 servatory : they may hear you ! " 
 
-•■•??"?>iyww" 
 
 SUDDEN AMBITION 
 
 143 
 
 Be it so ; 
 lat those 
 votes to 
 ill leave 
 fme?" 
 
 I cannot 
 >ught me 
 because 
 f; to be 
 )nsent to 
 re idler; 
 one!" 
 r friend, 
 ^'^ou who 
 re. We 
 
 to Paris ! 
 ake such 
 ur heart 
 ny name 
 i up that 
 
 he was 
 
 speaking 
 
 said to 
 
 the con- 
 
 *' Your sister and the gentlemen, if they look 
 at us, wiy think I am rehearsing my part — that 
 of Sartorys, the jealous husband," replied Eric 
 bitterly. " You want me to make way for 
 Raymond ; well, I consent ! But what will 
 you give me in exchange ? " 
 
 •' Oh ! You want to make a bargain !" 
 
 Rhea had regained her self-command. She 
 took her hand from Piemen's, placed it on his 
 arm, and drew him towards the conservatory. 
 
 " You do not answer me," said the doctor, 
 holding the fastening of the door which Madame 
 Deblain wished to open. v. 
 
 "There are things which cannot be sold, 
 because, whatever price might be offered, one 
 would refuse it ; but they are given freely, and 
 my affection is one of those things." 
 
 After having murmured these words, she 
 gently pushed Piemen aside ; and, running into 
 the conservatory, she sat down at the table, 
 where Jenny, Barthey, and the Baron de Manby 
 were sitting ; she snatched up a paper, and, using 
 it as a fan, she exclaimed : v 
 
 "It is I — I ; here is the Moniteur — no, not 
 the Afoniicur— here is * Frou-Frou ! ' " 
 
 In order the sooner to forget what had been 
 said to her by Piemen, the enchantress was 
 already playing her part 
 
 
 ;'t 
 
 :h\r 
 
 
r-4'..i 
 
 r fS 
 
 f' 
 
 f|| 
 
 I È 
 
 i' 
 
 m 
 
 t -H,^ 
 
 n|« 
 
 mm 
 
 ' We 
 
 P'*^™i 
 
 ■ a'Sfl 
 
 
 •-■" ■ 
 
 ; X Ik 
 
 
 
 li 
 
 
 ^( ■■ 
 
 " ■ ll'lil 
 
 
 1 r 
 
 
 !■ 
 
 f rr. 
 
 
 -/'■ ', 
 
 . » 
 
 . i31> 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 .n^ 
 
 FROU-FROU AT THE DEBLAINS 
 
 Km 
 
 From seven o'clock in the evening of the 26th 
 of December, on a fine, but extremely cold, 
 starlit night, the road which led from Vermel 
 to the Malle presented a scene of unusual 
 animation. 
 
 Passing through the long shadows of the 
 trees, which the rays of the moon defined as 
 clearly as the sun could have done ; driving 
 furiously, and flashing out light from cut-glass 
 lamps, there were carriages of every descrip- 
 tion ; for which astonished waggoners made way, 
 by drawing up their heavy vehicles to the side 
 of the road. 
 
 These carriages were conveying such of 
 Rhea's guests to the Malle as were only in- 
 vited for the evening. The more intimate 
 friends, and those who were to play in " F'rou 
 Frou," had dined at the château early, so as to 
 be quite ready when it was time for the play 
 
 \ ' 
 
I * 
 
 "FROU-FROU"' AT THE DEBLAINS 
 
 145 
 
 t ■^l 
 
 the 26th 
 
 2ly cold, 
 
 I Vermel 
 
 unusual 
 
 L' 
 
 of the 
 
 sfined as 
 driving 
 cut-glass 
 
 descrip 
 ade way, 
 
 the side 
 
 such of 
 only in- 
 intimate 
 " F'rou 
 so as to 
 the play 
 
 to begin. Some of them, such as the Baron de 
 Manby, had carried their devotion for art to the 
 height of hardly dining at all. 
 
 " Real actors," said the excellent Brigard, in 
 tones of perfect conviction, as he declined with 
 a sigh to partake of a bird of most savoury 
 aspect, "real actors should take a very light 
 dinner; but they make up for it at supper. 
 Actors always sup well !" 
 
 ** Oh, you shall sup ; we shall sup, my dear 
 Baron," Madame Deblain t|astened to reply ; 
 she had never looked more gay and beautiful. 
 
 The Baron de Manby was on her right, 
 Piemen on her left ; opposite to her, her hus- 
 band was seated, having on one side of him his 
 sister-in-law, Madame Gould-Parker, who was 
 to play the part of the Baroness of Cambri ; and 
 on the other the young and pretty Madame 
 Mortier, one of Rhea's most intimate friends, 
 the wife of a rich manufacturer of Vermel, who 
 was to play Louise ; then the charming Madame 
 Langerol, who had kindly accepted the part of 
 Pauline, and whose husband, one of the principal 
 lawyers of Vermel, was a very old friend of 
 M. Deblain. 
 
 At seven o'clock Madame Deblain gave the 
 signal foi' her actors to rise from dinner. Ray- 
 mond, who was much amused and interested, 
 
 

 m '■ 
 
 II!} 
 
 1 i 
 
 4° :! JIDIId' 
 
 146 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 but who had nothing to do in the play, remained 
 in the dining-room with the friends who, like 
 himself, were to be spectators, until it was time 
 for him to go and receive the guests who were 
 arriving. 
 
 The garden irl front of the house was bril- 
 liantly lighted ; on the right of the entrance-hall 
 was a large dressing-room for the ladies — they 
 could there give a last glance at their dress, and 
 leave their furs and cloaks ; for the theatre 
 was entered through a long gallery, filled with 
 flowers, like a winter garden. ' ■' 
 
 The play was to begin at half-past eight. 
 At eight o'clock the first carriages entered the 
 gates, and soon the lower rooms presented a 
 brilliant appearance. 
 
 All the highest society of Vermel was repre- 
 sented at the Malle by its most elegant and 
 prettiest women. • ' 
 
 Invitations to this soirée, so unprecedented in 
 that part of the world, had been eagerly sought 
 after, and Rhea had been obliged to decide that 
 the three hundred seats in the theatre should 
 be occupied entirely by ladies, and^ that the 
 men should dispose of themselves as best they 
 could. 
 
 In the first rows, however, some armchairs 
 were placed for a few aged persons of the 
 
*" FROU-FROU" AT THE DEBLAI NS 
 
 147 
 
 naîned 
 o, like 
 ls time 
 o were 
 
 IS bril- 
 ice-hall 
 — they 
 ;ss, and 
 theatre 
 d with 
 
 > 
 
 eight, 
 red the 
 inted a 
 
 repre- 
 nt and 
 
 nted in 
 sought 
 
 de that 
 should 
 
 lat the 
 
 3t they 
 
 nchairs 
 of the 
 
 aristocracy, and for certain high functionaries 
 accompanied by their wives. 
 
 Madame Deblain, who was constantly think- 
 ing of her husband's election, had taken advan- 
 tage of the opportunity to make friends in every 
 direction. Her invitations had been extended 
 to the official world, as well as to the magistracy 
 and the army. 
 
 She had even gone to see Madame Dusortois, 
 and had insisted on her coming with her daugh- 
 ters to the Malle ; and, as Raymond had backed 
 his wife's invitation with a present of a hundred 
 loi.is, so that his terrible aunt might not be able 
 to plead poverty and the impossibility of getting 
 proper dresses for her daughters, the old lady, 
 in acid tones, had thanked her nephew, and had 
 come, partly from vanity and partly that she 
 might criticize it all. ^ . 
 
 Madame Dusortois, unfortunately, was not 
 the only one who came in this hostile spirit. 
 She knew that she would find one to agree 
 with her, if not that evening, certainly the next 
 di'y, in her intimate friend, Madame Babou, the 
 wife of the examining magistrate, whom Rhea 
 had also invited, but who had declined the invi- 
 tation, on the plea that she had no carriage in 
 which she could drive into the country in mid- 
 winter. 
 
 
fmi à. . 
 
 148 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 I'm 
 
 The real truth was, that the envious wife of 
 the magistrate had grown to hate Rhea more 
 and more — not merely because she was so out- 
 done by her in beauty and elegance, and because, 
 in subscription lists for charitable purposes, 
 Rhea's name, inscribed for five or ten louis, was, 
 by some fatality, always just before her own — 
 but also because her husband, of whorti she was 
 absurdly jealous, and who delighted in teasing 
 her, would often amuse himself by talking to 
 her of the beauty and wit of the hateful 
 American. .' , -, ;^ ,» -. . 
 
 Thus, M. Babou, on that evening, had come 
 to the Malle partly from curiosity and partly 
 to vex his wife ; also he wished to accompany 
 his chief, the first president, Monsel, who was 
 at once a very strict magistrate and a very 
 gallant gentleman, and who, on this occasion, 
 was most attentive to Rhea. 
 
 However, the great majority of Rhea's guests 
 had very friendly feelings towards her, and she 
 was rather dismayed at the numbers who ac- 
 cepted her invitation to the Malle for the 26th 
 of December ; but on thinking that the play 
 would be followed by a dance and a supper for 
 everybody, she took heart and troubled herself 
 about nothing exce[)t the i latter of making sure 
 that all the ladies should find seats. 
 
I -TFT 
 
 ''FROU-FROU'' AT THE DEBLAINS 
 
 149 
 
 1.- 
 
 wife of 
 :a more 
 
 so out- 
 )ecause, 
 arposes, 
 lis, was, 
 • own — 
 she was 
 
 teasing 
 iking to 
 
 hateful 
 
 id come 
 i partly 
 ompany 
 /ho was 
 a very 
 )ccasion, 
 
 s guests 
 and she 
 who ac- 
 he 26th 
 he play 
 Dper for 
 herself 
 ing sure 
 
 Everything was conducted according to her 
 instructions, and with perfect order. By half- 
 past eight there was not a vacant seat. Whilst 
 waiting for the raising of the curtain, the spec- 
 tators were busy admiring the beautiful little 
 theatre, constructed on Felix Barthey's plans, 
 and decorated by him with exquisite taste. 
 
 The auditorium, of horse-shoe shape, had 
 neither boxes nor gallery, but only, on a 
 slightly inclined plane, fifteen rows of fauteuils, 
 around and down the centre of which was a 
 passage, as in the orchestras of Italian theatres, 
 so that people could easily get to their seats. 
 Then, independent of these fauteuils, there were 
 others, placed against the wall all round the 
 house. " The decorations were bright in tone 
 without being glaring. The curtain, a copy of 
 Winterhalter's celebrated picture, represented 
 the personages of the " Decameron" listening 
 to Fiametta, to whom Felix Barthey had given 
 the features of the mistress of the Malle, a cir- 
 cumstance which caused the good Madame 
 Dusortois to screw up her lips. 
 
 The house, lighted by electricity, was so fresh 
 and gay, that the audience had not got over their 
 surprise when the usual three blows announced 
 that the piece was about to begin. 
 
 The curtain rose, and two minutes afterwards 
 
 "■' '; 
 
 • il 
 
 .. \\ : ,! 
 
ISO 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 m 
 
 .i;«i 
 
 J* 
 
 Rhea's entrance was hailed with enthusiastic 
 applause. She looked lovely in the riding-habit 
 which moulded her figure, and, with her saucy 
 little face under her riding-hat, she was an ideal 
 Frou-Frou. When, rather more moved than 
 she wished to appear, and owing her hi^i;h 
 colour more to this emotion than to paint or 
 to the exercise she is supposed to have taken, 
 she exclaimed gaily — even more gaily than she 
 had done a ftiw weeks before, after having 
 escaped from Piemen — " It is I ! — it is I ! here 
 is the Moniteur I " the applause recommenced. 
 
 She had everything the part needed — atti- 
 tudes, charm of manner, voice. And the piece, 
 thus begun, went on wonderfully well. Barthey 
 was a splendid Valréas, full of animation ; the 
 Baron de Manby a very Parisian, very amusing 
 Brigard ; Madame Gould- Parker, an elegant 
 and beautiful Baroness de Cambri ; and Piemen, 
 a sombre but sympathetic Sartorys. 
 
 As the spectators recognized their friends in 
 the actors, the applause increased. 
 
 There was much laughter in the second act, 
 during the scene of the rehearsal of " Indiana 
 and Charlemagne," which Madame Deblain, 
 her sister, and Barthey played excellently. 
 And in the love-scene of the third act, Valréas 
 (Barthey) was so true and so tender to Rhea 
 
*" FROU-FROU" AT THE DEBLAINS 
 
 I5Î 
 
 :husîastîc 
 ing-habit 
 ler saucy 
 an ideal 
 ed than 
 ler hioh 
 paint or 
 'e taken, 
 than she 
 havinir 
 
 I ! here 
 nenced. 
 ed — atti- 
 he piece, 
 
 Barthey 
 ion ; the 
 amusinij^ 
 
 elegant 
 
 Piemen, 
 
 riends in 
 
 :ond act, 
 Indiana 
 
 Deblain, 
 
 :ellently. 
 Valréas 
 
 :o Rhea 
 
 (Frou-Frou), that smiles were exchanged by 
 certain persons v/ho did not believe in the 
 virtue of the lovely American. 
 
 The gallant first president, with a wink, 
 murmured in the ear of his neighbour, M. 
 Babou : ■ , , , 
 
 " The little woman really is charming, and 
 the Parisian artist is much to be envied. Poor 
 Monsieur Deblain ! " • / , < . .. ; 
 
 Rather free kind of talk this on the part of a 
 magistrate so very moral as M. Monsel affected 
 to be ; but the same idea was just then being 
 expressed by Madame Dusortois, who was 
 saying : 
 
 " Fancy, my fool of a nephew believing that 
 all this is only play-acting !" : ; . 
 
 Then came the scene in which Sartorys, re- 
 sisting the entreaties of Gilberte, and dragging 
 himself from her arms, throws her down on the 
 sofa, as he rushes off to fight a duel with Valréas. 
 
 Piemen was really grand in this scene. A 
 strange light shone in his eyes, and at the de- 
 spairing cry of his guilty wife, " Oh, do not leave 
 me ; I will love you ! " he threw her off so 
 abruptly, and with such strength and anger, that 
 as Rhea fell on the sofa there was among the 
 audience a shiver of alarm, before the applause 
 burst out. 
 
f':'! 
 
 li 
 
 .l! ! 
 
 152 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 The scene had been played with such intense 
 truthfulness that M. Deblain, fearing his wife 
 had been hurt, could hardly wait till the end of 
 the act to rush behind the scenes. 
 
 The curtain had just fallen, and Rhea, feeling 
 more excited than she had felt since the com- 
 mencement of the piece, was just running off the 
 stage to her dressing-room to change her dress, 
 when she found herself face to face with Piemen, 
 behind a screen. 
 
 " You have hurt me," said she, showing him 
 her bruised wrists. 
 
 " Forgive me," replied Eric in a low tone as 
 he prevented her from passing; "forgive me; 
 but from the moment I saw you in your scene 
 with Barthey I was half mad ; and when you 
 said to me just now, ' Do not leave me ; I will 
 love you ! ' instead of flying from you, as my 
 part commanded me to do, I came near clasping 
 you in my arms, before all those people who 
 were looking at us ! I felt as though ^ my reason 
 was deserting me ! " 
 
 ** Oh ! really it is not dent to ^t plays 
 with you. Come, let me ^ iss!" said Madame 
 Deblain in a cheerful way, although she was 
 trembling a little. 
 
 " * Do not leave me ; I will love you ! ' what 
 would I not give to hear you say these words 
 
 _ 
 
** FROUFROU'' AT THE DE B LA INS 
 
 153 
 
 \i intense 
 
 his wife 
 
 le end of 
 
 a, feeling 
 the com- 
 ig off the 
 ler dress, 
 I Piemen, 
 
 ^ing him 
 
 V tone as 
 jive me ; 
 )ur scene 
 hen you 
 e ; I will 
 1, as my 
 
 clasping 
 )ple who 
 
 y reason 
 
 :t plays 
 Madame 
 she was 
 
 !' what 
 se words 
 
 to me ! " said the doctor, seizinjr her hands 
 
 again. 
 
 \y 
 
 " Take care ; here comes my husband ! " said 
 she, abruptly disengaging her hands, 
 
 Raymond, who had been looking for his wife, 
 just then saw her. 
 
 He approached, saying to Piemen with his 
 usual good-humour : 
 
 " Ah, a nice kind of husband you would be ! 
 If we were all like that ! I was quite afraid 
 Frou-Frou was seriously hurt ; I am sure her 
 arms must be bruised ! ' 
 
 " That is what I was apologizing for," replied 
 Eric, who had resumed his self-command, and 
 was pretending to be examining Rhea's wrists, 
 as if he had taken her hands with that intention 
 only. " A little powder on the wrists, and it 
 will not show at all ! Your wife has been telling 
 me it is not prudent to act plays with me. She 
 is right ; I am too nervous. It seemed to me 
 all reality." ,j ^:!, 
 
 Madame Deblain could hardly restrain a 
 shudder on hearing the doctor explain himself 
 with such perfect coolness, and she escaped as 
 her husband, taking the arm of his friend, was 
 saying, with his frank, honest laugh : 
 
 " If I did not already adore my wife, I believe 
 I should fall in love with her this very day ! 
 
 éêk 
 
Ul'i ' ■■- 
 
 154 
 
 TN£ CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 , r 
 
 If 
 
 
 Wasn't she lovely ? Nobody but an American 
 could be as clever as she is ! My aiint Dusortois 
 can't stand it at all ; I'll bet you anything that 
 she thinks she will be damned, because she has 
 a niece who is a good actress ! " 
 
 A few moments after, the curtain rose for the 
 last act, in which Rhea looked most touching ; 
 and so moved her audience that, after having 
 applauded and recalled her enthusiastically, they 
 thought the end too sad for an evening that was 
 to be continued by a ball. 
 
 But less than half an hour later, when the 
 dances were beginning, people thought only 
 of Frou-Frou, in order to compliment Madame 
 Deblain, who, in a beautiful dress, was gayer 
 and prettier than ever, as she entered the rooms 
 on Felix Barthey's arm. 
 
 " They are going on with the play," said M. 
 Monsel to the examining judge. " What fun it 
 would be to have to interrogate a little woman 
 like that, in one's own office, in a case of adul- 
 tery !" ■ ; • '" . >' ' 
 
 M, Babou, a prudent magistrate, answered 
 this coarse joke of the first president only by a 
 smile. " ' • 
 
 At four in the morning supper was served, 
 and three hours later, as the day was breaking, 
 the road from the Malic to Vermel was again 
 
IT'-'r. 
 
 F 
 
 ''FROU-FROU" AT THE DEBLAINS 
 
 155 
 
 merican 
 usortois 
 ng that 
 she has 
 
 i for the 
 
 »uching ; 
 
 having 
 
 lly, they 
 
 that was 
 
 rhen the 
 ^ht only 
 Madame 
 IS gayer 
 le rooms 
 
 said M. 
 lat fun it 
 3 woman 
 
 of adul- 
 
 traversed by the carriages taking back to the 
 town Bhea's guests, who most reluctantly left 
 the château, so much had they enjoyed their 
 visit. ■ ' ' -^ ' '■■''"• >. ^ ' '■■ ' ■■■ '■'' '■'' '■ 
 
 Whilst these amusements were going on at 
 his brother-in-laAy's, and his wife was beingr so 
 easily consoled for his absence, the terrible 
 Colonel Gould- Parker, tortured by jealousy, was 
 conscientiously inspecting the military establish- 
 ments of Japan, where he had arrived some 
 weeks before. \ . > •• 
 
 ; ;» I , I ' ' 
 
 > ■ •*•. 
 
 /■■■ 
 
 1 t 
 
 ,-' I 
 
 
 . r • " 
 
 .Hv 
 
 uiswered 
 )nly by a 
 
 . '• V 
 
 ; served, 
 creaking, 
 as again 
 
 I, ' ' .. • . , . <• 
 
 , ,'i 
 
( 156 ) 
 
 .'.*: .' . 
 
 i'P 
 
 I m' 
 
 M f:i ' 
 
 r. ' • ' 1 ,j 
 
 V- t 
 
 
 , /;' ^.^li- 
 
 ,-S 
 
 CHAPTER IX- 
 
 JENNY S CONFESSIONS 
 
 .' ■! ' 
 
 1> 
 
 For a month there was no talk of anything în 
 Vermel but the way in which " Frou-Frou" had 
 been played at the Malle ; but if this entertain- 
 ment, given in mid-winter, in the country — a 
 fashion which is being followed in France now — 
 increased the enthusiasm of Madame Deblain*s 
 admirers, it also had the effect of provoking 
 harsh criticism, and stirring up the hai red of the 
 envious. 
 
 Whilst the real friends of Raymond were 
 unanimous in praise of his wife — of the pleasant 
 way in which she received her guests, of her 
 elegance, her beauty, and her wit — the citizen 
 clan, the slaves of cant, thoucrht her wavs 
 perfectly scandalous ; and the two sisters were 
 the objects of the most malicious insinuations 
 on the part of the good souls who were in- 
 fluenced by Madame Dusortois. 
 
 That was her way of showing gratitude for 
 
JENNY'S CONFESSIONS 
 
 m 
 
 
 V,'f'i 
 
 
 'thin^ în 
 rou" had 
 ;ntertain- 
 untry — a 
 ce now — 
 3eblain's 
 revoking 
 ed of the 
 
 nd were 
 pleasant 
 s, of her 
 le citizen 
 cr ways 
 ers were 
 nuations 
 were in- 
 
 itude for 
 
 the welcome Rhea had given her, and of 
 thanking her nephew for the hundred louis 
 with which he had presented her, in order that 
 her daughters might appear at the château as 
 well dressed as any one. 
 
 "Is it not shameful to throw money about 
 in such a manner ! " repeated the kind aunt to 
 any one who would listen to her, and even to 
 some who wopld rather not have listened. 
 " Ah, my nephew !s in good hands ! He 
 makes a good deal of money, but I am sure 
 he will soon be ruined! Poor Raymond, how 
 blind he is ! How his wife deceives him about 
 that Barthey — that Parisian dauber ! And then 
 her sister, that Madame Gould-Parker, whose 
 husband is nobody knows where ! There is a 
 nice household for you ! Perhaps she is not 
 married at all, for these Americans have stick 
 manners ! And to think that Dr. Piemen does 
 not open his friend's eyes ! But then, again, he 
 IS just 
 
 Madame Dusortois stopped there with such 
 an ironical smile, that every one knew just what 
 she meant, but did not dare to say. 
 
 Many of her auditors, voluntary or involun- 
 tary, shrugged their shoulders in disgust at 
 her malice ; but these calumnies none the less 
 made their way, unknown to Raymond and 
 
 j^i 
 
 
 ,Vi ! l" 
 
158 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 m'- 
 
 
 Rhea, who continued to give parties, dinners, 
 and theatrical representations, which Piemen 
 contented himself with seeing, but in which he 
 very seldom took a part — Rhea and Barthey 
 being always indefatigable in the matter. • ■' . f 
 
 Piemen had ceased to be jealous of the artist, 
 and they lived together on excellent terms ; he 
 troubled himself no farther about Barthey's 
 frequent visits at the Malle, where, truly, the 
 painter was more often to be found than at his 
 sti'dio, in the Rue d'Offémont, in Paris. 
 
 That winter was a memorably brilliant season 
 for Vermel. By March the young ladies were 
 still eager for pleasure, thanks to the strength 
 with which, in so good a cause, Nature has 
 endowed the weaker sex ; but the men — hus- 
 bands, brothers, cousins — they were worn out, 
 and craved for rest, even while admitting that 
 the Deblains were the most delightful hosts, 
 and Rhea the most adorable hostess in the 
 world. ', . ! 
 
 This desire for a little peace and quietness 
 had, as its logical consequence, the fact that 
 M. Deblain's candidature was received with 
 ■growing approbation. With such a wife, the 
 reat manufacturer would certainly make an 
 excellent figure in Paris ; he would soon ac- 
 quire great influence in Parliament, from which 
 
 (Y 
 
■f ! ■? !■;»' 
 
 JENNY*S CONFESSIONS 
 
 159 
 
 mners. 
 lemen 
 lich he 
 arthey 
 
 'f 
 
 artist, 
 ms ; he 
 rthey's 
 ly, the 
 I at his 
 
 '1 ' ■ 
 season 
 ;s were 
 :rength 
 re has 
 hus- 
 rn out, 
 ig that 
 hosts, 
 in the 
 
 ietness 
 :t that 
 with 
 fe, the 
 ike an 
 )on ac- 
 which 
 
 I 
 
 Vermel would reap considerable advantages ; to 
 say nothing of the honour of being represented 
 by so rich a man, and the husband of such an 
 irresistible creature, that Ministers would be 
 able to refuse her nothing! 
 
 Rhea, who quite understood the public mind, 
 was delighted; and Raymond, who was begin- 
 ning to feel very ambitious, was half inclined to 
 believe that the idea of becoming a political 
 celebrity had been originated by himself. 
 
 Was he not really more fit to be a member 
 of Parliament than his friend Piemen ? Were 
 there not already too many doctors and lawyers 
 in Parliament ? Was it not likely that great 
 manufacturers like himself would have more 
 knowledge of the real interests of the country 
 than a lot of bookworms and chatterers ? 
 
 M. Deblain was grateful to the doctor for 
 giving up the position to him ; but he con- 
 scientiously believed that, in acting thus, Eric 
 showed himself no less patriotic than friendly. 
 
 The good man, quite carried away by his 
 own arguments, already saw himself an important 
 person at the head of the Conservative party. 
 
 " Ah ! The Ministry will have to look out ! 
 There shall be an end of distant expeditions ; ot 
 waste of money ; of snug sinecures for sons 
 and nephews— he himself had neither sons nor 
 
 ÉÉÉ 
 
i6o 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 nephews ; of big salaries ; of offices in which 
 there are three hundred clerks where one hun- 
 dred would suffice for the work ; in a word, there 
 shall be an end of all abuses ! " ^ • . 
 
 He was especially anxious to have his house 
 become a political centre, where the society 
 should be received and entertained by Rhea 
 and Madame Gould-Parker. . . j '^ - . ;.J 
 '■■' The latter, on the contrary, seemed by no 
 means anxious to return to Paris ; she very 
 seldom went there, and had quite taken up her 
 abode at the Malle. 
 
 It is true that at the end of the winter 
 Jenny's health seemed less good, and she was 
 not so gay as she had been when she first 
 appeared at Vermel. It was supposed that 
 the lengthened absence of her husband was 
 causing hef great grief. That might be the 
 case. 
 
 At all events, that is what Madame Deblain 
 said to everybody with great gravity ; although 
 she, perhaps, did not believe one word of it. 
 
 However, the colonel was soon coming back 
 to France. He had anngunced to his wife that 
 his mission was approaching its end. In his 
 last letter, dated from Yeddo, the ist of March, 
 he said to Jenny : 
 
 " I shall have finished my inspection here 
 
i ■' .; ! 
 
 JENNY* S CONFESSIONS 
 
 i6i 
 
 which 
 
 ; hun- 
 
 there 
 
 house 
 
 ociety 
 
 Rhea 
 
 by no 
 i very 
 up her 
 
 winter 
 fie was 
 e first 
 d that 
 d was 
 be the 
 
 )eblain 
 hough 
 it. 
 
 back 
 fe that 
 In his 
 March, 
 
 § 
 
 n 
 
 here 
 
 ill about a fortnight ; then I shall start for 
 Spanrhai, but I hope not to remain in China 
 more than a month. After that it will not 
 take me more than six weeks to visit our 
 stations in the north. 
 
 "I expect, therefore, to return to Europe 
 I about the middle of July, and to be in France 
 by the end of September. 
 
 " I shall have been absent more than a year, 
 but I fear that the time has not seemed long to 
 you ; for, with your sister, so gay, so frivolous, 
 so fond of pleasure, you must be having a 
 cheerful life. . .v „i.,, r 
 
 " The papers have informed me that you and 
 Rhea have been a good deal mixed up in 
 I charity bazaars, organized by the American 
 colony in Paris. Of course it was your duty 
 to help in these things ; but perhaps it would 
 have been more suitabje for you, in my absence, 
 [to play a less conspicuous part. 
 
 " Friends have informed me by letter that in 
 [Paris you were at all the parties, and that 
 [Madame Deblain, by her eccentric ways, was 
 revolutionizing the town of Vermel. I regret 
 laving left you with her ; I ought to have 
 )rought you here with me. The place of an 
 lonest woman is with her husband, unless she 
 ^an live quite in seclusion during his absence. 
 
 M 
 
1 62 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 " Forgive me for speaking so plainly to you, 
 but you know my feelings about you, and the 
 care I have for my honour. I do not doubt for 
 a moment the rectitude of your conduct; I 
 merely deplore that you have perhaps failed in 
 that reserve which would have placed you be- 
 yond the reach, not only of insulting suspicions, 
 but of the slightest critical remark. I doubt not 
 that you will easily dissipate the anxieties I feel 
 while I am far from you ; and that, on my re- 
 turn, everything will prove to me that you have 
 worthily borne the name of him who now greets 
 you affectionately." .;.;-;. 
 
 It was the 15th of April, and Jenny had read 
 — perhaps for the tenth time — these lines, on 
 which her eyes seemed fixed as in terror, when 
 her sister suddenly entered her room. 
 
 " What is the matter now } " said she to her 
 on perceiving her emotion. 
 
 Madame Gould-Parker gave Rhea her hus- 
 band's letter. 
 . "What ! Is it still the colonel's sermon yoii| 
 
 are poring over ? Oh, I know all about it; 11 
 don't want to taste it again. Let your Othello 
 come back when he likes. What does it 
 matter to you ? We two will manage him. 
 Did he fancy you were going to cover yoursel(| 
 with sackcloth and ashes in his absence ? " 
 
' \ 
 
 JENNY* s CONFESSIONS 
 
 163 
 
 ' to you, 
 and the 
 loubt foi 
 iduct; 1 
 failed in 
 you be- 
 ispicions, 
 loubt not 
 :ies I feel 
 m my re- 
 you have 
 ow greets 
 
 ■ ■ r ,' 
 
 had read 
 
 Unes, on 
 
 ror, when 
 
 ihe to her 
 
 her hus- 
 
 îrmon ynii| 
 
 30Ut it ; II 
 Othello! 
 
 t does it I 
 Lcre him. 
 ;r yourseK 
 
 ce 
 
 n 
 
 ** Oh, don't laugh. If you only knew ! " 
 
 "If I only knew what ? Is it possible — 
 that " 
 
 Jenny rose suddenly, ran to a little rosewood 
 desk, opened it, and took out a packet of 
 letters, which she placed, with deep blushes, on 
 her sister's lap. 
 
 " Oh, oh, oh," she cried, with comic gravity, 
 after having glanced at these letters, of which 
 it was easy to guess the contents. •' Oh, the 
 the poor colonel ! My darling sister ! But what 
 could have possessed him to go off to Japan 
 when he had such a pretty little wife as you? " 
 
 She was laughing wildly, sniffing at the per- 
 fume of the letters, and reading bits of them, 
 exclaiming now and then : 
 
 " Why, all this is charming, delightful ! No- 
 body ever wrote to me like this — not even 
 cousin Archibald, who pretended to be madly 
 in love with me. Ah, I am sure it must be a 
 Frenchman who expresses himself thus ! Why, 
 they are not signed, and your name is never 
 mentioned ! It is true that ' My adored one ! 
 [ my darling ! my beloved ! ' are prettier names 
 jcven than Jenny." 
 
 " Of course he thought I should like to keep 
 Ihis letters," said Madame Gould- Parker, in 
 [loving accents. 
 
 M 2 
 
 >l:i; 
 
 
1 64 
 
 TUE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 "Well, what is there to hinder you from 
 keeping them ? When your husband is nearly 
 home, you can confide to me these precious 
 epistles. I will keep them in the secret drawer 
 of my Italian cabinet, and, now and then, you 
 shall come and read them — if you are still loved, 
 and still in love." 
 
 " Oh, pray do not think " ,, .. 
 
 " Ah, yes, of course. It is an eternal love, 
 made up of self-sacrifice, which asks no sacri- 
 fices of the beloved object. I know all about 
 that — by hearsay ! Well, now, am I not a 
 devoted, loving sister, and most indulgent } 
 For what I am doing is very wrong. If uncle 
 Jonathan and Miss Gowentall knew ! " 
 
 " Rhea, my dear Rhea ! But supposing I 
 your husband were some day to find these | 
 letters?" , ... j.-^,. , 
 
 " First, Raymond would never take the I 
 liberty to rummage my drawers ; then, if he 
 were to find and read them, he would never 
 believe for a second that they had been ad- 
 dressed to me. My husband is not jealous of I 
 his wife ! He is not a colonel ! He is not inl 
 Japan ! Besides, he knows very well there is| 
 nobody courting me. 
 
 " Oh ! How about Dr. Piemen ? " 
 
 " Ah, you have noticed that ? '* 
 
JENNY'S CONFESSIONS 
 
 165 
 
 u from 
 s nearly 
 precious 
 : drawer 
 tien, you 
 ill loved, 
 
 nal love, 
 no sacri- 
 all about 
 I not a 
 idulgent ? 
 If uncle 
 
 supposing I 
 nd these I 
 
 take the I 
 
 len, if he I 
 
 luld neveri 
 
 been ad- 1 
 jealous of 
 
 is not in 
 :ll there is 
 
 ** Rather! Has he not betrayed himself ten 
 times — a hundred times ! " 
 
 " Yes ; but our learned friend is wasting his 
 time. 
 
 " I am not asking you to tell me anything." 
 
 "Piemen is certainly a man of remarkable 
 intelligence and spirit, of great personal beauty. 
 But if I hav for Monsieur Deblain only a very 
 temperate amount of affection, still I hold Vermel 
 and its inhabitants in horror. I long to live 
 almost entirely in Paris, and this desire has 
 given me ambition. That is why I flirt a little 
 with the doctor, who is very much in love with 
 me — too much, I fear. I have induced him to 
 withdraw his name as a candidate for election, 
 and my husband will present himself in his 
 stead. Raymond will succeed, I do not doubt. 
 He will be a member of Parliament — but that 
 is not all." ' . • 
 
 The young woman ended these last words 
 with a burst of laughter. 
 
 Her sister fixed on her a look of astonishment 
 from her beautiful eyes. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " resumed Rhea. " You 
 seem only to half believe me." 
 
 " I am thinking, my darlin![T," replied Jenny 
 tenderly, "that you talked just now, whilst 
 mocking me, of ' an eternal love, made up of 
 
 

 i'K 
 
 166 
 
 THE CASE OE DR. PLEAtEN 
 
 ■?l 
 
 :t", " 
 
 ffii: 
 
 \k 
 
 self-sacrifice, which asks no sacrifices of the 
 beloved object.'" ^ - 
 
 At this acute reply, Madame Deblain could 
 not help colouring a little. Then Jenny pressed 
 her in her arms, and, kissing her, said i\ 
 
 "Oh, pardon me! dear sister, pardon me! 
 If any one loves me, how is it that every one 
 does not adore you 1 *' 
 
 \} r-] -ii i\iVi^ \ : *!'!•? ;;.ii .]: :,::li1i';/<' ' •'^■' f:fi"^î;;T 
 
 I 
 
 ■*7[ii-/ I'vol {< /'■•■{. f»V'; tV-^i^ i}r^/^ .;V;'i!;ol:;*i;^Ji. - 
 
 • . . ■ '■ ',-■■.-■,./ I»;, ^ , ., 
 
 
 
 
 vaca 
 they 
 numi 
 for r 
 
 In 
 
 'hiohr 
 himsl 
 'mid( 
 
 w i 
 
of the 
 
 n 
 
 ffi 
 
 n could 
 pressed 
 
 Ion me! 
 /ery one 
 
 >>' - ' • ;T • 
 
 YiW St./ 
 M-vj;''- -^> 
 
 
 PART II 
 
 'H , 'S 
 
 
 ■":•.; .v'i 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 A COUNTRY ELECTION 
 
 It was then early in September, and the elec- 
 toral period was not to commence till the 15 th 
 of the month ; but the agents of the candidates, 
 and the candidates themselves, had nevertheless 
 begun their campaign long before. 
 
 One of the City members had been made a 
 Senator ; and, as this had been long foreseen, 
 the Conservative Republicans had kept his 
 vacated seat for the learned doctor of whom 
 they were so proud, and who had given such 
 numerous proofs of his goodness to the poor — 
 for Dr. Piemen. - 'f >.>.../ i}î;f.,s 
 
 In face of so formidable an adversary, so 
 hi'ohly esteemed by everybody, who had made 
 himself friends both among the lower and the 
 middle classes, notwithstanding his intimacy 
 
i 
 
 i/i/s c^iozi ur ui<, tL.CMJO.i'^ 
 
 with the Deblains, the revolutionary Radical 
 partv were almost disarmed. Therefore it was 
 on'y for form*s sake, so as not to seem quite to 
 give up all effort, that they had determined to 
 put up a candidate — utterly unim^^ortant, it is 
 true — his defeat being certain. 
 
 As to the Legitimists and Bonapartists, il 
 there were a few of them at Vermel, they did 
 not count, from an electoral point of view ; but 
 those of them who thought it wrong to abstain 
 altogether from voting until they could do 
 better, voted on the Republican Conservative 
 side from mere hatred of Radicalism. '■•> 
 
 '■ The election would have gone off in the 
 quietest way, and no one would have thought 
 much about it, when suddenly it became known 
 that Dr. Piemen was going to retire in favour 
 of M. Deblain. 
 
 At first nobody would believe 't. The hus- 
 band of the beautiful American had never 
 manifested the slightest intention or desire to 
 become a political personage. On the contrary, 
 he had always been remarked for his utter 
 indifference to such matters. He had joked 
 people for being such fools as to sacrifice their 
 business, their leisure, their pleasures, to the 
 vanity of being called "the honourable 
 member." . . . , ,..,. 
 
 / 
 
À Country ÊLECTioM 
 
 t6ç 
 
 Radical 
 e it was 
 quite to 
 lined to 
 ,nt, it is 
 
 rtists, il 
 they did 
 ew ; but 
 ) abstain 
 ould dc 
 servativc 
 
 •. / 
 
 Ff in the 
 
 thought 
 
 le known 
 
 in favour 
 
 The hus- 
 id never 
 desire to 
 contrary, 
 his utter 
 ad joked 
 ifice their 
 ÎS, to the 
 onourable 
 
 However, we know that nothing was more 
 true than this change of purpose on the part ol 
 the rich manufacturer — this sudden ambition, 
 which was the work of his wife. There soon 
 was proof of the trr'th of the rumour, for 
 Piemen, without waiting to be asked, pubHshed 
 in the local journals a letter, in which he an- 
 nounced that he meant to give up in favour 
 of M. Deblain, to whom he warmly urged the 
 electors to give their suffrages. 
 
 " If I renounce," said he, " the honour oi 
 becoming the representative of a town whose 
 least interests are dear to me, it is because I 
 do not think I should do right to absent myself 
 for several months of each year from my 
 patients ; it is because science has more attrac- 
 tions tc me than politics ; and because I feel 
 convinced that a great manufacturer like M. 
 DeLlain, a native of the town, and whose 
 opinions are well known — whose devotion to 
 and knowledge of business are a guarantee 
 for everything — will be, for Vermel, the most 
 useful and most influential member in Parlia- 
 ment." ;• ' .. 
 
 If the news was not ill received in the higher 
 walks of commerce, where Rhea's husband 
 counted numerous friends ready to support 
 him, it was not so in the lower middle class, 
 
 \ 
 

 î7ô 
 
 TNE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN ' 
 
 where the hatred of Madame Déblai n was re- 
 tlected on her husband ; therefore, the revolu- 
 tionary Radicals instantly set to work to find a 
 man to oppose Deblain. .i .' -> ,: 
 
 ,i It was not easy to find such a person in 
 Vermel ; but the committee in Paris soon sup- 
 plied the deficiency, by sending to the chief 
 towii of Seine et Loire the citizen Rubel —a 
 third-rate journalist, of whom the Government 
 l.vad been foolish enough to make a hero and 
 martyr, by condemning him to a fer isionths' 
 imprisonment for seditious writing. m. 
 
 This unknown individual, who had not an 
 dea concerning the interests he would be called 
 upon to defend, and who had, perhaps, never 
 heard of Vermel, would enter on a struggle, not 
 at all hopeless against even such a man as 
 Deblain, simply because he was a victim to the 
 powers that be, and would declaim to a lot of 
 ignorant people, who would understand nothin^^ 
 of the matter, a parcel of worn-out arguments 
 concerning "treason to the Republic." , • ,.. 
 :! Thus the electoral campaign, begun by Ray- 
 mond and his friend under the happiest auspices, 
 soon grew hard and unpleasant. '» ■'' 
 
 First, the Conservative Republicans, who 
 would all have been with Piemen, grew cold 
 and divided; then Deblain, who had not been 
 
 / 
 
 \ 
 
A CO UNTR Y ELECTION 
 
 171 
 
 was re- 
 i revolu- 
 to find a 
 
 lerson in 
 oon sLip- 
 ;he chief 
 ?lubcl —a 
 /ernmcnt 
 hero and 
 months' 
 
 d not an 
 be called 
 ps, never 
 jo-gle, not 
 man as 
 im to the 
 3 a lot of 
 d nothini; 
 irirunients 
 
 1 by Ray- 
 
 t auspices, 
 
 ■ i ' 
 :ans, who 
 Lfrew coltl 
 not beei\| 
 
 ' / 
 
 well since the be^i^inning of the summer, and, 
 bjsides, had not any real ambition, also grew 
 
 cold. ; .' "• t :. ' ';/-'•', ^'- ''■'"^]''' '.v,i*' ■' !..:i . ,/.-«:• 
 
 In order to answer Citizen Rubel, who, until 
 public meetings could begin, kept calling private 
 meetings, Raymond was obliged to study his 
 lesson with the doctor ; and as, without being 
 at all a fool, he was but a poor orator, his 
 speeches did not always have a good effect. 
 He was perfectly conscious of this ; and on 
 those days he came home feeling harassed, and 
 ready to send politics to the devil. • • - 
 
 Sometimes, however, Piemen would speak : 
 and then his ardour, his convincing eloquence, 
 carried all before him. But these triumphs of 
 Raymond's friend, instead of advancing his 
 cause, did him harm, because people could not 
 help contrasting the two men, and the contrast 
 was all in favour of the doctor. 
 
 Rhea spared no pains on her side. Whilst 
 her unfortunate husband was preparing some 
 liarangue on political economy, on free-trade, 
 on State loans, on railway communication, on 
 the means of equalizing taxes, and giving aid to 
 the poor — all subjects of which he had heard, 
 but which he understood only very imperfectly 
 — Madame Deblain, escorted by Felix Barthey 
 who had cume on purpose to Vermel, was 
 
 \ 
 
172 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 tt..'i^ 
 
 running about the suburbs, visiting workmen's 
 cottages, emptying her purse in all sorts of 
 miserable dwellings, kissing dirty, ragged chil- 
 dren, and pressing horny hands. Sometimes 
 she even got among ticket-of-leave men — th(^re 
 were plenty of them at Vermel — taking them 
 for honest electors, and they would speak to her 
 in a tone of insolent, coarse jesting. In a word, 
 she was completely carried away by the elect(Mal 
 fever, and the ambition which filled her mind. 
 
 Rhea saw that Raymond's chances were nt^t 
 improving. She was extremely annoyed at it, 
 and scolded him, especially when she heard 
 — as she did after one of the meetings at 
 which Piemen spoke — such exclamations as : 
 "What a splendid speaker!" "What a repre- 
 sentative Vermel would have had in him ! " 
 "Six months after entering Parliament he 
 would have been in the Ministry ! " 
 
 She then understood better than ever the 
 difference there was between the two men; and, 
 as she could not help showing her gratitude to 
 Eric, he would reply: ^ ' ' ' 
 
 " If we fail, you shall not have the right to 
 blame me. But, to please you, I shall have 
 vainly sacrificed my political career ; since you 
 will be condemned to remain at Vermel, where, I 
 fear, 1 shall not be forgiven for having resigf^(ed 
 mv candidature." \ .\ 
 
A COUNTRY El. ZCTION 
 
 rkmen's 
 sorts of 
 ed chil- 
 netimes 
 — tht^re 
 ig them 
 c to her 
 a word, 
 ilectdial 
 mind, 
 'ere not 
 :d at it, 
 2 heard 
 ings at 
 Dns as : 
 1 repre- 
 him ! " 
 ent he 
 
 ver the 
 jn; and, 
 tude to 
 
 ■ight to 
 ill have 
 ice you 
 Adhere, I 
 
 esig^,{ed 
 
 However, Madame Deblain would not give 
 way to discouragement; and, in order to be 
 always at hand, she never went to the Malle to 
 stay the night, although her sister was living 
 there entirely. Jenny, who was fatigued by 
 the pleasures of the winter, had not thought 
 that year of going to Trouville, but. had pre- 
 ferred remaining in the country. 
 
 Since the spring, Jenny had only come into 
 the town two or three times ; but Rhea went 
 to see her nearly every day before dinner. j 
 
 Things were in this state when, one evening, 
 the 22nd of September, Raymond, who for , 
 some time had been suffering from violent 
 neuralgia, came home from a public meeting in 
 a state of extreme excitement. Having been 
 drawn into an altercation with his adversary, 
 the Citizen Rubel, he had got so confused that 
 Piemen had been obliged to come to his aid. 
 But skilfully as he might rescue his friend, it 
 was evident that the Ra<.lical remained master 
 of the field. " • ' • 
 
 Deblain, who in default of eloquence and 
 political knowledge, had plenty of good sense, 
 was perfectly aware of his failure ; so, on 
 arriving at home, overcome with fatigue, he 
 threw himself into an armchair, exclaiming : 
 
 " Hans: it ! I swear that . if I could have . 
 foreseen what a candidate would have to go 
 
 \ 
 
 irii 
 

 174 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PIEMEN 
 
 III 
 
 through, I would have kept out of this! My 
 eyes are dazzled by the sight of all the various- 
 coloured placards, on which my name figures in 
 big letters, as if I were an actor on a tour. 
 When I enter one of those cursed halls where 
 the meetings are held, I feel as if I were ex- 
 pected to. show conjuring tricks like Robert 
 Houdin, or gymnastic feats on a trapeze like 
 Leotard. My head spins at it all ! " 
 
 " And this is not the end of it," answered 
 Eric, laughing. " You are only at the beginning 
 of your career." 
 
 Just then Madame Deblain entered the 
 smoking-room, where the two friends were 
 waiting to have tea served. She was very 
 pale, and evidently under the influence of some 
 violent emotion. 
 
 She approached her husband, and showing 
 him a note she had just received, spoke to him 
 in a low tone, as the servant was in the room. 
 
 Raymond read the letter, looked intensely 
 amazed, exchanged a few words with his wife, 
 pointing to Piemen. Then he said aloud : 
 
 " I don't want any tea. I shall go to bed. 
 Doctor, you must give me something to soothe 
 me, for I have horrid pains in my stomach, and 
 my head is burning." • ' . 
 
 " There is nothing much the matter ^'/{'éd 
 
 yo 
 
 fril 
 
 Bel 
 
 thf 
 
 gi^ 
 
 / 
 
À COUNTRY ELECTION 
 
 i1< 
 
 his ! My 
 e various- 
 figures in 
 n a tour, 
 ills where 
 were ex- 
 i Robert 
 peze like 
 
 mswered 
 beginning 
 
 red the 
 
 ds were 
 
 ^as very 
 
 of some 
 
 showing 
 2 to him 
 
 room, 
 ntensely 
 lis wife, 
 id: 
 
 to bed. 
 ) soothe 
 ich, and 
 
 you," replied the doctor, after feeling his 
 friend's pulse. " You are slightly feverish. 
 Evidently politics do not agree with you. 
 Before you go to sleep take a double dose of 
 the chloral that 1 ordered you ; you may also 
 give yourself a slight injection of morphine, as 
 you have become such a skilful doctor. After 
 that you will have a good night, and will be all 
 right in the morning. I will come and see you 
 early to-morrow, or perhaps not till the day 
 after, for to-morrow I mean to take the first 
 train for Paris, where I read an important 
 paper at the Academy of Medicine. I do not 
 know if I shall be able to return the same 
 evening." ' 
 
 '• Ah, that is true ! Luckily, we have no 
 meeting for to-morrow. Good-by, then, till 
 the day after to-morrow. I leave you with 
 Rhea. She wants to talk to you, and I know 
 all she means to say to you. Good-night to 
 you both." • * ' 
 
 And, after having kissed his wife and shaken 
 hands with Piemen, Raymond, who had rung 
 for his valet, went up to his room. 
 
 Madame Deblain and the doctor were now 
 .done, and Eric, immediately approaching Rhea, 
 whose agitation he only then noticed, said : 
 c " What do you wish to say to me ?" 
 
 il 
 
 is 
 
 fores* 
 
 tVh-' 
 

 176 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PIEMEN 
 
 ■ '' I have serious need of you, my friend." 
 ; - "Need of me?" . .. ■ ; '■■■ 
 
 ^' " Yes, about a most serious matter." ' " 
 •' Then, putting one hand on Piemen's shoulder, 
 she whispered to him something so completely 
 unexpected that the doctor started in astonish- 
 ment, master though he always was of himself. 
 Xhen, after reflecting for a second, he replied 
 with a strange smile that Rhea did not observe : 
 
 " Give me time to go to my house, and then I 
 am at your service." . j 
 
 ? r. " I will pass through your garden, and go out 
 by the gate in the lane. You must meet me at 
 the end of the Boulevard ; there I will await you 
 with a carriage. I shall leave the door of com- 
 munication open, so as to be able to get into the 
 house without being seen by anybody." 
 , ** I understand." 
 
 Five minutes later Dr. Piemen took his place 
 beside Madame Deblain in a carriage of which 
 the driver doubtless had his orders, for he im- 
 mediately drove off rapidly, although the night 
 was dark and the road ill-lighted. 
 
 ^'■■) 
 
t ■» ». 
 
 ( 177 ) 
 
 nd." 
 
 îhoulder, 
 mpletely 
 astonish- 
 " himself. 
 Î replied 
 observe : 
 id then I 
 
 d go out 
 2et me at 
 .wait you 
 i* of com- 
 into the 
 
 I 
 
 ' '''■' 
 
 his place 
 of which 
 ir he im- 
 he night 
 
 f 
 
 I 1 
 
 > I 
 
 » « : 
 
 i< . 
 
 
 • 
 
 
 1 1' 
 
 • v/ 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THE MYSTERY 
 
 » , • > >: 
 
 The next day, about eight in the morning, as 
 the coachman, Dumont, and the grooms, having 
 finished their work, were putting back the car- 
 riages and horses in their places, at the same 
 time that Nicholas the steward and the footman 
 were arranging the dining-room, they heard a 
 cry of horror on the first-floor, then hurried 
 footsteps on the great staircase, and M. Deblain's 
 valet appeared, pale, with staring eyes, leaning 
 against the rails. 
 
 " My master — ah ! my master," he stammered, 
 addressing the servants whom the noise had 
 summoned to the hall ; ** my master is dead ! 
 Murdered ! Quick, quick, go and fetch Mon- 
 sieur Piemen !" 
 
 Without asking any further explanation, for 
 Raymond was loved by his servants, Nicholas, 
 terror-stricken, rushed across the garden, in 
 order the r..jre quickly to reach the doctor's 
 
 N 
 
 f ' 
 
178 
 
 THE CASE OF DR, PLEMElSt 
 
 Jill 
 
 i-fp 
 
 
 house ; but he instantly returned, for, by an 
 unlucky chance, the gate was fastened. He 
 then went out at the street-door to the doctor's. 
 
 There he was told that M. Piemen had started 
 for Paris by the 7.20 train; that is to say, he 
 had been qrone about an hour. No one knew if 
 he would be back that day or no. 
 
 The steward stood contused for a moment, 
 then thinking he must not go back to the house 
 without a doctor, and remembering that he had 
 often seen Dr. Magnier, one of the most skilful 
 practitioners in Vermel, he ran to his house, 
 which was but a short distance off, on the same 
 boulevard. 
 
 During this time, Pauline, Rhea's maid, terri- 
 fied by the cries of Pierre, had gone and awak- 
 ened her mistress, but had not dared to tell her 
 what she had heard ; and the young wife, after 
 having slip[) d on a dressing-gown, had gone 
 into her husband's room, passing through the 
 two dressing-rooms which separated their apart- 
 ments. 
 
 On reaching M. Deblain's room, and draw- 
 ing near his bed, Rhea was seized with such 
 terror that for some seconds she remained as if 
 paralyzed. . ... ; .,. , . , w 
 
 The unfortunate man was lying on his back, 
 his chest uncovered, his arms stretched out on 
 
 vn 
 
THE MYSTERY 
 
 179 
 
 by an 
 . He 
 )ctor's. 
 started 
 5ay, he 
 mew if 
 
 loment, 
 i house 
 he had 
 t skilful 
 house, 
 le same 
 
 d, terri- 
 d awak- 
 tell her 
 fe, alter 
 id gone 
 ugh the 
 ir apart- 
 
 d draw- 
 th such 
 led as if 
 
 „ *s 
 us back, 
 
 the silk counterpane ; his eyes were closed, his 
 face hardly at all convulsed, his lips slii;litly 
 open ; he looked as though he were asleep. 
 Surmounting her emotion, Rhea lifted up her 
 husband, placed his head upon the pillow, and 
 took his hand ; but, on feeling its icy coldness, 
 siie let it fall, and, uttering a cry of anguish, she 
 dropped into a seat, wailing in a broken voice : 
 
 *' Raymond, my poor Raymond ! Let some 
 one go and fetch Monsieur Piemen ! Run, im- 
 mediately ! Where is Pierre?" . 
 
 " Pierre has gone to fetch the doctor, Madame, 
 replied the maid. 
 
 " Ah, no ; now Î think of it, Monsieur Piemen 
 was going to Paris to-day. Send for some other 
 doctor, no matter which ! Perhaps he is not 
 quite dead ! Oh, no, do not leave me here 
 alone ! Ring for the steward." 
 
 Pauline, who was stupefied with terror, obeyed. 
 
 At that moment the valet appeared at the 
 door of the room, saying : . • 
 
 " Monsieur Piemen is not at home ; but here is 
 MonsieurMagnier,whom Nicholas went to fetch." 
 
 Rhea rushed towards the doctor, pointing to 
 M. Deblain, for she could not speak. 
 
 M, Magnier approached the bed, bent over 
 him who lay there ; then, rising almost imme- 
 diately, after only a few seconds' examination, 
 
 N 9 
 
t> 
 
 
 V] 
 
 (^ 
 
 /^ 
 
 
 "^- 
 
 
 / 
 
 y 
 
 /^ 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 1.0 
 
 m 
 
 132 
 
 M 
 
 22 
 
 I.I 
 
 1.25 
 
 U i 1.6 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 V 
 
 // 
 
 / 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 iV 
 
 
 4C^^ 
 
 \\ 
 
 ^^ 
 
 
 o^ 
 
 s^^ 
 
 ^./i* 
 
 % 
 
 '-b^^- Ci^ 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, NY )4S80 
 
 (716) 877-4S03 
 
 ^ 
 
I 
 
 
 ^^^ ^ 
 
 C/j 
 
I 
 
 luO 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 I \ 
 
 l3^ 
 
 m 
 
 MP 
 
 1 
 
 w 
 
 ';|| 
 
 ;| 
 
 j^Ri , 
 
 ■ f-M 
 
 ''m 
 
 % 
 
 vw 
 
 h(j turned to Madame Deblain, looking deeply 
 moved, and said : ^ 
 
 '• You ought not to stay here, Madame." 
 
 ** What ! " said Rhea, in hoarse tones. She 
 had never ceased to regard the doctor, and, in 
 a half-fainting condition, was leaning on the 
 back of a chair. 
 
 " Your husband has died of congestion, or 
 of angina pectoris ; he has been dead some 
 hours." 
 
 "Oh, my God! my God!" cried Rhea, fall- 
 ing on her knees at the bedside ; and seizing 
 one of the dead man's hands, she pressed her 
 lips to it. 
 
 " I bêg of you," said the doctor, gently raisin^^ 
 her, *' I beg of you to spare yourself this sad 
 sight. Come away. Alas ! you can do nothing! " 
 
 " Is it possible that he is dead ? Dead, dead ! 
 My poor Raymond ! " repeated Rhea, whilst M. 
 Magnier, having taken her arm in his, was lead- 
 ing her to her bedroom. There she dropped 
 into a seat, and burst into violent weeping. 
 
 •* Come, Madame, pray be calm 1 Weep, for 
 that will relieve you; but stay in your room, 
 and give yourself no concern about anything 
 1 will give the necessary orders." 
 
 *• Thanks, Monsieur, thanks," replied Rhea, 
 tnrough her tears. *' Will you have the good- 
 
^rm 
 
 THE MYSTERY 
 
 i8i 
 
 deeply 
 
 II 
 
 e. 
 
 i. She 
 and, in 
 on the 
 
 tion, or 
 d some 
 
 ea, fall- 
 
 seizing 
 
 ;sed her 
 
 / raisinjjj 
 this sad 
 Dthini;!" 
 d, dead ! 
 hilst M. 
 ^ras lead- 
 dropped 
 
 /eep, for 
 ir room, 
 .nything 
 
 d Rhea, 
 good- 
 
 ness to tekgraph to Monsieur Piemen ? He 
 wtMit to Paris diis morning. What grief for him 
 this news will be, for he was very fond of Ray- 
 mond ! Oh, it is horrible I horrible ! I must 
 see him once again." 
 
 She rose abruptly, but her strength failed 
 her, and she fell back almost fainting. With 
 trembling hands she pushed back her hair ; her 
 despair was heart-breaking ! 
 
 M. Magnier did not leave her till he saw her 
 grow more calm, and after having told Pauline 
 to watch her, and send for him immediately if 
 she thought it necessary. He also told the 
 valel-de-chambre what last services he could 
 render to his master. 
 
 In less than an hour the whole town knew of 
 the death of M. Deblain, and the event caused 
 deep emotion ; for not only was the great manu- 
 facturer much esteemed in Vermel, but it might 
 be said he had none but friends in the town, 
 notwithstanding the gossip caused by his great 
 indulgence to his wife, and the jealousy which 
 had been aroused by the splendour of his house- 
 keeping since his marriage. 
 
 People being still ignorant of the cause of 
 this sudden death, it was attributed to an attack 
 of apoplexy or the rupture of an aneurism — 
 accidents which might have been brought on by 
 
 
 is. 
 
t 
 
 in; 
 
 i 
 
 'I H> 
 
 I 
 III 
 
 J. ', 
 
 h 
 
 ni 
 
 m,' 
 
 182 
 
 r//£" Cy^i-^: O/^ /;/?. PLEA/EN 
 
 the excessive fatigue M. Deblain had unJergcne 
 during the last fortnight, he having been far 
 from well at the beginning of the electoral cam- 
 paigo, which he had gone into rather against 
 his inclination. Every one knew that, on em- 
 barking in this affair, he had only yielded to his 
 wife's ambition. 
 
 From saying this, it was but a step for 
 Rhea's enemies to accuse her of having caused 
 her husband's death by her follies and eccen- 
 tricities. 
 
 This step was quickly tnken, especially by 
 Madame Dusortois. On arriving at the house 
 about half- past ten, she never even thought of 
 asking to see Madame Deblain, but ran straight 
 to her nephew's room, threw herself weeping on 
 the body, and exclaimed, in the hearing of the 
 Sistc r of Mercy who had been hastily called in, 
 aftd who was kneeling in prayer : 
 
 "My poor Raymond ! To have died with- 
 out the consolations of relij^ion ! Ah, I was 
 right when I predicted that American woman 
 woukl bring trouble upon him ! May God have 
 pity on his soul !" . 
 
 "Madame," said the nun timidly, "the 
 minister of the parish has blessed the departed. 
 We must never doubt the Divine mercy. Be 
 careful ; his poor widow, who is there close at 
 
THE MYSTERY 
 
 183 
 
 lergcne 
 een far 
 al cam- 
 against 
 on em- 
 d to his 
 
 tep for 
 
 caused 
 
 I eccen- 
 
 ially by 
 le house 
 )ught of 
 straight 
 iping on 
 pr of the 
 :alled in, 
 
 2d with- 
 i, I was 
 woman 
 îrod have 
 
 , "the 
 leparted. 
 rcy. Be 
 
 close at 
 
 hand and in great despair, may hçar what you 
 are saying." 
 
 These words doubtless sufficed to show 
 Madame Dusortois that she must be a little 
 careful what language she used — at least in 
 that house, whence, notwithstanding her rela- 
 tionship, she might be driven by her who now, 
 more than ever, was complete mistress of it ; 
 therefore she devoutly took the spray of box 
 which stood in the vase of holy water, and 
 sprinkled the body, with the air of having ful- 
 filled a sacred duty. 
 
 Spiteful as was Madame Dusortois, her. reli- 
 gion was sincere ; in such a matter she could 
 not be accused of hypocrisy. Arming herself 
 with courage to dissemble her real feelings, she 
 sent a message tp her niece that she would like 
 to see her. 
 
 Rhea, full of hefr own grief, neither remem- 
 bered, nor would have allowed herself to 
 remember, at such a time, all the spite and 
 ill-will of which she had been the victim. She 
 therefore said to her husband's aunt that she 
 was grateful for her visit, and she went to meet 
 her on the threshold of her room. 
 
 The expression of grief was so deep on the 
 face of the young widow that Madame Dusor- 
 tois felt a moment's remorse. 
 
 U'-;i 
 
1 84 
 
 THE CASE or DR. PLEMEM 
 
 [( 
 
 !'■ !f 
 
 "My dear child — my poor niece ! " said she, 
 kissing her almost affectionately, " what a dread- 
 ful calamity has happened to us ! " 
 
 "Dreadful indeed!" replied Madame Deblain 
 in a broken voice, as she invited her aunt to sit 
 down by her on the sofa. " Raymond had been 
 ailing for some days, but who could have ex- 
 pected this ! And for him to have died alone, 
 in the middle of the night ! " 
 
 " Alone 1 " said the old lady in astonishment. 
 " Were you not with him, then — did he not call 
 out ? " 
 
 *^ No. It was not till this morning, at eight 
 o'clock, that Pauline, on awakening me " 
 
 " Then at what time last night did you leave 
 Raymond ? " 
 
 " At what time ? Oh, between nine and ten, 
 I think." 
 
 " You do not generally go to bed so early iS 
 that .? " 
 
 "No, but we were all very tired." 
 
 •'All!" 
 
 "Yes. Doctor Piemen had come in with 
 Raymond from the meeting." 
 
 " Monsieur Barthey, no doubt, was also with 
 you ? " 
 
 ** Monsieur Barthey ? No ; why should he ? 
 He was to start yesterday morning for Paris." 
 
 Madame Deblain said these words with such 
 
m 
 
 m 
 
 THE MYSTERY 
 
 185 
 
 hesitation that her aunt perceived her embar- 
 rassment 
 
 "And Monsieur Piemen was absent, too, it 
 appears ? " 
 
 *' Most unfortunately, he was ! If he had 
 been here he might have saved his friend. Oh, 
 I feel as if I were in a horrid dream !" 
 
 Rhea again burst out into hysterical weep- 
 ing, and her head dropped on the shoulder of 
 Madame Dusortois, who said : 
 
 " Have courage, my poor child. But you are 
 right — it is horrible ! • To die so, in the middle 
 of the night, quite alone, without a friendly hand 
 to close his eyes, without a priest at his bed- 
 side! However suddenly death may have 
 come, he must have undergone great mental 
 anguish I And you really heard no sound ? " 
 
 " None whatever. Our rooms, you know, are 
 separated by two Jressing-rooms ; the doors 
 were probably both shut. If he had uttered 
 one cry, should not I have flown to his aid ? 
 Should I have let him die " 
 
 *' Well, you must be resigned ! Would you 
 like me to do what is necessary — to order 
 the funeral and to send out the letters to 
 friends ? " 
 
 *' Oh, yes, pray do ! I should not have courage 
 for it. How kind you are ! Forgive me, if I have 
 not always been as good to you as I ought." 
 
 »-t. 
 
 
1 86 
 
 THE CA^E OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 PI 
 
 \iS 
 
 i 
 
 
 •' Let us say nothing about that, but rely on 
 me. I will come and stay here, so as to spare 
 you all trouble. Am I not your nearest relation — 
 the sister of our poor Raymond's mother ? " 
 
 As she said this, Madame Dusortois kissed 
 Rhea with an appearance of real affection, and 
 she was deeply touched. She felt herself less 
 lonely, less forsaken, and she thanked her aunt, 
 while still sobbing bitterly. 
 
 Madame Dusortois from that moment became 
 mistress of the house. It was she who received 
 the doctor who came to testify as to the decease 
 of M. Deblain ; and in the evening, about seven 
 o'clock, when her niece went to take a last fare- 
 well of him who was no more, it was with her 
 that the young widow knelt in prayer beside him. 
 
 The unfortunate Rhea had been in the death- 
 chamber nearly half an hour, and she refused to 
 return to her own room, when the door was 
 suddenly opened ; she and Madame Dusortois 
 rose and saw Dr. Piemen standing there, bare- 
 headed, frightfully pale, and not daring to ad- 
 vance a step. Rhea stretched out her hands to 
 him, and, after a few seconds' hesitation, he 
 advanced and took her hand ; then resting 
 against the bed, he remained staring fixedly at 
 the dead man as if he could not detach his eyes 
 from the sad sight ; then suddenly he rose, arid 
 
^m 
 
 THE MYSTERY 
 
 187 
 
 claspini^ his head in his hands, and uttering a 
 dreadful cry, he fled. 
 
 "Ah, how well he loved him!" cried Rhea, 
 a,8^ain falling on her knees. 
 
 Twenty-four hours later two thousand persons 
 followed M. Deblain to his last resting-place ; 
 and these obsequies of a man so rich, honoured, 
 happy, who had died in the prime of life, caused 
 the more emotion because, through all the route 
 followed by the procession, were to be seen the 
 jrreat placards which had been posted to proclaim 
 his candidature ; and these seemed now to say, 
 with bitter irony, how little right any one had 
 in this world to count on the morrow. 
 
 Naturally this death of the Conservative can- 
 didate reawakened the courage of the Radicals, 
 especially when they learnt that Dr. Piemen 
 had rejected with horror all idea of taking the 
 place of his lost friend. 
 
 Those who were not blinded by political pre- 
 judices approved this delicacy of feeling on the 
 part of the eminent doctor, who was so overcome 
 \Yith grief that he never left his home except in 
 obedience to the calls of his professional duty. 
 
 As to Rhea, on the evening of the day of her 
 husband's funeral she went to the Malle, where 
 she determined to spend the first few months 
 of her mourning. 
 
i 
 
 m. ! 
 
 m 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 IN WHICH THE EXAMINING JUDGE, M. BABOU, 
 COMES FORWARD 
 
 A FORTNIGHT had elapsed since M. Deblain's 
 funeral, and in consequence of M. Piemen's 
 refusal to come forward as a candidate, the 
 Radical party had been victorious, in the person 
 of the Citizen Rabul, when a rumour spread in 
 Vermel that the Public Prosecutor, M Diiret, 
 incited by anonymous letters which had b en 
 sent to him, had ordered an inquiry into the 
 circumstances which had preceded and accom- 
 panied the death of M. Deblain. 
 
 It was said that the deceased had left all his 
 fortune, amounting to nearly two millions, to his 
 widow, with the exception of a hundred thousand 
 francs to each of his cousins, the two daughters 
 of Madame Dusortois. As to the latter, M. 
 Deblain had left to her only an income of ten 
 thousand francs a year, the capital of which, at 
 her death, was to go to her children. 
 
M. BAUOV COMES FORWARD 
 
 189 
 
 (ABOU, 
 
 eblain's 
 lemen's 
 ite, the 
 
 person 
 read in 
 
 Du ret, 
 id b en 
 nto the 
 
 accom- 
 
 t all his 
 s, to his 
 lousand 
 ughters 
 ter, M. 
 of ten 
 hich, at 
 
 By a codicil to this will, dated the very year 
 of his marriage, Raymond left legacies to his 
 servants and to several charitable institutions in 
 the town ; he also left to his friend Piemen his 
 pictures and his arms. 
 
 This disposal of his effects was obviously the 
 arrangement natural to an honourable man — of 
 a man who had perfect confidence in, and affec- 
 tion for, the woman who bore his name; but 
 Madame Dusortois would not let it pass. She 
 asserted that her nephew had made this will 
 when unduly influenced by his wife ; and that, 
 very certainly, he must have made another later 
 on, when he found his wife did not seem likely 
 to have children. It was most improbable that 
 he should have thought so little of those who 
 were his natural heirs. 
 
 What had become of this second will } It 
 had doubtless been destroyed. By whom } Of 
 course, by her who was most interested in its 
 disappearance. 
 
 All sensible people, and those who knew how 
 much coolness existed between Madame Dusor- 
 tois and M. Deblain since his return from 
 America, shrugged their shoulders incredulously 
 at her insinuations ; but these insinuations made 
 their way with many people, because of the 
 jealousy Rhea had excited — a jealousy which 
 
 . 1 
 
 lA 
 
 
 Ivr': 
 
 
 J 
 J ' .1 
 
 i. 
 
 dÉÉ 
 
190 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 was increased by the great fortune she inhenAid 
 — and soon these people began saying : " Poor 
 Monsieur Deblain, how his wife despised him, 
 and how she led him by the nose ! " 
 
 These rumours paved the way for worse accu- 
 sations ; and when it became known that, on the 
 order of Judge Babou, the body of M. Deblain 
 had been exhumed, it caused a great shock to 
 all of the higher order, but many of the citizen 
 class felt no astonishment ; a murmur went about 
 that " there must be something wrong about it." 
 
 Ill-natured people undoubtedly had reason 
 given them for entertaining suspicion, for, less 
 than six days after the exhumation, the most 
 unexpected events succeeded each other. 
 
 At first the Public Prosecutor had not given 
 much heed to the anonymous letters he received, 
 accusing Madame Deblain of having destroyed 
 the will. These accusations seemed too vasrue 
 for him to notice, even prejudiced as he w^as 
 against her who was attacked ; but one day he 
 received a letter written in more precise terms. 
 
 According to this missive, " the widow of M. 
 Deblain, who was the mistress of Felix Barthey, 
 after having been the mistress of Dr. Piemen, 
 had poisoned her husband, and her second lover 
 was her accomplice." 
 
 ^' Until justice shall have obtained material 
 
M, BABOU COMES FORWARD 
 
 191 
 
 heruVid 
 
 " Poor 
 
 d him, 
 
 e accu- 
 
 on the 
 
 )eblain 
 
 lock to 
 
 citizen 
 
 t about 
 
 )ut it." 
 
 reason 
 
 or, less 
 
 e most 
 
 t given 
 iceived, 
 stroyed 
 ► vague 
 he was 
 day he 
 terms. 
 ^ of M. 
 ►arthey, 
 ?*lemen, 
 id lover 
 
 naterial 
 
 proofs of this crime by all means in its power," 
 wrote the unknown correspondent, "there are 
 sufficient moral proofs. Madame Déblai n knew 
 that, by a first will, drawn up shortly after her 
 marriage, her husband had left her all his for- 
 tune ; and she knew also, when he found she 
 would have no child, he made a ^'"*sh will, by 
 which he left the bulk of his propert) to his own 
 relations — that is, his aunt and cousins — v'ho 
 have no fortune. Now this s'^icond vill lias not 
 been found. Besides this, M, Deb): ai had in- 
 sured his life, at his wife's instigation, for a sum 
 of two hundred thousand francs. Finally, the 
 guilty connection of Madame Deblain (whose 
 greatest desire was to live in Paris) with Felix 
 Barthey was a matter of public notoriety; for 
 while that artist was living at the Malle she 
 used constantly to go there, and she frequently 
 stayed all night, whilst her husband was at his 
 town-house. 
 
 ** It was due entirely to the influence of his 
 wife that M. Deblain offered himself as a candi- 
 date for election, instead of Dr. Piemen, who 
 probably did not dare refuse anything to his 
 former mistress, and therefore retired in favour 
 of his friend. If M. Deblain had been elected, 
 his wife would have been able to live altogether 
 in' Paris, close to her lover Barthey; and it 
 
 f n 
 
f l-i 
 
 III' 
 
 192 ' 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 was, of course, when she foresaw the defeat of 
 her husband that Madame* Deblain determined 
 to rid herself of him who could do nothing to 
 forward her ambitious schemes." 
 
 The anonymous accuser then went on : 
 
 *' In fact, on the very day which preceded the 
 sudden death of M. Deblain, that unhappy man 
 had been speaking at a political meeting ; he 
 returned home convinced of his defeat; he re- 
 mained alone with his wife : and, the next 
 mkorning, Pierre, his valet, found him lifeless in 
 his bed. 
 
 *' Dr. Magnier, who was called in — for Dr. 
 Piemen had that morning gone to Paris — stated 
 that M. Deblain must have been dead four or 
 five hours at least. His death must have been 
 quite sudden ; yet, notwithstanding the position 
 of the body and the appearance of the face, he 
 seemed to have suffered and struggled. He 
 must, also,, have called out ; and yet his wife, 
 whose apartments joined those of her husband, 
 did not go to his aid. She asserts that she 
 heard nothing. 
 
 "Again, there is a most extraordinary coin- 
 cidence — M. Felix Barthey, the intimate friend 
 of the family, the electoral agent of M. Deblain 
 — M. Barthey, who for months past had never 
 quitted Madame Deblain — had disappeared 
 
M. BABOU COMES FORWARD 
 
 193 
 
 Just then he had gone to Paris, and he only 
 returned to Vermel in time to attend the funeral 
 of him whose death would give to him the widow 
 and her fortune." 
 
 This abominable accusation, drawn up evi- 
 dently with the greatest care, went on with 
 farther, but secondary, details ; what we have 
 just quoted sufficed to inflame the zeal of the 
 Public Prosecutor. For form's sake, he con- 
 sulted his chief, M. Lachaussée ; the latter 
 eagerly welcomed the prospect of an affair 
 which would attract the attention of everybody 
 to the court of Vermel ; and, orders having 
 been giveo to M. Babou, that magistrate had 
 hastened to get the body of M. Deblain ex- 
 humed. 
 
 When the remains had been transported to the 
 operating-room of the hospital, the examining 
 judge called in Dr. Piemen, who was usually 
 the examining doctor in criminal cases. 
 
 Since the death of Rhea's husband, Eric 
 Piemen had lived in complete seclusion ; he 
 never left his house except to attend to his 
 professional duties. Twice only he had left the 
 town to visit the Malle. 
 
 The first time he went was six or seven days 
 after M. Deblain's funeral ; and Rhea had re- 
 ceived him, but only in the room of her sister, 
 
fi 
 
 194 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 who was just then so ill --is to be keeping her 
 bed ; the doctor had stayed but a few moments, 
 during which the violent emotion he showed 
 seemed to paralyse him ; and he could only 
 utter a few words expressive of his grief for the 
 loss of his friend and his affection for her who 
 had been overwhelmed by so great a calamity. 
 
 Then he abruptly withdrew, as if he feared 
 to betray all his feelings in the presence of 
 Madame Gould- Parker. 
 
 The second tmie that Piemen came to the 
 château, a week later, Madame Deblain was 
 alone. Then he threw himself on his knees 
 beside her, and, seizing her hands, said in 
 accents of feverish agitation : 
 
 " Rhea, have you already forgotten how deeply 
 I love you ? Do not shrink from me ! Let us 
 Hy from a country which is not worthy of you." 
 
 But the young woman answered him at once 
 gently and firmly : 
 
 " If I had no great love for my husband, and 
 if I committed the great error of letting you 
 perceive that such was the case, I will none 
 the less respect his memory. I beg you, now, 
 to forget my former foolishness ; let time do its 
 work of peace, if not of oblivion. I am resolvt:d 
 to spend all the time given to mournini^ in com- 
 plete retirement. At least, I owe so much as 
 
 À 
 

 M. BABOU COMES FORWARD 
 
 'f)5 
 
 ing her 
 )ments, 
 showed 
 Id only 
 for the 
 ler who 
 amity. 
 ; feared 
 ence of 
 
 ; to the 
 ain was 
 s knees 
 said in 
 
 V deeply 
 Let us 
 
 3f you." 
 at once 
 
 and, and 
 ;ing you 
 ill none 
 ou, now, 
 le do its 
 resolvt:d 
 in com- 
 much as 
 
 that to the memory of him who was so kind 
 to me." 
 
 The doctor had returned to Vermel imme- 
 diately, in great dejection ; but no one was 
 surprised at the change in him ; and the deep 
 grief he showed for the loss of his friend only 
 iocreased the public esteem for his character. 
 
 Piemen was living thus, when one morning 
 he received from M. Babou a note, begging 
 him to come immediately to his office at the 
 Palace of Justice. Piemen did not know that 
 the coffin containing the body of M. Deblain 
 was at the hospital, the transport of it having 
 been eff(xted the previous evening with gn^at 
 secrecy. 
 
 He immediately went to the office of the 
 examining magistrate, who said to him : 
 
 "My dear doctor, justice has need of all 
 your science, but I know not if you will be able 
 to afford us your aid. It is only through defer- 
 ence to you, and from conscientious motives, 
 that, in accordance with the instructions of the 
 Attorney-General, I have venturcîd to send for 
 you." 
 
 •* What is the matter in question ? " asked the 
 doctor, who was a little surprised at all these 
 preliminaries. 
 
 **A post-mortem examination." 
 
 02 
 
 ,;.:'.;| 
 

 i^ 
 
 T/fE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 ** I am always at the disposal of the law, of 
 course." 
 
 •* Ah, but, this time, the medico-legal exami- 
 nation which we want may be too painful for 
 you." 
 
 " I do not understand you ! '* 
 
 "We have every reason to believe that M. 
 Deblain has been the victim of a crime, 
 and " 
 
 Piemen had grown excessively pale» and he 
 clasped convulsively the arms of the chair in 
 which he was seated. 
 
 " You see," said the examining judge, " I 
 ought not to have sent for you. Your emotion 
 is quite natural — you were on such intimate 
 terms with the anhappy man. Pray, excuse 
 me ! I will send for M. Magnier, or some 
 other doctor." 
 
 " No — stay ! " said the doctor, making a 
 supreme effort to regain calmness. '• M. De- 
 blain the victim of a crime! What makes you 
 suppose such a thing ? " 
 
 •• A quantity of circumstantial evidence." 
 
 " Whom do you suspect ?" 
 
 " No one yet. It is not till I know the cause 
 of M. Deblain's death that I can accuse any one. 
 Now, you see, if I thought first of applying to 
 you, it is because your report can give rise to no 
 
Fi6»''< 
 
 M. BABOU COMES FORWARD 
 
 \<yf 
 
 De- 
 you 
 
 remarks— unless, indeed, you should decide that 
 M. Deblain died a natural death. In that case 
 only the accusers, remembering your friendli- 
 ness with the Deblain family, and fearing you 
 might desire to stifle all inquiry — the accusers, I 
 say, mioht demand a second autopsy, of which, 
 of course, the result would be the same as your 
 own, your great scientific knowledge excluding 
 all possibility of mistake on your part ; whilst, if 
 you find that M. Deblain died a violent death, 
 due to such or such criminal causes, there will 
 be an end of the question. It will then rest 
 with justice to search out the criminal. But I 
 do not insist — I can well understand " 
 
 Piemen, who had been attentively listening to 
 the phrases of M. Babou, here eagerly inter- 
 rupted him : " Now, as ever, I am at the service 
 of the State." 
 
 The learned doctor had completely resumed 
 his self-possession. 
 
 *' Then you really will not object ? " said the 
 judge. 
 
 " The task will be a painful one, but I shall 
 fulfil a double duty, I am ready." 
 
 The magistrate bowed, and expressed his 
 admiration at such energy : 
 
 *' It was evident that M. Piemen must find 
 such courage in the thought of his affection for 
 
198 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 \ 
 
 M. Deblain, that he must be most unwilling for 
 the murderers of his friend to escape punish- 
 ment ; " and, while affectionately pressing Eric's 
 hand, M. Babou continued : 
 
 " Then I will give immediate instructions* to 
 M. Berton ; he will accompany us to the hos- 
 pital, so that the coffin containing the remains 
 of M. Deblain may be opened in our presence, 
 and that the declaration as to the identity of the 
 body may be drawn up. You will then proceed 
 with your examination, and, of course, you will 
 do the chemical analysis as well as the autopsy ; 
 indeed, we could not find any more skilful 
 toxicologist than you. I place myself at your 
 orders." 
 
 Less than an hour later, in the dissecting- 
 room, in the presence of the chief of police, the 
 coffin was opened, and the corpse, in an ad- 
 vanced stage of decomposition, was placed on 
 the marble table where it was to be examined 
 in the interests of truth. 
 
 Piemen went through this terrible operation 
 without speaking a word — without a muscle of 
 his face betrayino- the srrief he must have felt at 
 the sight of the almost unrecognizable remains 
 of him who had been to him as a brother. 
 
 It was not till all was ended that he ordered 
 the guardian of this dismal place to arrange the 
 
■^^m 
 
 mm:- 
 
 M. BABOU COMES FORWARD 
 
 199 
 
 on 
 of 
 at 
 
 ins 
 
 •ed 
 he 
 
 apparatus for sprinkling the remains with carbolic 
 acitl. Then he told him that he would imme- 
 diately proceed with his examination. 
 
 This done, Messrs. Babou and Berton retired, 
 and the same day, about seven o'clock, in the 
 dusk, the doctor came and shut himself up 
 with the attendant in the operating-room. 
 
 Four days later the examining judge re- 
 ceived from the doctor a long report, written 
 with admirable clearness, which showed conclu- 
 sively that the death of Raymond Deblain was 
 due to no organic malady, nor to any of the 
 natural causes certified by Dr. Magnier, but to 
 poisoning by copperas. Chemical analysis had 
 betrayed the presence of this poison in the liver, 
 heart, and lungs of the deceased. 
 
 These organs were placed in glass bottles, 
 hermetically sealed, and sent to the court, ac- 
 companied by a tiny sheet of copper, labelled, 
 in the handwriting of Dr. Piemen ; " Coppet 
 extracted from the internal organs of Raymond 
 Deblain." 
 
 That a crime had been committed was now a 
 matter of certainty to M. Babou. As to the 
 guilty person, in view of the legal axiom. Is 
 fecit cui prodesty it could only be Madame De- 
 blain, probably with the aid and connivance of 
 her lover, the painter, Felix Barthey. 
 
200 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 
 p: I 
 
 This ambitious but narrow-minded magis- 
 trate, who, since he had been made examining 
 judge, had had nothing but commonplace, 
 ordinary affairs to deal with, at last had got 
 his grand crime to try — the sort of thing of 
 which he had long dreamed as a means of 
 rescuing him from the obscurity in which he 
 had hitherto vegetated. 
 
 A fashionable lady who was a poisoner! 
 Why, it would be equal to the Lafarge case. 
 It would draw all eyes upon him ; and, provided 
 he managed well, left nothing uninvestigated, 
 made as much scandal as possible, and obtained 
 a severe sentence — who knows ? — perhaps a 
 capital one, notwithstanding the aversion of 
 juries to send women to the scaffold — his career 
 would be assured. He might get the cross of 
 the Legion of Honour, at least ; and, soon after, 
 the appointment of chief justice of a court. 
 
 This Barthey was, of course, a Conservative, 
 Legitimist, or Bonapartist, as he had been the 
 electoral agent of M. Deblain. What luck for 
 him to have in his grasp one of these vile crea- 
 tures, enemies of the Republic, and this impu- 
 dent foreign woman, who had come and set 
 such a bad example to families in Vermel ! 
 
 As he made these reflections, M. Babou drew 
 up his rough head, buttoned up his shabby coat, 
 
 m 
 
m 
 
 T'f 
 
 M, BABOV COMES FORWARD 
 
 30I 
 
 and squinted at it, to assure himself beforehand 
 of the good effect the red ribbon would have in 
 his button-hole. Nevertheless, as he was a very 
 prudent man, the examining judge was deter- 
 mined to do nothing on his own authority, 
 whatever might be his desire and his right to 
 do so. With the intention of getting some one 
 to share his responsibility, he went to the office 
 of the Attorney-General, in order to communicate 
 to him the report of Dr. Piemen, and to arrange, 
 in concert with him, about the measures to be 
 taken. 
 
 M. Duret was in his office, in company with 
 the chief attorney of the court. 
 
 When informed of all the circumstances, both 
 these gentlemen manifested much surprise : they 
 had not expected so prompt nor so decisive a 
 result from the medico-legal examination. How- 
 ever, considering the certainty that this analysis 
 gave them of a crime having been committed, 
 they could not hesitate : they endorsed the sus- 
 picions of M. Babou, and were of opinion that 
 instant action must be taken. 
 
 With regard to M. Barthey, they were of 
 opinion that it would be wise to wait for the 
 discovery of some circumstances proving his 
 complicity ; for it was quite possible that he had 
 been Madame Deblain's lover, and yet that he 
 
202 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 > ' 
 I 
 
 1 
 I' ' i 
 
 I i 
 
 might have had nothing to do with helping her 
 in the accomplishment of her crime. 
 
 It would soon be seen what position he would 
 take up; meanwhile, he must be watched, so 
 that he might be arrested if he showed any 
 signs of leaving France when he heard of the 
 arrest of his mistress. 
 
 Much strengthened by this support, M. Babou 
 returned to his office, and made out a warrant of 
 arrest against Madame Deblain, " conformably 
 to the decisions of the authorities ; " this he 
 despatched to the proper quarter, with orders 
 to have it put in execution without delay, on 
 that very day ; and immediately afterwards he 
 wrote to the Attorney-General at Paris, in the 
 terms hinted at by MM. Lachaussée and Duret. 
 
 The investigating judge had not failed to 
 order M. Berton to proceed to the Malle, and 
 there make a strict search ; to close all the 
 rooms and put seals on the doors, and to leave 
 one of his agents in charge. He intended him- 
 self to go through the same formalities at the 
 town-house of the Deblains, and to resume the 
 search at the château when the accused should 
 be made prisoner. 
 
 Having accomplished all this, M. Babou left 
 the Palace of Justice, with head erect and stern 
 countenance, convinced, like Titus when he had 
 
M. BABOU COMES FORWARD 
 
 «>3 
 
 done a good action, that his day had not been 
 wasted ; and he went home, where his wife, at 
 the first words of the information he hastened 
 to confide to her, kissed him, exclaiming : 
 
 •• That horrid American ! I instinctively 
 despised her ! I felt she was a wicked wretch, 
 and I was right ! I hope you don't mean to 
 spare her ; mind, Jerome, your advancement in 
 your profession depends now entirely on your- 
 self!" 
 
 And this worthy couple sat down to table^ 
 thinking of nothing but their own advancement, 
 while the officer who had received the warrant 
 of arrest, however much amazed he might feel, 
 went to the Malle to do his duty. 
 
 He took with him his secretary and two sub- 
 ordinates. It was then seven o'clock in the 
 evening. 
 
404 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 PROFESSIONAL SECRECY 
 
 ui 
 
 
 11 
 
 Ever since the morning Madame Deblaîn had 
 been in a terrible state of nervousness and 
 depression. Her sister could do nothing to 
 cheer her. 
 
 It is true that a letter she had received at 
 breakfast- time was of a nature to cause her long 
 and painful emotion. These were its contents : 
 
 IH 3- 
 
 "My very dear Friend, — 
 
 " I could wish to hide from you the terrible 
 discovery I have just made, but both my duty 
 and my affection compel me to inform you of it, 
 although in writing to you I am violating pro- 
 fessional secrecy. But of what account is that 
 beside the feeling I entertain for you ! I entreat 
 of you to command your emotion, as I must tell 
 you that your husband did not die of any natural 
 malady ; but that he owes his death to some 
 accident perfectly unaccountable to me. What 
 
 ,'; IJ 
 
PROFESSIONAL SECRECY 
 
 205 
 
 caused the Attorney-General to entertain this 
 idea I know not; but the Investigating Judge 
 has been ordered to look into the matter ; he 
 ordered the body of Raymond to be exhumed, 
 and I undertook the terrible task of enlightening 
 justice as to the cause of his sudden death. I 
 have found that Deblain was poisoned with 
 copperas ; how could this have happened ? 
 Perl ps through some neglect on the part ot 
 your cook — for the idea of a crime cannot be 
 entertained by any one. 
 
 " You understand, do you not, that if I did 
 not shrink from the terrible examination de- 
 manded of me, it was, first, because I was con- 
 vinced that the suppositions of the authorities, 
 whose medical adviser I have always been, were 
 erroneous : it was because, if I had held back, 
 the dreadful operation would have been per- 
 formed by some other doctor ; and, finally, if I 
 spoke out the whole truth, it was because, in 
 the event that I should have certified that 
 Raymond's decease was- due only to natural 
 causes, assuredly a second examination would 
 have been ordered, in consequence of the doubts 
 there would have been as to my impartiality ; and 
 the real cause of your husband's death would 
 have been rendered apparent. Then, think to 
 what suppositions this would have given rise 1 
 
 m 
 
 JÉÉM 
 
I 
 
 206 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 !;■' 
 
 " It is impossible to suppose that we shall 
 not find the key to this mystery wlien we come 
 to the examination of the cooking utensils in 
 your house. 
 
 " Let what may happen, immediately after 
 reading this letter, burn it ; let not a trace of it 
 remain, and count on the perfect devotion of 
 him who is ever yours, 
 
 " Eric" 
 
 After reading this letter to her sister, Rhea, 
 in obedience to Piemen's advice, had destroyed 
 it ; but, unable to overcome the agitation which 
 the dreadful revelations of the doctor had caused 
 her, she wandered about the grounds feeling 
 agitated, nervous, and despairing. Pauline had 
 to go twice to tell her that the dinner-bell had 
 rung. Not till then did Madame Deblain take 
 Jenny's arm, and go towards the house. 
 
 She had hardly ascended the steps when she 
 heard the sound of wheels on the gravel of the 
 garden-paths. 
 
 As she did not expect any visitors, and did 
 not intend to receive any one, she felt some 
 surprise at the sound. She passed through the 
 hall, and, as she reached the glass-door, she saw 
 several persons who had come in by the front 
 entrance. 
 
PROFESSIONAL SECkECV 
 
 iô7 
 
 e shall 
 e C'jine 
 isils in 
 
 y after 
 ce of it 
 tion of 
 
 RIC 
 
 >i 
 
 , Rhea, 
 stroyed 
 1 which 
 caused 
 feeling 
 ine had 
 )ell had 
 tin take 
 
 len she 
 1 of the 
 
 ind did 
 t some 
 jgh the 
 »he saw 
 le front 
 
 She stepped back a little, thinking to escape 
 these unexpected visitors, whose presence was 
 so very unwelcome ; but one of them, who 
 doubtless had seen her, suddenly opened the 
 door, stepped quickly up to her, and said : 
 
 ** Excuse me, Madame, but I have business 
 with vou." 
 
 " With me ? " replied Rhea, to whom this 
 man's face was not quite unknown, only in the 
 dim light of the hall she could not see him very 
 distinctly. " Who are you ? " 
 
 " The Chief Commissioner of Vermel." 
 
 " Ah, yes — Monsieur Berton. I did not re- 
 cognize you ; excuse me. What is your business 
 with me ? " 
 
 " Madame, I have a warrant here for your 
 arrest, which I must put in execution." 
 
 The oflicer, seeming much moved, presented 
 to Madame Deblain a sheet of printed paper 
 which he took from his pocket. As he did so, 
 he uncovered the tricoloured scarf which he 
 wore lound his waist. 
 
 " A warrant of arrest ? I do not understand 
 you! 
 
 "It means, Madame, that I must arrest you, 
 in the name of the law I " 
 
 "Arrest rieV exclaimed Rhea, turning 
 very pale. " Why ? Oh, do they pretend 
 
 't. '.i. 
 
 ■i' 
 
 !■»('*'■', ■' 
 
 i." . *' 
 
2o8 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 > rV!. 
 
 to say that it is I who poisoned Monsieur 
 Deblain ? " 
 
 She drew near her sister, who looked petrified 
 with terror. 
 
 Amazed at this exclamation, which seemed 
 to him like a confession — for Rhea had not 
 looked at the warrant of arrest, on which, in 
 conformity with the Article 96 of the Code of 
 Criminal Law, the reason for the arrest was set 
 forth — the official only replied by saying : 
 
 *' Have the goodness to ask your maid for a 
 hat and mantle, for you must come with me." 
 
 " Come with you ! What — immediately! " 
 
 " It is impossible ! " said Jenny, clasping Rhea 
 in her arms. 
 
 " It must be, Madame!" 
 
 " Allow me, at least, to go up to my room to 
 dress." 
 
 " Be it so ; but I must accompany you. My 
 orders are most strict ; pray do not make my 
 duty more painful by resisting." 
 
 The secretary and the two officers, who had 
 remained hitherto in the entrance-hall, drew 
 near their chief 
 
 •• Very well, Monsieur — very well ! " said 
 Madame Deblain, waving back these men. *' I 
 shall not resist. To arrest met Ah, I tell 
 you it shall cost those dear to whom I owe 
 
w 
 
 PROFESSIONAL SECRECY 
 
 209 
 
 onsieur 
 
 >etrified 
 
 seemed 
 lad not 
 bich, in 
 3ode of 
 was set 
 
 id for a 
 
 __ >» 
 me. 
 
 igRhea 
 
 oom to 
 
 u. My 
 ake my 
 
 ^ho had 
 1, drew 
 
 !" said 
 en. *• I 
 , I tell 
 I owe 
 
 ■ 1 ■ 
 
 such an indignity! Pauline, give me a hat and 
 cloak." 
 
 The maid, who, without daring to utter a 
 word, had witnessed this scene, disappeared to 
 obey the order. 
 
 Raymond's widow had regained a little calm- 
 ness. She said to her sister, who was weeping : 
 
 ** Be calm, my dear Jenny. I leave it to you 
 to inform my friends of the odious act ot which 
 I am the victim. Wait a few days before you 
 telegraph to father ; but go yourself to Paris to 
 inform our Ambassador of what is going on. To 
 suspect me, the daughter of Elias Panton, of 
 such a crime I " 
 
 While speaking thus the young lady let 
 Pauline put on her hat, and when she had 
 thrown the cloak over her shoulders, she said 
 to the commissioner of police, in a firm voice : 
 
 " I am ready, sir ; let us go I " 
 
 The officer seemed more embarrassed than 
 his prisoner, and in less haste to depart. There- 
 fore Rhea said to him : 
 
 "Well, sir, what are you waiting for?" 
 
 " Pardon me, Madame," said M. Berton, 
 " but' before leaving the house I must make a 
 search in your presence, and place seals on such 
 o/" the rooms and pieces of furniture as I have 
 not time to examine." 
 
 
 
2IO 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 Wri 
 
 
 I» 
 
 "Doit." 
 
 " Have the goodness to accompany me." 
 
 " Where will you begin " 
 
 "In your private apartments." 
 
 Madame Deblain took her sister's arm, and 
 went upstairs. 
 
 The commissioner, his secretary, and one of 
 the officers followed her. 
 
 Rhea's apartments consisted of a boudoir, a 
 bedroom, and a large dressing-room opening 
 into a bath-room. All the rooms were furnished 
 with great splendour. 
 
 "These are my rooms. Monsieur," said she, 
 as she entered the first of them. 
 
 The official rapidly examined it. There w^as 
 nothing in it but chairs, a piano, cabinets filled 
 with artistic trifles, flower- stands, and a large 
 table, on which was a writing-desk inlaid with 
 silver, writing materials, and a blotting-book. 
 Not a single thing which would lock. 
 
 After having looked through the blotting- 
 book, and assured himself that it contained 
 nothing but insignificant papers, M. Berton 
 begged Madame Deblain to go on to the bed- 
 room. 
 
 Rhea obeyed, but could not repress a move- 
 ment of disgust at this kind of profanation of 
 her private rooms. 
 
■fi 
 
 PRO F ESS ION A L S EC R EC V 
 
 211 
 
 tf 
 
 m, and 
 
 one of 
 
 idoir, a 
 (pening 
 rnished 
 
 LÎd she, 
 
 ere was 
 ts filled 
 a large 
 d with 
 p-book. 
 
 otting- 
 ntained 
 Berton 
 le bed- 
 
 move- 
 ation of 
 
 " Oh, this is shameful ! " said she, squeezing 
 her sister's hand. 
 
 The furniture in this room was in the 
 Louis XVI. style — old mahoQ^any, with orna- 
 mentation of gilded brass. The heavy hang- 
 ings of the bed, the window-curtains, and the 
 portières had been manufactured at Lyons from 
 eighteenth-century models. The thick carpets 
 came from Smyrna. It was a beautiful room — 
 the room of a lady of fashion ; but M. Berton 
 did not stop to admire any of these things. He 
 walked straight up to a splendid Italian cabinet, 
 of the Renaissance period, inlaid with ivory, 
 and with drawers and compartments of all 
 kinds. 
 
 On seeing the commissioner of police open 
 this piece of furniture, Madame Deblain stepped 
 eagerly up to him, and said : 
 
 *• There is nothing there. Monsieur, but family 
 papers— letters from my father and my friends. 
 Nobody has any right to read them." 
 
 " I shall not presume to do so, Madame ; but 
 if you do not authorize me to assure myself of 
 the degree of importance that may attach to 
 these letters regarding the search I am com- 
 pelled to make, I must seal them up and take 
 them to the investigating judge, who will ex- 
 amine them in ygyr presence." 
 
 F3 
 
213 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 While thus replying, poh'tely but firmly, the 
 officer was putting together the papers which 
 he found in the various compartments of the 
 cabinet. The two young women followed his 
 movements with anxious eyes. 
 
 Suddenly Jenny, stifling a scream, whispered 
 to her sister : 
 
 " Oh, his letters, his letters ! " 
 M. Berton had just taken, from one of the 
 drawers of the cabinet, a packet of letters tied 
 up with gold thread. 
 
 " Be quiet," replied Madame Deblain rapidly. 
 " You know the, letters have neither name nor 
 address." 
 
 "Can you give me a box, MaJame, in which 
 I can put all these papers } " asked the commis- 
 sioner of police. 
 
 " Yes, here is one, Monsieur." 
 Rhea had emptied out on a table a jewel-box, 
 from which escaped a fortune in the form of 
 rings, bracelets, and necklaces ; and offered it to 
 the officer. 
 
 He placed in it all the letters, locked it, gave 
 the key to his prisoner, and said : 
 
 " This box will never be opened but in your 
 presence, Madame ; of that I assure you. Now 
 let us continue the search." 
 
 He went into the dressing-room, but only to 
 
PROFESSIONAL SECRECY 
 
 •13 
 
 mly, the 
 rs which 
 :s of the 
 )wed his 
 
 rhispered 
 
 le of the 
 tters tied 
 
 1 rapidly, 
 name nor 
 
 in which 
 I commis- 
 
 Kwel-box, 
 form of 
 ered it to 
 
 d it, gave 
 
 t in your 
 )u. Now 
 
 t only to 
 
 order his secretary, who had glanced at all the 
 bottles on the marble shelves, to seal up the 
 doors of that room. Then, begging Madame 
 Deblain to follow him, he went downstairs. 
 
 Half an hour later, after having placed seals 
 on the apartments which had been M. Deblain's — 
 and, to the amazement of Madame Gould- Parker, 
 on the room occupied by Felix Barthey when 
 he came to the Malle — M. Berton placed his 
 prisoner in the carriage, got into it himself, with 
 his secretary, after having said to the driver, 
 " You know where to go." 
 
 The commissioner left one of his agents in 
 charge at the château ; the other had mounted 
 the box. The carriage drove away in the direc- 
 tion of Vermel, it being now completely dark. 
 
 The servants, who all loved their mistress, 
 were deeply grieved ; they could not comprehend 
 what had taken place. When Pauline informed 
 them of the probable cause of Madame Deblain's 
 arrest, they uttered loud exclamations of anger 
 and indignation. 
 
 " Ah, if I had known what those people had 
 come here for," said the old lodgekeeper Ferhier, 
 " I would have crushed them between the gates 
 rather than let them pass ! Our good, kind mis- 
 tress a poisoner ! What fools they must be ! " 
 
 As to Jenny, she had immediately given 
 
 
 W^^H 
 
 H,V 
 
 EM 
 
214 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 i 
 
 orders to have a carriage got ready for her. 
 She meant to go into Vermel, see M. Piemen, 
 and telegraph to M. Barthey that she would 
 start by the first train for Paris, where she asked 
 him to meet her at the station. 
 
 Three-quarters of an liour later the car- 
 riage was at the door of the learned doctor. 
 He immediately received Madame Gould- 
 Parker. 
 
 " Rhea has just been arrested," said she to 
 him, on entering the study into which the servant 
 had shown her. 
 
 The doctor, who was coming towards Jenny, 
 stopped abruptly, and leant against a chair. 
 
 ** Madame Deblain arrested ! For what 
 reason } " 
 
 " I do not know, but I Ûiink — for, as you may 
 suppose, I feel half mad ; I think that they 
 accuse her of poisoning her husband ! " 
 
 Eric uttered a cry of horror, then, dropping 
 into a chair, he said : 
 
 *' And it is my doing, my doing ! " 
 
 "Why, that is true," said Jenny, approaching 
 
 the doctor; "it is you who testified that my 
 
 brother-in-law — for I read your letter — oh, it 
 
 is dreadful ! What shell we do — O Heaven ! 
 
 . what s/ia// we do ?'' 
 
 Piemen rose, with haggard eyes, saying : 
 
m 
 
 PROFESSIONAL SECRECY 
 
 "5 
 
 or her. 
 Piemen, 
 i would 
 e asked 
 
 :he car- 
 doctor. 
 Gould- 
 
 1 she to 
 I servant 
 
 Is Jenny. 
 
 hair. 
 
 or what 
 
 you may 
 lat they 
 
 dropping 
 
 •roaching 
 that my 
 r — oh, it 
 Heaven ! 
 
 ing: 
 
 "And my letter — what has become of my 
 letter ? " 
 
 " Rhea burnt it." 
 
 " Wait here till I return ; I will go and see 
 the public prosecutor." 
 
 " I have not told you all : Monsieur Berton 
 made a search at the Malle, and he carried ofif all 
 the papers he found in my sister's apartments, 
 after having placed seals on the apartments of 
 Monsieur Deblain and on the room generally 
 used by Monsieur Barthcy." 
 
 " On Barthey's room ^ What was the meaning 
 of that?" 
 
 " I know not." 
 
 " Oh, I must find out what all this means." 
 
 " I want to telegraph to Paris, to tell Monsieur 
 Barthey I am coming. I shall take the night 
 train, so that I may get to our Ambassador 
 early tomorrow morning." 
 
 " You have plenty of time ; the train does not 
 pass Vermel till one o'clock, and now it is hardly 
 nine. Write out your telegram ; I will send it 
 off by one of my servants." 
 
 He took Madame Gould-Parker to his desk, 
 and she there wrote out the following telegram : 
 
 •' Felix Barthey, 46 Rue d'Offémont, Paris. 
 Dreadful things have happened. Meet me at 
 the station at 5 a.m. — Jenny." 
 
 ^A 
 
2l6 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 
 f: f 
 
 "That wiir do," said the doctor, taking the 
 despatch and ringing ; " Bernard will take it 
 himself" 
 
 And as his valet had answered the bell, he 
 gave him the telegram, ordering him to get it 
 sent off immediately. 
 
 " As for us, Madame, we must have courage, 
 and not lose our heads. In all this, there is 
 nothing but some absurd mistake. Rely upon 
 me. I know where I can find Monsieur Duret." 
 
 Just then the door of the room opened to let 
 in Pauline, who said : 
 
 ** Madame, the police have taken possession 
 of the town-house ! Just now, as I was going 
 in, I saw Monsieur Babou and the commissioner 
 of police, the one who was at the château." 
 
 " Monsieur Babou, the investigating judge?" 
 asked Piemen. " Ah, yes ; that is his business ; 
 it is he I must see first." 
 
 He rushed out of his study to go to Deblain's 
 house, where the door was immediately opened 
 to him. 
 
 " Where are the gentlemen ? " he asked the 
 porter, who, with agitated countenance, was 
 standing at the door of his lodge. 
 
 " Upstairs," replied the good man ; " upstairs, 
 with Nicholas. What a dreadful affair ! " 
 
 The steward and the porter were the only 
 
 scrvar 
 
 house 
 
 M. D( 
 
 handsq 
 
 Plen 
 
 found 
 
 smokit 
 
 bedroo 
 
 Nichol 
 
 " Ex 
 
 a word 
 
 "Yo 
 
 at his 
 
 drawn 
 
 fresh r 
 
 "Iki 
 
 Deblain 
 
 informe 
 
 have cc 
 
 dreadful 
 
 Blui 
 
 I ar 
 
 of havin 
 
 "Oh, 
 
 "The 
 
 " AIIg 
 
 that Moi 
 
 of poisoi 
 
 «(■ 
 
 i< 
 
PROFESSIONAL SECRECY 
 
 2T7 
 
 Lins 
 iiied 
 
 the 
 
 I was 
 
 lirs, 
 mly 
 
 servants Madame Deblain had had at the town- 
 house since the death of her husband. Pierre, 
 M. Deblain's valet, had been dismissed with a 
 handsome present. 
 
 Piemen ran up the stairs, and immediately 
 found him he was seeking. Standing in the 
 smoking-room, which was next to M. Deblain's 
 bedroom, the investigating judge was asking 
 Nicholas for information about the rooms. 
 
 " Excuse me. Monsieur Babou ; I should like 
 a word with you," said Eric. 
 
 " You, doctor ! " said the magistrate, surprised 
 at his appearance, and allowing himself to be 
 drawn away; "have you heard anything 
 fresh?" 
 
 " I know of nothing but the arrest of Madame 
 Deblain," replied the doctor ; ** I have just been 
 informed of it, and of your being here ; and I 
 have come to warn you against making some 
 dreadful blunder." 
 
 *' Blunder ! I do not understand you ? " 
 
 '• I am told that you accuse Madame Deblain 
 of having poisoned her husband." 
 
 *' Oh, I do not accuse her yet." 
 
 " Then, why " 
 
 " Allow me to say that you, yourself, stated 
 that Monsieur Deblain had died from the effects 
 of poison." 
 
318 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 M 
 
 .« 
 
 .- -.1 
 
 I: H 
 
 \l 
 
 '• That is true, but I Said nothing about a 
 crime having been committed ! " 
 
 " That is a point which a trial alone can 
 decide." 
 
 " Pray consider that I was the friend of the 
 unfortunate Deblain — that I am still the friend 
 of his widow. You suspected the unhappy 
 
 woman, and you induced me to undertake 
 
 You are forcing me to play a dreadful part ! I 
 tell you that if I had known " 
 
 " Pray remember that I proposed to you to 
 leave the examination to your confrèret Monsieur 
 Magnier." 
 
 " That is true ! But still, how dreadful it all 
 is ! Come, Monsieur Babou, do not go any 
 further in this affair ; wait a little while. 
 Madame. Deblain is not guilty: she cannot 
 be!" 
 
 " How do you know ? You have done your 
 duty, doctor, and now you must, really, let me 
 do mine." 
 
 . And as the judge, after having said these 
 words in a very dry manner, was about to rejoin 
 his coadjutors, Piemen caught him by the arm, 
 saying : 
 
 " A moment more, I entreat you ! Madame 
 Deblain is arrested. Where is she ? " 
 
 " In the House of Detention." 
 
PROFESSIONAL SECRECY 
 
 at9 
 
 about a 
 
 3ne can 
 
 i of the 
 le friend 
 unhappy 
 
 ake 
 
 part ! 1 
 
 ) you to 
 Monsieur 
 
 Iful it all 
 
 go any 
 
 t while. 
 
 ; cannot 
 
 one your 
 ^, let me 
 
 id these 
 to rejoin 
 the arm, 
 
 Madame 
 
 " At the Carmelite prison ? " 
 
 *• Of course." 
 
 ''How horrible ! Then on a mere suspicion, 
 this poor woman, accustomed to every comfort 
 and every luxury, is to be subjected to prison 
 rules ! " 
 
 " The law makes no distinction of persons. 
 If I find nothing to confirm my suspicions, I 
 shall set Madame Deblain at liberty ; in the 
 contrarv case, she will have to underofo the 
 common lot. I can see no reason for treating 
 her with more consideration than any other 
 person." 
 
 " 1 fear, on the contrary, that you may have* 
 some reason for treating her with particular 
 severity." 
 
 " Doctor, I cannot, as a magistrate, permit 
 such insinuations. Allow me " 
 
 Saying this with great dignity, M. BaDou 
 suddenly quitted Piemen, who, looking scorn- 
 fully after him, descended the stairs, murmuring : 
 " And it is I who have betrayed her into 
 their hands — I, who would have given my life 
 for her! How can they suppose her guilty? 
 Rhea in prison ! " 
 
 He returned home, and hastened to Madame 
 Gould-Parker, after having given the order for 
 his carriage to be got ready. 
 
 ■:# . 
 
 f 
 
 iÉ 
 
220 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 .1 '• H 
 
 ** I have just seen Monsieur Babou," said he to 
 Jenny, " but I could do nothing with him. I am 
 afraid he is only too delightc d to be able to seize 
 the opportunity of humiliating such a woman 
 as Madame Deblain. Monsieur Babou is not 
 a bad man, but he is vain and ioolish. Besides, 
 I am sure he is not acting entirely on his own 
 authority ; he is too prudent for that. He iias 
 had instructions from his superiors, or, at least, 
 he is actino- with their consent. It is obvious 
 that when he has once examined your sister, he 
 will have to set her free ; therefore, we can do 
 nothing this evening except to make sure that 
 Madame Deblain wants for nothing in tlie 
 prison. I am on intimate terms with the 
 Governor of the Carmelite prison, so I will go 
 and see him immediately. I am sure he will 
 take care that your sister is treated with all 
 possible consideration. But what will you do ? " 
 
 " I will remain here till midnight," said 
 Madame Gould-Parker. "You may imagine I 
 do not wish to go to my sister's house, when: 
 I should meet all those people, I shall be in 
 Paris by five to-morrow morning. I shall find 
 Monsieur Barthey waiting for me at the station ; 
 and, in the course of the morning, I will see 
 our Ambassador. He is a friend of my husband, 
 and I shall tell him all. I have no doubt he 
 
pp 
 
 PROFESSIONAL SECRECY 
 
 221 
 
 îaid he to 
 m. I am 
 e to seize 
 a woman 
 3u is not 
 Besides, 
 1 his own 
 He lias 
 -, at least, 
 s obvious 
 sister, he 
 ive can do 
 sure that 
 or in the 
 with the 
 ) I will p^o 
 e he will 
 with all 
 you do ? " 
 ^ht," said 
 imagine 1 
 se, whenî 
 lall be in 
 shall find 
 e station ; 
 will see 
 • husband, 
 loubt he 
 
 will immediately demand an interview with 
 your chief justice. Think of their daring to 
 accuse Rhea of beinof a murderess ?" 
 
 "Then good-by, lor a little while." 
 
 " I shall wait till you come back." 
 
 The Carmelite prison was close by the Palace 
 of Justice. It was so named because it had 
 been constructed on land where, previous to the 
 decrees of the i8th of August 1792, a Car- 
 melite convent had stood. The law courts 
 and the prison being close together, at least 
 spared unfortunate prisoners the pain of being 
 driven about in the hideous prison van. This 
 prison was at once a House of Detention and a 
 place where culprits underwent their punish- 
 ment when they had received sentences of less 
 than three months. One division of it, com- 
 pletely sepan'te ' from the rest, was used for 
 women, ana wiis under the care of certain 
 Sisters o^" «he order of " Mary an I Joseph." 
 This, of c'ju:se, was before tho ^estion of 
 secularizatinn arose. 
 
 All magistrates and governors of prisons 
 well know what confidence they can place in 
 nuns, 3.nd that, however liunaii.^ these holy 
 women may be m the s.c'miniiirration of their 
 painful duties, theya-j utieviy beyond the reach 
 of bribery. The p.n":,crv<.rs ^md them alwavs 
 
in 
 
 m 
 
 I!»i 
 
 'i i 
 
 222 
 
 T/J2£ CASE OF DR, PLEMEN 
 
 gentle and compassionate, but silent and incor- 
 ruptible. There never was an instance known 
 of one failing in her duty. These duti .s are, 
 for the Sisters serving in prisons, an Act of 
 Faith. We know whether secular attendants 
 are actuated by the same feelings ! 
 
 The Governor of the Carmelite prison, M. 
 Crosnier, had been an officer in the a -ny. He 
 was an excellent man, and had long held his 
 present position. Changes of administration 
 not having affected him, he had been there for 
 twelve years, and knew everybody in Vermel. 
 Consequently, he had felt perfectly amazed 
 when Madame Deblain was brous^ht to him, 
 with orders from M. Babou that she should be 
 kept in solitary confinement. These orders he 
 had strictly obeyed, but still in as humane a 
 manner as possible ; and he had hardly re- 
 turned to his office, after having himself look(id 
 after the comfort of his new prisoner, whcin 
 Piemen, who was an old acquaintance, was 
 announced. 
 
 M. Crosnier went forward to meet him, say- 
 
 " My dear doctor, I can imagine what is the 
 object of your visit. You were on intimatv. 
 terms with the Deblains; what dnes all this 
 mean ? Certain rumours had i\.ached me, but 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 

 PROFESSIONAL SECRFXY 
 
 223 
 
 incor- 
 cnown 
 .s are, 
 Aict of 
 ndants 
 
 Dn, M. 
 . He 
 eld his 
 itration 
 lere for 
 /ermel. 
 amazed 
 to him, 
 ould be 
 clers he 
 mane a 
 dly re 
 look(;d 
 -, when 
 :e, was 
 
 im, say- 
 is the 
 Intima'iv. 
 all this 
 me, but 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 I never expected to see the widow of your 
 friend arrested." 
 
 " This arrest has astonished me no less than 
 it has you," replied Eric ; " and to-morrow the 
 whole town will be ringing with the scandal. 
 Monsieur Babou, whom I have just seen, sus- 
 pects Madame Deblain of having poisuned her 
 husband." 
 
 " Did he really die of poison ? " 
 
 " Yes, I am certain he did, because I myself 
 had the misfortune to perform the post-mortem 
 examination, never imagining what would be 
 its consequences. But because Deblain died of 
 poison, is that any reason for accusing his wife 
 of a crime? Unless he committed suicide, his 
 death must have been caused by some misad- 
 -enture on the part of a servant. The examina- 
 tion will, of course, clear up the mystery ; hut, 
 meanwhile, there is poor Madame Deblain im- 
 piisoned on suspicion, and she may be in the 
 House of Detention for a long time. How 
 will she ever endure the moral and physical 
 tortures consequent on such a situation .•*" 
 
 " So far as the material side of existence is 
 c<i'.;cerned. you and the rest of her friends need 
 have no uneasiness. Madame Deblain shall be 
 treated here with all the indulgence and all the 
 consideration my duty will allow me to show to 
 
 .i.) . ) 
 
V 
 
 il i 
 
 224 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 her. I have taken care she should not be sub- 
 jected to any of the insulting precautions which 
 are necessary in some cases. I have spared her 
 the humiliation of being searched ; and I have 
 had her placed in a room of the infirmary which, 
 foi înately, was vacant, and where she will want 
 for: "ig." 
 
 " F(.» iiat I thank you most sincerely." 
 
 " Besides this, Madame Deblain can order her 
 own meals, and she may send for any clothing 
 she needs : also I have specially commended her 
 to the care of Sister Saint-Anne, who is an in- 
 telligent and well-educated woman. This Sister 
 will sleep in an adjoining room, so as to be at 
 hand if Madame Deblain should call ; and none 
 of my inspectors, except at the regular hours, 
 will be allowed to enter her room. Surely her 
 detention cannot last very long." 
 
 " I cannot tell you how grateful I am for all 
 this kindness." 
 
 " I am doing nothing but my duty." 
 
 "In what state of mind did you leave Madame 
 Deblain?" 
 
 "She seemed to feel more insulted and in- 
 dignant than alarmed or grieved. When I left 
 her a few moments ago, with Sister Saint-Anne, 
 she was perfectly calm." 
 
 " Well, it is fortunate for my poor friend that 
 
 I 4: 
 
PROFESSIONAL SECRECY 
 
 22$ 
 
 1 sub- 
 which 
 :d her 
 have 
 ivhich, 
 I want 
 
 1er her 
 othing 
 led her 
 an in- 
 ; Sister 
 be at 
 d none 
 hours, 
 ly her 
 
 for all 
 
 [adamc 
 
 [nd in- 
 Ileft 
 ■Anne, 
 
 id thai 
 
 she has fallen into the hands of such a man as 
 you ! She is a very energetic young woman, 
 and will not allow herself to be beaten down. 
 Again, accept my thanks, Monsieur Crosnier, 
 and, if your duty allow you to do so, let Madame 
 Deblain know that her friends will never desert 
 her." 
 
 After pressing in his burning hand that of the 
 Governor, Dr. Piemen took leave of him, and 
 hastened back to Madame Gould- Parker. 
 
 Just as his carriage was stopping at his door, 
 he saw Babou and his subordinates leaving the 
 Deblains' house. 
 
 After searching the rooms of the first story — 
 a search which had led to no interesting result 
 — M. Babou had contented himself v/ith placing 
 seals on the doors of these apartments, as well 
 as on the doors and windows of the kitchen and 
 dining-room. 
 
 He made up his mind to have a more com 
 plete search, after he had interrogated Madame 
 Ueblain, and this interrogation must legally be 
 made within the twenty-four hours. 
 
 At one o'clock in the morning, Jenny, a little 
 reassured concerning the fate of her sister, took 
 the mail-train for Paris. A few moments later, 
 Piemen, who had gone with her to the station, 
 returned home, and being alone, and no longer 
 
 
 
 \x 1 
 
226 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 fearing to betray himself, he sank into a chair, 
 crying in a stifled voice : 
 
 "And it is I who am the cause of all this 
 misery ! Ah, I swear they shall not condemn 
 her, though, to save her, I should sacrifice my 
 own life! But if I have to take poison, they 
 will not have a Dr. Piemen at hand to find it 
 
 .V ... « I 
 
 1« 
 
 /■■ * 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
chair, 
 
 i 227 I 
 
 ill this 
 ndemn 
 ice mv 
 1, they 
 find it 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 THE HOUSE OF DETENTION 
 
 If the face of Madame Deblain expressed more 
 indignation than grief, at the moment when she 
 was delivered into the hands of the Governor of 
 the prison, it was because she had been thinking 
 seriously during the time the carriage took to 
 get from the Malle to Vermel. 
 
 At first, when struck down by the blow of the 
 horrible accusation, and deeply humiliated at the 
 effect her arrest would produce in that town 
 where she had held her head so high, Rhea had 
 sunk back in the carriage, opposite to the two 
 men, who at least respected her situation by 
 keeping silent ; and perhaps she half believed 
 that she was in a horrid dream ; but soon her 
 energetic nature resumed its sway. 
 
 'She then said to herself that she must assume 
 an impenetrable mask ; that a woman in her 
 position must not beg for pity from anybody at 
 sight of her despair ; and she so quickly armed 
 
 Q 2 
 
228 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 I. 
 1Î 
 
 1 -■ 
 
 ni! 
 
 
 À 
 
 I ir; 
 
 herself with this resolution, that, when the 
 prison-gates opened to admit the carriage, she 
 did not even start. The chief of police did not 
 feel her hand tremble when it rested on his arm 
 as she got out of the carriage ; and it was with 
 a calm voice that, a few moments later, she 
 answered the questions addressed to her by M. 
 Crosnier concerning her i"!entity, previous to 
 making the entries in his register. It was also 
 with a firm step that the unhappy girl walked to 
 the little room which was to be her cell ; and 
 with a gracious movement of her head she 
 accepted the guardianship of Sister Saint-Anne, 
 and saluted the Governor when he withdrew 
 with the nun. 
 
 But when, having heard the door of her 
 prison close, she saw herself alone, in this room 
 with its whitewashed walls, with no furniture 
 but a little iron bedstead and two chairs, lighted 
 by one gas-jet covered with a thick glass, and 
 which could be extinguished from the outside, 
 all her instincts revolted against it, and she 
 could not restrain a cry, which was caused as 
 much by disgust as by terror at her loneliness. 
 
 At this cry, Sister Saint-Anne, who had been 
 waiting outside, opened the wicket in the door 
 and asked her if she had need of anything ; but 
 Madame Deblain, again summoning up all her 
 
 energ 
 
 dress« 
 
 order 
 
 She 
 
 trying 
 
 self w 
 
 not im 
 
 exclan 
 
 poison 
 
 of pol 
 
 Malle, 
 
 did no 
 
 the nic 
 
 not re, 
 
 thinkin 
 
 her rea 
 
 in her c 
 
 touchée 
 
 was sa) 
 
 "Tal 
 
 It w, 
 
 making 
 
 woman 
 
 it was e 
 
 and goo 
 
 "Ah, 
 
 thank yc 
 
 "Do 
 
THE HOUSE OF DETENTION 
 
 939 
 
 her 
 room 
 liture 
 
 hted 
 
 and 
 tside, 
 she 
 
 d as 
 
 ess. 
 
 been 
 
 door 
 but 
 
 11 her 
 
 energy, answered No; and she lay down, 
 dressed as she was, on the wretched bed, in 
 order to stifle her sobs. 
 
 She had been lying there more than an hour, 
 trying to reduce her ideas to order, asking her- 
 self why she had been arrested, for she could 
 not imagine she was suspected of a crime. Her 
 exclamation, '* Do they suppose it was I who 
 poisoned Monsieur Deblain ! " when the chief 
 of police presented himself before her at the 
 Malle, had been only a cry of indignation. She 
 did not know that on the warrant for her arrest 
 the motive for that arrest was stated ; she had 
 not read it. She was lying there, we say, 
 thinking vaguely of her situation, feeling as if 
 her reason were deserting her, her head buried 
 in her crossed arms, when she felt herself lightly 
 touched on the shoulder, while a gentle voice 
 was saying : 
 
 " Take courage, Madame ! " 
 
 It was the nun, who had entered without 
 making any noise. Sister Saint- Anne was a 
 woman of about fifty, in whose emaciated face 
 it was easy to read an existence of self-sacrifice 
 and goodness. 
 
 " Ah, it is you," exclaimed the prisoner ; " oh, 
 thank you for coming ; I am afraid !" 
 
 " Do not let yourself be cast down," said the 
 
 
 
 
■PW31 
 
 230 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 iMi 
 
 ; 
 
 ;, i, 
 
 kind Sister. "You must be extremely fatigued, 
 so undress and go to bed. You may do so 
 without fear ; I prepared the bed for you, and I 
 will not let you want for anything. God will 
 not let His creatures be given over to despair ! 
 Pray to Him, and you will be comforted." 
 
 Without answering one word, Rhea fixed on 
 the Sister her great eyes, full of tears. 
 
 "Shall we pray to Him together ?" said the 
 Sister. 
 
 " I am a Protestant," murmured Rhea. 
 
 " It is not for me to judge you. Is not our 
 God the same God ; full of mercy, inclining His 
 ear always to those who implore Him. Let us 
 pray ! " 
 
 The nun took Rhea's hand, and they knelt 
 together. 
 
 A few moments after, the young widow, calm 
 and grateful, arose, and, helped by her guardian, 
 lay down in her bed, to spend her first night in 
 prison. But, alas ! the hours passed without 
 bringing her sleep. 
 
 As soon as she found herself again alone, she 
 closed her eyes, hoping for sleep, but in vain. 
 The slightest events of this dreadful day were 
 haunting her so persistently that she could not 
 forget them for a moment. She asked herself 
 what had become of her sister : what her frien 
 
 would 
 
 father ; 
 
 arrest ; 
 
 do. Wi 
 
 Of wha 
 
 her hus 
 
 attribut 
 
 the efifec 
 
 how — b 
 
 have be< 
 
 able to 
 
 how sho 
 
 to suspci 
 
 She well 
 
 liked he 
 
 between 
 
 of such a 
 
 that the 
 
 ' increasec 
 
 had beei 
 
 Vermel } 
 
 keep a p 
 
 be much 
 
 Did not ( 
 
 She fo 
 
 with her ( 
 
 parties, tc 
 
 invited ; 
 
 li %'.\ 
 
 Il |<. 
 
THE HOUSE OF DETENTION 
 
 331 
 
 lied, 
 > so 
 id I 
 will 
 )air ! 
 
 i on 
 
 L the 
 
 it our 
 y His 
 -et us 
 
 knelt 
 
 would think ; she thought of the despair of her 
 father and mother when they should hear of her 
 arrest ; she wondered what Dr. Piemen would 
 do. Would they all abandon her to her despair ? 
 Of what was she accused ? Could it be of killing 
 her husband ? Yes, it must be that crime they 
 attributed to her, since M. Deblain had died of 
 the effects of poison. He had been poisoned! But 
 how — by whom ? He had no enemies ; it must 
 have been an accident. But if they should not be 
 able to discover the cause of his sudden death, 
 how should she defend herself ? Who had dared 
 to suspect her ? Could it be Madame Dusortois ? 
 She well knew that Raymond's aunt had never 
 liked her ; but there was a wide difference 
 between mere dislike and believing her capable 
 of such a monstrous crime ! Could it be possible 
 that the large fortune she had inherited had 
 increased all the mean jealousy of which she 
 had been the object ever since her arrival at 
 Vermel ? Ah, that fortune ! She would not 
 keep a penny of it ! Should she not one day 
 be much richer than M. Deblain had ever been ? 
 Did not everybody know that? 
 
 She foresaw that she would be reproached 
 I with her extravagance, her luxuries, her splendid 
 parties, to which all Vermel had desired to be 
 invited ; and this reminded her of her triumphs, 
 
332 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 il 
 
 \\ v 
 
 1% 
 
 her adorers, her pleasures, and her husband's 
 kindness to her. 
 
 It was true that Raymond had di in the 
 next room to hers ; he must have cried aloud — 
 called for help ! Would any one ever believe 
 that she had heard nothing — that she could hear 
 nothing ? What answer could she make ? Ah, 
 it was horrible ; she was lost ! 
 
 The interminable hours passed thus, whether 
 she were waking or sleeping, worn out with 
 fatii,'ue. If she were awake, the reality was 
 before her, terrible, inexorable ; if she si» nbered, 
 she was oppressed with nightmare ter 
 
 However, towards morning she fell asleep, but 
 awoke with a cry of horror, when, on opening 
 her eyes, she saw herself in this wretched room. 
 
 Fortunately, the Sister came in immediately. 
 After having calmed and reassured her, the 
 good nun helped her to dress, and, about ten 
 o'clock, induced her to take some food; then 
 she undertook to get from the Malle or the 
 town-house whatever was necessary for Madame 
 Deblain. 
 
 These details of material life took off Rhea's 
 attention a little from the terrors of her situation ; 
 and, yielding to the advice of her consoler, she 
 was regaining a little courage, when the Governor 
 entered her room, and said to her : 
 
 me th( 
 
 "I; 
 
 this ur 
 
 She 
 
 Crosni 
 
 placed 
 
 was wa 
 
 man to 
 
 Afe 
 
 the cor 
 
 Palace 
 
 small v 
 
 of M. E 
 
 In thi 
 
 mon-Ioc 
 
 prisoner 
 
 fixed a 
 
 about g 
 
 observir 
 
 "Woi 
 
 "Oh, 
 
 The 
 
 balustrac 
 
 guardian 
 
 heels on 
 
 Raym< 
 
 hour, wit 
 
THE HOUSE OF DETENTION 
 
 «33 
 
 ind's 
 
 L the 
 ud— 
 lieve 
 
 hear 
 
 Ah, 
 
 lether 
 
 with 
 
 J was 
 
 bered, 
 
 îp, but 
 )ening 
 room, 
 ately. 
 r, the 
 ut ten 
 then 
 Dr the 
 adame 
 
 Lhea's 
 
 Ration ; 
 
 îr, she 
 
 rernor 
 
 " Madame, the investigating judge has sent 
 me the order to bring you before him." 
 
 " I am glad of it! Anything is better than 
 this uncertainty, which is driving me mad ! " 
 
 She quickly dressed herself and followed M. 
 Crosnier to the office. There the Governor 
 placed her in the charge of the policeman, who 
 was waiting, and gave strict injunctions to the 
 man to treat her with all respect. 
 
 A few moments later, after passing through 
 the corridor which led from the prison to the 
 Palace of Justice, Madame Deblain arrived at a 
 small vestibule which formed the ante-chamber 
 of M. Babou s office. 
 
 In this ante-chamber were half a dozen com- 
 mon-looking people, sitting about on forms — 
 prisoners, doubtless — who regarded her with a 
 fixed and mocking stare. Rhea hesitated 
 about going among them, and, the policeman 
 observing this, said : 
 
 " Would you rather stay out here, Madame ? "• 
 
 " Oh, yes, thank you !" 
 
 The unhappy creature leaned against the 
 balustrade of the stone staircase, whilst her 
 guardian walked up and down stamping his 
 heels on the pavement. 
 
 Raymond's widow waited thus nearly an 
 hour, with her veil over her face; and she 
 
il 
 
 
 îi 
 
 il 
 
 Il ! 
 
 S; 
 
 1 
 
 234 
 
 TW^- C^5^ OF DU. P LE M EN 
 
 knew that this was a humiliation inflicted on 
 her by M. Babou. At last a voice called : 
 . ; "The woman Deblain ! " 
 
 At this insolent manner of speaking of her, 
 Rhea felt the colour rise to her very forehead ; 
 nevertheless, she advanced with a firm step, 
 and entered the office of the investigating 
 judge. The policeman remained outside, and 
 the door of the office was instantly closed. 
 Rhea was in the presence of him who held her 
 fate in his hands. 
 
 Leaning back in his armchair, his legs crossed, 
 and twirling his watch-chain with his dirty 
 fingers, the magistrate, with sneering face, and 
 hardly deigning to incline his head to this 
 woman whom he had always seen treated with 
 the utmost respect, said : 
 
 " You may sit down. Take off your veil." 
 
 Rhea obeyed, and took a seat, feeling ex- 
 tremely angry and disgusted. She foresaw 
 that this man was not only her judge, but her 
 enemy. . . . 
 
 '. When his prisoner was seated and had taken 
 off her veil, M. Babou stared at her for severa 
 seconds, as if to impress upon her the power of 
 his false and malignant gaze ; but the young 
 woman not seeming disturbed by it, he at last 
 said: 
 
 "Your name, Christian names, and age?" 
 
 twe 
 
 << 
 
THE HOUSE OF DETENTION 
 
 «35 
 
 cted on 
 id: 
 
 r of her, 
 >rehead ; 
 •m step, 
 stigating 
 ide, and 
 closed, 
 held her 
 
 ; crossed, 
 lis dirty 
 face, and 
 to this 
 Ued with 
 
 veil." 
 eling ex- 
 foresaw 
 but her 
 
 )r 
 
 ad taken 
 several 
 power of 
 le young 
 le at last 
 
 *• I was born in Philadelphia, and I am 
 twenty-two years old," she answered dryly. 
 " As to my name, you must be well aware what 
 that is, since it is you who had me arrested. I 
 desire to know what were your reasons for so 
 doing." . ,. . 
 
 "You are here to answer questions, not to 
 ask them. I warn you that my clerk will take 
 down your lightest word." 
 
 " My name is Marie Rhea Panton." 
 
 *' When did you become Madame Deblain ? " 
 
 " Nearly three years ago, during a visit of 
 Monsieur Deblain's at my father's house in 
 Philadelphia." 
 
 " Monsieur Deblain fell into a trap you laid 
 for him, in concert with your uncle, a certain 
 clergyman named Jonathan Thompson ? " 
 
 " I do not know what you mean. Monsieur 
 Deblain married me because he loved me. He 
 never was the least entrapped ! People who 
 tell such tales are fools and slanderers ! " 
 
 " I must insist that you moderate your tone ! 
 Your answer does not surprise me. Of course, 
 you are very unwilling to have the circum- 
 stances attending your marriage known — a 
 marriage performed in the garden of an inn, 
 and which had to be again solemnized at the 
 French Embassy to make it legal ! It is per- 
 fectly obvious that Monsieur Deblain was 
 
 
 I W 
 
i 
 
 I 
 
 
 fi ?' 
 
 it 
 
 y 
 
 'H 
 
 1 
 
 256 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 entrapped! Afterwards, he made the best of 
 it, and behaved Hke a gallant gentleman. 
 What sort of position does your father hold ? " 
 
 "My father is a great deal richer than any 
 merchant in Vermel ! I d my sister, the 
 wife of Colonel Gould- Parker, military attaché 
 to the American Embassy, each had a fortune 
 of half a million of francs." 
 
 " You have always shown a great desire to 
 live in Paris, and it was with that view that 
 you drove your husband to become a Parlia- 
 mentary candidate. Monsieur Deblain yielded 
 to that whim, as he had yielded to all your 
 other whims — weakly yielded, but that weak- 
 ness cost him dear! It was when you found 
 out he was certain to be defeated that you 
 thought of ridding yourself of him who had 
 failed to realize your dream of ambition and 
 liberty ! " 
 
 '* Then you accuse me of having murdered 
 my husband .î*" - : r-- 
 
 '* That is the crime with which you are 
 charged. You yourself admitted your guilt 
 when you exclaimed, on seeing Monsieur Berton 
 at the Malle, ' Do you believe it was I who 
 poisoned Monsieur Deblain?' Now, as you 
 had not read the warrant of arrest, how could 
 you know what had caused your husband's 
 death .? " 
 
^m 
 
 THE HOUSE OP DETENTION 
 
 237 
 
 best of 
 uleman. 
 bold ? " 
 han any 
 iter, the 
 1 attaché 
 , fortune 
 
 desire to 
 iew that 
 I Parlia- 
 1 yielded 
 all your 
 It weak- 
 3u found 
 that you 
 ivho had 
 tion and 
 
 nurdered 
 
 you are 
 our guilt 
 ur Berton 
 IS I who 
 r, as you 
 low could 
 busband's 
 
 At this question Rhea hung down her head. 
 Not darinc[- to speak of the letter which the 
 doctor had written her, she saw at once that 
 these words of hers were fatal. 
 
 "Ah, you cannot answer that!" said M. 
 Babou in sneering" tones. 
 
 " My saying those words was a mere 
 chance ! " 
 
 " Ah, yes, and mere chance caused you to 
 tell the truth. The jury will quite appreciate 
 it. Doubtless we shall find there plenty of 
 other proofs." Saying this, the magistrate 
 tapped with his clumsy fingers on the lid of 
 the box in which, the day before, M. Berton 
 had placed the papers seized at the Malle in 
 Madame Deblain's bedroom. 
 
 '* That box contains only private letters," 
 said Rhea. " Monsieur Berton assured me 
 that it would never be opened but in my pre- 
 sence and with my permission." 
 •t " That is quite right ; but if you do not 
 authorize me to open it, I shall refer the matter 
 to those who can, and justice will take its 
 course. You will do well to complete your 
 involuntary confessions, and name your accom- 
 plice." 
 
 " My accomplice ! " 
 
 "Yes, your accomplice— - Monsieur Felix 
 Barihey," 
 
238 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 ' '■<:> 
 
 "Monsieur Felix Barthey! First I would ask, 
 how I can have an accomplice when I have 
 done no wrong ? And then, why Monsieur 
 Barthey ? " 
 
 '• I am fully informed as to what your con- 
 duct has been since your arrival at Vermel. 
 Your husband was weak — blind ; you cared 
 nothing for him, and you began by making of 
 Dr. Piemen your slave. Then came Monsieur 
 Barthey, whose residence was in Paris — Paris, 
 where you, too, were so desirous of living " 
 
 " Ah, Monsieur, I was unwilling to believe 
 that you could lend yourself to such an infamous 
 assertion ! I did not think there existed in the 
 world a country where the law would allow a 
 man to insult a woman, whatever might be his 
 lunCbiGxo . 
 
 Madame Deblain had risen, her eyes flashing 
 with indignation. 
 
 At this movement M. Babou was for a 
 moment taken aback, and his clerk, in aston- 
 ishment, ceased to write. 
 
 But he immediately resumed his insolent 
 tone, saying : 
 
 " All this play-acting does not surprise me ; I 
 quite expected it. Yes, you wanted to get to 
 Paris to be near Monsieur Barthey, your 
 lover I " 
 
THE HOUSE Ob DETENTION 
 
 «39 
 
 )uld ask, 
 
 I have 
 
 lonsieur 
 
 3ur con- 
 Vermel. 
 u cared 
 aking of 
 Monsieur 
 — Paris, 
 
 ig— - 
 believe 
 
 infamous 
 
 id in the 
 
 allow a 
 
 t be his 
 
 flashing 
 
 is for a 
 n aston- 
 
 insolent 
 
 >e me ; I 
 o get to 
 ;y, your 
 
 " Enough, sir, enough ! I am not quite so 
 much a stranger to the laws of France as you 
 imagine. I know that torture was abolished 
 long ago. Then by what right do you inflict 
 the torture on me of questioning me as you are 
 now doing?" 
 
 "Madame!" ' 
 
 " I swear to you, sir, that these are the very 
 last words I ever will speak to you. Hence- 
 forward you will question me in vain ; I will 
 not answer you. The American Ambassador is 
 perhaps at this moment in consultation with the 
 Minister of Justice concerning my affairs. A 
 day will come when you will have to give an 
 account of your conduct to a defenceless woman, 
 whom you have a right to arraign, since you 
 think her guilty, but whom it was your duty to 
 protect from insult. It is only before my judges 
 that I will explain myself, or that any one shall 
 speak for me. To you, never another word ! 
 Never ! " 
 
 Rhea had said all this with such dignity, 
 resolution was so energetically expressed in her. 
 face, that M. Babou could not find anything to 
 say ; not that he believed, in his narrow, vain 
 mind that he was at all in the wrong, but simply 
 because he did not in the least expect any such 
 revolt on her part 
 
 • n 
 
340 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 ■'A i 
 
 "Ah, you will not answer me," he at last said, 
 in his nasal tones. "Well; we shall see. Soli- 
 tary confinement has brought down as haughty 
 spirits as yours. Am I to go on with my inves- 
 tigation ? " 
 
 Madame Deblain only shook her head. 
 
 " Be it so," said he ; and, addressing his clerk, 
 he said : ^ 
 
 " Make the prisoner sign the declaration." 
 
 Rhea approached the table, and, after having 
 glanced at the papers the clerk pushed towards 
 her, she rapidly wrote at the bottom of one of 
 the sheets the following words : 
 
 " When the interrogatory sentences and my 
 replies are correctly reported, I will sign them." 
 
 M. Babou rose in a fury, exclaiming : 
 
 " I forbid you to quit this room ! Ah, you 
 wt// not speak ! " 
 
 He began writing, and, when he had finished, 
 he ordered his clerk to call the policeman who 
 had brought Madame Deblain. 
 
 The man entered immediately. 
 
 " Take this woman back to the prison," said 
 he, "and give this letter to Monsieur Crosnier. 
 Ah ! so you will not speak to me ! " 
 
 Rhea affected not to hear this menacing 
 phrase, and went out with her veil down. 
 
 ir,i 
 
m 
 
 
 ( Hi ) 
 
 5t saîd, 
 
 Soli- 
 
 lughty 
 
 inves- 
 
 s clerk, 
 
 5n. 
 
 having 
 3 wards 
 one of 
 
 nd my 
 them. 
 
 II 
 
 h, you 
 
 lished, 
 in who 
 
 ," said 
 osnier. 
 
 nacing 
 
 CHAPTER VÏ 
 
 ON THE INFLUENCE, AS YET UNDTSCOVEREO, Of 
 VERONESE GREEN ON THE HONOUR 
 OF AN ARTIST 
 
 If M. Babou had only allowed himself to be 
 what he really was — that is, an honest man and 
 a magistrate incapable of intentionally violating 
 professional honour — it is certain that he must 
 have been touched by the emotion of Madame 
 Deblain. Unfortunately, he was the son of 
 poor parents ; had been a hard-working student, 
 having attained to every step in his career by 
 dint of hard work alone ; he had no means but 
 the absurdly small pay given in France to those 
 appointed to administer justice ; and being natu- 
 rally of an envious disposition, he cherished the 
 blind hatred of all self-made men for those born 
 in a superior position. Besides this, although 
 he was learned in the law, he was not a man of 
 much intelligence, and was, withal, jealous of 
 his authority, very obstinate, and extremely 
 ambitious. 
 
 R 
 
 i 
 
 ■i V 
 
 m 
 
 At. 
 
342 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 If : 
 
 ill 
 
 % 
 
 I'- 
 
 Is •1' 
 J 
 
 
 V ''I 
 
 ft 
 
 .> ; 
 
 'A . 
 
 I 
 
 
 As an ordinary magistrate, he had been in 
 his right place ; but, as an investigating judge, 
 he was wanting in delicacy, insight, and good 
 breeding ; consequently, he saw nothing in 
 Madame Deblain's indignation but a comedy 
 frequently played by prisoners ; nothing in her 
 words but an outrage against his dignity ; and 
 nothing in her vow that she would never answer 
 him, but a vain boast which would not hold out 
 long against the solitude of imprisonment. 
 
 It was with this conviction that he imme- 
 diately wrote to the Governor to renew . the 
 order to keep Madame Deblain in the strictest 
 seclusion. 
 
 Nevertheless, his conscience being a little 
 troubled, M. Babou thought it best to go to the 
 chief attorney of his court, and inform him of all 
 that had taken place between him and Madame 
 Deblain. 
 
 " Oh, the tone this woman takes is quite 
 what we might have expected," replied M. 
 Lachaussée ; " she is capable of any amount of 
 impudence. That is all the more reason why 
 you should push on your examination, whether 
 she refuse to speak or not. Do not lose any 
 time about making the strictest search in her 
 house. If you find anything new, telegraph to 
 me in Paris, for I am called there by the Keeper 
 
THE HONOUR OF AN ARTIST 
 
 )een m 
 
 judge, 
 d good 
 ling in 
 comedy 
 
 in her 
 ty; and 
 
 answer 
 lold out 
 
 It. 
 
 ; imme- 
 lew . the 
 strictest 
 
 a little 
 ^o to the 
 im of all 
 Madame 
 
 is quite 
 )lied M. 
 Tiount of 
 Lson why 
 whether 
 lose any 
 :h in her 
 :graph to 
 e Keeper 
 
 243 
 
 of the Seals, most probably in consequence o( 
 a visit he has had from the American Ambas- 
 sador, who has been appealed to by Madame 
 Gould-Parker. I shall start this evening for 
 Paris, and shall avail myself of the opportunity 
 to see that proper measures are taken with 
 regard to Felix Barthey, of whose complicity I 
 have not the least doubt." 
 
 Feeling quite assured by this accordance of 
 ideas between his chief and himself, M. Babou 
 informed M. Crosnier that he would send for 
 Madame Deblain the next morning about ten 
 o'clock, to be present at the search that he in- 
 tended to make in her presence at the Malle ; 
 but Rhea told the Governor that they would 
 have to take her by force, as she would refuse 
 to accompany the investigating judge ; there- 
 fore M. Babou determined to go to the château 
 without her. 
 
 He took with him his clerk, a police officer, 
 and a locksmith, of whose services he supposed 
 he would have need. 
 
 On arriving at the Malle he had the gates 
 opened " in the name of the law," for the honest 
 gatekeeper of the château pretended to be deaf, 
 and was in no hurry to open to the law's 
 myrmidons. Babou first visited the apartments 
 of Madame Deblain, but nothing there appear- 
 
344 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 ing to him worth a long examination, he went 
 on to M. Barthey's room, and searched it care- 
 fully. 
 
 It was a large room, prettily decorated with 
 flowered cretonne. It had a wide brass bed- 
 stf^ad, and furniture of maple, with a glass-doored 
 wardrobe, a bookcase containing mostly works 
 on fishing and sport, and a few novels ; also, 
 there was a table strewn with pamphlets and 
 sketches — an ideal guest-chamber for a country 
 house, always ready to receive a friend. This 
 bedroom had adjoining it a dressing-room, 
 where the investigating judge observed on one 
 of the chairs a white suit, which must have 
 been the artist's working dress, as it was stained 
 here and there with various colours. 
 
 " Evidently," thought M. Babou, '* Monsieur 
 Barthey made himself quite at home." 
 
 But nothing of any interest turned up, from 
 the magistrate's point of view — nothing in the 
 d'awers of the toilet-table, nothing anywhere *, 
 and M. Babou was about to withdraw, feeling 
 rather disconcr:rted at the usclessness of his 
 search, when, as he was passing through the 
 bedroom, the idea occurred to him to lift up the 
 cover there was on the large table. 
 
 He then perceived that this table had a wide 
 drawer. As it was locked, he ordered the lock- 
 
THE HONOUR OF AN ARTIST 
 
 «45 
 
 wide 
 lock- 
 
 smith to open it. It was not opened without 
 some difficulty, they found, as it was a safety 
 lock. However, they at last succeeded, and 
 M. Babou hastened to search the drawer, at 
 the back of which he found, under some letters 
 and bills, which he tied up, a small round metal 
 box, on the lid of which was a half- torn label, 
 where might still be read "Veronese Green." 
 
 ** Veronese Green," spelt out the magistrate, 
 who was as ignorant as a goose of everything 
 appertaining to art ; ** what can that be .f* " 
 
 He had opened the box ; it was about half 
 full of extremely fine green powder. 
 > *' Perhaps he uses that in his work for making 
 some special colour," he thought. ** How- 
 ever, we must see about it — who knows! who 
 knows ! " 
 
 He added the box to the various papers he 
 had found in the drawer, and, as this discovery 
 reminded him that Barthey was an artist, he 
 asked the gatekeeper where M. Barthey usually 
 worked. 
 
 Being compelled to obey him, old Ternier 
 took his unwelcome guests across the grounds 
 to the back of the theatre, into a room which 
 had served at once as painting-room and green- 
 room. 
 
 It was a laro-e room, elegantly furnished, but 
 
246 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 
 m 
 I- 
 
 showîng si^nc of the double purpose it served. 
 Against the walls stood three or four ward- 
 robes with glass doors, marble-topped tables, 
 Japanese screens, and wide, low sofas ; on the 
 floor were thick oarpets, on the walls splendid 
 hangings ; then there were cabinets and consoles 
 laden with artistic objects ; an immense aviary, 
 where lived, in an atmosphere as warm as their 
 native forests, a number of birds ; and, finally, 
 there were two or three easels, on which stood 
 pictures covered with light cloths, to keep them 
 from the dust. 
 
 M. Babou hastened to remove these cloths, 
 and he was immediately struck by one of the 
 pictures. 
 
 It was a portrait of Madame Deblain, of life- 
 size. The head was quite finished, and was a 
 perfect likeness, but the painter seemed to have 
 changed his mind as to the colour of the dress ; 
 for, notwithstanding that it was nenrlv obli- 
 terated, it was easy to see that '^' ^own liad 
 been at first red, and that the .le artist ad 
 quitted his work. Why ? 
 
 M. Babou thought that it was doubtless the 
 death of M. Deblain which had interrupted the 
 work, and after having opened and rummaged 
 about among the furniture without discovering 
 anything interesting, he made up his mind to 
 
THE HONOUR OF AN ARTIST 
 
 «47 
 
 irved. 
 ward- 
 ;ables, 
 m the 
 lendid 
 nsoles 
 iviary, 
 s their 
 finally, 
 stood 
 3 them 
 
 cloths, 
 of the 
 
 of life- 
 was a 
 
 o have 
 dress ; 
 obli- 
 
 vii liad 
 
 ist ad 
 
 ess the 
 ited the 
 imaged 
 overing 
 nind to 
 
 \' 
 
 quit the Malle without giving it any farther 
 search. It was then three o'clock in the after- 
 noon. Less than an hour later M. Babou 
 entered the office of the Attorney-General, and 
 showing him the little box, said : 
 
 •* I think now Madame Deblain will be less 
 arrogant." 
 
 " What is this ? " asked M. Duret, taking a 
 little of the powder up in his fingers. 
 
 " Simply arsenite of copper, as Monsieur 
 Planât — a first-rate chemist, even according to 
 Dr. Piemen — found without a moment's hesita- 
 tion. Arsenite of copper — a deadly poison ! 
 And I found it stowed away in a drawer in 
 Monsieur Barthey's room at the Malle! You 
 understand } " 
 
 " It is clear enough. What do you mean to 
 do?" 
 
 " I shall issue a warrant of arrest against 
 Felix Barthey, and I beg of you to take all the 
 necessary measures to that end." 
 
 " All my measures are taken ; you have my 
 complete approval." 
 
 " I will make out a warrant of arrest, which 
 shall be served on him to-morrow morning." 
 
 Just as M. Babou was saying these words, 
 one of M. Duret's clerks opened the door of 
 the room and gave his chief the card of a 
 
 
 èk 
 
248 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 visitor, who asked to see the magistrate on 
 urgent business. — ' ' : 
 
 " Monsieur Felix Barthey ! " said he, and 
 after glancing at the card he handed it to M. 
 Babod. 
 
 "Well," said the latter, "this is audacity!" 
 
 " No ; on the contrary, it is quite natural. 
 Monsieur Barthey knows nothing of your sus- 
 picions, and is aware that Madame Deblain is 
 arrested ; he could, therefore, do no less than 
 come here. If he showed no kind of interest in 
 the fate of his mistress, he would bring suspicion 
 on himself." 
 
 " You are right. v7ell, let him come in, and 
 then you just keep him here a few minutes." 
 
 "After that I will send him to you." 
 
 ** Oh, there will be no need ! " 
 
 M. Babou emphasized this last speech with 
 one of his spitetul glances, and hurried away to 
 his own office. , i 
 
 In the entrance-hall he passed the artist, but 
 so quickly that Felix did not recognize him. 
 Besides, just then the attendant announced 
 to him that the Attorney-General had given 
 orders to admit him. 
 
 As soon as he was in the presence of M. 
 Duret, who bowed as île offered him a chair, 
 M. Barthey said to him ; 
 
THE HONOUR OF AN ARTIST 
 
 249 
 
 on 
 
 )f M. 
 :hair, 
 
 "Monsieur, I was informed in Paris this 
 morning, by Madame Gould-Parker, of the 
 arrest of Madame Deblain, and I have come to 
 ask you for such explanations as you can afford 
 me concerning this extraordinary event. You 
 can imagine what are the feeHngs of all the 
 friends of that charming lady. May I ask of 
 what crime she is accused ? " . 
 
 The magistrate dryly replied : "Well, Mon- 
 sieur, she is accused of poisoning her husband." 
 
 •* Oh, I cannot have heard aright I Madame 
 Deblain a poisoner ! " 
 
 ' An investigation has been commenced, and 
 I may tell you that the result of the search 
 made at the town and country houses of tlie 
 Déblai ns is overwhelming both for her and her 
 accomplice." . -m ■ ,; si^ . <; 
 
 "Her accomplice! You say Madame De- 
 blain killed her husband, and that she had an 
 accomplice ! Who, then, is that accomplice ? " 
 
 '* On that point 1 must be silent. The affair 
 is in the hands of the investigating judge. If 
 you like to see him, perhaps he will tell you 
 
 more. 
 
 u 
 
 ** I hope he will, so I beg your permission to 
 leave you." 
 
 " Do so, Monsieur.** 
 
 The artist bowed, and hastened out to see 
 
250 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 ■a 'Si 
 
 |:,| 
 
 r#- 
 
 M. BaboLi ; but just as he was approaching the 
 magistrate s office he found himself face to face 
 with a poHce officer, who said : 
 
 "Are you Monsieur Felix Barthey?" < 
 
 " Yes," he replied. 
 
 " Then, Monsieur, in the name of the law, I 
 arrest you ! Here is the warrant which I have 
 to execute against you." . ' : 
 
 " Indeed ! Let me see it. Ah, perhaps it is 
 I who am the accomplice !" ' ' 
 
 He took the paper from the man's hand, and 
 when he had read it he gave it back to him, 
 saying : " Yes, I see ; it is I ! Really, all these 
 people must be mad or stupid ! Can I see the 
 investigating judge immediately ? " 
 
 "My orders are to arrest you, and to take 
 you to the Carmelite prison." 
 
 " Then take me ! I have been a soldier, as 
 you see," pointing to his button-hole, where he 
 wore the ribbon of a military order ; ** so, of 
 course, I know you must obey your orders." 
 Then, as the officer, doubtless to give proof of 
 his zeal, was about to take the artist by the 
 collar, the latter added : " Oh, fear nothing, my 
 good fellow ; I have not the least intention of 
 trying to escape. Really, all this is most odious 
 and most idiotic — you may tell whom you please 
 that I say so 1 But come ; let us go." And, 
 
THE HONOUR OF AN ARTIST 
 
 251 
 
 the 
 face 
 
 aw, I 
 
 have 
 
 S it is 
 
 1, and 
 
 ) him, 
 
 these 
 
 ee the 
 
 take 
 
 ier, as 
 ere he 
 so, of 
 -ders." 
 -oof of 
 by the 
 
 ig» my 
 
 tion of 
 odious 
 please 
 And, 
 
 very soon after, Felix Barthey was locked up, 
 just as Madame Deblain had been the previous 
 day. 
 
 On taking possession of the only decent room 
 in the men's department of the prison to which 
 M. Crosnier had had him conducted, the artist 
 felt a little cast down ; but that did not last 
 long, for he was very energetic, and, besides, he 
 felt that his detention could be but of short 
 duration. He thought he would only have to 
 appear before the Investigating judge for him 
 to perceive his mistake. Of course, he knew 
 enough of law to be aware that he would be 
 interrogated the next day ; therefore, he had 
 but one disagreeable night to get through, and, 
 during the war, he had passed many a worse one. 
 
 He did not feel the least humiliation at his 
 arrest, because he was sure none of his friends 
 would doubt him for a moment. As for this 
 investigating judge, he was too idiotic, and he 
 would be sufficiently punished by the shame 
 that the results of such a blunder would cau.se 
 him. ^ 
 
 As to the Attorney-General, who had tricked 
 him by keeping him in his office as if he had 
 been a visitor, whilst M. Babou was taking 
 measures for his arrest, Barthey said to himself 
 that he would be even with him some day. 
 
 .-r. 
 
252 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 m 
 
 
 Ml"' 
 
 What most tormented the young man was the 
 thought of Madame Deblain being in prison. 
 How would she endure this dreadful position; 
 how could this young woman, accustomed to 
 every comfort and luxury, endure this impri- 
 sonment! ' . . I 
 
 These thoughts allowed him but little rest; 
 and the next day, about noon, when the Go- 
 vernor told him to get ready to go before the 
 investigating judge, he was in such haste that 
 the policeman who was escorting him thought 
 for a moment he meant to take flight, and 
 was not quite reassured till he saw the door of 
 M. Babou's office close on his prisoner. 
 
 " I was impatient, Monsieur, to appear before 
 you," said Barthey, bowing to the magistrate, 
 who was, as usual, leaning back in his chair, and 
 wearing an arrogant expression. 
 
 •* The law is that I shall examine all accused 
 persons within twenty-four hours of their arrest, 
 and I keep to the letter of the law." 
 
 '• Ah, it is true that I am a prisoner, but still 
 you must allow me to take a chair. I am not 
 in the habit of standing while I talk with any 
 one who keeps his seat." 
 
 And taking a chair he seated himself, while 
 M. Biibou said ironically : 
 
 " Please yourself; but please also to re* 
 
THE HONOUR OF AN ARTIST 
 
 353 
 
 as the 
 >rison. 
 ûtion ; 
 ed to 
 impri- 
 
 ; rest; 
 e Go- 
 re the 
 :e that 
 lought 
 It, and 
 loor of 
 
 before 
 istrate, 
 r, and 
 
 ccused 
 
 arrest, 
 
 <f 
 
 ut still 
 im not 
 h any 
 
 ; while 
 
 to re- 
 
 member that here you are nothing but a 
 prisoner." 
 
 " I am so little inclined to forget it that I shall 
 be much obliged if you will inform me of what 
 crime you suppose me guilty. I cannot imagine 
 that you can be in earnest when you accuse me 
 of that which is on your warrant — of being an 
 accomplice in the poisoning of Monsieur De- 
 blain. It is impossible you can believe either 
 me or Madame Deblain guilty of that." 
 
 " It is not my business to hold conversations 
 with you, but only to question you. Tell me 
 your names, age, profession, and address." 
 
 " Raoul Felix Barthey ; thirty-four years of 
 age; artist, and late officer in the 102nd Foot; 
 living in Paris, at 46 Rue d'Offémont." 
 
 ** What is that decoration you are wearing ?" 
 
 "It is one that a man can only win on the 
 field of battle while risking his life for his 
 country. It is one that some of your colleagues 
 are proud to wear, because they valiantly won 
 it by laying aside their robes and becoming 
 soldiers." k '■». > , ; .. 
 
 M. Babou, who was known to have taken the 
 office of a judge in order to escape the risk of 
 serving in the army, could not help colouring. 
 
 ** What are your means of living ? 
 haughtily. 
 
 É 
 
«54 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 \h 
 
 " I have a fortune which brings me twenty 
 thousand francs a year, and I earn about double 
 that amount." 
 
 "By painting?" . -^ 
 
 "Certainly." "= 
 
 " You are accused of having furnished 
 Madame Deblain with the poison she used 
 to kill her husband." 
 
 "Poor woman! She a poisoner !*' 
 
 " She has confessed her crime." 
 
 " Confessed ! I do not believe it. If she 
 has, she must have gone mad." 
 
 " Your manner of conducting yourself is not 
 of a nature to better your present position ! " 
 • "I don't care about bettering my present 
 position ! I think it perfectly ridiculous." 
 
 " You deny that you were the accomplice of 
 the guilty woman } " 
 
 " I deny it emphatically, and I am perfectly 
 convinced of her innocence !" 
 
 " Then what is this .>* " - >:.■ 
 
 The magistrate placed on his desk, near 
 which Barthey sat, the little metal box seized 
 at the Malle. •f'- 
 
 " That," said the artist ; " why that is arsenite 
 of copper. I suppose you have been breaking 
 into my drawers." 
 
 •* It was my duty and my right to do so. 
 
w 
 
 wenty 
 louble 
 
 TBE HONOUR OF AN ARTIST 
 
 255 
 
 nished 
 Î used 
 
 If she 
 
 ■ is not 
 >n! 
 
 present 
 
 >> 
 
 plice of 
 erfectly 
 
 c, near 
 : seized 
 
 arsenite 
 ireaking 
 
 so. 
 
 "All right!" 
 
 "Well, Monsieur Deblain was poisoned with 
 some preparation of copper ; you understand — 
 of copper." 
 
 " And you think that Oh, really, this 
 
 is too stupid !" ' 
 
 "You are insulting the magistracy in my 
 person. Take care !" 
 
 " But, my good sir, you have been insulting 
 common sense in my person for the last ten 
 minutes. You are quite mistaken if you think 
 you can frighten me. I am neither a child nor 
 a fool ; I am an honest man and a soldier.*' 
 Barthey was speaking without any anger, but 
 with a strange firmness, which rendered M. 
 Babou furious, because he was so accustomed 
 to see everybody tremble before him. 
 
 ** And these — are they too ridiculous ? " he 
 said sarcastically, as he showed the artist the 
 packet of letters which he had found in the 
 Italian cabinet in Madame Deblain's bed- 
 room. I 
 
 This time the artist could not help showing 
 some emotion, which was not lost on M. Babou. 
 However, after a moment's reflection, he said, 
 with perfect indifference : 
 
 " Those letters ? What have I to do with 
 them ?" 
 
 
 h 
 
156 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 ià;"' 
 
 " Nothing, but that they are your letters, 
 addressed by you to Madame Deblain." 
 
 '* From me to Madame Deblain ! It is 
 false!" 
 
 " You think you are safe because they are 
 not signed. We shall see what the experts in 
 writing say to that. As to the person to whom 
 they were sent, there can be no doubt about 
 that, because they were found in her bedroom." 
 This he said with his spiteful smile ; he felt 
 happy in the conviction he had said something 
 very witty. . . , 
 
 ** What ! You think I was in correspondence 
 with Madame Deblain ?" said the young man, 
 but with visible uneasiness. .; .n, 
 
 "I do not think it — I am sure you were 
 keeping up a most loving correspondence ; and, 
 thinking thus, I can explain all the rest." 
 
 " Oh, you think it will all be as easy as that, 
 do you ? " 
 
 '* That is my opinion, and I believe it will be 
 the opinion of the jury." . ,:;> > / 
 
 ♦' Of the jury ? " ^ ' wi . ^ 
 
 " Yes, of the jury, when they learn that I dis- 
 covered, carefully hidden in the same drawer, 
 this arsenite of copper and the bill of the 
 chemist who sold it to you. Monsieur Deblain 
 was poisoned by his wife in the night of the 
 
THE HONOUR OF AN ARTIST 
 
 257 
 
 II 
 
 that, 
 rill be 
 
 i ■ 
 
 I dis- 
 
 22nd of September, and this bill is dated the 
 1 8th." 
 
 " It was in the night of the 22nd of September 
 that Monsieur Deblain died — that is true ; I had 
 forgotten that ! And you accuse his wife of that 
 crime r 
 
 " Circumstances accuse her. You are too 
 intelliofent not to see how clear it all is. " 
 
 Sitting, leaning his head on his hand, Barthey 
 kept repeating: 
 
 "In the night of the 22 nd of September." 
 
 ** You no longer deny it ?" said M. Babou to 
 him. 
 
 " No, Monsieur, I shall not give myself the 
 trouble to deny it, because, really, it is all too 
 ridiculous. You must pardon me for saying so, 
 but, as you seem so perfectly convinced, I think 
 it is useless to talk to you any longer." 
 
 " You have every right to be silent," said the 
 judge ; " I am quite aware of that ; but you must 
 sign your declarations." ; 
 
 " Not till I have read them over." 
 
 " My clerk writes only v lat he hears." 
 
 "Very likely, but I prefer to assure myself 
 of it." 
 
 He took the two large sheets of manuscript, 
 which the writer gave him, and read them care- 
 fully. 
 
258 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 i % 
 
 
 " Yes," said he, " it is tolerably exact." And 
 he signed them. Then he bowed slightly to 
 M. Babou, who had I'ung, and went back to the 
 prison between two officers, who had been 
 ordered by the magistrate to escort him. As 
 he entered his cell, Barthey dropped into a seat, 
 murmuring : 
 
 " Poor Rhea and I have to do with an obsti- 
 nate fool. God knows how we shall come 
 through this affair ! " 
 
 M. Lachaussée returned from Paris to Vermel 
 in the afternoon, after having had an interview 
 with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, whoj 
 warned him to be very careful about this affair, 
 concerning which the United States Ambassador 
 had spoken to him. Having been informed by| 
 M. Babou of what the latter called the confes- 
 sions of Madame Deblain, and of the discoveries! 
 he had made at the Malle, M. Lachaussée wrote| 
 the same evening to the Foreign Office : 
 
 •* The proofs which have accumulated duringl 
 the last twenty-four hours against Madame Dei 
 blain and Felix Barthey are so overwhelmingj 
 that we can but let justice take its course. Th( 
 members of the court at Vermel will not fail d 
 do their duty. We trust, Monsieur le Ministre 
 that we shall give you reason to applaud the firm! 
 ness and zeal of your respectful subordinates. "f 
 
 Wh 
 townsf 
 Parisia 
 tion, a 
 with ir 
 Americ 
 heritam 
 nephew 
 
THE HONOUR OF AN ARTIST 
 
 259 
 
 And 
 ly to 
 3 the 
 been 
 As 
 seat, 
 
 obsti- 
 come 
 
 While these matters were progressing, the 
 townspeople, having heard of the arrest of the 
 Parisian artist, were in a state of great commo- 
 tion, and Madame Dusortois said to herself, 
 with intense delight : " I know the law. That 
 American poisoner will forfeit her rights of in- 
 heritance ; then the two millions of my poor 
 nephew will coir*e to meT 
 
 ermel 
 îrvievv 
 , who 
 affair, 
 .ssador 
 led by 
 confes- 
 overiesi 
 3 wrote 
 
 ,•••'. ?■ 
 
 
 ' I * 
 
 during 
 rne De 
 elming 
 Th( 
 >t fail t( 
 linistre 
 ;he firm 
 nates. 
 
 .f 
 
 I . . /:' I 
 
 é » 
 
( 26o ) 
 
 4^. 
 
 .* > 
 
 (*'<' li' 
 
 CHAPTER Vil 
 
 
 WIIXTAM WITSON APPEARS AT VERMEL 
 
 Things were in the state we have described 
 when Wilh'am Witson, the mysterious person 
 we presented to our readers in the prologue of 
 this story, arrived at Vermel. 
 
 At the Golden Lion hotel, where he was 
 staying, nothing was talked of but the poisoning 
 of M. Deblain, the arrest of his wife and her 
 accomplice, and of the overwhelming nature of 
 the charges brought against them. 
 
 Some people averred that M. Babou, che 
 investigating judge, was much too clever a man 
 to make mistakes ; others, on the contrary, said, 
 very irreverently, that he was an obstinate old 
 idiot, who, rather than own himself mistaken 
 in one instance, would condemn ten innocent 
 people. 
 
 Thus the town was divided into two very 
 distinct parties. In the one, they believed in 
 the guilt of the pretty widow and Felix 
 
 îiik S) 
 
WILLIAM WITSON APPEARS AT VERMEL 261 
 
 scribed 
 person 
 ogue of 
 
 he was 
 )isoning 
 ind her 
 iture of 
 
 )OU, the 
 r a man 
 ry, said, 
 late old 
 listaken 
 nnocent 
 
 ^o very 
 
 ieved in 
 Felix 
 
 Barthey; in the other, they did not believe 
 it, and yet they were willing to admit that the 
 case looked very grave against the accused, 
 considering the result of the search at the house 
 and the medico-legal report of Dr. Piemen, 
 whose learning could no more be doubted than 
 his respectability of character. 
 
 People pitied the eminent doctor for having 
 been forced to lend his aid to justice in such 
 terrible circumstances ; and they admired the 
 courage which allowed him to examine the 
 remains of him who, for ten years, had been 
 his intimate friend — all this having been done 
 by him from sheer love of his profession, of 
 truth, and of respect for the law. 
 
 What appeared most inexplicable to the de- 
 fenders of Madame Deblain was the prompti- 
 tude with which M. Babou had fixed on Felix 
 Barthey as her accomplice — Felix, whom nobody 
 except a few spiteful people had ever suspected 
 of being the lover of the young woman, and 
 who, consequently, could have no interest in 
 the death of the husband. 
 
 But, as may be supposed, this idle gossip was 
 not considered by William Witson as of much 
 importance. He intended himself to go into a 
 serious examination ; and, as before all, he must 
 be able to act with perfect liberty, without 
 
i 
 
 S 
 
 r 
 
 262 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 Stirring up either surprise or suspicion, his first 
 care was to make use of some 01 the letters of in- 
 troduction he had brought with him from Paris. 
 It would ue best for him that he should not be 
 a stranger to the legal authorities of the chief 
 tov/n of Seine et Loire. 
 
 One of these letters had been given to him 
 by a learned counsellor of the Court of Appc als, 
 and commended him highly to M. de la Mar- 
 nière, one of the most respected magistrates of 
 ihe Couri; of Appeals of Vermel. Another letter 
 he had was from a high official in the Home 
 Office, and it introduced him to M. Berton, 
 central commissioner of the city ; a third letter 
 was from his banker in Paris, who introduced him 
 to M. Meursan, the great provincial financier, 
 giving him credit for a large sum of money. 
 
 Witson's first visit was to M. de la Mar- 
 nière. The eminent counsellor received him 
 immediately, and it needed but a moment for 
 the American to see that he was in the presence 
 of such a magistrate as d'Aguesseau desired 
 them all to be — of irnproachable character, full 
 of integrity and dignity in their private as in 
 their public life. 
 
 M. de la Marnière was not much over fifty 
 yc-ars old, and was exceedingly refined in face 
 and manner. After having learned from Witson 
 
 hid 
 pel 
 
first 
 fin- 
 aris. 
 it be 
 :hief 
 
 him 
 )( als, 
 Mar- 
 tes of 
 letter 
 ^ome 
 erton, 
 
 letter 
 d him 
 
 ncier, 
 
 y- 
 
 Mar- 
 
 him 
 
 nt for 
 
 esence 
 
 esired 
 
 ,er, full 
 
 as in 
 
 r fifty 
 
 lin face 
 
 itson 
 
 WILLIAM W ITSON APPEARS AT VERMEL 263 
 
 the motive of his visit to Vermel, M. de la 
 Marnière answered him with the reserve and 
 discretion that his office as well as his character 
 demanded. 
 
 " It is certain," he sa''d, "that the prosecution 
 to which Madame Déblai n is being subjected is 
 a matter of surprise not only to those who know 
 her, but also to all thinking people who do not 
 allow themselves to be led away by appearances. 
 To suppose that a woman only twenty-two years 
 old, a little frivolous perhaps, but about whom 
 there is no proof of bad conduct — for the young 
 Parisian who is talked of now as having had 
 criminal relations with her, certainly does not 
 wear an appearance of j^uilt — to su^;)pose, I say, 
 that such a woman could, in a moment, become 
 a vile poisoner, is going too far ! The authori- 
 ties have hurried things on too fast, perhaps : 
 but lit hough I do not share any of the political 
 opinions of the Attorney-General, nor of the 
 investigating judge, I believe that, from a pro- 
 fessional point of view, they are honourable 
 men ; who, if they find they are mistaken, will 
 do their best to right the wrong. 
 
 " I have not the honour of knowing Monsieur 
 Babou," said Witson, " and I have no letter to 
 him. I intend, however, to go and ask him for 
 permission to see Madame Deblain." 
 
w 
 
 IM 
 
 264 
 
 THE CASE OF DR, P LE M EN 
 
 " I fear he will not grant it Both she and 
 Monsieur Barthey are being kept in perfect 
 seclusion." 
 
 ''What! that young lady, accustomed to a 
 life of luxury, and against whom there are 
 nothiri'4 but vague suspicions, is shut up in a 
 cell, without the possibility of seeing any one 
 whatever ' " 
 
 " You are aware that the investigating judges 
 are complete masters in such cases. That is the 
 law." 
 
 " An inhuman, iniquitous, monstrous law i a 
 law which makes of a house of detention a place 
 of torture ; which gives up an unfortunate crea- 
 ture — innocent, perhaps — to loneliness, despair, 
 and madness ! When it is a woman, too, who 
 is so treated, there are no words black enough 
 to paint such a measure !" 
 
 Witson was here on familiar ground ; we know 
 what was his indii,maUon with regard to the un- 
 limited power given by the law to investigating 
 judges, who are too often young, inexperienced 
 men, infatuated by their power, and seeing in 
 everybody brought before them criminals to be 
 prosecuted ; fearing always that an acquittal will 
 be reckoned up against them, whilst a condem- 
 nation, which proves their skill, may bring them 
 promotion. 
 
WILLIAM WITSON APPEARS AT VERMEL 265 
 
 I to a 
 
 re are 
 p in a 
 ly one 
 
 judges 
 It is the 
 
 law! a 
 a place 
 te crea- 
 despair, 
 00, who 
 enough 
 
 ^e know 
 the un- 
 tigating 
 rienced 
 eing in 
 to be 
 ttal will 
 ondem- 
 ig them 
 
 **Alas! you are, perhaps, right,*' said M. de 
 la Marnière, '* but things are so ; and until 
 the criminal code has undergone a wise and 
 humane reform, there is nothing to be done." 
 
 *• If I find Monsieur Babou too strict," said 
 the American, " I can apph'^ to his superiors : to 
 the public prosecutor and to the chief judge." 
 
 " In this special case, as in all that concerns 
 the order of the prosecution, the investigating 
 judge fs amenable to no one." 
 
 ** Ah, that is true ; I was forgetting that." 
 
 *' I will add this, my dear sir, because of the 
 frankness I owe to one who comes to me intro- 
 duced by one of the most distinguished magis- 
 trates of our time — you will very certainly not 
 be in good odour with the heads of our court, 
 when they find out that you have come here as 
 their enemy, or at least their adversary, since 
 you interest yourself in Madame Deblain." 
 
 " I am an old friend of her father ; I knew 
 her as a child, and I cannot believe in her guilt. 
 She is a foreigner here, alone, defenceless ; I am 
 lier countryman. Is it not my duty to protect 
 her until the arrival of Mr. Panton, who doubt- 
 less has been informed by telegraph of the 
 terrible accusation brought against his dan;_;hter ? 
 It is impossible that the heads of your court, 
 however prejudiced they may be, should take 
 
266 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 3"f 
 
 umbrage at my friendly intervention. I do not 
 know the gentlemen, but it is surely inrpossible 
 that in France they can have attained to such 
 high positions, without having given evidence 
 of the possession of high character, capacity and 
 independence. I have every confidence that I 
 shall be well received by them, as well as by 
 Messieurs Duret and Babou." 
 
 ** I do not wish to discourage you, but allow 
 me to give you one piece of advice — do not tell 
 any of these gentlemen that your first visit was 
 made to me." 
 
 - Why not ? " 
 
 " Do not ask me to explain myself any 
 farther." • , 
 
 M. de la Marnière, shaking his head, said 
 these words with such a significant smile that 
 Witson quite understood him. The magistracy 
 of the court of Vermel was divided into two 
 partiiis, and he could not get the ear of the side 
 which would have i)een useful to him. 
 
 '• I understand, Monsieur," said he, rising to 
 take his leave. " Well, if these gentlemen re- 
 ceive me badly, or if they refuse to see me, I 
 will act alone„ Perhaps I shall be able to prove 
 to them that I am no mean adversary." 
 
 After leaving M. de la Marnière, Witson went 
 to see M. lierton ; but this was simply in order 
 
WILLIAM WITSON APPEALS AT VERMEL i(fi 
 
 not 
 sible 
 such 
 en ce 
 ^ and 
 
 hat 1 
 as by 
 
 allow 
 3t tell 
 
 t was 
 
 f any 
 
 l, said 
 e that 
 stracy 
 o two 
 lie side 
 
 ing to 
 ten re- 
 me, I 
 prove 
 
 )n went 
 order 
 
 to establish his identity, so that he might not be 
 considered by the authorities of Vermel as an 
 intruder. They would be sure to grow anxious 
 concerning the part to be played by a foreigner 
 in the case in which the whole town was so 
 deeply interested. " 
 
 On presenting his letter to M. Berton, who 
 was most obliging in his offers of service, 
 Witson said to him : 
 
 " I am much indebted to you, sir, for your 
 goodwill, and I shall not abuse it, either by 
 embarrassing or compromising you." 
 
 The chief of police looked extremely sur- 
 prised. 
 
 " Of course, Monsieur," pursued Witson," you 
 are in the interests of the court, and I have 
 come to your city solely in the interests of 
 Madame Dcblain." 
 
 •* Madame; Deblain, the murderess of her hus- 
 band ! " exclaimed M. Berton. 
 
 " You see you already proclaim the guilt of 
 this poor woman, whilst I, who it is true know 
 little about the case, have great doubts of her 
 guilt. I therefore cannot ask any service from 
 you ; I will only beg that when any one asks you 
 who I am — a thing which will soon happen — 
 you will reply that oiie of the chiefs of your admi- 
 nistration has assured you of my respectability." 
 
168 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 " Monsieur, I shall not fail to do so. But 
 allow me to ask you one question. Why do you 
 believe in the innocence of Madame Deblain?" 
 ** I must say I have nothing more than a 
 presentiment. I may be mistaken, but on learn- 
 ing, in Paris, the reasons for the arrest of this 
 young woman, an American like myself, I felt 
 it was my duty not to leave her unprotected, as 
 her father is not with her." 
 
 " Mr. Panton must soon arrive : the court 
 has telegraphed to him." 
 
 '• And Monsieur Felix Barthey, the supposed 
 
 accomplice of Madame Deblain — what of him ^ " 
 
 " He belongs to a highly respectable family 
 
 living at Lyon ; his brother has been in the 
 
 town since yesterday." 
 
 " Have the brothers met yet ?" 
 ** No ; by the order of the investigating judge, 
 the accused persons are kept in the strictest 
 seclusion." 
 
 " Have they not even seen the counsel whom 
 they have chosen for their defence } " 
 
 " I do not think either of them has yet mani- 
 fested the slightest wish to confer with any advo- 
 cate. I must also tell you that Monsieur Babou is 
 extremely reserved about everything touching 
 his investigation. Since I did my part in the 
 case he has not once spoken to me about it" 
 
 « 
 
WILLIAM WITSON APPEARS AT VEPMEL 269 
 
 But 
 you 
 in r 
 an a 
 îarn- 
 ■ this 
 I felt 
 ïd, as 
 
 court 
 
 posed 
 Lim r 
 family 
 n the 
 
 udge, 
 ictest 
 
 hom 
 
 w 
 
 mani- 
 
 advo- 
 ibou is 
 uching 
 
 in the 
 
 it 
 
 " Ah, I remember it was you who took the 
 first step in the affair : perhaps you arrested 
 Madame Deblain ? " • ; ' 
 
 M. Berton, who was a good-r.atured man, 
 hesitated a little about admitting to this friend 
 of Madame Deblain that it was indeed he who 
 arrested her ; however, he repHed : 
 
 " I did nothing more. I may add that in a few 
 days Madame Deblain and Monsieur Barthey 
 will be authorized to hold communications with 
 their lawyers, because the report of Dr. Piemen 
 has been so positive, so overwhelming, that 
 there need be no delay in bringing on the trial." 
 
 " Poor woman ! What must be her agonies, 
 even though, as I feel convinced, she is inno- 
 cent ! And this Dr. Piemen, whom I know by 
 name and reputation, asserts that Monsieur 
 Deblain died of poisoning by copp» ras }'' 
 
 " He affirms that it is so ; and it must be 
 most painful to him, because he was the intimate 
 friend of Monsieur Deblain and his wife. You 
 may imagine he called up all his science to 
 assure himself that he was not mistaken." 
 
 " He does not say that he thinks Madame 
 Deblain is guilty, I suppose." 
 
 " He had nothing to do with that ; on the 
 contrary, he defends her most energetically ; but 
 he has demonstrated that Monsieur Deblain 
 
370 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE MEN 
 
 was poisoned ; it is for justice to find the 
 assassins. Now I fear that your personal 
 interest in the accused is blinding you ; fon 
 without betraying professional secrecy, I may 
 tell you that the search made at the houses had 
 a terrible result for the prisoners/' 
 
 " The search ? Ah, yes. Of course it was 
 you who made the search ; therefore I will not 
 be so indiscreet as to ask you of what nature 
 are the proofs that you have discovered of 
 Madame Deblain's guilt. I suppose you would 
 not answer m.e." 
 
 ** It is my duty to be silent, you know." 
 
 ** Yes ; but it is my duty to make every pos- 
 sible research and inquiry, and I shall do it 
 without delay. There is at the bottom of this 
 horrid story some mystery which I will dis- 
 cover." 
 
 " I sincerely hope you may succeed, for, I 
 need hardly tell you, I have no motive for ill- 
 will to Madame Deblain. I was on excellent 
 terms with her husband ; and as for her, I have 
 always found her charming, and most generous 
 whenever I appealed to her charity on behalf of 
 the poor." 
 
 " Well, we will meet again. I need not ask 
 you to be secret as to the object of my visit. I 
 will go now and see the public prosecutor and 
 
 <( 
 
id the 
 
 crsonal 
 
 >u ; for, 
 
 I may 
 
 ses had 
 
 it was 
 
 will not 
 : nature 
 ered of 
 u would 
 
 II 
 
 V. 
 
 ery pos- 
 lU do it 
 n of this 
 will dis- 
 
 d, for, I 
 z for ill- 
 îxcellent 
 -, I have 
 renerous 
 behalf of 
 
 not ask 
 visit. I 
 utor and 
 
 WILLIAM WITSON APPEARS AT VERMEL 271 
 
 the investigfating judge. I hope they will admit 
 me, although I have no letters of introduction 
 to them." 
 
 *' Oh, I am sure they will ; but what I doubt 
 is that they will tell you more than I have 
 done." 
 
 " Well, then, I must seek information in other 
 ways." 
 
 On leaving the chief of police, Witson went 
 to the law courts. It was about the time he 
 would find there the men he wished to see. 
 
 MM. Duret and Babou were in their offices. 
 The American sent in his card to M. Duret, 
 and was immediately admitted. He said : 
 
 " I have not the honour to be known to you, 
 Monsieur, but I am an old friend of Madame 
 Déblai n, so my visit will not surprise you." 
 
 M. Duret bowed slightly, and very stiffly. 
 He was a man between forty and fifty, with a 
 pale, hard, but intelligent face, and rather red 
 hair. He was gentlemanly, but affected a cer- 
 tain pomposity of manner which made him 
 seem rather like a coniedian who is always 
 playing the same part. Witson continued : 
 
 " I did not have time to get a letter of intro- 
 duction to you — a thing I could easily have 
 done, because I am on intimate terms with 
 many eminent legal men in Paris ; but Monsieur 
 
272 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 ;>f;i 
 
 Berton will be able to tell you who I am. I 
 was introduced to him by the chief at the Home 
 Office ; also, my arrival here was announced to 
 Monsieur Meursan, one of the great financiers 
 of the department." 
 
 M. Duret again bowed, rather less haughtily, 
 but still did not say a word. 
 
 We know that our mysterious American was 
 not the man to be easily disconcerted ; so, with- 
 out appearing to be the least annoyed at this 
 cool reception, he continued : 
 
 " Being a fellow-countryman of Madame De- 
 blain, and having been for years on intimate 
 terms with her family, I could not hear without 
 painful emotion of the prosecution to which she 
 is being subjected ; and I felt it my duty to 
 come and place myself at her service — at least 
 till her father, Mr. Elias Panton, my old friend, 
 can come to her. I am, therefore, here to ask 
 you, Monsieur, to authorize me to see this un- 
 happy young woman, in whose guilt I cannot 
 possibly believe." 
 
 " Sir," said M. Duret at last, in his harsh 
 voice, " I have no power to grant your request. 
 You are doubtless ignorant that, when a case is 
 in the hands of the investigating judge, he alone 
 has the right to give permission for a prisoner 
 to see any one." ,; , ^j, ^m ^ ; , / ;, 
 
WILLIAM WITSON APPEARS AT VERMEL 273 
 
 "I know it; I am well acquainted with 
 French law, although I am an American ; but, 
 before going to see Monsieur Babou, I thought 
 it would be more respectful to address myself 
 first to you." 
 
 All this was said in a tone so clear, firm, and 
 decided, that M. Duret could not help being 
 struck by it. Consequently, his manner became 
 comparatively polite as he said : 
 
 " Pray see Monsieur Babou. I rely impli- 
 citly on what he will think it right to do." 
 Then rising from his seat, M. Duret bowed to 
 his visitor, to intimate to him that the interview 
 was ended. 
 
 Witson withdrew, and went straight to the 
 ofifice of the investigating judge, who was a man 
 still young — forty, perhaps ; very dark, with a 
 sallow complexion and large black whiskers ; a 
 common style of face, with thin lips, a large 
 nose, very sharp eyes, and a repulsive expres- 
 sion. Witson saw all this at a glance. 
 
 M. Babou was twirling about in his fingers 
 the card the American had sent in. 
 
 *• Monsieur Witson ? " asked he, with the 
 drawling accent of a peasant. ' 
 
 '* Yes, Monsieur," replied Witson. 
 
 "What is your business with me .•*" 
 
 •I should like to tell you that \\\ private," 
 
 T 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 1.0 
 
 l.l 
 
 ■'-" IIIIIM il 2.5 
 '•■ 1112 
 
 116 
 
 IIIM 
 1.8 
 
 
 1.25 1.4 
 
 1.6 
 
 1, : 
 
 
 ^ 6" _ 
 
 
 
 ► 
 
 V} 
 
 ^ 
 
 w 
 
 VI 
 
 
 ^/, 
 
 7 
 
 /A 
 
 Photogiaphic 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 33 WIST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N. Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
<i^ 
 
 
 e 
 
»74 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 5aid he, looking at the clerk who was seated at 
 a table opposite the jiidoe, and who was regard- 
 ing him with inquisitive eyes as he gnawed his 
 pen. 
 
 M. Babou hesitated a few seconds while he 
 inspected his visitor from head to foot; then, 
 doubtless feeling reassured by this examination, 
 he made a sign, and the clerk went out, delighted 
 to be set at liberty. 
 
 *' Excuse the liberty I lavc taken,'* said 
 Witson immediately, "but Ï ha.e to address to 
 you a request of such r nr Aire that you will 
 receive it, perhaps, m or favourably if it is 
 made privately." 
 
 "A request.'*" sai i M. Babou, leaning back 
 in his chair with t e air of a superior who is 
 listening to a sub itern. 
 
 "My name !ias already informed you that I 
 am not a Fri ichman." 
 
 " Ah ! then you are probably English ? " 
 
 " No, .American." 
 
 " OK, English or American, it is all the same ! " 
 
 *' Yes, so far as language is concerned. But, 
 Mi^ ist'eur, I am not only American, but I am a 
 native of Philadelphia." 
 
 " Of Philadelphia ! Then you have come to 
 speak of Madame Deblain." 
 
 " You are right. Being an old friend of her 
 
W/LLlAAf Wri SON APPEARS Al VERMEL 27^ 
 
 family, and having known her as a child, you 
 may imagine my grief when I learned the pain- 
 ful situation in which she is placed. I did not 
 hesitate to come here in place of her parents, 
 who are absent." 
 
 " Her father will soon be here ; we are in 
 formed that he left New York yesterday.' 
 
 ** I am glad of it, for Mr. Panton is a 
 man of some importance, whose presence will 
 be a great support to his daughter. Many of 
 the manufacturers of this town know him well, 
 he having had business relations with them fot 
 a quarter of a century." 
 
 " I know all that, but it does not explain t(^ 
 me the object of your visit." 
 
 " I come to ask you for permission to see 
 Madame Deblain." 
 
 " You wish to see Madame Deblain! And 
 M^hy ? " 
 
 " I tO(^k care, Monsieur, before I left Paris, 
 to furnish myself with letters to prove who 1 
 am. As to my desire to see Madame Deblain, 
 it is perfectly natural ; I wish to assure the poor 
 woman that she is not alone and undefended." 
 
 This last word was probably offensive to 
 M. Babou, for he answered roughly and unhesi- 
 jtatingly : 
 
 " It is impossible ! The prispnçr is in strict 
 
 T 3 
 
S76 
 
 THE CASE OF DR, PLEMEN 
 
 seclusion, and nobody shall see her until my 
 
 examination is ended." 
 
 " I am deeply grieved at your severity." 
 
 " I never act from severity ; I do my duty." 
 
 " Then Mr. Panton himself will not be able 
 to see his daughter } " 
 
 "He will see her no more than any other 
 person unless I please." 
 
 " Can you, at least, inform me when this 
 isolation of Madame Deblain will cease ? It 
 would be painful enough for a man to endure, 
 but for such a woman as Madame Deblain it is 
 certainly the most cruel torture." 
 
 "I can tell you nothing about it." As he 
 said these words, in his nasal and overbearing 
 tones, the investigating judge struck his bell 
 and ordered his clerk to be recalled. 
 
 This was by way of intimating to his visitor 
 that the interview was ended. 
 
 Witson rose, bowed to M. Babou, who barely 
 returned the salute, and went out. 
 
 " A pompous ass ! " thought the American 
 as he descended the stairs. " Poor girl I I wish 
 she had to do with even a worse man, were he 
 but less stupid." 
 
 He returned slowly to the Golden Lion, 
 thinking of the dreadful fate of lier y/hp had 
 fallen into such hands. 
 
 As h 
 
 fronted 
 
 I tremblii 
 
 forty, oi 
 
 " Th( 
 
 shall w( 
 
 "We 
 
 man. 
 
 in the v 
 
 is more 
 
 Witsc 
 
 were the 
 
 sister ol 
 
 needed 
 
 although 
 
 he left P 
 
 He e 
 
 recogniz 
 
 hesitatio 
 
 "You 
 
 of this d 
 
 " I wil 
 
 English ; 
 
 must yoi 
 
 present. 
 
 rest assur 
 
 Barthey.' 
 
 The la 
 
^w 
 
 WILLIAM WIT SON APPEARS AT VERMEL 277 
 
 As he entered the hotel, VVitson was con 
 fronted by a young woman, who, pale and 
 trembling, was saying to a man, aged about 
 forty, on whose arm she was leaning : 
 
 ** They have arrested him, too ; oh, what 
 shall we do!" 
 
 " We must keep up our courage," replied the 
 man. "My brother is a soldier; all the judges 
 in the world cannot frighten him. Your sister 
 is more to be pitied than he." 
 
 Witson saw immediately that these persons 
 were the elder brother of M. Barthey, and the 
 sister of Madame Deblain ; indeed, he only 
 needed to look at Jenny to recognize her 
 although she had been quite a little girl whei 
 he left Philadelphia, ten years ago. 
 
 He eagerly went towards her, and Jenny 
 recognizing him in her turn, after a moment's 
 hesitation, held out her hand, exclaiming : 
 
 " You here, doctor — you ! Have you heard 
 of this dreadful event ? Why are you here } " 
 
 ** 1 will tell you presently," replied Witson in 
 English ; " but do not call me by my name, ■ "^r 
 must you call me * doctor ' — at least, not at 
 present. We will save your sister, you may 
 rest assured. Introduce me to Monsieur Armand 
 Barthey.*' 
 
 The latter bowed in some surprisa 
 
J78 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 " Oh, I know you, sir," said Witson, bowing 
 to Monsieur Barthey ; " I am already fully 
 informed of all that concerns your brother and 
 Madame Deblain. Do not try to see him ; you 
 will seek in vain for permission from the inves- 
 tigating judge. If you will both give me a little 
 of your time, I will tell you all that you need 
 know about this abominable affair." 
 
 Inviting with a. gesture M. Armand Barthey 
 to follow him, he offered Madame Gould-Parker 
 his arm, and led her to the rooms he occupied 
 in the hoteL 
 
 j".i. 
 
 
 :, -ivV 
 
 I I #1 
 
 
 ' \. 
 
 J 
 
 IN 
 
 Aboui 
 
 inform 
 
 Déblai 
 
 her ar 
 
 had St 
 
 i.ommi 
 
 eagcrn 
 
 people 
 
 young 
 
 a few 
 
 who h 
 
 beauty. 
 
 knew 
 
 riage h 
 
 who hî 
 
 nephej^ 
 
 that h( 
 
 children 
 
I ^m 
 
 ( 279 ) 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 IN WniCH THE READER WILL AGAIN MKET 
 
 ELIAS PANTON AND THE REVP:REND 
 
 JONATHAN THOMPSON 
 
 About a week later William Witson was fully 
 informed of all the enmity which Madame 
 Deblain had excited almost immediately after 
 her arrival at Vermel ; of the jealousies she 
 h?d stirred up; of the imprudences she had 
 <.:ommitted ; and he perfectly understood the 
 eagerness with which these commonplace 
 people had hailed the accusation against the 
 young lady, as well as the spiteful glee felt by 
 a few envious women at the downfall of one 
 who had so long excelled them in wealth and 
 beauty. Poor Rhea's fellow-countryman also 
 knew what disappointment M. Deblain's mar- 
 riage had caused to his aunt Madame Dusortois, 
 who had so long cherished the hope that her 
 nepliew would become her son-in-law, or at least 
 that he would remain unmarried, and that her 
 children would be his heirs. 
 
«So 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 This wretched woman had so freely expressed 
 herself concerning Rhea, that the whole town 
 knew of her hatred ; and Witson, proceeding by 
 analysis and deduction, was soon persuaded that 
 this woman, the mother of two penniless girls, 
 was the author, or at least the instigator, of 
 the infamous anonymous accusations which had 
 been sent to the Attorney General. 
 
 What was less clear to Witson, was how the 
 idea of accusing Rhea of poisoning her husband 
 had arisen in the mind of Madame Dusortois. 
 
 Had the wicked creature uttered this with 
 the mere intention of calumniating Madame 
 Deblain, and without much hope of the scandal 
 being credited ; or — since the medical examina- 
 tion proved the violent death of M. Deblain — 
 had his aunt really some knowledge of the 
 criminal act before any one else suspected it ? 
 
 But why should this idea occur to Madame 
 Dusortois, who was very seldom at her nephew's 
 house, and who had only paid a very short visit 
 there a very few days before his death, whilst 
 none of the servants and none of his intimate 
 Iriends had any such suspicions ? 
 
 This was a problem he could not solve, and 
 therefore on this point he could only hope that 
 the course of events would give him a Ciue to 
 the enigma. 
 
 "I 
 
MR. PAN TON AND REV. J. THOMPSON 281 
 
 ind 
 to 
 
 As Witson's researches were also extended to 
 the members of the court of Vermel, he knew all 
 about them, and found his suppositions confirmed 
 concerning MM. Duret and Babou. These re- 
 searches were of a nature to alarm Witson 
 concerning the situation of Madame Deblain, 
 for he saw she was in the hands of magistrates 
 prejudiced against her, and who perhaps, even 
 should the results of the investigation leave 
 them in doubt as to her guilt, would not be 
 willing to give her the benefit of that doubt. 
 
 They had all gone too far to be able to draw 
 back; Madame Deblain and Felix Barthey 
 would have to be sent for trial, and must wait 
 for a jury to declare their innocence. 
 
 When Witson could learn no more concerning 
 the members of the court of Vermel, he naturally 
 thought of Dr. Piemen, who held such a high 
 position in public estimation ; and, after havint,^ 
 asked M. Meursan the banker for an intro- 
 duction to the learned doctor, he called on him. 
 Piemen received him eagerly, and Witson was 
 struck with the accents of grief in which the 
 doctor answered him, when he made known the 
 object of his visit. 
 
 " I am undergoing one of the most painful 
 experiences incident to my profession," said 
 Piemen. "Ah I if I had known what would 
 
282 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 happen, I should certainly have refused to 
 undertake the autopsy. I cannot understand 
 why the investigating judge should be so deter- 
 mined to see a crime in a case which is certainly 
 to be attributed to an accident." 
 
 " You have no doubt, then, that your friend 
 was poisoned ? " 
 
 •' As to that I could not be mistaken. The 
 analysis was, alas ! too easy." 
 
 *' That is true. Monsieur ; you are not only a 
 skilful doctor, but a learned toxicologist ; there- 
 fore I must admit the correctness of your report, 
 although it overthrows one of my opinions — 
 or, rather, an idea which I had taken up, and for 
 which, I must confess, I had not much reason." 
 
 " What was this idea 1 " 
 
 " I thought I remembered having read some- 
 where that copperas was not a sufficiently violent 
 poison to cause death, and that it only caused a 
 degree of illness which it was easy to relieve." 
 
 " That is an opinion some of my brethren have 
 published, rather for the purpose of attracting 
 public attention than from scientific conviction. 
 They dispute about words. Copperas does not 
 act as vegetable poisons do, that is certain ; nor 
 in the same way as some other mineral poisons 
 do ; but the maladies caused by it are no less 
 serious, and often mortal." 
 
 « 
 
 D 
 
 speed) 
 
 who ti 
 conseq 
 that h 
 sudder 
 happei 
 disease 
 unders 
 treat r 
 the pai 
 attack 
 he wa 
 That > 
 nor cal 
 
 "Ye 
 will yo 
 
 "Ce 
 investi: 
 legist, 
 sieur \ 
 obligee 
 accuses 
 And it 
 
 The 
 not per 
 heard t 
 
MR, P ANTON AND REV. J. THOMPSON 283 
 
 i> 
 
 " Do you think it could, in some cases, cause 
 
 speedy death ?" 
 
 "No ; but it may happen that the patient 
 who takes it is in such a morbid condition, in 
 consequence of his treatment by other drugs, 
 that his death would look as if it had been 
 sudden. It is my opinion that that is what 
 happened to Monsieur Deblain. He had a 
 disease of the stomach which I did not quite 
 understand, and which I, perhaps, did not 
 treat rightly ; besides this, he tried to soothe 
 the pains he felt by injections of morphine. The 
 attack which killed him probably came on while 
 he was under the influence of this narcotic. 
 That would explain his not having struggled 
 nor called for help." 
 
 " Yes, yes, I see ! But you will tell all this, 
 will you not ?" ' 
 
 " Certainly ; I am impatiently waiting for the 
 investigating judge to call me — not as a medical 
 legist, but as the doctor who attended Mon- 
 sieur Deblain. Oh ! Monsieur Babou will be 
 obliged, at last, to believe that the woman he 
 accuses is innocent. Poor, unhappy creature ! 
 And it is my work ! Mine ! " 
 
 The profound grief expressed by Piemen did 
 not permit Witson to prolong his visit. .He had 
 heard the reports of the peculiar relations of the 
 
284 
 
 TUE CASE OF DR, PLEMEN 
 
 doctor and Rhea ; and, although he did not 
 beHeve the story, he could feel for the doctor, 
 in the dreadful situation into which a sad fate 
 had driven him. After liaving been compelled, 
 by his professional honour, to testify to the 
 violtînt death of his friend, he had been the 
 means of driving the wife of that friend into the 
 clutches ol the law ; a woman whom he could 
 not but love, though that love had nothing 
 criminal about it ; it really was too horrih'-^ Î 
 As to Piemen's explanations, they werf^ so clear 
 that they left not the shadow of a doubt. 
 
 Yes, M. Deblain did die of poison ; but the 
 American found it less easy to believe that his 
 death had been so sudden that he could not 
 rise, nor cry out ; and that his wife, whose room 
 was next to his, should have heard nothing. 
 
 This point, which, for him, was so obscure, 
 greatly preoccupied him, and he hardly dared 
 to let his mind dwell on it, in the conviction 
 which he had, and which he wished to keep, of 
 Madame Deblain's innocence. 
 
 Thinking of these things, our mysterious 
 friend went back to his hotel, where he learnt 
 that Mr. Elias Panton had just arrived, not alone, 
 but accompanied by a friend or relation. 
 
 Madame Deblain's father had already heard 
 from Jenny of the presence of Witson at 
 
 (< 
 
 <( 
 
MR. PANTO N AND REV. J. THOMPSON 285 
 
 Vermel, and the motives which had brouj^ht 
 him there ; so, as soon as he appeared, Mr. 
 Panton hastened to greet him. 
 
 " My dear friend ! my dear Maxwell," he 
 exclaimed, "can you understand this affair! To 
 think they should dare to accuse my daughter, 
 my darling Rhea, oi being a poisoner. When 
 the news came to n^e in Philadelphia I thought 
 I should go mac^ ' But I x\ci here now, and I 
 will let them know ^t I Our Ambassador is 
 making a stir nboi : this shameful business ! 
 Ah, those who have udred to imprison my girl 
 shall pay (iearly nor it, I swear I " 
 
 " Be calm, ni)' dear Elias, be calm," replied 
 Witson, who did not seem surprised that the 
 great American manufacturer had called him 
 " Maxwell," which was his real name ; '* v.'e 
 shall soon put an end to this stupid affair; I 
 have already learnt a good deal about it" ,. . 
 
 " And the hand of God will lie heavy on the 
 wicked," added, in a solemn voice, the companion 
 of Mr. Panton, as he offered his hand to Witson. 
 
 "The Reverend Jonathan Thompson!" said 
 Witson, as he recognized the clergyman, whose 
 grief had taken nothing from the absurdity of 
 his language or appearance. 
 
 "It is I. My sister, whose despair made her 
 quite ill, could not accompany her husband ; so, 
 
 *i&t:«ff 
 
286 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 as I would not let him come alone to this wicked 
 land " 
 
 " Before everything," interrupted Panton, " I 
 must see my daughter ! " 
 
 " You will not be allowed to see her," replied 
 Witson. 
 
 ** Not be allowed ! Not allowed to see my 
 child ? Who will hinder me ? " 
 
 " Those by whom she is accused, and who 
 are rigorously using the right French law gives 
 them to keep her secluded from the sight of 
 every one." 
 
 ''But that is monstrous — horrible! What I 
 In our enlightened age, can such a law exist 
 among a civilized people ? " 
 
 " Unfortunately, it can and does. But the 
 seclusion in which your daughter has been kept 
 for these three weeks cannot last much longer — 
 only a few days at most — because the law only 
 allows an accused person to be kept in seclusion 
 for ten days. It is true that the gaolers can 
 renew this cruel measure for a further period. 
 Let us be patient. I will save her. I came to 
 Vermel for that purpose." 
 
 " Ah, that is true— forgive me ! I never even 
 thought to ask you how it is I met you here, 
 nor why you disappeared so suddenly from 
 Philadelphia years aga" 
 
 "I 
 
 other 
 
 now 1 
 
 up 
 
 Arch 
 II 
 
 i( 
 
 patier 
 
 bald ' 
 
 poisor 
 
 "Y 
 
 tears 
 
 da ugh 
 
 "H 
 
 Witso 
 
 ''M 
 
 it was 
 
 At 
 
 gentle 
 
 obligee 
 
 the ga 
 
 " TI 
 
 band } 
 
 had en 
 
 repliée 
 appear 
 and, in 
 in th« 
 
f 
 
 MR. P ANTON AND REV. J. THOMPSON 287 
 
 " I will tell you all about that and many- 
 other things later on. Let us think of nothing 
 now but your child." 
 
 "Ah, why did not Rhea marry my good 
 Archibald ?" groaned Jonathan. 
 
 " It is very certain," said Witson rather im- 
 patiently, " that if she had become Mrs. Archi- 
 bald Thompson she might now be accused of 
 poisoning your son, but not Monsieur Deblajn." 
 
 " Yes, but Jonathan is right," said Elias, with 
 tears in his eyes. *' Ah, why did rny dear 
 daughter marry a Frenchman ? " 
 
 '• How did this marriage come about ? " asked 
 Witson. 
 
 " My brother-in-law here can tell you that; 
 it was his work." 
 
 At the angry tones of Elias the reverend 
 gentleman hung down his head, but he was 
 obliged to relate what took place one morning in 
 the garden of the Star Tavern, Camden Place. 
 
 " Then your daughter did not love her hus- 
 band ? " asked Witson, when the clergyman 
 had ended his story. 
 
 " She was not in love with him, certainly," 
 replied Panton ; "but when she left home she 
 appeared delighted at being Madame Deblain ; 
 and, in all her letters, she spoke of her husband 
 in the most affectionate ternib. She found her- 
 
288 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 self so happy that she advised her sister to get 
 married, so as to come and join her in France ; 
 and that was what made Jenny consent to marry 
 Colonel Gould- Parker." 
 
 "Ah, I wondered how it was you had that 
 rough fellow for a son-in-law." 
 
 " Oh, he was not my choice, any more than 
 was Monsieur Deblain ; it was Jenny, who was 
 mad to go and live in Paris. She only took 
 the colonel because he was nominated military 
 attaché to the Embassy in France. However, 
 her husband has not troubled her much, for he 
 has been away more than a year on a mission 
 to Japan, and during that time Jenny has lived 
 nearly always with her sister." « ' 
 
 "Was she with Rhea when her husband 
 died?" '■ '• ' 
 
 " I don't know, but most likely she was ; for 
 Parker, who is very jealous, confided his wife to 
 Rhea, who, by the way, is the younger sister. 
 Shall I ask her to come to us ? She is in her 
 room." 
 
 Jenny had never thought for a moment of 
 going to the Malle or to the Deblains' town- 
 house ; she had taken up her abode at the 
 Golden Lion, and so had M. Armand Barthey. 
 
 ** No ; I should like to question her when I 
 can see her alone. I want her to tell me the 
 minutest details of her life and her sister's while 
 
 they 
 seemir 
 come, 
 spair ; 
 rest or 
 by son 
 certain 
 
 com for 
 
 shall W( 
 
 "By 
 
 to whic 
 
 It is n 
 
 working 
 
 " Yoi 
 
 "Yes 
 
 tion m( 
 
 present. 
 
 am ; call 
 
 Some dj 
 
 because 
 
 become 
 
 And f 
 
 who did 
 
 meant b] 
 
 chanipio 
 
 Deblain, 
 
 leaving t 
 
MR. P ANTON AND REV. J. THOMPSON 289 
 
 they were together; for, perhaps, from some 
 seemingly insignificant detail enlightenment will 
 come. Meanwhile, have courage ; do not de- 
 spair; this terrible accusation, which seems to 
 rest on such solid grounds, will be overturned 
 by some slight fact, I feel sure. That fact I am 
 certain to discover." 
 
 *• Oh, my dear Maxwell, how that assurance 
 comforts me! My girl, my poor girl! How 
 shall we ever reward you for such a service ^ " 
 
 " By opening your doors to me in Philadelphia, 
 to which place I hope soon to return with you. 
 It is not only your child's deliverance I am 
 working at, but my own." 
 
 '* Your deliverance !" 
 
 " Yes, my dear old friend ; but do not ques- 
 tion me now ; I must not tell you more at 
 present. Do not let it be known who I really 
 am ; call me, as everybody does, William Witson. 
 Some day I shall have to thank your daughter, 
 because I shall owe it to her that I can again 
 become what I once was." 
 
 And pressing the hand of the unhappy father, 
 who did not understand in the least what he 
 meant by what he had just said, the unexpected 
 champion whom Heaven had sent to Madame 
 Deblain, took leave of his fellow-countrymen, 
 leaving them full of confidence in him. 
 
( 390 ) 
 
 :>i- 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE INVESTIGATION 
 
 Whilst William Witson was going into the 
 personal investigations of which we have just 
 given a summary narration, M. Babou was 
 pursuing his examination with a degree of zeal 
 such as he had never hitherto displayed in any 
 case, zealous as he had always been. 
 
 Being perfectly familiar with the criminal 
 code, he used, and even abused, the exorbitant 
 rights the law gave him. He began by making 
 himself acquainted with the contents of all the 
 papers he had seized at the Malle ; and, on 
 reading the letters he had found in Madame 
 Deblain's bedroom, his delight was unbounded. 
 These love-letters, which he felt sure were 
 addressed to the young woman, he was equally 
 sure were from Barthey. 
 
 Although the artist had only signed them 
 with a kind of hieroglyph, his writing was 
 perfectly recognizable ; and some of these letters 
 gave terrible force to the accusation. 
 
 Am( 
 
 writter 
 
 Shall V 
 
 to live 
 
 Must I 
 
 under t 
 
 I leave 
 
 have b 
 
 you ; I 
 
 face on 
 
 in my h 
 
 It wa 
 
 of cour 
 
 ambitioi 
 
 certainli 
 
 secretly 
 
 toL^ethe; 
 
 have do 
 
 fore, lo^ 
 
 day whf 
 
 not be e 
 
 those to 
 
 AnotI 
 
 the artis 
 
 to speak 
 
 de Linai 
 
 ** Shal 
 
 my dear 
 
I '^ 
 
 THE IMVESTIGATJOI\l 
 
 291 
 
 Among other passionate things the lover had 
 written : "Why are you not free, my dear love ? 
 Shall we never be able to live, as we should like 
 to live, in Paris, which you are so fond of ? 
 Must I always adore you in secret, always be 
 under the fear of compromising and ruining you ? 
 I leave to others ambition, fortune, honours : I 
 have but one ambition — to be loved always by 
 you ; I have no need to reproduce your lovely 
 face on my canvas — it is too deeply engraven 
 in my heart." 
 
 It was impossible for anything to be clearer: 
 of course M. Deblain was the one who was 
 ambitious of honours. The beloved one was 
 certainly she who could only be seen furtively, 
 secretly; whilst they would have been always 
 toi^ether if she had gone to Paris, as she would 
 have done had M. Deblain been elected. There- 
 fore, logically (according to M. Babou), on the 
 day when it became evident M. Deblain would 
 not be elected, he had been doomed to death by 
 those to whose guilty love he was an obstacle. 
 
 Another letter, discovered in the drawer of 
 the artist's work-table, seemed, to the magistrate, 
 to speak no less clearly. It was from the Prince 
 de Linar, who said to his friend : 
 
 *' Shall you not soon be coming back to Paris, 
 my dear Barthey ? It is true that if 1 were in 
 
 u a 
 
292 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 your place, I would not leave such a Paradise 
 for the Parisian Inferno. What a lucky fellow 
 you are, and how I envy you ! It would be 
 impossible to have a more adorable hostess than 
 the one in whose house you are now staying ; 
 remember me to her most kindly, also to her 
 charming sister." 
 
 Evidently, from this letter, even M. Barthey's 
 friends were perfectly aware of his intimacy with 
 Madame Deblain. ; 
 
 To these two documents, which to him seemed 
 the strongest proofs» M. Babou added the bill 
 of the artists' colourman, Trousin ; a bill in 
 which one considerable item was for arseniateof 
 copper, and which was dated i oth September ; 
 that is, less than a fortnight before M. Deblain 
 was poisoned. Did e^^er an accusation rest on 
 more solid bases ? 
 
 ^ Then the magistrate heard the evidence of the 
 doctors, Magnier and Piemen. The first pf 
 these gentlemen, who hai never attended M. 
 Deblain, and who had done nothing but certify 
 to his death, could only repeat to the investi- 
 crating judge what had been his impression, on 
 examining the deceased. Everything then 
 seemed to him to point to suffocation from some 
 natural cause. The idea of a crime had never 
 occurred to him, knowing the kind of life led by 
 
 M. r 
 
 docto] 
 beenc 
 
 strues 
 Asi 
 sions 
 brougl 
 cally, t 
 that th 
 it was 
 be mad 
 Unf< 
 mind w 
 and th 
 replied 
 ironical 
 "Oh 
 with all 
 made a 
 "Ala 
 After 
 intense 
 the mag 
 "Poo 
 position 
 he has 
 enough 
 cheated 
 
THE INVESTIGATION 
 
 293 
 
 M. Deblain, and by how skilful and kind a 
 doctor he was attended. The death must have 
 been quite sudden — perhaps after a few moments* 
 struororle or a stifled cry. 
 
 As to Dr. Piemen, he adhered to the conclu- 
 sions to which the medical examination had 
 brought him ; but he asserted, most eftergeti- 
 cally, that there could be no question of a crime ; 
 that there must have been an accident, and that 
 it was in that sense the investigation ought to 
 be made. ..... ,, 
 
 Unfortunately, as we have seen, M. Babou's 
 mind was made up, in consequence of the letters 
 and the poison he had found. Therefore he 
 replied to the learned toxicologist, with an 
 ironical smile : 
 
 " Oh, on that point, I know more than you, 
 with all your science ; unless, indeed, you have 
 made a mistake." 
 
 " Alas ! that is not possible !" 
 
 After uttering this exclamation in a tone of 
 intense grief. Piemen retired in despair, whilst 
 the magistrate was saying to himself : 
 
 *• Poor doctor Î he is really in a very painful 
 position. To have to give up to justice a woman 
 he has loved — whom he perhaps still loves — is 
 enough to upset him ! And how h(i would have 
 cheated us all if he could have known whom I 
 
294 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 suspect ! But they have to do with a pretty 
 shrewd fellow, in me I '* 
 
 Having received these first depositions, the 
 investigating judge drew up a long list of 
 witnesses to be heard ; and if he had dared he 
 would even have summoned some from America. 
 Then he had a plan drawn, not merely of the 
 first floor, but of the whole of Déblai n's town- 
 house, without regard to the great expense of 
 the proceeding, which mattered little to him, 
 since these costs would fall on those whom he 
 already considered as condemned. 
 
 When the time came for examining the wit- 
 nesses, it was first the servants who appeared 
 before M. Babou; but their evidence was nearly 
 all alike. 
 
 All said that Madame Deblain had been a 
 most gentle, kind, and generous mistress ; and 
 they had never heard, between her and her 
 husband, the slightest dissension ; they lived 
 together on the best possible terms, and none of 
 the servants could remember anything which 
 could give rise to the suspicion that Madame 
 Deblain ever acted contrary to the will of her 
 husband, or that he blamed her in any way. They 
 had always seen their master cheerful and happy, 
 until within the last few months of his life, when 
 he had begun to worry himself about politics. 
 
 (I 
 
THE INVESTIGATION 
 
 «95 
 
 Being questioned as to the guilty relations of 
 Madame Deblain, first with Dr. Piemen and 
 afterwards with M. Barthey, the servants replied 
 that they had never observed anything of the 
 kind. 
 
 Ternier and his wife, the gatekeepers at the 
 Malle, made no hesitation about admitting that 
 Madame Deblain had sometimes passed the 
 night there, when her husband would be at the 
 town-house ; but that had always been while 
 Madame Gould- Parker was staying there, and 
 M. Deblain had never made the least objection 
 to it; on the contrary, he had always been the 
 first to tell his wife to be as much as possible 
 with her sister, whose health was not good, and 
 who seemed to be grieved at the lengthened 
 absence of her husband. 
 
 M. Babou could not get any information that 
 was at all more satisfactory to him from Pauline 
 Madame Deblain's maid. In vain he cross- 
 questioned her for hours ; in vain he threatened 
 her with arrest, and sternly told her that her 
 silence would authorize him to suppose that she 
 was an accomplice of her mistress, and that she 
 certainly knew more than she chose to admit 
 Pauline constantly said the same things. 
 
 " Madame was fond of pleasure and luxury. 
 but she was a good woman. Monsieur Barthey 
 
 Hiiîè 
 
 îi! 
 
 M 
 
296 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 was nothing to her but a friend, and he had 
 never been in the least too familiar. It has 
 happened to me twenty times, as it has to any 
 one about the house, to enter the studio, where 
 Monsieur Felix was painting Madame's portrait, 
 without being called ; and neither my presence 
 nor that of the other servants caused her the 
 least annoyance." .. J-^ ■ .. .f i.,: ; . 
 
 Being questioned as to what Madame De- 
 blain was doing in the evening of the 22nd of 
 September, the girl said : 
 
 ** I was not very well that evening, and 
 Madame sent me to bed directly after dinner. 
 I did not. see her till the next day, when I went 
 into her room to tell her the dreadful news; 
 then the only thing which struck me was her 
 grief and despair." t^, ^ i,. .4... ,■..:. 
 
 "Were the dressing-room doors, which divide 
 Monsieur Deblain's room from his wife's, open 
 or shut .•* " asked M. Babou. 
 
 " I do not know, as I did not help to undress 
 Madame that night." 
 
 " And you were in the habit of doing so .•* " 
 
 " Of course I was ; I never went to bed till 
 Madame had done with me." 
 
 " Ah, yes ; but on that evening, the 22nd of 
 September, she sent you away much earlier 
 than usual." 
 
 A 
 
 judg( 
 alwa' 
 
 Pi! 
 
 with 
 leavii 
 smok 
 his m 
 his ro 
 diateh 
 bedsic 
 the Jit 
 someti 
 seeme 
 his he; 
 Th( 
 when 
 room, 
 dead, 
 nation 
 horror. 
 Of a 
 was ac( 
 he had 
 master, 
 house 
 that he 
 of his wi 
 
THE INVESTIGA TION 
 
 «97 
 
 f 
 
 r 
 
 And ten times, twenty times, the investigating 
 judge asked Pauline the same questions, and 
 always got the same replies. 
 
 Pierre, the valet, testified that he had gone 
 with his master to his room about ten o'clock, 
 leaving Madame Deblain and the doctor in the 
 smoking-room, and that, after he had done what 
 his master required of him, he had retired to 
 his room. M. Deblain had gone to bed imme- 
 diately, and had ordered Pierre to put by his 
 bedside the medicine he took every night, and 
 the little phial containing morphine, which he 
 sometimes used for injection. M. Deblain 
 seemed agitated, and he complained of pains in 
 his head and stomach. 
 
 The next morning, about half-past eight, 
 when he went very quietly into his master's 
 room, to see if he were asleep, Pierre found him 
 dead. Then, without making any kind of exami- 
 nation of the bed, being struck with fright and 
 horror, he had rushed downstairs, calling for help. 
 
 Of all the things of which Madame Deblain 
 was accused, the poor fellow knew nothing ; as 
 he had had nothing to do with anybody but his 
 master. He never even saw the mistress of tlie 
 house except at meal-times, but he could swear 
 that he had never heard M. Deblain complain 
 of his wife. 
 
 fc'WJi'! 
 
tgH 
 
 THE CASE OF DR, PLEMEN 
 
 The coachman, Dumont, stated that Madame 
 Deblain had never but once returned alone from 
 the Malle with M. Barthey in a closed carriage. 
 When she went with M. Barthey she used her- 
 self to drive a victoria or a phaeton. 
 
 M. Babou had no better luck with the Prince 
 de Linar, nor with the colour merchant, M. 
 Trousin. The Prince indignantly repelled the 
 meaning that had been put on his correspond- 
 ence with his friend Barthey. He had never 
 meant to intimate that the artist was kept at the 
 Malle by his passion for its mistress, but merely 
 that he stayed there because of the pleasure he 
 must have in the company of two charming 
 women, whom he himself regarded as worthy of 
 all possible respect. -ubfi.-or.» j • ki '«f: J 
 
 As to the artists' colourman, he could not 
 understand what all this fuss was about. He 
 had sent arseniate of copper to M. Barthey just 
 as he might have sent him any other colour. It 
 was the first time, to be sure, that M. Barthey 
 ever had ordered arseniate of copper, but the 
 order had not in the least surprised him ; he 
 had often sent it to other artists who had old- 
 fashioned ideas about mixing their own paints. 
 
 In causing the copper cooking utensils to be 
 seized at the house, M. Babou had fancied he 
 would find some indications of a nature to 
 
 expia 
 
 DebJî 
 
 the ve 
 
 at firs 
 
 the di 
 
 room 
 
 invest 
 
 nothin 
 
 who s; 
 
 " M 
 
 After 
 
 to hav 
 
 leaving 
 
 Malle.' 
 
 And 
 
 vessels 
 
 verdigi 
 
 felt doi 
 
 the po 
 
 used ; f 
 
 had bei 
 
 that wi 
 
 Madam 
 
 forward 
 
 than wc 
 
 Accordi 
 
 foreseer 
 
 nephew 
 
THE INVESTIGATION 
 
 299 
 
 O 
 
 explain the possession of copperas by Madame 
 Deblain ; and the recent tinning which some of 
 the vessels had undergone had seemed to h>î. 
 at first, a proof of the justness of his idea ; but 
 the discovery of arseniatc of copper in Barthey's 
 room had made him relinquish that point of his 
 investigation. Nevertheless, in order to neglect 
 nothing, he questioned Nicholas, the steward, 
 who said : 
 
 "My mistress never entered the kitchen. 
 After my master's death, I took it on myself 
 to have everything put in order, as we were 
 leaving the town-house to live entirely at the 
 Malle." 
 
 And as the tinman affirmed that none of the 
 vessels sent to him had any traces either of 
 verdigris or of scraping about them, M. Babou 
 felt doubly satisfied at having laid hands upon 
 the poison which the murderers had evidently 
 used ; for he began to think his first suppositions 
 had been rather ridiculous. The only witness 
 that was really of any use to M. Babou was 
 Madame Dusortois ; she needed no urging 
 forward — not she ! She related ten times more 
 than was wanted to prove the guilt of her niece. 
 According to this excellent woman, she had 
 foreseen everything, from the first of her 
 nephew's marriage. Déblai^ was extremely 
 
30O 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 
 weak ; his wife ruled him completely ; he did 
 not dare to resist her. By these means the 
 American woman had separated Deblain from 
 all his family, and had made him leave her all 
 his fortune. How many times she had seen 
 her nephew ill, nervous, worn out with the mad 
 extravagance of his wife ! How many times he 
 had been on the point of telling all to her — to 
 her, his mother's sister ! But he was afraid to 
 do it — afraid of that American 1 Neither did 
 he dare to confide his troubles to his friend 
 Piemen, not only because he feared Piemen 
 would laugh at him, but, perhaps, also because 
 he suspected the intrigue which existed between 
 him and Rhea. '^ '^ ■.'•< ■•■■ 
 
 ' It was by way of getting rid of his suspicions 
 and diverting his mind that Deblain had gone 
 into politics, added Madame Dusortois. If he 
 had been elected, as he hoped to be, he would 
 then have removed his wife from the doctor's 
 influence, because he would be seldom at Vermel. 
 He little knew then that M. Barthey had taken 
 the place of M. Piemen in Rhea's affections, 
 and he little thought that in leaving Vermel he 
 would be acting exactly according to the desire 
 of her who was deceiving him. The poor 
 creature was quite blind ! 
 
 In the course ol another deposition the wretch 
 
 
 (( 
 
THE INVESTIGATION 
 
 \o\ 
 
 of an aunt related what she had observed on 
 the morning when she went to the house en 
 learning her nephew's death. ' - 
 
 "On entering Raymond*s room," said she, 
 " when I saw him who had long been lifeless, I 
 felt at first great grief ; then to this grief was 
 added a gn-at despair, for not only had he died 
 alone, without one kirjd hand to close his eyes, 
 but he had died without the consolations of 
 religion. This thought was so painful to me 
 that it led me to ask myself how it was possible 
 that he could have died without his wife having 
 heard a sound. Surely he trnist have called for 
 help ! There was a dreadful expression of suf- 
 fering visible on his face, and although the 
 room had been partly put in order, the bed was 
 disarranged. I hastened to Madame Deblain. 
 She was crying, but she did not seem to me to 
 be in such deep grief as she pretended ; and 
 when I asked her how it was that Raymond's 
 cries did not awaken her, her answers were lull 
 of confusion : that I well remember." 
 
 T!je terrible part of all these details given by 
 Madame Dusortois was, that she was obviously 
 saying it all in as perfect good faith as a person 
 can who is blinded by hatred. She was abso- 
 lutely convinced of the truth of her assertions ; 
 consequently, M. Babou did not for a moment 
 
302 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 doubt anything she chose to relate. It was 
 principally on her depositions that the accusa- 
 tions rested, and this put it into the head of the 
 magistrate to make an experiment in acoustics, 
 in order to assure himself whether or not it was 
 possible for Madame Deblain not to have heard 
 her husband. 
 
 With this intention he went one morning to 
 the house with his clerk, and there, in the pre- 
 sence of the servants, he made his clerk lie 
 down on M. Déblai n's bed, with orders to 
 struggle and to utter cries and groans, whilst he, 
 shut up in the room of the guilty wife, should 
 ascertain how much of these sounds was audible 
 through the two dressing-rooms which divided 
 them. 
 
 The proof was decisive ; the investigating 
 judge could distinctly hear the slightest sound 
 made by his clerk, and this in daylight. How, 
 then, could it be believed that, in the silence of 
 night, M. Deblain had called for help without 
 making his wife hear .^ ' • 
 
 On this point there could not be the «least 
 doubt If Madame Deblain had not gone to 
 aid the man who was dying a few paces from 
 her in dreadful tortures, it was because it suited 
 her to keep away, either from cruelty or from 
 terror, because she dared not meet the last look 
 of her victim. 
 
 AH 
 collecl 
 Madal 
 nicatel 
 visits 
 Rh< 
 for n( 
 Pantol 
 Barth 
 ran h 
 M. Bî 
 certaii 
 matte 
 after 
 refuse 
 him w 
 gate Y 
 It\ 
 acted 
 seque 
 there! 
 unexj 
 demn 
 Debli 
 had g 
 lines 
 condi 
 tive 1 
 Fc 
 
THE INVESTIGATION 
 
 303 
 
 All these matters ended, and his evidence all 
 collected, M. Babou at last gave permission to 
 Madame Deblain and FeUx Barthey to commu- 
 nicate with their lawyers and to receive the 
 visits of their friends. 
 
 Rhea and the artist had been in seclusion 
 for nearly a month, and for a fortnight Mr. 
 Panton, the Rev. Jonathan, and M Armand 
 Barthey had been in Vermel, where excitement 
 ran high among the public. However quietly 
 M. Babou's investigations had been conducted, 
 certain things had leaked out. Among other 
 matters, it was known that Madame Deblain, 
 after having appeared once before him, had 
 refused to go again to his office, or to answer 
 him when he had gone to the prison to interro- 
 gate her. : ,^ ^ ,,.-. ,, 
 
 It was also known that M. Felix Barthey had 
 acted m'lch in the same manner, and that, con- 
 sequently, the evidence was incomplete. It was, 
 therefore, thought that the trial would bring out 
 unexpected revelations, and most people con 
 demned Babou's severity in keeping Madame 
 Deblain so long in solitary confinement. He 
 had grudgingly permitted her to receive a few 
 lines from her father, and to answer him, on 
 condition that he should first read the respec- 
 tive letters. 
 
 Feeling deeply humiliated at this last precau- 
 
304 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 tion, Rhea had never written more than a few 
 words each morning to her father and sister. 
 Mr. Panton was in a high state of indignation, 
 and was talking of killing off all the lawyers in 
 Vermel, when he received permission tc e his 
 child. He hastened, with his brother-in-law, to 
 the Carmelite prison, his elder daughter having 
 gone that day to Paris ; and we can easily 
 imagine what was the first interview of the 
 indignant father with his imprisoned daughter. 
 He burst into tears when she threw herself into 
 his arms. Then kissing her poor, thin face, he 
 pressed her to his heart, murmuring : 
 
 ♦' Rhea ! My little Rhea ! Oh, the wretches, 
 the rascals, to imprison you, to accuse you ! " 
 
 Never had his daughter seemed so dear to 
 him. He held her off from him, but only at 
 arm's-length, to read in her worn face the trace 
 of all the sufferings she had undergone during 
 the last month. Then pressing her again to his 
 breast he exclaimed : 
 
 "Just look, Jonathan, what a state they have 
 brought her to! Oh, the savages! Worse, 
 worse than savages I I would like to kill them 
 all, the cowards ! " 
 
 Poor Rhea answered her father only with 
 caresses. As to Jonathan, he could hardly 
 utter a word, for he was really fond of his 
 
1 HE 1£SI Vh S riUAl JOSS/ 
 
 305 
 
 niece. He only raised his eyes to Heaven, 
 and murmured : " The Almighty is with us ; 
 He will divide the tares from the wheat ! " 
 
 At last, at Rhea's entreaty, Mr. Panton 
 calmed himself, and she related to him all that 
 had taken place since her arrest. She ended 
 her story by saying : 
 
 " Fear nothing, father. It will not be difficult 
 to prove my innocence. We will soon return 
 all together to Philadelphia, to my dear mother. 
 I ought never to have left her. To-day I shall 
 see Monsieur Langerol, one of the best lawyers 
 in the town, whose wife is an intimate friend 
 of mine. I have chosen him as my advocate." 
 
 " You will have another besides him," said 
 Elias. ;.. 
 
 ''Who will it be?" - .^ •.. 
 
 " An old friend of mine, whom you perhaps 
 remember — Dr. Maxwell, who disappeared so 
 suddenly." 
 
 •• Stephen Maxwell ! I should think I do 
 remember him ! But how comes he to be at 
 Vermel?" s ? f. -i* 
 
 "He is here entirely on your account. He 
 came here from Paris as soon as ever he heard 
 what was going on. As for the reason for his 
 disappearance from Philadelphia, nobody knows 
 anything about it" 
 
3o6 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 " Shall I see him ? " 
 
 " Yes ; but he thought it more prudent not 
 to come with me this morning. However, I 
 am quite sure he has not been wasting his time. 
 Oh, the rascals ! to be keeping you locked up 
 here, in this miserable room, deprived of every 
 comfort !" 
 
 Falling into a fresh fit of rage, Mr. Panton 
 regarded the wretched place in which his 
 daughter had been compelled to spend so many 
 weeks, and where she must still remain for 
 many more. It took all the influence of his 
 daughter's caresses *to calm him, the exhorta- 
 tions of his brother Jonathan being of no avail 
 — in fact, only adding to his impatience. 
 
 At the same moment, Felix Barthey was 
 receiving a visit from his brother, and M. Le- 
 blanc, one of the best known lawyers of Paris, 
 ^ who, ever since the arrest of the painter, had 
 held himself at his disposal, feeling assured, as 
 he did, that in the terrible adventure in which 
 Felix was involved there was some absurd 
 mistake. 
 
 Having been warned by a telegram that the 
 prisoner might at last communicate with his 
 relations and his lawyers, M. Leblanc had not 
 lost a moment in going to Vermel. He arrived 
 just in time to accompany M. Armand Barthey 
 
 to the 
 
 of Fel 
 
 with c 
 
 words 
 
 the fac 
 
 "It 
 
 " that 
 
 idiotic 
 
 portan< 
 
 your ji 
 
 to- mon 
 
 we hav 
 
 the hoi 
 
 advocat 
 
 hours \ 
 
 and we 
 
 Deblain 
 
 her thar 
 
 As to 
 
 himself 
 
 would r 
 
 tertainec 
 
 of Felix 
 
 That 
 
 in comn 
 
 Mr. Pai 
 
 and all t 
 
 pared fo 
 
THE INVESTIGA TION 
 
 307 
 
 :h 
 
 •y 
 
 to the prison. He had been an intimate friend 
 of Felix for ten years, so the artist received him 
 with open a.ms, and there needed but a few 
 words to put M. Leblanc in possession of all 
 the facts. 
 
 " It is none the less true," he said to the artist, 
 "that you are accused of poisoning. It is 
 idiotic enough ; but still everything is of im- 
 portance in such a case. I must go and visit 
 your judges, as is customary ; I will see them 
 to-morrow, and so find out what kind of men 
 we have to deal with. I shall be staying at 
 the house of Monsieur Langerol, who is the 
 advocate of Madame Deblain. In twenty-four 
 hours we shall have copies of the evidence, 
 and we will consult together. Poor Madame 
 Deblain ! All this is infinitely more painful for 
 her than for you." 
 
 As to M. Armand Barthey, he had contented 
 himself with embracing his brother, whom he 
 would now see every day. He had never en- 
 tertained the smallest doubt of the innocence 
 of Felix. '^'» •• ' • 
 
 That same evening George Leblanc was put 
 in communication with William Witson, whom 
 Mr. Panton had introduced to M. Langerol, 
 and all these friends of the prisoners were pre- 
 pared for the struggle with M. Babou. 
 
 X9 
 
3o8 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 The next day, Madame Gould- Parker re- 
 turned from Paris, and hastened to the prison. 
 The interview of the sisters was very touching. 
 Locked in each other's arms, they remained for 
 some time, unable to utter a word ; they could 
 only exchange kisses and sighs. 
 
 Rhea was the first to grow calm. She said to 
 Jenny: /:> ji'<: :{u ; 
 
 ** Have you been called before the investigat- 
 ing judge?" Î M:;t^. x;:»-: .:\ av .. 
 '• " No; and I am very much surprised at it. 
 Many times I have wished to see him, but 
 Monsieur Langerol never would let me." 
 
 "Thank God for that! Now, listen — listen 
 to me attentively — and do not forget one of my 
 words! " 
 1, •' Oh ! speak — speak, Rhea ! You terrify me!" 
 
 " You are sure you love me, are you not .'* " 
 •K " How can you ask me — oh, my darling!" 
 And she again pressed her sister in her arms. 
 
 Madame Deblain gently disengaged herself, 
 and resumed : 
 
 '• You know that the letters you confided to 
 my care have been seized. Now, the investi- 
 gating judge is convinced that they were 
 written by Felix Barthey, and in those letters 
 he sees a proof that Felix was my accomplice 
 in crime.'* 
 
 I mui 
 to me 
 
 "N 
 silenct 
 questi 
 Malle, 
 my re; 
 me th 
 'I knc 
 
 "Bi 
 
 remain 
 word, < 
 fatal tl 
 They 
 danger 
 promis 
 mothe] 
 "Bi 
 "I 
 should 
 your s 
 Barthe 
 do not 
 it' I 
 come 1 
 of Sej 
 
THE INVESTIGATION 
 
 309 
 
 I 
 
 -If. 
 
 " Oh, how dreadful ! I must tell the truth ! 
 I must tell them that those letters were written 
 to me!" : 
 
 " No, you must not ! I entreat you to keep 
 silence, not only about those letters, but, if any 
 questions are asked about my way of life at the 
 Malle, the excursions I used to make to it, or 
 my reasons for going there, you must swf ar to 
 me that you will make no other answer than, 
 ' I know nothing about it.' " ..,. 
 
 ** But if my silence were to be your ruin ? " .,, 
 
 " There are certain things which must for ever 
 remain secrets fi^r all but you and me. One 
 word, one single word from you, may be more 
 fatal than your refusal to speak can possibly be. 
 They would put to your words a meaning 
 dangerous for us both. My darling Jenny, 
 promise me, as you value the life of our good 
 mother, to obey me blindly and implicitly.". 
 
 " But just explain to me " 
 
 " I cannot ! Let who may question you, 
 should it be father himself who asks you, • Had 
 your sister a lover, and was that lover Felix 
 Barthey ? ' content yourself with answering, ' I 
 do not think so, nothing ever led me to believe 
 it* If you are asked: 'Did Madame Deblain 
 come to the Malle on the evening of the 22nd 
 of September ? ' say, * At that time I was ill, 
 
 f^^^i 
 
3IO 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 and my sister often came to see me in the even- 
 ing, but I cannot remember what happened on 
 that particular evening.' " 
 
 "Rhea! My dear Rhea!" Jenny dropped 
 into a seat, covered her face with her hands, 
 and burst into tears. 
 
 Rhea knelt down beside her, put her arms 
 round her, and kissing her said : » ' ^ ' • 
 
 " Do not cry so, you will not be questioned ; 
 they would have begun long ago if they had 
 meant to question you. But, if you love me, 
 swear to obey me !" 
 
 " You insist upon it?" 
 
 " I beseech you ; it is for your happiness and 
 mine." 
 
 '*Well, then, I swear! It shall be as you 
 say; but still, remember, I am ready to give up, 
 for you, my life and my honour ! " " * ; " ' 
 
 "Ah, I know it I But now the hour for 
 appearing before my judges may come when it 
 will ; they will find me strong and fearless ! " 
 
 The two daughters of Elias Panton sealed 
 their mysterious compact with a kiss. 
 
 In less than a week MM. Langerol and 
 Leblanc had seen all the witnesses who had 
 been summoned by M. Babou, except Madame 
 Dusortois, and all their inquiries were finished. 
 
 They made it known to the chief judge that 
 
 theyl 
 
 Max\ 
 
 the 
 
 Pleme 
 
 Maxw 
 
 exami 
 
 Thi 
 seeme 
 doubt 
 his me 
 judge 
 fresh \ 
 did no 
 eviden 
 
 Nev 
 police, 
 the de] 
 necessi 
 Dr. PI. 
 organs 
 had mj 
 but th 
 namel] 
 which 
 
 Cerl 
 great ( 
 Babou 
 ing hii 
 
THE JNVESTIGA TION 
 
 3" 
 
 they had chosen, as medical expert, Mr. Stephen 
 Maxwell ; and they demanded, conformably to 
 the law, that the organs examined by Dr. 
 Piemen should be placed at the disposal of Dr. 
 Maxwell, so that he might make a farther 
 examination, should he judge it necessary. 
 
 This request of the prisoners' advocates 
 seemed extremely absurd to M. Babou. To 
 doubt the learning of Dr. Piemen, to dispute 
 his medical report, seemed to the investigating 
 judge absolute impertinence, and, as it were, a 
 fresh proof that the advocates of the prisoners 
 did not know what to do in order to rebut the 
 evidence. . - - '< »*"• 
 
 Nevertheless, he gave orders to the chief of 
 police, M. Berton, to accede to the demand of 
 the defence. He then learned that this would 
 necessitate a fresh exhumation; for not only had 
 Dr. Piemen omitted to divide into two parts the 
 organs he had removed from the body, and he 
 had made his experiments on the whole of them, 
 but the usual order had not been followed — 
 namely, "to replace the body in a sealed coffin, 
 which shall remain at the disposal of the law." 
 
 Certainly this was a vexatious thing for the 
 great doctor of Vermel to have done ; but M. 
 Babou never thoueht for a moment of render- 
 ing him responsible for it. Never in any pre- 
 
912 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 ceding criminal trial, for ten years past, had a 
 second medical examination been demanded. 
 
 The chief of police was, therefore, obliged to 
 proceed to a second exhumation ; the body of 
 the unfortunate Raymond was again taken from 
 its coffin, and again subjected to examination by 
 Dr. Maxwell ; who, because he was a foreigner, 
 was compelled, by the investigating judge, to 
 receive the assistance of Dr. Magnier. ' 
 
 But Dr. Magnier was not only a clever doctor^ 
 but a true gentleman ; and he needed but a few 
 minutes' conversation with Maxwell to see that 
 he had to do with a skilful man ; consequently, 
 they became quite friendly. • , ,, .. 
 
 From motives of deference, and also from 
 spitefulness towards his adversaries, M. Babou 
 had informed Dr. Piemen of what was going 
 on ; for the old friend of poor Raymond never 
 left his house now except to see his patients. 
 In consequence of ill-health, he had even, for 
 the moment, resigned the governorship of the 
 hospital. He said to M. Babou : 
 
 " The defence are only using their just rights; 
 if the expert they have chosen can prove I have 
 made a mistake, nobody will be more glad of it 
 than I." 
 
 These few words were extremely annoying to 
 M. Babou, whose professional pride was very 
 
 much 
 much 
 rests ol 
 
 Gen< 
 won hi] 
 on M. 
 had sai| 
 with hiî 
 highest 
 the sai 
 Americ 
 Parker, 
 to see ij 
 law cou 
 been wa 
 with th( 
 taken bi 
 
 How( 
 of the i 
 sympatl 
 cally op 
 of othe 
 so hurri 
 attornej 
 had wit 
 a week 
 sent for 
 Raymoi 
 
THE INVESTIGATION 
 
 yi, 
 
 much worked up ; because, for a month past, so 
 much had been done, against him, in the inte- 
 rests of those whom he considered guilty. 
 
 General Sauvière, under whom Felix had 
 won his military decoration, had himself called 
 on M. Babou ; and, with soldierly abruptness, 
 had said he was ready to answer for the artist 
 with his own honour. People in Paris, of the 
 highest station, had written to M. Babou in 
 the same terms. The chief secretary of the 
 American Embassy, a friend of Colonel Gould- 
 Parker, had made several journeys from Paris 
 to see Madame Deblain, and the heads of the 
 law courts at Vermel ; the chief attorney had 
 been warned that the case must be conducted 
 with the greatest circumspection, and no step 
 taken but on the surest ground. j 
 
 However, instead of troubling the conscience 
 of the investigating judge, all these marks of 
 sympathy for the accused had had a diametri- 
 cally opposite result. In face of the opposition 
 of others, his convictions deepened, and he 
 so hurried things on, he so drove the chief 
 attorney — for M. Duret, the Attorney-General, 
 had withdrawn from the affair — that in less than 
 a week Rhea Deblain and Felix Barthey were 
 sent for trial, under the accusation of poisoning 
 Raymond Deblain. 
 
314 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 This terrible news, which stunned Mr. Pan 
 ton, Jonathan, and Madame Gould-Parker, did 
 not surprise Rhea or Felix ; because their 
 advocates, MM. Langerol and Leblanc, had 
 never allowed them to hope, for a single 
 moment, that M. Babou would give orders for 
 an acquittal. He had gone too far — ^not that 
 he could not draw back, if his conscience had 
 commanded him to do so ; for, as we have said, 
 he was not a dishonest man, but he had gone too 
 far to be able to see things in their right liglu. 
 Without thinking of it, without admitting it to 
 himself, he thought his professional honour was 
 at stake ; his wife had too often said to him since 
 the beginning of the affair, *' Jérôme, you have 
 your advancement in your own hands," for him 
 not to be absolutely convinced of his own clear- 
 sightedness and his great intelligence. 
 
 As to Dr. Maxwell, after having studied the 
 report of Dr. Piemen, and concluded his own 
 chemical analysis, he said to MM. Langerol 
 and Leblanc : 
 
 " The court of Vermel little thinks what sur- 
 prises I have in store for them." 
 
 He then went to the Carmelite prison, where, 
 on seeing Rhea and Felix, he assured them that 
 all this horrid affair would end in confusion to 
 their enemies. > 
 
 The 
 Decen 
 ing wi 
 unforti 
 monthî 
 of solit 
 
 Acc< 
 openin 
 justice 
 intervi( 
 of each 
 
 "A 
 the en 
 *• If the 
 believe 
 try to " 
 been so 
 
 .!> 
 
 t.' 
 
'.«.«^«««•<*;;^à:ite- 
 
 THE INVESTIGATION 
 
 31$ 
 
 The case was to be tried at the end of 
 December, and the time was at hand for brand- 
 ing with infamy, or finally acquitting, 'these two 
 unfortunate young creatures, who, for three 
 months, had been undergoing the moral tortures 
 of solitary confinement. 
 
 According to custom, on the day before the 
 opening of the trial, M. de la Marnière, chief 
 justice of the assizes for that session, had an 
 interview with the prisoners, and he left the cell 
 of each of them feeling deeply moved. 
 
 " A sad and mysterious affair ! " murmured 
 the eminent judge, as he went homewards. 
 *• If these unfortunate people are innocent, as I 
 beiieve them to be, I must do my duty, and yet 
 try to save the dignity of the law, which has 
 been so imprudently compromised." 
 
 '. H ,. t /., ; ' 
 
 -(.■I.-/ 
 
 ''■ • ! ■fil. -n t >< ' 
 
 •4: 
 
 raa 
 
, t 
 
 ( 316 > 
 
 
 ■■ •■■a 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 BEFORE THE HEARING 
 
 The next da)', the 26th Oi iJCx^ember, which, 
 by a strange chance, was the anniversary of the 
 day on which " Frou-Froii,' had drawn all the 
 best society of Vermel to the Malle, the doors 
 of the assizc! court were opened to the public at 
 ten o'clock in the morning. 
 
 The crowd, who had been impatiently wait- 
 ing since the early morning — a crowd composed 
 mostly of the lowest people — rushed frrr ^'e. 
 court, and soon filled up all the '' ^^aiîaule 
 standing room. The benches, which > ' >ied 
 the middle of the immense criminal court, hua 
 been filled very early by those privileged per- 
 sons who were furnished with tickets. Two 
 benches alone remained unoccupied — those on 
 which the witnesses would seat themselves 
 after they had given their evidence. 
 
 As to the seats in front of the ben(j^' 3, t.iey 
 awaited those important persons who had no 
 need to arrive very eariv , as their places were 
 
 
 reservi 
 
 prised 
 
 seats 
 
 heard 
 
 court 
 
 then, 
 
 before 
 
 was ab 
 
 Not 
 odious 
 presenc 
 friends- 
 account 
 sence o 
 aware, 
 them sj 
 would I 
 in her 
 have al 
 
 Som( 
 others 
 conlrar 
 because 
 had brc 
 acquitta 
 tion ha( 
 
 It ii 
 curiosit 
 
:WSS^WS3S 
 
 BEFORE THE HEARING 
 
 317 
 
 reserved for them. Many people were sur- 
 prised that M. Marnière should have had the 
 seats so arranged, because he had often been 
 heard to speak indignantly against turning a 
 court of justice into a kind of theatre. Why, 
 then, this change in his opinions ? It was 
 before this immense audience that poor Rhea 
 was about to appear. 
 
 Not only must she defend herself against an 
 odious accusation, but she must do it in the 
 presence of those who had been her guests, her 
 friends — of those who had courted her on 
 account of her wealth and beauty — in the pre- 
 sence of those women ©f whose hatred she was 
 aware, whose base jealousy had always made 
 them spies upon her, and whose ironical glances 
 would now tell her all the wicked joy they felt 
 in her abasement. How could M. Marnière 
 have allowed her to be thus exposed .? 
 
 Some said he had not dared to do otherwise ; 
 others insinuated that, since he had acted so 
 contrary to his expressed opinions, it was 
 because the trial would confound those who 
 had brought it about, and that he hoped for an 
 acquittal the more splendid because the accusa- 
 tion had been undeserved. 
 
 It is, therefore, easy to understand that 
 curiosity was at its height, and that all the seats 
 
3i8 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 were occupied by ten o'clock, although the 
 hearing would not commence till eleven. 
 Mesdames Lachaussée and Babou, more arro- 
 gant and vulgar than usual in their fine clothes, 
 were the first to arrive. 
 
 The usher of the court, doubtless by order, 
 had given them the best places in the front 
 row, as near as possible to the prisoners. They 
 were anxious to lose nothing of the anguish of 
 that foreign woman, who, for two years, had 
 crushed them with her youth, beauty, splen- 
 dour, and her generosity to the poor. Their 
 friends, animated by the same feelings, soon 
 appeared, exchanging smiles and little wavings 
 of hands, as if they were meeting at a pleasant 
 party. Now and then some of them would 
 shake their heads, raising their eyes heaven- 
 ward, as though they would say : " Oh, what 
 a dreadful affair ! but it was to be expected it 
 would end so ! " 
 
 , Other wornen came, but evidently in a differ- 
 ent frame of mind. These were ladies ot the 
 best society, who had remained faithful to Rhea, 
 not believing in her guilt, and thinking that 
 their presence and their sympathetic looks 
 would give her courage. Among these ladies 
 were the pretty Madame Mortier, who had 
 played the part of Louise, at the Malle, in 
 
 rroi 
 .ang( 
 dvocc 
 
 Th( 
 
 were 
 
 Prin 
 
 scu 
 
 eel 
 lpt( 
 ties ai 
 their i 
 foolish 
 a pois( 
 knew t 
 Fina 
 of the 
 no par 
 often b 
 in his 
 guilt ; 1 
 of fell. 
 Felix ] 
 war ; ai 
 were se 
 Duri 
 waiting 
 room, 
 been p 
 who ha 
 respect: 
 
BEFORE THE HEARING 
 
 319 
 
 "Frou-Ffou;" and the charming Madame 
 Langerol, the wife of the kind and courageous 
 advocate of Rhea. 
 
 Then, scattered about among the audience, 
 were many friends of Felix Barthey — the 
 Prince de Linar, the painter Robert Blaise, the 
 sculptors David and Thirion — Parisian celebri- 
 ties and honourable men. who could not hide 
 their indignation and their contempt for the 
 foolish zeal of those who had transformed into 
 a poisoner the honest gentleman whom they 
 knew to be incapable of a bad thought. 
 
 Finally, on the platform, were the authorities 
 of the department — the Prefect, who had taken 
 no part in the affair, as he and his wife had 
 often been Madame Deblain's guests, and who, 
 in his private capacity, did not believe in her 
 guilt ; the Mayor of Vermel, a pretentious kind 
 of fellow ; General Sauvière, who had had 
 Felix Barthey under his command during the 
 war; and, finally, MM. Duret and Babou, who 
 were seated to the right of the judge. 
 
 During this time, Rhea and Felix were 
 waiting, with their friends, in a comfortable 
 room, which, by M. Marnière's orders, had 
 been prepared for them; the two policemen 
 who had charge of the prisoners keeping at a 
 respectful distance from them. 
 
320 
 
 THE CASE Ot UK. PLEMEN 
 
 Rhea was sadly changed. Notwithstanding 
 all her energy of character — all the sympathy 
 which was manifested on her behalf — notwith- 
 standing the presence of those she loved, the 
 calmness of her conscience, and the confidence 
 she felt in the goodness of her cause, these three 
 months of solitary confinement had almost broken 
 her health and spirit. 
 , Her complexion was no longer brilliant, as it 
 used to be ; and her lips quivered nervously. 
 Her eyes, surrounded by black circles, seemed 
 unnaturally large and wore a feverish, anxious 
 look. Her splendid beauty had disappeared, 
 but she now 1 3oked, perhaps, even more lovely, 
 with the pair ness and resignation of a martyr 
 and a victim ; as, indeed, she well might ; for to 
 her the days had been long, and the sleepless 
 nights horrible, in the loneliness of her cell ; 
 and even nov*, at this supreme moment, certain 
 thoughts whi :h had haunted her in her isolation 
 would return to her. Above all, she could not com- 
 prehend the conduct of Dr. Piemen — that she 
 should owe tD him, who had professed love for 
 her, the acci «ation of being a poisoner I And 
 lie had only been twice to see her ; he had only 
 written to 1 er a few lines of commonplace 
 consolation, since the day when he had sent her 
 the terrible letter which informed her that her 
 
BEFORE THE HEARING 
 
 321 
 
 husband had died a violent death. Could it be 
 that he believed her guilty ? 
 
 Ah, how she reproached herself now for her 
 coquetries with him! In her feminine pride, 
 this recollection caused her deep remorse and 
 humiliation. ' 
 
 Now, however, she was surrounded by 
 friends : her father, her sister, her counsel, M. 
 Langerol, and her uncle Jon;ithan, whose affec- 
 tion, though sometimes manifested in a ridiculous 
 manner, was none the less sincere. She knew 
 also that all the best society of the town felt a 
 kindly interest in her — and yet she trembled. 
 
 As to Felix Barthey, since his first appearance 
 before M. Babou and his spirited reply to that 
 gentleman, he had never felt either anger or dis- 
 couragement ; only now and then he could not 
 help feeling painfully oppressed at the thought 
 of what poor Rhea must be undergoing. 
 
 He was ignorant of the grounds on which thi; 
 charges against her rested ; and as soon as Rhea 
 could communicate with him, she had made him 
 promise not to answer any questions that might 
 be addressed to him concerning her visits to tlu- 
 Malle, at the time of her husband's death. 
 
 On meeting Madame Deblain in the room 
 which M. Marnière had assigned to the accused, 
 Felix had hastened to her to kiss her hand, and 
 
322 
 
 THE CASE Or^ DP PLEMEN 
 
 this little act of homage had comforted poor 
 Rhea. The artist exchanged a smiling glance 
 with Madame Gould-Parker, then he sat down 
 beside his brother and his counsel, just as the 
 door opened to admit William Witson — or rather 
 Dr. Maxwell, since he had now given up his 
 incognito. 
 
 The face of th;i American, generally so grave 
 and impenetrable, now expressed intense satis- 
 faction and wore an air of pride ; everything in 
 his voice, his walk, beî^^rayed deep joy and a 
 most profound conviction. 
 
 " Well, the great time has come, my dear little 
 countrywoman," said he to Rhea, as he kissed 
 her cheek. " I ask nothing of you but calmness ;| 
 all rests on me and your counsel. I am con- 1 
 vinced that in a very few hours you will be free." 
 
 •' Yes, have courage, my girl, have courage !" 
 said Mr. Panton, kissing his daughter inore 
 tenderly than he had ever done ; ** prove to all 
 these people that American women have 
 strength of mind, and do not let them see you| 
 tremble." 
 
 " You are right, father," said Rhea, starting 
 up, with an energetic look in her worn face, 
 am ashamed not to have followed the gooc 
 example set me by Monsieur Barthey. The] 
 think me a poisoner, do they } Well, we will pruv( 
 
BEFORE THE HEARING 
 
 323 
 
 to them that they are liars, calumniators, and 
 fools ! " 
 
 "Praised be God!" said Uncle Jonathan. 
 " Last night the eyes of my inner man were 
 opened ; I saw truth victorious over falsehood, 
 and " 
 
 Here the reverend gentleman was inter- 
 rupted by a nasal voice at the door of the 
 room : 
 
 " The accused are ordered to enter the 
 courte " 
 
 Rhea again kissed her father and sister ; then 
 with firm step, escorted by a policeman, and 
 followed by Felix Barthey, she passed through 
 the door to the bar — that species of pillory 
 where, innocent or guilty, all unfortunate pri- 
 [Soners appear before justice. 
 
 M. de la Marnière had just then pronounced 
 I the usual formula : 
 
 *' The court is opened. Bring in the accused." 
 
 1 1 
 
 Y a 
 
i24,> 
 
 \ 
 
 r..r^i utrii '/i^ T-,< 
 
 ■■ ',.•;.' 
 
 *!'v 
 
 •;. ^- >,"„•' -r-M i'^;,' 
 
 '/ . . 
 
 ■■(■ ,^ I 
 
 '>/ 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 BEFORE THE JURY, fi 
 
 .Ti 
 
 ill 
 
 When the policeman opened the door leading 
 to the compartment of the court assignt;d to 
 prisoners, which was right opposite the large 
 windows, Madame Deblain stopped suddenly, 
 for this door seemed to her like a frame in 
 which she, as a picture, would be placed, for all 
 eyes to fix themselves upon her. Her strength 
 so failed her at this point that she unconsciously 
 placed her hand on the arm of the policeman, 
 who, seeing her hesitate, had come close to her. 
 
 This weakness, however, lasted but a moment. 
 On hearing M. Barthey whisper, "Courage!" 
 she drew herself up, and, with a firm step, passed 
 the horrid threshold. 
 
 But on entering the court, where the rays of 
 the sun, which had just emerged from a cloud, 
 fell on her face, as if scornfully to salute her on 
 entering this place of infamy — at the sight of 
 the oaken barrier which separated her from the 
 
•il "'"^j- 
 
 BEFORE THE JURY 
 
 325 
 
 crowd who were all eagerly gazing at her, she 
 turned deadly pale, put her hands to her face, 
 and fell back into one of the seats which were 
 there. , { . 
 
 There was a general movement in the audience 
 of pity, at the sight of this young widow wearing 
 deep mourning for the husband she was accused 
 of poisoning. Then shouts of " Sit down ! Sit 
 down ! " were addressed to some women. Mes- 
 dames Lachaussée and Babou among others, 
 who had risen, the better to gloat over poor 
 Rhea's misery. ^ , , t .. 
 
 From the advocates' bench, where he had 
 taken his place beside MM. Langerol and Le- 
 blanc, William Witson hastened to the balustrade 
 against which Madame Deblain was leaning. 
 
 He said a few words to her in a low voice, 
 which caused Rhea to raise her head, and 
 thenceforward he saw no expression in her face 
 but courage and energy, tempered, it is true, by 
 the two months of torture she h nc; undergone. 
 
 Felix Barthey, after having bowed to the 
 court, nodded to his friends ; and, feeling re- 
 assured concerning Rhea, he sat down at the 
 farther end of the bench from her. The two 
 policemen were about to place thc'mselves 
 between the prisoners, when the judge said to 
 them : 
 
326 
 
 THE CASE OF DK, P LE M EN 
 
 " Stand at the back." • ^'' 
 
 The men obeyed, placing tl chairs against 
 the wall. 
 
 At the reiterated appeals of the usher of the 
 court, silence was obtained. Then the names 
 of the jury were called over, and the prisoners' 
 friends took their places on the benches which 
 had been reserved for them, ut ; jt;'' .;•>.? 
 
 When the jury were in their places, M. Mar- 
 nière gave them the usual charge concerning 
 their duties; and then he a< Pressed to the 
 accused the customary que is concerning 
 their identity. He had addressed Rhea as 
 " Madame," and had not spoken Barthey's 
 name with the prefix "accused." 
 
 Madame Deblain was in such a weak state 
 that M. Langerol took her hand. She then 
 rose and said, in a broken voice: - ^ 
 
 •'Marie Rhea Panton, widow of Raymond 
 Deblain, born in Philadelphia in 1862." Then, 
 pale as death, she sank back in her seat. 
 
 The artist rose, with head erect, and with 
 simple firmness replied: 
 
 •' Raoul Felix Barthey, born at Lyons in 
 1848; artist, residing in Paris, Rue d'Offé- 
 mont ; a soldier, who won a military decoration 
 during the siege of Paris." 
 
 This statement was followed by a sympa- 
 
\^ BEFORE THE JURY 
 
 327 
 
 len, 
 ith 
 
 thetic murmur from the crowd, and General 
 Sauvière was heard angrily growhng : 
 
 "Yes, and he did not get his medal for 
 nothing — the brave lad ! " 
 
 " Pay strict attention to what you are about 
 to hear," said the judge to the accused. 
 
 At hisorder the clerk began, in the midst of pro- 
 found silence, the reading of the act of accusation. 
 
 Had this document been really the work of 
 M. Lachaussée? It is more than probable that 
 he had called in the aid of his usual fellow- 
 workers, MM. Duret and Babou, for it was a 
 plain, clear statement, without bombastic phrases 
 or needless details ; of the facts elicited by the 
 investigation ; from the time of M. Deblain's 
 death to the proofs gathered of the causes of 
 that violent death, and the proofs which had 
 been found against those guilty of the crime. 
 The document was terminated in the following 
 words : " Consequently, Marie Rhea Panton, 
 widow of Raymond Deblain, and Felix Barthey, 
 are accused of having administered to Raymond 
 Deblain a poison which caused his death, and 
 this with aggravating circumstances of premedi- 
 tation." • 
 
 " That is the crime of which you are accused,*' 
 said the judge. " You will now hear the evi- 
 dence that is brought against you." 
 
528 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 The witnesses were then called, most of whom 
 were Deblain's servants. 
 
 Madame Dusortois, who, before M. Babou, 
 had brought such serious charges, had petitioned 
 not to be obliged to give her evidence in person, 
 in consequence of her near connection with the 
 accused ; the judge granted this request, but with 
 some hesitation. Her written deposition would 
 .be read. M. Marnière had also decided that 
 Mr. Panton and the Rev. Jonathan need not !)(.; 
 called ; and this was rather a disappointment to 
 the latter, who had hoped to find here a favour- 
 able opportunity^ for airing his religious opinions. 
 
 No witness was called on behalf of Feli.\' 
 Barthey, to the great surprise of the chief 
 attorney ; but M. Langerol had informed him 
 three days before the opening of the case thai 
 he should call Dumont, Madame Deblain's 
 coachman, and a certain Adrien Millet, an 
 officer of the local custom-house of Vermel. 
 
 As soon as the witnesses had withdrawn 
 from court, M. Marnière commenced his inter- 
 rogatories. He beiran with Madame Déblai n. 
 , He said : •' You know of what you arc 
 accused. You refused to answer before the in- 
 vestigating judge. Perhaps you thought that the 
 law in France was the same as it is in your own 
 country, where prisoners are never questioned. 
 
BEFORE THE JURY 
 
 329 
 
 Is it your intention to be equally silent now 
 that you are before a jury ? You have a right 
 to do so if you choose. If it is painful to you 
 to stand, you may remain seated." 
 
 Poor Rhea, who had grown a httle calmer, 
 bowed her thanks to the judge for this mark of 
 kindness ; and, after a few moments' thought, 
 replied : ^ - - » 
 
 " I am ready to give all necessary explana- 
 tions of such of my actions as justice requires. 
 If I acted differently before the investigating 
 judge, it was because, from the moment I 
 appeared before him, he talked to me as if he 
 was quite sure of my criminality. Now I swear, 
 by my eternal salvation, that, if my husband 
 was poisoned, Monsieur Felix Barthey and I 
 had no hand in that abominable crime." 
 
 " You knew, did you not, that Monsieur 
 Deblain had made a will by which he left you 
 all his fortune ? " 
 
 " He himself told me so, and I could not 
 doubt it, because of his love for me. It was six 
 months after our marriage that he told me of it, 
 and at that time Ï had hopes of becoming a 
 mother ; consequently, I considered this will 
 made in favour of the children I might have. I 
 made but one remark on the subject to my 
 husband ; it was to remind him that I was 
 
330 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 myself heiress to a large fortune, and that there- 
 fore he need not quite forget his aunt and 
 cousins in making his will." 
 
 "It was, doubtless, in consequence of this 
 remark of yours that ' Monsieur Deblain added 
 a codicil to his will, which gave to Madame 
 Dusortois a life-interest in a certain sum, and 
 to each of her daughters a portion of a hundred 
 thousand francs." 
 
 : " I do not know if he did that because of 
 what I said ; he was fond of his aunt and 
 cousins, and perhaps would have remembered 
 them if Ï had said nothing," ■ • • 
 
 " Your husband had also effected a life in- 
 surance for two hundred thousand francs; were 
 you aware of that } " 
 
 •' I knew nothing of it till a year after the 
 policy was signed ; I was not surprised at it, 
 because in my country such acts of prudence 
 are common with the heads of families — even 
 those who are poor." ' ' 
 
 '* On this subject, I may be permitted to 
 remark to the court," said Madame Dcblain's 
 counsel, "that the insurance company are so 
 convinced of my clitmt's innocence, that they .do 
 not take sides against her ! " 
 
 '* That ar;^ument can be used in your address 
 for the defence, Monsieur Langerol," observed 
 the judge. M. de la Marnière continued : 
 
BEFORE THE JURY 
 
 331 
 
 •• It was in consequence of the large amounts 
 left to you by Monsieur Deblain's will that you 
 are suspected of causing your husband's death. 
 You know what are the charges brought against 
 you ; but still I must f o over them in order that 
 you may make what explanations you think 
 proper. I shall say nothing of the singular cir 
 cumstances under which you became the wife 
 of Monsieur Deblain, because we have nothing 
 to do with criticizing American manners ; but 
 when it was known at Vermel, in France, where 
 marriages are solemnized before the law, and 
 blessed by religion, whatever be the sect to 
 which people belong, your marriage gave rise 
 to malevolent remarks. Then, when it was ob- 
 served that you drew your husband into a life 
 of dissipation and expense, which is contrary to 
 our customs, people drew from it conclusions 
 derogatory to your character as a wife." 
 
 " I had a very sincere affection for Monsieur 
 Deblain, and I knew that both he and I wfre 
 rich. He seemed to take pleasure in all our 
 gaieties; our expenses were always well within 
 our income ; 1 have never ceased to honour the 
 name of the French gentleman who was my 
 husband." 
 
 Rhea said these last words with such energy 
 that a murmur of sympathy greeted them. 
 
 '* I come now to the accusation itself Men- 
 
332 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 sieur Deblain's health had always been good 
 until the end of last winter. His friend, the 
 learned Dr. Piemen, was treating him then for 
 some nervous malady of the stomach. When 
 the patient suffered from sleeplessness, and 
 from neuralgic pains, the doctor gave him 
 opiates and skin injections of morphine. Was 
 that the only medical treatment your husband 
 underwent ? " 
 
 '• I think so, but I do not know it for certain. 
 Monsieur Deblain did not like me to trouble 
 myself about his health. He was very much 
 averse to having his health discussed by any- 
 body ; and, as Dr. Piemen told me it was 
 not at all a serious ailment, I felt no anxiety 
 about him." 
 
 •' Did not your husband's state of health seem 
 to get much worse, as the electoral campaign in 
 which he was engaged grew more exciting and 
 more undecided in his favour ? " 
 . •' He certainly had grown much more nervous 
 and irritable, and I must admit that, on this 
 subject, I do not hold myself blameless, because 
 it was I who excited the ambition of Monsieur 
 Deblain, instead of letting him live the tranquil 
 life to which he had always been accustomed." 
 
 As Rhea said this, her eyes were filled with 
 tears. 
 
BEFORE THE JURY 
 
 333 
 
 " In the evening of the 22nd of September," 
 M. Marnière continued, "did not Monsieur 
 Deblain seem to you worse than he had hitherto 
 been?" 
 
 " He had made a long speech at a public 
 meeting," Rhea replied, ** and after dinner, 
 although he had eaten with very good appetite, 
 he complained of violent pains in the stomach 
 and head. We had no one with us but Dr. 
 Piemen, who said my husband was rather 
 feverish, and advised him to go to bed early." 
 
 " He also ordered him to take a double dose 
 of chloral, and to inject morphine ; now, was 
 Monsieur Deblain in the constant habit of 
 taking these things .'* " • •<: 
 
 "No ; on the contrary, he took them very 
 rarely. Besides, the doctor assured me that 
 the preparation of morphine was very weak and 
 could do no harm." 
 
 " Yes ; that fact was brought out by the in- 
 vestigation, when Dr. Piemen's prescriptions 
 were examined. That evening, then, M. De- 
 blain went up to his room earlier than usual } " 
 
 *' Yes ; it was hardly ten o'clock. After 
 saying good-night to his friend and me, he re- 
 tired with his valet." 
 
 *• What did you then do } " 
 
 ^ \ remained a good while in the drawing- 
 
334 
 
 THE CASE OF DR, P LE M EN 
 
 m 
 
 room with Monsieur Piemen ; then, after he left 
 me, I went to my room." 
 
 " And you did not pass through your hus- 
 band's room ? " 
 
 " No, Monsieur ; for, as I have already said, 
 Monsieur Deblain did not like any one to make 
 a fuss about his health. I thought I should annoy 
 him by going into his room. Besides, I had a 
 right to suppose that he was asleep, since he had 
 certainly followed the advice of his doctor." 
 
 " On that evening your maid Pauline did not 
 attend to you as usual .•* " ' a • ?, i -. , 
 
 "No ; she was not well, and I sent her to 
 bed immediately after dinner." 
 
 " You must see how much the isolation of 
 that evening strengthens the accusation against 
 you. No one can tell where you Avere, nor 
 what you did, after the departure of Dr. Piemen. 
 On the one side, your husband's valet leaves him 
 at eleven o'clock, and does not return to him ; on 
 the other, your maid sees nothing of you from 
 ten at night till the next morning. Were the 
 doors of the two dressing-rooms usually closed } 
 I mean, were they locked or bolted } " 
 
 "No ; they were never fastened, so that 
 Monsieur Deblain or I could pass from one 
 room to the other when we chose." 
 
 »♦ Then, in the night of the 35?nd of Sep- 
 
mÊBOÊÊÊa 
 
 BEFORE THE JURY 
 
 335 
 
 tember, you could have gone into your hus- 
 band's room ? " 
 
 " I could have done so ; but, alas ! I did not" 
 
 " Are you aware that it has been proved by 
 an experiment that, from your room, cries 
 uttered in Monsieur Deblain's room can be 
 distinctly heard, even when the doors are all 
 closed?" ' >• ' ' 
 
 " I believe it ; and I feel sure I should have 
 heard these crie'^î if my husband had uttered 
 them. Besides, I alwaj^s left the door of my 
 dressing-room open, and I have no doubt 
 Monsieur Dcblain did the same, so that there 
 would be but one door between us." 
 
 ** And no noise, no sound of complaint, reached 
 you 
 
 ?" 
 
 >•♦. 
 
 " Oh, if I had heard the slightest thing, should 
 not I have flown to his aid ? " 
 
 ** Monsieur Deblain died poisoned by a salt 
 called arseniate of copper, and that violent 
 poison was furnished to you, according to the 
 indictment, by the man who appears here as 
 the accomplice of the crime of which you 
 are accused. This complicity is shown by a 
 correspondence seized in your bedroom at the 
 Malle, in the secret drawer of a cabinet. These 
 letters leave no doubt as to the nature of the 
 relations existing between the man who wrote 
 
336 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 them and the woman who received them. I 
 shall not read any of these letters ; but I must 
 remind you th.it, in the midst of e^xpressions of 
 ardent passion, there are, frequently repeated, 
 thoughts betraying the desire of the lover to 
 see his mistress free, that they may live together 
 in Paris, in scenes more worthy of her beauty. 
 The writer curses the legal ties which bind the 
 woman he loves to another. That other is 
 ambitious ; whilst he has but one ambition — to 
 be always loved by her. By a singular precau- 
 tion, but which is explained by the danger to 
 which it would have exposed you, your name is 
 never mentioned in these compromising letters. 
 You are designated by terms of adoration 
 which are only too easy to understand. What 
 explanations can you give regarding» this cor- 
 respondence, which you so carefully kept, as 
 women seem always to keep, letters which, if 
 found, must ruin them ?"»■! '.' m 
 
 Madame Deblain made no answer. She 
 looked very pale, and more agitated than she 
 did at the beginning of her examination. She 
 held down her head, and it was plain that many 
 different feelings were struggling within her. 
 
 The audience, who were anxiously awaiting 
 this scandalous point of the evidence, began to 
 utter murmurs of disapprobation, for the silence 
 
BEFORE THE JURY 
 
 337 
 
 of the accused seemed like a confession. When 
 Rhea again looked up, and, following the 
 advice which M. Langerol had doubtless just 
 given her, she replied : 
 
 " Those letters were never addressed to me. 
 They were confided to my care." 
 
 " The gentlemen of the jury," said M. de la 
 Marnière, " will not be able to accept that expla- 
 nation, unless you make known the name of the 
 person who confided those letters to your care." 
 
 •* I neither can nor will utter that name." 
 
 " Take care ! Your refusal may be inter- 
 preted in a manner dangerous to your cause." 
 
 '* It shall happen to me as God pleases ; but 
 I will never betray a secret which is not mine." 
 
 Rhea had regained all her energy as she said 
 these words ; and, as if she had foreseen the 
 kind of reception they would meet with among 
 the audience, she was nut the least affected by 
 anything they said or did. n k- (■^ '^î. . 
 
 Some loudly applauded her conduct, saying 
 it was a new proof of her honesty and of her 
 scorn of the accusations brou^'ht ai^ainst her. 
 According to others, her guilt was evident, and 
 she was lost. They were so busy looking at 
 Madame Deblain, that the looks of Felix 
 Barthey were not observed. 
 
 During Rhea's examination, his face had 
 
338 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 remained unmoved. He had, as it wen?, 
 avoided looking at her. But when she came to 
 the explanations about the letters, lie turned 
 eagerly towards her, as if he feared on her 
 part some act of weakness ; and he answered 
 her last words by a smile, expressing at once 
 his admiration and his gratitude.- - 
 
 M. de la Marnière having by a wave of his 
 hand intimated to Rhea that his examination 
 was finished, she sat down, and the artist 
 rose, thinking his turn had come. His bearing 
 and attitude were just what they should be, and 
 it would have been difficult to find the hero of 
 a criminal trial who should wear a more engag- 
 ing expression of countenance. It was easy to 
 foresee that the jury would have to deal with 
 one who would not get confused, and who 
 would not let anything be torn from him which 
 he chose to conceal. ' ^ --' = ' ■ 
 
 M. de la Marnière began : " Like Madame 
 Deblain, you refused to answer the investigating 
 judge concerning the principal charges of the 
 indictment. Is it your intention to keep silence 
 here also ?" 
 
 ** No," replied the young man, in a clear, firm 
 voice : " I put a sudden stop to my examination 
 by Monsieur Babou, because, as soon as ever 
 I got into his office, he began calling me a 
 
wmm 
 
 BEFORE THE JURY 
 
 339 
 
 poisoner, and that with such absolute conviction, 
 
 that I thou^dit it was of no use to make any 
 
 explanations to him ; but I am ready to answer 
 
 you, Monsieur, with equal deference and frank- 
 ness." 
 
 " You know how serious are the things with 
 which you are charged. You are accused of 
 having furnished Madame Deblain with the 
 copperas with which she poisoned her husband ; 
 and, according to the indictment, you became 
 her accomplice because of the guilty relations 
 existing between you — relations proved by letters 
 seized in the house of the woman you loved — 
 and because you wished to rid yourself of the 
 man who was a hindrance to you in the gratifi- 
 cation of your guilty passion." 
 
 " First of all, I solemnly swear that between 
 me and Madame Deblain there has never been 
 more than friendly regard. Those unfortunate 
 letters are indeed mine, but they were not 
 addressed to her ; I did not even know that 
 they were in her possession. If I had known 
 it, I should have entreated her not to keep 
 them ; I should have insisted on their being 
 burnt. Of course, I — no more than Madame 
 Deblain — will tell to whom my letters were 
 written ; it would be cowardice on my part, and 
 this cowardiçç I wo^ld pot commit even if the 
 
 Z 2 
 
340 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 accusation resting on me and this lady, so irre- 
 proachable in her conduct, hiid much more 
 serious bases than those on which it rests. So 
 much for the letters, which are very compro- 
 mising, I admit. As to my connivance in a crime 
 which has no existence, or which, if it exist, was 
 not committed by Madame Deblain, I must 
 leave that to my advocate and friend, Monsieur 
 Leblanc — I will but say a few words about it. I 
 was the friend of the unfortunate man whom I 
 am accused of having helped to poison ; I had no 
 sort of interest in his death, if there existed 
 between me and his wife this guilty connection. 
 But even if it did exist — and I ask pardon of 
 Madame Deblainfor even supposing it possible — 
 if, I say, I had been loved by Madame Deblain, 
 why should this love make of me an assassin ? 
 To make her a widow, that I might marry her ? 
 Those who reason thus are utterly ignorant of 
 human passions, and the selfishness by which 
 they are generally governed. Wha*^ ' ^ should be 
 loved by a woman, your ' jautiful. rich, and 
 whose husband leaves h .rlectlib y ; and I, 
 who also am rich and ^ 'vmg a lover of my 
 liberty, can be supposed capabxc of committing- a 
 crime for the mere purpose of changing into a 
 chain of iron the flowery links that fortune had 
 bestowed upon me .-* If I had çvçn ^hou^ht of 
 
SSQSQS 
 
 'fPimtm-fff 
 
 .•.■>4.'ifi«!;WJ 
 
 BEFORE THE JURY 
 
 341 
 
 acting so idiotically, it is not to a prison I should 
 have been consigned, but to a madhouse ! Leave 
 the thought of such crimes and their execution 
 to poor wretches, driven on by misery and 
 avarice, but do not accuse of murder such a 
 rnan as I, whose past life and whose intelligence 
 should be his defence — even though you should 
 choose to remain convinced of his culpable rela- 
 tions with the widow of the victim. 
 
 " The indictment also states that, in my room, 
 was found a quantity of arseniate of copper, and 
 that Monsieur Deblain died of poisoning by 
 copperas. First, I would ask, did he really die 
 of poison ? and, if so, was it of the poison in 
 question ? I have every reason to believe that» 
 in a few minutes, you will change your opinion 
 on that point. But still, let us suppose that Dr. 
 Piemen made no mistake — the prosecution 
 immediately jumped to the conclusion that, 
 because I had arseniate of copper in my posses- 
 sion, I must have given it to Madame Dcblain 
 for the pur[JOse of poisoning her husband — nay, 
 more, I am supposed to have bought the stuff for 
 that express purpose. The magistrate who arrived 
 at that conclusion forgot, I suppose, that I am a 
 painter ; he is ignorant that many artists choose 
 to grind certain colours which theyuse; he doubt- 
 le:^3 did not know that arseniate of copper is the 
 
342 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 w^^ 
 
 H% 
 
 basis of Veronese and Mitii: greens ; and in his 
 search he paid no attention to a dress of green 
 silk which is, no doubt, still hanging up in one 
 of the large wardrobes at the Malle — a dress 
 which I was to have used to complete the 
 portrait of Madame Deblain. That is why I 
 sent to my usual artists' colourman for arseniate 
 of copper. That is how, from a painter of some 
 reputation, honoured, loved, esteemed by many 
 friends in Paris — from a soldier rewarded on 
 the field of battle — I have suddenly become a 
 cowardly murderer in a provincial town. I 
 should be ashamed any longer to continue these 
 explanations, but I am none the less ready to 
 answer any questions the Court may choose to 
 put to me." 
 
 As P'elix ceased there burst out, among the 
 audience, long and loud applause. It seemed 
 as though many there were ashamed for their 
 town of this prosecution ; and they seemed to 
 wish to protest against the folly of the magis- 
 trate who had accused the Parisian artist. 
 
 M. Babou saw so plainly how public opinion 
 was tending, that he became quite pale — or 
 rather, green — whilst his wife and Madame 
 Lachaussée, to hide their embarrassment, pre- 
 tended to whisper to each other. 
 
 A few moments later, witnesses were called, 
 
H 
 
 BEFORE THE JURY 
 
 343 
 
 but, as we know, they were not numerous, since 
 the defence had summoned but one — the cus- 
 toms officer, Millet ; M. de la Marnière 
 having authorized Dr. Piemen and Madame 
 Dusortois not to appear, the reading of their 
 depositions being considered sufficient. There- 
 fore the testimony of the witnesses was soon 
 over, they were all servants of the Deblains. 
 They repeated before the court what they had 
 said to M. Babou : that nothing in the conduct 
 of their mistress had ever awakened the least 
 comment or suspicion. 
 
 But hope returned to poor Rhea's enemies 
 when the clerk began reading the deposition of 
 Madame Dusortois. Wc know with what firm 
 conviction this cruel woman had expressed her- 
 self before M. Babou ; and as he omitted nothing 
 of the malevolent affirmations of this witness, 
 and as, besides, Madame Dusortois enjoyed a 
 high reputation for honesty and straightforward- 
 ness, her testimony caused a deep impression. 
 
 It became immediately evident that those 
 who had been doubtful in the audience, now 
 ranged themselves among the adversaries of 
 Madame D?.blain. They argued that it was 
 impossible that a worthy and religious woman, 
 like the aunt of the unfortunate Raymond, could 
 mak<' the slightest accusation unless she had 
 
344 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 absolute proof. On the contrary, if her con- 
 science had permitted her, would she not rather 
 have kept silence altogether, were it but for the 
 honour of her nephew's name ? 
 
 Whilst this reading continued, Rhea kept hei* 
 head bowed down, and could not restrain her 
 teais. People immediately concluded that she 
 did so because she felt she was lost. ; 
 
 The excitement of the audience increased at 
 the reading of Dr. Piemen's report. Doubt 
 seemed no longer possible ; M. Déblai n must 
 have been poisoned. 
 
 It was known that the defence meant to bring 
 forward an American doctor, a fellow country- 
 man of the accused — which was a reason for 
 placing very little confidence in him — and that 
 he meant to try to falsify the evidence of the 
 eminent toxicologist. But was not this mere 
 insolence on the part of a foreigner ? To think 
 of disputing conclusions with the learned Dr. 
 Piemen — he must be mad ! 
 
 Howevei, when it was Dr. Maxwell's turn to 
 speak, and there advanced to the bar this man, 
 with his acute, intelligent face and gentlemanly 
 bearing, every one grew silent and attentive, as 
 though all felt some strange surprise *vas await- 
 ing them. 
 
 Madame Deblain lifted up her head, and never 
 
BE f ORE THE JUR Y 
 
 345 
 
 took her eyes off her defender ; Mr. Panton, 
 whose face was purple with indignation, seemed 
 to grow calmer ; the Reverend Jonathan de- 
 voutly murmured. " The Lord will now speak 
 by the voice of His chosen one !" and Felix 
 Barthey turned towards Rhea as though, with a 
 look, he would say: 
 
 '* Have courage for a little longer, for we shall 
 soon both be avenged !" ' • ' ' ' ' ' 
 
 After bowing to the court, the American 
 doctor began in these terms, in a voice so clear 
 and distinct that it reached every part of the 
 room : 
 
 " Being charged by the investigating judge, 
 Babou, with the medico-legal investigation of 
 the cause of death of Monsieur Deblain, who 
 had then been dead twenty days. Dr. Piemen 
 submitted the organs he had removed from the 
 body to chemical analysis, and came to the con- 
 clusion that the deceased had been poisoned by 
 a salt of copper, either sulphate, acetate, or 
 arseniate. 
 
 " Now I, who have also made a strict exam- 
 ination, affirm that, if these organs do contain 
 copper, it is not present in any sufficient quan- 
 tity to cause death ; and, moreover, I assert 
 that certain indications scientifically demon- 
 strate that the body, at the moment of death, 
 
J 1 
 
 iO 
 
 TIIL CASE OF DR. PLEAIE.S' 
 
 contai iKid less copper than it did twenty days 
 later." 
 
 , At this announcement there was a movement 
 among the audience of astonishment and incre- 
 dulity ; and, the prosecution having greeted the 
 words witli ironical smiles, Maxwell fixed on 
 these gentlemen a stern look, repeating : 
 
 " To what I have just said I pledge myself, 
 and I will soon give proof of the truth of what 
 1 say. 
 
 Turning again to the jury, he continued : 
 " Allow me to call your attention, gentlemen, 
 to one very important circumstance — one which 
 will not be contested — namely, that Monsieur 
 Deblain did not die by means of repeated doses 
 — by what is called slow poisoning ; because 
 during the few weeks his illness lasted, he had 
 no vomitings, and his health showed no signs of 
 the morbid conditions consequent on taking 
 preparations of copper, which are not assimi- 
 lated by the system. We must, therefore, reject 
 the hypothesis of slow poisoning, because both 
 science and common sense show it to be impos- 
 sible ; and we come to the consideration of the 
 effects of one large dose of arseniate of copper, 
 which, according to the indictment, was the 
 means used by the murderer. Perhaps you do 
 not know, gentlemen of the jury, what is the 
 nature of arseniate of copper. It is composed 
 
BEFORE THE JURY 
 
 347 
 
 of aisenical acid and copper, and, under the 
 form of a very fine powder of a bright green 
 colour, is used in painting, to form what artists 
 call Veronese Green. Pure arseniate of copper 
 is also used in the manufacture of Scheele's 
 Green, a very terrible poison, which, when used 
 in the tinting of wall-papers, has often caused 
 very serious accidents. 
 
 " Now this arseniate of copper being a violent 
 poison, the question is, did Monsieur Deblain 
 swallow a large dose of it ? It is hardly pos- 
 sible, because, unless he were in a complete 
 state of insensibility, no one could ever have 
 induced him to swallow such a dose. To do so, 
 he must have lost his sight and have been in- 
 sensible to taste ; for this poison colours any 
 liquid of a vivid green, and the most insensible 
 palate would turn in disgust from its sickening 
 Havour. But let us admit for a moment that 
 Monsieur Deblain, stupefied by an anaisthetic, 
 did drink this poisoned liquid ; would not the 
 stomach have rejected at least a part of it ? 
 Would he not have felt dreadful pains, and, as 
 it were galvanized by his sufferings, would he 
 not have awakened sufficiently to attempt to 
 rise and call for help } Now, nothing of the 
 kind took place. TIk; victim of this supposed 
 poisoning uttered no cry, was found with his 
 bed not the It^ist disordered, and showini»^ no 
 
348 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 traces in his face of a severe struggle with 
 death. Monsieur Deblain seemed, on the con- 
 trary, to have met death during his sleep ; and 
 neither about him nor about his bed was there 
 anything to awaken the least suspicion in the 
 mind of Dr. Magnier, who was called in a few 
 hours later. 
 
 " I pass now to the autopsy and the chemical 
 analysis of the organs, and there I find myseli 
 in the midst of the most inexplicable contradic- 
 tions. In the viscera and the various parts of 
 the body which I have subjected to minute 
 analysis, I found, it is true, some appreciable 
 traces of copper, but in such small proportions 
 that they could not have caused death ; and 
 nowhere did I find traces of corrosive action 
 such as copper would have caused. Again, had 
 the organs been saturated with copper, and still 
 more with a compound of arsenic and copper, it 
 is scientifically proved that they would have 
 been in a good state of preservation ; wherens 
 they were delivered to me in such a state of 
 decomposition that the simplest and most super- 
 ficial examination would have shown the impos- 
 sibility of poisoning by arseniate of copper. 
 
 " To sum up, then : I found in different parts 
 of the body in question a large proportion of 
 alkaloids, ptomaines — animal alkaloids which 
 must not be confounded with vegetable alka- 
 
BEFORE THE JURY 
 
 349 
 
 loids. Now, if Monsieur Deblain had been 
 poisoned by copper, which is a powerful anti- 
 septic, this would have opposed the development 
 of these animal alkaloids, the more especially 
 as, by the testimony of tl]e doctors, Piemen 
 and Magnier, the deceased died suddenly, and 
 showed no symptoms of any infectious malady. 
 " It will be the duty of Monsieur Leblanc, 
 Monsieur Barthey's counsel, to ask why arseniate 
 of copper was fixed upon by the prosecution, 
 rather than another compound of that metal 
 v/hich is more frequently met with in criminal 
 statistics, because it is so easily procured ; but, 
 for my part, I demand that the court order a 
 third examination of the body to be made by 
 one of the sworn experts of Paris ; and I cannot 
 help expressing my surprise that the investi- 
 gating judge, contrary to all rule in such matters, 
 should have allowed the chemical analysis to be 
 made by the same man who performed the 
 autopsy. To this I know what the public pro 
 secutor will reply. He will tell you that he 
 did so because Dr. Piemen is one of the most 
 learned toxicologists of the day, and diat his 
 report must needs be unimpeachable. Well, 
 notwithstanding his infallibility, I again affirm 
 that your learned doctor has made a mistake ; 
 and, what is most strange and incomprehensible 
 is, that he has committed an enormous blunder ; 
 
350 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 and that the only thing to be admired in his 
 report is the skill with which he has dissimulated 
 his errors — errors such as a student in his first 
 year would hardly have committed. It was not 
 merely a chemical analysis, but also a physio- 
 logical examination, that should have been made 
 to ascertain the cause of Monsieur Deblain's 
 death ; and this Dr. Piemen neglected. There- 
 fore, I insist on a third examination being made, 
 and, above all, I demand that Dr. Piemen shall 
 give his evidence here before the jury. I feel 
 sure that when my eminent colleague knows on 
 what grounds I oppose his medical report, he 
 will come here to defend it, whatever may be 
 his dislike to appear in an affair touching the 
 death of his friend, and whatever may be the 
 present state of his health." 
 
 Having said these last words with great deci- 
 sion. Maxwell again bowed to the court and the 
 jury, and resumed his seat, where he was warmly 
 greeted by MM. Langerol and Leblanc, and 
 received grateful glances from Rhea and Felix. 
 
 It was evident that in the crowd there was 
 again a complete change of opinion, for when 
 the American had ceased speaking they burst 
 into loud applause. 
 
 As to Mr. Panton and the Reverend Jonathan, 
 nothing but the fear of being expelled from the 
 o.iurt kept them from uttering wild hurrahs! 
 
BEFORE THE JURY 
 
 351 
 
 I'hcre was again silence, however, when M. 
 de la Marnière asked Madame Deblain's counsel 
 if he did not mean to summon two witnesses 
 named Dumont and Millet ? 
 
 " Yes," replied M. Langerol, " but if the 
 court is to be adjourned, we beg not to call 
 these witnesses till the trial be resumed ; because 
 we may not find it necessary to call them, and 
 so shall not take up the time of the court. We 
 also join Dr. Maxwell in urgently demanding 
 the appearance of Dr. PLmen, which we consider 
 of the utmost importance." 
 
 ** We have not the riglit to compel Dr. 
 Piemen's attendance," replied M. de la Mar- 
 nière, ** but we will exert our influence to induce 
 him to appear, and we will hear him at the re- 
 opening of the court. The hearing is sus- 
 pended for half an hour." 
 
 A few moments later Rhea and Felix were 
 again surrounded by their friends, in the room 
 assigned to them by the presiding judge. 
 
 Jenny, who hnd not been in court, clasped 
 her sister in her arms, and again Rhea whispered 
 to her : * 
 
 " Be comforted, my darling Jenny ; I shall 
 soon have my revenge now ! " , , ^ 
 
 As to Dr. Maxwell, after havinjj exchanged 
 a few words with MM. Langerol and Leblanc, 
 he disappeared. 
 
 m 
 
 '■'■rP 
 
 '■■■ 'f^ 
 
 *. 
 
Wi 
 
 fci ; 
 
 p. , 
 
 ■ ~ :•- ( 352 ) 
 
 \ 'i ^ . 
 
 i. ,'\-'',j '>■'/•: 
 
 
 
 iV j ; ■t.^i'^.rt 
 
 • CHAPTER XII ; 
 
 BET WE EN DOCTORS 
 
 <>( ',■'. V> 
 
 Ltr' 
 
 Havincï passed through the large waiting-room, 
 where the crowd were talkingf over the events 
 of the trial, Maxwell left the Palais de Justice, 
 jumped into a cab, giving to the driver the 
 address of Dr. Piemen ; and in five minutes he 
 was at his house. On ringing, the door was 
 immediately opened to him ; he gave his card 
 to the servant, telling him to take it to his master. 
 
 " My master is ill, and sees no one," said the 
 servant. 
 
 •♦ I know that he is ill," said Maxwell, " but I 
 have a most important communication to make 
 to him, and I have no doubt he will make an 
 exception in my favour." ^ 
 
 The servant no longer hesitated ; he supposed 
 this doctor had come for some important con- 
 sultation, and he knew that his master never 
 allowed anything to stand in the way of those who 
 needed his help ; he tiierelore showed Maxwell 
 
 ml 
 th< 
 do^ 
 Del 
 
BETWEEN DOCTORS 
 
 353 
 
 into a large drawing-room, and went into his 
 master's study. 
 
 The room in which Maxwell stood looked 
 into the garden ; from the window he could see 
 the little door in the wall which placed the 
 doctor's house in communication with that of the 
 Deblairs'. He had been waiting impatiently for 
 some minutes, when the serv ant returned, and 
 asked him to go into the study ; on passing into 
 the room where his colleague was awaiting 
 him, he could hardly repress an exclamation of 
 astonishment. He almost failed to recognize 
 Eric Piemen in the emaciated, pale creature, 
 with feverish eyes, who was standing by the 
 writing-table, resting his hands on the back of a 
 chair, as though he feared his strength would 
 fail him. He was, indeed, fearfully changed ; 
 in one month he seemed to have grown ten 
 years older — his eyes were hollow, his features 
 drawn, his cheek-bones prominent. 
 
 On seeing the surprise which his appearance 
 caused to his visitor, he said in a hollow voice: 
 
 "Yes, it is I ; I, myself, however difficult it 
 may be to recognize me. I have been expect- 
 ing you ; only one thing surprises me — that you 
 did not come sooner." ' ""'' ' •■ ' 
 
 " You know then, Monsieur, what brings me 
 here?" 
 
 A A 
 
354 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 " Of course I do, since I have just told you I 
 was expecting you. Still I would rather hear 
 what you have to say ;" and, motioning to him 
 to take a chair, he himself sat down, heavily. 
 
 After a few moments' thought, Maxwell said : 
 
 " My reason. Monsieur, for not coming to you 
 sooner was that I hoped this visit would not be 
 needed. I thought that the imputation brought 
 against Madame Deblain would be ended by her 
 acquittal. You know that, on the contrary, she 
 was sent for trial, as well as the young man who 
 is accused of being her accomplice. The trial 
 is going on now, and notwithstanding the 
 numerous proofs of the innocence of Madame 
 Deblain, she may yet be condemned ; her con- 
 demnation, of course, bringing with it that of 
 Monsieur Felix Barthey. If even they are 
 acquitted, there will always remain a doubt in 
 the minds of suspicious people, because, when a 
 crime has been committed, public opinion alwa) s 
 fixes on some one as the culprit ; and even 
 though the person accused may escape punish- 
 ment, he remains none the less branded in public 
 opinion, unless the real criminal be discovered. 
 I think you understand me ? " , ' ? 
 
 " Pray go on," said Piemen. 
 
 *' You alone can save Madame Deblain. You 
 well know that this unfortunate woman, whom 
 
 /.. h 
 
/ . BEI WEEN DOC TORS 
 
 355 
 
 you loved, did not poison her husband. Your 
 friend did not die of poisoning by verdigris ; 
 because the copper found by both you and 
 me in the organs we analysed was not there 
 in sufficient quantity to cause death. As to 
 arsenic, neither you nor I found any more than 
 usually exists in a human body ; therefore there 
 was no poisoning by copper nor by arsenic. 
 The proof of this is that when you made the 
 post-mortem examination the body was in an 
 advanced state of decomposition, as I myself 
 saw it three weeks later, and it contained 
 numerous traces of animal alkaloids, which you 
 know cannot be produced in a body saturated 
 with arsenic and copper, because they would 
 preserve it for a long time from decomposition. 
 And yet this body did contain copper, since you 
 found it there as well as I. But was it present 
 before death ? You alone can tell me that. As 
 to me, I assert that, while he lived, Monsieur 
 Deblain had no more copper in his system than 
 may be met with in any human body in its 
 normal condition.*' 
 
 Until then Dr. Piemen had remained 
 motionless and with downcast eyes. lint at 
 these last words he started, and fixed his eyes 
 questioningly on Maxwell, as if begging liim to 
 continue. . j'.fu«fî 
 
 A A 2 
 
356 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 w 
 
 
 Maxwell resumed : " Monsieur Deblain, not- 
 withstanding all this, did die of poison ; but 
 what was the nature of that poison ? You, 
 yourself, have put me on the track of m.aking 
 that discovery." 
 
 Eric could not suppress a start of surprise. 
 "On the 23rd of September you read, 
 before the Taris Academy of Medicine, a 
 complete and learned treatise on ptomaines and 
 an£esthetics. I have obtained a copy of this 
 work, and I find that you demonstrate the 
 condition in which these animal alkaloids are 
 formed ; their toxicological properties, and the 
 means for discovering them in bodies in which 
 they were not naturally formed, but on which 
 they have acted as a poison, by being absorbed 
 during life. You also add, that a few drops 
 of a solution of these ptomaines may cause 
 instantaneous and painless death, acting, as 
 certain vegetable poisons do — curare, for in- 
 stance — by bringing on paralysis of the heart. 
 You further say, that death would be still more 
 rapid and certain if the poison were adminis- 
 tered by hypodermic injection. Now, when 
 Dr. Magnier was called in, on the morning of 
 the 23rd of September, he found no marks of 
 suffering on the face of Monsieur Deblain, who 
 'i^d been dead many hours. The instrument, 
 
BETWEEN DOCTORS 
 
 357 
 
 , not- 
 ; but 
 You, 
 aking 
 
 which the patîent used himself sometimes for a 
 skin-injection of morphine, was not found. 
 The unfortunate man did not struggle, did not 
 call for help ; consequently his wife, whose 
 room is contiguous to his, could not be 
 awakened by his groans or cries." 
 
 " Perhaps Madame Deblain was not at home 
 that night," said Piemen, as though in spite of 
 himself. 
 
 " I know that she was at the Malle ; I know 
 that she received a summons from her sister, 
 who war ill ; and that you left the town with 
 her about ten o'clock. Vou returned soon 
 after midnight, but Madams Deblain did not 
 come back till the morning. All this is 
 affirmed by witnesses, but as these witnesses 
 art with one exception, Madame Deblain's 
 se-vants, it may be that the jury will not credit 
 their evidence. The defence, therefore, do not 
 wish to rebut the accusation by means of an 
 alibi ; they desire to have indisputable proof of 
 the innocence of the woman. This innocence 
 I have proved scientifically, by demonstrating 
 that Monsieur Deblain could not have bettn 
 poisoned by copper or arsenic. But I now call 
 upon you for that further proof of her inno- 
 cence by naming the guilty person. I am 
 certain this person is known to you, because 
 
358 
 
 THE CASE OF Dli. PLËMEN 
 
 the medico-legal report, furnished by you, was 
 drawn up with the obvious intention of mis- 
 leading the authorities. A man of your learn- 
 ing could not possibly have made such a report 
 by mistake. Am I not right, Dr. Piemen, in 
 saying that you, the author of that scientific 
 report read by you in Paris, could not be mis- 
 taker .? " 
 
 " Yes ; you are quite right. It is all true," 
 replied Piemen, in a harsh voice, as ^^ rose 
 from his chair. 
 
 His face wore an expression of savage 
 energy. 
 
 "Who, then, is the criminal?" asked Max- 
 well. 
 
 ** You may well suppose that I shall not hide 
 from you his name, since I have allowed you to 
 go on talking, and you are still standing there 
 ahve before me ! You know I was expecting 
 you, and that I might have ridded myself of 
 you by blowing out your brains !" 
 
 The American only answered these words by 
 a smile. • 
 
 "Ah, you are brave," said Piemen. "You 
 came fearlessly, and you did right. You do 
 not suppose I would have allowt^d Madame 
 Deblain to be sentenced to death ; or that, if 
 she had been, I would not have tteed her, and 
 
BETWEEN DOCTORS 
 
 359 
 
 cleared her name of all stain. But I kept 
 waiting, like a coward, hoping that circum- 
 stances would prove her innocence and bring 
 her accusers to shame. Yes ; you are right. 
 Not a shadow of suspicion must rest upon her. 
 Now, heed me well — for, horrible as it is, I will 
 tell you all. Indeed, this dreadful secret has 
 too long oppressed me." 
 
 Calmly Maxwell stood, leaning against the 
 bookcase, while the doctor went on with his 
 confession. 
 
 " Madame Deblain had hardly been six 
 months in Vermel before I loved her madly, 
 but I thought I should have strength to 
 Slide this passion — doubly guilty in me, since 
 her husband was my friend ; vainly, however, I 
 struggled ; vainly I sought refuge in work, and 
 shut myself up at home. By a dreadful fatality, 
 it was Raymond himself who drew me to his 
 house ; it was his wife who reproached me with 
 my unfriendly neglect of them. I resisted for 
 a whole year ; but the day when I thought she 
 loved Felix Barthey, and that she was his — from 
 that day I began to hope that she might be 
 mine ; I became jealous, and 1 sought her then 
 with as much ardour as I had hitherto fled fron\ 
 her. She had once said to me : ' If, as a young 
 girl, and unengaged, I had met you, no man but 
 
36o 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 you could ever have touched my heart.' I in- 
 terpreted these words as an admission of regard 
 for me ; and then I began to hate Raymond, 
 whom I had loved as my brother, but whom I 
 now looked on as the obstacle which separated 
 mr* from her. Ah ! 1 will not try to paint to 
 you the tortures I owed to this dreadful passion. 
 Rhea asked me to sacrifice, to her husband, my 
 political ambition ; and I did it at a word, think- 
 ing that, at that price, I should buy her love. 
 But she was not the woman to sell herself ; and 
 day by day I saw more clearly that she was not 
 the woman to give herself to a lover either. 
 
 "My existence became a torment to me ; 
 Déblai n seemed to me as a robber who had 
 stolen my happiness ! Rhea had been created 
 for me, and not for him ! She should be mine 
 alone ! I praised Raymond to the electors ; 
 and, seeing how inferior in intelligence he was 
 to me, I blamed him 'nstead of myself for the 
 shameful and cowardly bargain I had made, in 
 giving up rry place to him. I hated him for 
 depriving me of that position in the political 
 world, by the help of which I should have risen 
 so high, that Rhea would have been proud to 
 belong to me. 
 
 '* Mow often have I crept through the door 
 in the garden wall which divides the two houses. 
 
 It 
 
iSwiû i w.t ww n." l 'V'Ày T^aBj^iwWWMBi 
 
 BETWEEN DOCTORS 
 
 3(^ 
 
 and glided unseen to be near the enchantress ; 
 with the firm intention of obtaining by force 
 what she refused to my mad passion. One 
 night, when I knew Raymond was in Paris, I 
 went as far as the door of her room ; but I dared 
 not cross its threshold. Ah, I had better have 
 gone on ! Either she would have been mine, 
 or I should have been driven av^ay as a coward 
 and a brute ; but I should not have become a 
 murderer ! You know, it was I who poisoned 
 Raymond !" 
 
 *• I knew it," replied Maxwell ; who, in spite 
 of his strong will, could not conceal the emotion 
 this strange story caused him. 
 
 ** Well, now, let me tell you how it all hap- 
 pened. Perhaps you will see that there were 
 extenuating circumstances in my crime. I have 
 just told you how I loved that woman, to 
 whom I had sacrificed my political ambition ; 
 that enchantress whom I sometimes fancied was 
 ready to fall into my arms, but who always 
 escaped me, yet without ceasing to intoxicate 
 me with her coquetries and her smiles ! To my 
 fevered heart and brain I said that she was not 
 mine because I had not dared to take her ! 
 
 " It was in this state of delirium that she 
 found me on the evening of the 2 2n«l of 
 September, when she begged me to go with 
 
362 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 Pi 
 Vi 
 
 Ï; 1I 
 
 her immediately to the Malle, whence had 
 come a messenger to tell her that her sister 
 was seriously ill. Raymond, not feeling well, 
 had gone up to his room. At ten o'clock, his 
 wife and I set out. It was a very dark night, 
 and she was close to me in the carriage. I took 
 her in my arms, and my lips sought hers, but 
 she repulsed me with a vigour of which I should 
 not have thought her capable, and in accents at 
 once threatening and tender, she said : ' Pray 
 leave me alone. Think only of my poor Jenny, 
 whose life is, perhaps, in danger ; think, too, of 
 Raymond, who also is ill, and who trusts his 
 wife to you, his friend ! Have courage, and 
 let us not be cowardly, guilty creatures ! ' ' But 
 will yoi^ never love me, then } ' I asked. ' Who 
 knows ? * said she, in a tone that maddened me. 
 Was she sincere, or was it fear of me that made 
 her speak so ? No matter now ! She had the 
 power to conquer me ; and, when we arrived at 
 the Malle, her hand was still clasped in mine, 
 but I dared not say to her another word. 
 
 ** Madame Gould- Parker's illness was severe; 
 it was time for mc to be there ; but I need not go 
 into any particulars about that ; for in two hours 
 she was out of dan^fer, and Rhea said to me as 
 she went with me to the carria<':e which was to 
 take me back to the town : ' V ou have saved 
 
irnTf i-mW" 'n namiiMM 
 
 BETWEEN DOCTORS 
 
 363 
 
 Jenny's life ; I shall never forget it — never ! ' 
 She did not return to Vermel with me, because 
 her sister had begged her to stay with her. I 
 returned alone in that carriage, full of my 
 thoughts and recollections of her ; and when I 
 got home, I seemed quite mad. What happened 
 then ? I have difficulty in remembering ! And 
 yet I must recall it, for I must tell it to you ! 
 
 " I entered my house by a door which opens 
 into a deserted alley. I passed through my 
 garden, and I saw the little gate in the wall. 
 Why did I pass through it ? How was it I 
 found myself, a few moments after, in Rhea's 
 bedroom, to which I had crept, like a thief, in 
 the silence and darkness of night! No, not like 
 a thief — like a lover who is expected ; for a 
 lamp with a rose-coloured shade was burning, 
 and I could fancy I saw her lying asleep on her 
 bed! Just then I heard a slight groan. I 
 stopped, terror-stricken, for these sounds pro- 
 ceeded from Raymond's room. My first impulse 
 was to escape by the way which I had come ; 
 but instea<l of that, as if in spite of myself, I 
 went towards the dressing-rooms, and passed 
 through them to the bedside of my friend. 
 My friend ! He had his eyes open, and he 
 recognized me immediately, without seeming 
 surprised at seeing me there. ' I am in terrible; 
 
3^'^ 
 
 Till: CASE OF DR. F LE MEN 
 
 p;iiii,' said he, 'and I find I have no morphine. 
 I was just going to ring for Pierre, and send 
 him to a chemist's to get some.* I know not 
 what answer I made him, or even if I spoke at 
 all. In my haste to rejoin Madame Deblain, 
 when she was waiting for me to go with her to 
 the Malle, I had not taken from my coat-pocket 
 two phials which I had brought from my labo- 
 ratory at the hospital. 
 
 " One contained an anaesthetic of morphine, 
 composed by myself, the other — ah, the other ! 
 They were both together in my pocket. I took 
 out one, and filled the little instrument which 
 lay on the table near the lamp. I leant over 
 Raymond and gave him an injection in the arm 
 he held out to me, in his desire to be released 
 from pain. Instantly, murmuring 'Thanks,' he 
 closed his eyes, but I uttered a cry of horror ! 
 On taking up the phial from which I had taken 
 the liquid, I saw it was not the one containing 
 morphine, but that terrible poison, extracted 
 from animal alkaloids, which I had discovered, 
 and which I was to display the next day at the 
 Academy of Medicine ! " f* 
 
 " Ah, it is frightful ! " exclaimed Maxwell, as 
 Piemen covered his ghastly face with trembling 
 hands. 
 
 "Ay, indeed; it is frightful, and even more 
 
BETWEEN DOCTORS 
 
 365 
 
 monstrous and horrible than you think ! " said 
 Eric*; "for I know not whether it was by mis- 
 take I did it, or whether my will did not drive 
 me to poison the man whose wife I so coveted ! " 
 *• But you could have done something to save 
 him ! " 
 
 " Yes ; and I did nothing ! I was not sure if 
 I were really such a wretch, and I was too 
 cowardly to wish to know. I returned rapidly 
 through the dressing-rooms, of which I closed 
 the doors, and I passed swiftly through Rhea's 
 room. Perhaps I feared to see her there, calling 
 to me, not in tones of love, .but crying aloud, 
 'Murderer! Poisoner!* I went into my own 
 house, and at seven in the morning I was still 
 standing with my forehead pressed against the 
 window which looks into the garden, when I 
 saw Madame Deblain pass. She had returned 
 from the Malle. I went down quickly, and 
 closed the gate of communication between our 
 two houses. Half an hour later I started for 
 Paris. You know what happened next." 
 
 " And you had the courage to make the post- 
 mortem examination.'*" exclaimed Maxwell. 
 
 "How could I do otherwise.** If I had re- 
 fusel, would not the authorities have called in 
 some skilful chemist, who would have demon- 
 strated that Monsieur Deblain was the victim 
 
366 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 te 
 
 it'll 
 
 ^;!'^ 
 
 u^ 
 
 of a crime ? I therefore accepted the horrible 
 task, and I concluded for poisoning by copper, 
 
 because the unfortunate Raymond had been 
 using a quack medicine which I knew contained 
 sulphate of copper, and, besides, copper is found 
 in all bodies in their normal condition." 
 
 "In the organs I analysed there was 
 more " 
 
 " More copper than there should have been ! 
 That is true. It was because I feared there 
 might be a second examination. So, when the 
 body was given up to me, I saturated it with a 
 solution of copper, to arrest decomposition, 
 which was already sufficiently advanced to have 
 caused all traces of poisoning by an animal 
 alkaloid to disappear. Poisoning by copper 
 might have been the result of a too free use of 
 some medicine containing it. The death might 
 be considered accidental. I thought the autho- 
 rities would stop there, and not think of 
 seeking for criminals where none existed. 
 Could I ever have suspected that they would 
 accuse that poor woman, whose hours of im- 
 prisonment have been less painful to her than 
 my hours of liberty to me ! I never reckoned 
 for provincial scandal, for anonymous accusa- 
 tions, for the stupid ambition of Babou. I 
 reckoned, also, without thinking of such learn' 
 
 ju: 
 
BETWEEN DOCTORS 
 
 367 
 
 inor 
 
 as yours — vyithout thinking of God's 
 justice!" 
 
 Piemen's voice, as he said these last 
 words, had dropped into low, grave tones ; his 
 face expressed energetic resolution ; his eyes 
 were frankly fixed on Maxwell, who could not 
 help asking himself whether he had before him 
 a monster or a victim of fatality. 
 
 "And now, sir," said Piemen, "let justice be 
 done! If you had not come here during the 
 suspension of the court, I should have sent 
 this letter. It is addressed to Monsieur de la 
 Marnière. May I ask you to take charge of 
 it ? It contains all that the judges need know 
 to make them sorry for having suspected her. 
 Ask her and Monsieur Felix Barthey to for- 
 give me. I have spoken my own sentence ; 
 and before you have left this house I shall be 
 worthy of your pity, for I shall be dead ! " 
 
 With one hand Piemen held out to Max- 
 well a large packet ; with the other he took 
 up a little glass instrument, with a steel needle, 
 which lay on his writing-table. 
 
 Deeply moved, the American took the letter, 
 and, bowing, without a word, he was about to 
 retire, when with a gesture Piemen stopped 
 him, and said, with awful calmness : 
 
 "You know that all vegetable poisons, ex- 
 
.# 
 
 ^. 
 
 
 .">> 
 
 
 
 %^ 
 
 .<b^ 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 y 
 
 A 
 
 ^^^\ *^<p 
 
 ^^ '^ds 
 
 
 :/ 
 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 1.25 
 
 ' *^ IIIIIM 
 
 12,0 
 
 «t 4 
 
 1.4 IIIIII.6 
 
 <^ 
 
 % 
 
 /^ 
 
 ^l 
 
 w 
 
 »/ ■> 
 
 
 *V>. 
 
 
 O 
 
 
 / 
 
 ^, 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 33 WIST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, NY )4S80 
 
 1716) 873-4503 
 
 ^V 
 
 ^^ 
 
 40^ 
 
 M^ 
 
 \\ 
 
 ^^^^."^ 
 
 o 
 
 >v 
 
 ^' 
 
 <? 
 
 <^ 
 
 <, 
 
K^^ 
 
 C<P 
 
 * 
 
 ^ 
 
368 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 cept Strychnine, disappear with the decomposi- 
 tion of the body. The one I am about to use 
 is more subtle. It causes no pain, and leaves 
 no trace, unless immediate analysis be made. 
 Remember this; and let my voluntary death 
 enlighten medical science, since I have dis- 
 honoured it in my life. Farewell, Monsieur, 
 farewell ! Hasten back to the place where^ no 
 doubt, you are anxiously expected." 
 
 Maxwell bowed again and fled, shuddering 
 ot the sound of the closing doors of Eric 
 Piemen's study, which shut behind him like 
 those of a tomb. 
 
 / Utts 
 
 '\-. 
 
( 3^9 ) 
 
 CHAPTER XÏII 
 
 AN UNEXPECTED EVENT 
 
 At the moment when Maxwell was leaving 
 Dr. Piemen's house, a touching scene was 
 passing between the daughters of Elias Panton, 
 in the room where the accused were awaiting 
 the resumption of the trial. 
 
 Madame Gould- Parker, who had been called 
 away from her sister to receive a telegram, 
 came back after reading it, looking very pale 
 and extremely agitated. She drew Rhea 
 aside, saying, "Just read this!" 
 
 After looking at the paper, Rhea too ap- 
 peared much moved, and said to Jenny : 
 
 " The poor colonel ! But you might have 
 expected some such news ; for when men go 
 off on such distant expeditions, they run into 
 great dangers." 
 
 " Oh ! I never have thought lately of any 
 one but you. Your dreadful situation excluded 
 ali thought of others! Now^ you shall no 
 
 B B 
 
370 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 longer impose silence on me! I can, and ! 
 will, speak out !" 
 
 " For what purpose ? " 
 
 " Rhea, my darling sister !" 
 
 " You promised me you would keep quite 
 clear of this odious affair ; you promised me 
 this for the sake of your love to me and our 
 dear mother. I will not release you from your 
 promise ! " 
 
 " But it is too dreadful ! Don't you know 
 that, if you are condemned, I shall kill 
 myself ?" 
 
 " I shall not be Condemned, and you shall 
 live to be loved by me and all of us." 
 
 " Then do consult Monsieur Langrerol." "'* 
 
 " I shall consult nothing but my own heart ; 
 and I forbid you to say one word. Besides, 
 you have not been called as a witness, and it is 
 too late for you to be heard now." 
 
 " But you will let me show this telegram to 
 your counsel, will you not ?" 
 
 " I will show it to him myself, and we snail 
 s(îe what use he will make of it." 
 
 Leaving Jenny, Rhea went up to MM. 
 Leblanc and Langerol, gave them the telegram 
 to read, and exchanged with them a few words. 
 She then returned to her sister, and said : 
 
 * It is all right. The telegram will be of 
 
AN UNEXPECTED EVENT 
 
 371 
 
 3ome use, and we have arranged our plan ; but 
 you must keep quiet." 
 
 ** May I not tell Monsieur Barthey ?" 
 
 •* It »s better not to do so now ; it would only 
 upset him, and, perhaps, make him commit some 
 imprudence." 
 
 Suddenly Maxwell appeared, and his face so 
 openly betrayed his state of mind that MM. 
 Langerol and Leblanc could not help feeling 
 alarmed. Where had he been, and what would 
 they learn from him ? After a few moments' 
 conversation with their mysterious ally, the two 
 young men were quite satisfied, and they shook 
 his hand warmly to express their admiration. 
 
 The usher just then announced that the court 
 would resume the trial. 
 
 Barthey 's friends then reluctantly quitted him ; 
 Rhea kissed her father and sister ; and the two 
 accused, having exchanged a friendly look, re- 
 gained their places, and faced once more the 
 noisy crowd, which had grown more impatient 
 than ever. 
 
 At the first word, however, from the presiding 
 judge, silence was obtained, and then M. de la 
 Marnière said : 
 
 " Monsieur Langerol, the chief attorney and 
 I have agreed to summon Dr. Piemen, in order 
 ^hali hq may himself defend his medical report 
 
 BB a 
 
372 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 The doctor was not at home, but it will be easy 
 to find him, and I do not doubt he will imme- 
 diately respond to the summons of the court. 
 Meanwhile, we will, if it suit you, hear the two 
 witnesses for the defence whom you have sum- 
 moned.'* 
 
 Madame Deblain's advocate replied : " One 
 of these witnesses has been already heard. It 
 is the coachman, Dumont ; he is in court now. 
 The other is Millet, the local customs officer: 
 he is in the witnesses' room." 
 
 "We will take the evidence of Dumont 
 first." 
 
 Madame Deblain's servant immediately 
 stepped forward, and M. Langerol said : 
 
 " May I ask you to be so good as to demand 
 first of Dumont that he tell you at what hour 
 of the night of the 22 nd of September he left 
 Vermel ; at what hour he returned to the town ; 
 and who was in the carriage he drove } " 
 
 The judge said : ** Dumont, you have heard 
 and understood these questions, no doubt. 
 Answer them, but turn towards the jury." 
 
 The coachman obeyed, and said : 
 
 " On the 22nd of September I left the house 
 at half-past nine or ten o'clock with Madame 
 Deblain and Dr. Piemen, whom I drove to the 
 Malle. I came back about one in the morning 
 with Dr, Plemt'.n, vind then, by my mistress's 
 
 on 
 up 
 I dl 
 
 the 
 
 <( 
 
 <( 
 
 i< 
 
AN UNEXPECTED EVENT 
 
 373 
 
 orders, I returned to the château, where I put 
 up the horses. At half-past six in the morning 
 I drove Madame back to Vermel." 
 
 " Then Madame Deblain stayed all night at 
 the Malle ? " 
 
 •* She must have done so, unless she walked 
 into Vermel ; for I am sure, my room being over 
 the stables, no one could have got out the horses 
 during the night." 
 
 ** What did you think when you found that 
 Madame Deblain stayed at the Malle instead of 
 returning to town } " 
 
 " I only thought that Madame Gould- Parker 
 must be very ill, since Dr. Piemen had been 
 sent for in such a hurry ; and I supposed that 
 Madame did not like to leave her sister alone." 
 
 " Have you any other questions to address 
 to the witness, Monsieur Langerol ? " asked the 
 udge. 
 
 •* None," replied Rhea's counsel. 
 
 " Then we will hear the second witness. 
 Usher, call for Monsieur Millet." 
 
 M. de la Marnière said to him : " You are an 
 officer of the local custom-house ? " 
 
 "lam." 
 
 " Give your evidence." 
 
 " I was on duty at the gate of the Faubourg 
 de Mars on the 23rd of September, at six 
 o'clock in the morning, when, about half an hour 
 
374 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 later, a carriage came to the gate driven by the 
 coachman Dumont, whom I have known for 
 more than ten years. I approached the car- 
 riage, not so much as a duty as by way of joke, 
 because I knew Madame Deblain's servants 
 were not the least Hkely to try to cheat the 
 revenue ; but just as I was going to open the 
 door of the carriage I saw some one inside, whom 
 I immediately recognized. It was Madame 
 Deblain, so I just bowed to her, and made a 
 siiin to Dumont to drive on." 
 
 " Are you quite certain it was Madame De- 
 blain who was in the carriage ? " 
 
 " Perfectly certain ; for not only have I often 
 seen Madame Deblain herself driving, but last 
 year she came several times to my house with 
 Dr. Piemen to see my wife during her last 
 illness." 
 
 " You can now retire, unless Monsieur Lan- 
 gerol wish to put any further questions to you." 
 
 " No, Monsieur," said Rhea's counsel. " I 
 merely wished to prove that my client, whose 
 husband was said to have been poisoned at 
 Vermel at midnight, passed all that night several 
 miles from the house where the supposed crime 
 was committed." 
 
 "Why was not this alibi brought forward 
 sooner } " 
 
 ♦• 3ecciuse we did not believe that the accu- 
 
AN UNEXPECTED EVENT 
 
 37S 
 
 sation brought against Madame Deblain and 
 Monsieur Barthey would stand against the 
 testimony of the witnesses; because we did not 
 wish to owe to an alibi the acquittal of which 
 we feel sure ; we would rather that the jury 
 should have a perfect conviction of the inno- 
 cence of our clients ; and, finally, we hoped that* 
 Dr. Piemen, who has been informed of the 
 refutation of his medical report, would come 
 here, and either admit his error or defend him- 
 self against his learned opponent." 
 
 " Dr. Piemen will certainly appear ; but, as he 
 is perhaps detained at this moment by his pro- 
 fessional duties, if the chief attorney will now 
 address us we will hear him." 
 
 M. Lachaussée, although the evidence of 
 Dumont and Millet had troubled him a good 
 deal, replied that he was ready. 
 
 The public manifested great satisfaction 
 at this, and became attentive. Everybody's 
 curiosity was intensely excited, and all were 
 wondering how the cliief attorney would get 
 through his speech, his want of eloquence being 
 well known. Mockinc; smiles were already being 
 exchanged as M. Lachaussée arranged his notes, 
 coughed, hemmed, rose, and placed himself in 
 an attitude he had studied beforehand. 
 
 His speech was nothing but a repetition, with- 
 out any fresh details, of the act of indictment ; 
 
376 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE MEN 
 
 of. the evidence of the witnesses, and of the 
 report of Dr. Piemen ; besides this, all he did 
 was to make violent attacks on the morality of 
 the accused, and to speak of the insolence of . 
 the foreign doctor, who, daring to contradict the 
 learned toxicologist of whom Vermel was so 
 justly proud, had piled up, in his speech, a lot 
 of technical expressions and scientific terms, with 
 the sole intention of misleading the jury. Of 
 course, he did not fail to read the most passion- 
 ate of the letters of Felix Barthey ; and he had 
 the satisfaction, during this reading, of finding 
 the interest of everybody excited. This fur- 
 nished him with a chance for a farther attack 
 against Felix, whom he called a " second-rate " 
 painter ; one who had been puffed as a hero in 
 the late war, because, at the time when every 
 man was ready to lay down his life for his 
 country, he had just done his duty ! As to those 
 witnesses Dumont and Millet, who had been 
 called up at the last moment, there was no 
 need to refute their testimony. No doubt 
 Dumont had brought back the female prisoner 
 to' Vermel at seven in the morning ; no doubt 
 Millet had recognized her. But did that prove 
 that she, an excellent horsewoman, had not 
 returned to the town alone, after the departure 
 of Dr. Piemen from the château ? On the con- 
 trary it is probable that she had omitted nothing 
 
AN UNEXPECTED EVENT 
 
 377 
 
 in order to prepare an alibiy in case her system 
 of defence should prove insufficient. If this 
 were not so, would not Madame Déblai n have 
 been the first to proclaim her absence from 
 home at the time when the crime was supposed 
 to have been committed ? Would she not 
 immediately have called as witnesses those ser- 
 vants who were so devoted to her ; Dr. Piemen, 
 and her sister — that Madame Gould- Parker, 
 who so opportunely was taken so seriously ill 
 that Madame Deblain was obliged to stay with 
 her all night } If that were true, why did she 
 leave her at daybreak ? Why did she quit 
 that sister, who was at death's door, if it were 
 not that she might be seen returning to 
 Vermel ? It was a clever scheme ; but it 
 was too clever, for it served to show what her 
 motives were. 
 
 As the chief attorney perceived the effect he 
 was producing on his audence by this line of 
 argument, he hastened to wind up by addressing 
 the jury in the set phrases so frequently used 
 for the purpose : 
 
 "Gentlemen of the jury, you will not let 
 yourselves be carried away by the eloquence of 
 the prisoners' counsel. You will bethink you 
 of the overwhelming evidence that you have 
 heard, and of the indisputable proofs we have 
 placed before you — proofs which are moral, 
 
37S 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 material, scientific — you will give a verdict in 
 accordance with your conscience, a severe ver- 
 dict, which will restore calmness to this city, 
 that has been troubled and agitated by sa mon- 
 strous a crime I " 
 
 M. Langerol next rose ; he was one of the 
 most brilliant speakers at the bar of Vermel, and 
 he was, besides, a clever writer and a man of 
 some political importance. He began thus : 
 
 "Gentlemen — after you had heard all the 
 witnesses so energetically affirm that the con- 
 duct of Madame Deblain was always irreproach- 
 able ; that she was to them the kindest mistress, 
 and to her husband the best of wives ; after the 
 surprisingly conclusive proofs brought before you 
 by the learned Dr. Maxwell, who proved to you 
 that Monsieur Deblain could not have been 
 poisoned by any preparation of copper, and that, 
 consequently, his wife cannot be suspected of 
 having taken his life, — I asked myself what 
 remained for me to say in defence of my client 
 against a crime which she cannot possibly have 
 committed ? Feeling assured that your minds 
 must be quite made up, there was yet one thing 
 I feared — the eloquence of my eminent oppo- 
 nent. I thought his powerful logic and his 
 skilful deductions might build up afresh the 
 crumbling edifice of the prosecution ; and thus 
 compel me to rely on quite fresh arguments for 
 
 ha 
 
AN UNEXPECTED EVENT 
 
 379 
 
 my defence. I carefully followed every phrase 
 of his skilful attack, preparin^^ myself for the 
 struggle ; but now I lay down my arms, for I 
 have no enemy to fight! I \\ill merely remind 
 you of what you have heard from the prosecu- 
 tion — nay, I specially remind you of that, for it 
 is in accusing Madame Deblain as they have 
 done, that they defend her more eloquently than 
 I can do by any words of mine! ^^ave they 
 not, in fact, proved to demonstration tha my 
 client never failed in her duty as a wile .' and 
 yet, lo the chief attorney, she still seems an 
 adulteress ! Is it not scientifically proved that 
 Raymond Deblain was not poisoned by a salt 
 of copper ? And yet, to the chief attorney, 
 she still seems a poisoner ! At least, let my 
 honourable opponent tell us what poison she 
 employed ? Arseniate of copper fails him, but 
 the field of poisons is, alas, too fertile ! We 
 have to deal with an accusation whose singu- 
 larity is complete ; it is as if the man had been 
 shot, and we were accused of stabbing him ! 
 An unfortunate man dies, from some unknown 
 cause, and we are supposed to have killed him 
 with the one kind of poison we could possibly 
 have procured ; but this poison does not exist 
 in the organs of the defunct — at least, it does 
 not exist in such conditions as would be possible 
 had it been used for a criminal purpose. Finally, 
 
38o 
 
 ^HE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 the crime, if crime there were, was committed 
 at an hour when the accused was a long way 
 from the victim ; and the chief attorney, in 
 despair of finding reasonable arguments, is 
 obliged to make of my client an Amazon, ridi'' ' 
 some fantastic hippogriff in the middle of tht 
 night, unseen by all, in order to come and ac 
 complish her crime, and then disappear. Reall) 
 one cannot discuss such stuff in a serious spirit^ 
 and I am ashamed to be obliged, before sensible 
 men, to argue about such absurd fables ! If 
 Madame Deblain did not return to Vermel till 
 seven in the morning, it was because — her sister 
 having no further need of her — she needed rest ; 
 and if the witnesses whose depositions my 
 eloquent opponent receives so sarcastically, said 
 nothing on these points at an earlier part of the 
 trial, it was merely because they were asked no 
 questions on that special point. Besides, why 
 should we suppose that we should have need of 
 an alibi to rebut an accusation which nothing 
 justifies, either morally or materially 1 Madame 
 Deblain is an innocent woman, in every sense 
 of the word ; and it is not by invoking your pity, 
 or raising a possible doubt of her guilt, that we 
 desire to secure your verdict of acquittal ; we 
 desire it only in the name of justice and con^mon 
 sense." 
 
 M. Langerol had hardly said these last 
 
AN UNEXPECTED EVENT 
 
 381 
 
 words, when applause broke out, so loud as to 
 drown the murmurs of those whose hatred 
 seemed to increase as the probability of 
 acquittal became more certain. 
 
 But those manifestations of sympathy with 
 Madame Deblain's eloquent counsel were 
 quickly hushed when M. George Leblanc rose. 
 
 There was one thing which had not been 
 observed among the audience, but which had not 
 escaped the notice of MM. Duret and Babou — 
 that was, the violent emotion the chief judge 
 had shown on reading a letter which had been 
 brought to him by one of the ushers of the court 
 
 For a moment it seemed as though the judge 
 hesitated as to whether he would allow Felix. 
 Barthey's counsel to speak. He, however, 
 decided for it, after a short consultation. 
 
 It was the first time that George Leblanc 
 had ever been heard in Vermel, where his re- 
 putation had preceded him as a wit, and where 
 he was known by his writings as a novelist and 
 a politician. 
 
 " Gentlemen," said the famous counsel, " I 
 am still more at a loss for arguments than was 
 my friend who preceded me. He did such 
 complete justice to these absurd accusations, 
 that he has not left me a word to say. How 
 can I attempt to prove to you that Monsieur 
 Felix Barthey is not guilty in a case of poison- 
 
 
382 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 ing which has never been committed ? I 
 cannot defend him from the consequences of a 
 crime that has no existence ! Let the public 
 prosecutor show us a victim of poisoning by 
 arseniate of copper, and I will then show him 
 that, although my client had that substance 
 in his possession, he was not, therefore, an 
 assassin. We have scientific proof that Mon- 
 sieur Deblain's death was not caused by the 
 means stated. Consequently, I say to the 
 chief attorney : * If you believe a murder has 
 been committed, seek some one else to accuse 
 than the honourable and brave man who is my 
 friend and client.' " 
 
 During this speech, M. Lachaussée pre- 
 tended to be looking over his papers, and 
 M. de la Marnièrê seemed lost in thought. 
 Since he had received the letter we have 
 mentioned, his face wore a grieved expression. 
 
 M. Leblanc continued thus : 
 
 '* The chief attorney seems to hold the 
 artistic talent and the military reputation of my 
 client in but slight esteem. I will not dispute 
 the value of his opinions on those points ; I 
 prefer to leave that to the public — his natural 
 judges — who, whether he paint with Veronese 
 Green or not, are eager to buy his pictures. 
 You cannot make a murderer of Monsieur 
 
AN UNEXPECTED EVENT 
 
 383 
 
 Felix Barthey, whom I feel assured, gentlemen 
 of the jury, you will now send back to his studio, 
 with full permission to use, as he pleases, that 
 arseniate of copper which only serves him to give 
 life to his pictures and not death to his friends." 
 
 M. de la Marnière, who still looked very grave, 
 now asked if the chief attorney intended to make 
 a reply. M. Lachaussée answered that he did. 
 
 *' I. shall allow you to speak in a few 
 moments," said M. de la Marnière ; " but first 
 I must make known to the jury the unex- 
 pected event of which I was informed at the 
 moment Monsieur Leblanc began his speech. 
 Dr. Piemen will not come before the court. 
 He died suddenly half an hour ago." 
 ..; It may well be imagined what an effect this 
 announcement produced on the audience. On 
 all sides were heard exclamations of amazement. 
 
 " It is also my duty," pursued M. de la 
 Marnière, " to read out publicly the declaration 
 which has been put into my hands by Dr. Max- 
 well. This declaration was confided to him by 
 Dr. Piemen himself during the suspension of 
 the hearing. It is as follows : 
 
 " ' I, the undersigned, Dr. Eric Piemen, 
 acknowledge that I was entirely wrong in the 
 chemical analysis I made of the internal organs 
 of Monsieur Raymond Deblain. He did not 
 
.3«4 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 die of poisoning by arseniate of copper ; but of 
 a hypodermic injection of an animal alkaloid, 
 which I administered by mistake, about one 
 o'clock in the morning of the 23rd of Septem- 
 ber last, whilst his wife — who had gone with 
 me to the Malle about ten o'clock the pre- 
 vious night — was with her sister, whom she did 
 not leave till daylight. It was from pro- 
 fessional pride that I concealed this horrible 
 mistake of mine in my report. I never sup- 
 posed that this deed of mine would cause two 
 innocent persons to be brought to trial. I 
 crave pardon of justice, of Madame Deblain, and 
 of Monsieur Felix Barthey. As I make this 
 declaration, I have but a few moments to live ; 
 and if a post-mortem examination of my body 
 be made, the same phenomena will be observed 
 as those which caused the instantaneous death 
 of Monsieur Deblain.* " 
 
 It would be impossible to describe the im- 
 pression this declaration made on the people. 
 They seemed struck at once with amazement 
 and horror ; and they hardly dared to manifest 
 their delight at the proof the monstrous 
 judicial error that had so nearly been com- 
 mitted. As to the enemies of Madame De- 
 blain, they were utterly dumbfounded, and 
 could only hang down their heads. 
 
AN UNEXPECTED EVENT 
 
 3S5 
 
 M. Lachaussée, however, jumped up,ancl said: 
 •After what has taken place, I demand that 
 this case be remanded till next session, so that 
 further inquiries may be made." 
 
 This caused a murmur of disapprobation 
 among the audience, and M. Langerol, rising, 
 said : 
 
 ** We beg the court not to grant the request 
 of the chief attorney." 
 
 *' The court will deliberate on the matter," 
 replied M. de la Marnière. And, after a few 
 moments* consultation, the worthy judge said: 
 
 " The court rejects the request of the chief 
 attorney, and orders that the proceedings shall 
 continue." 
 
 Then M. de la Marnière resumed : 
 
 " Gentlemen of the jury, in the present state 
 of affairs, I do not think it necessary that I 
 should make any summing-up of the evidence. 
 All the incidents must be quite fresh in your 
 memories, and I shall not tell you what your 
 duty is, because to do so would imply a doubt 
 of your honour. I will leave it entirely to your 
 consciences to bring in any verdict you think 
 fit. Here is the list of questions which you 
 must answer. While you are deliberating the 
 icourt is suspended." 
 
 No one thought of leaving the court, because 
 
 cc 
 
386 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 there was felt a certainty that the jury would 
 not be absent long. 
 
 Madame Deblain and Felix Barthey alone 
 withdrew, in conformity with the law, and in the 
 corridor they met Madame Gould- Parker, who, 
 while embracing her sister, cried : 
 
 "Ah, now, nothing shall hinder me from 
 speaking out ! " 
 
 And, without waiting for Rhea's reply, Jenny 
 held out her hand to Barthey, saying : 
 
 " I have been a widow, dear friend, for more 
 than four months. I learned it about an hour 
 ago, by a despatch from our Minister in Paris. 
 My husband died at Shanghai after a few days' 
 illness. For nearly three months you and my 
 sister have been in prison, undergoing tortures 
 on account of a prosecution that I could have 
 ended with a word. Will you ever forgive me 
 for such cowardice ? It was Rhea who made 
 me keep silence ! " 
 
 Felix pressed her to his heart, and only said : 
 " I love thee ! I love thee ! " 
 
 They had all three been standing thus, hand 
 in hand, and with tearful eyes, when suddenly 
 they heard loud applause, and just then the 
 usher came, politdy inviting " Madame Deblain 
 and Monsieur Barthey " to resume their places 
 in court. 
 
AN UNEXPECTED EVENT 
 
 387 
 
 They obeyed, but hardly had they appeared 
 before applause again burst forth, led by the 
 loud hurrahs of Mr. Pan ton and the Reverend 
 Jonathan. The ushers had some difficulty in 
 stopping the tumult. 
 
 At last, however, silence was obtained, and 
 M. de la Marnière said, addressing the clerk of 
 the court : 
 
 " Make known to the accused the verdict of 
 the jury," 
 
 " The answer of the jury is : ' Not Guilty * on 
 all the counts," said the clerk. 
 
 "In consequence, then, of the verdict of the 
 jury," said the chief judge, "the court pro- 
 nounces the acquittal of Madame Deblain and 
 Monsieur Felix Barthey, and orders that they 
 be set at liberty if there be no other charge 
 against them." 
 
 Then, bowing with extreme politeness to the 
 victims of MM. Lachaussée, Duret, and Babou, 
 M. de la Marnière left the court. 
 
 There was immediately a frantic demonstra- 
 tion of joy among the crowd, who would not 
 disperse, but continued to testify their delight 
 by loud acclamations ; for never had the ter- 
 mination of a trial afforded such complete satis- 
 faction to the public. 
 
 Friends, and even acquaintances, of Rhei 
 
 c c 2 
 
388 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 and Felix came round them, and affectionately 
 pressed their hands. General Sauvière came 
 down with all the agility of a boy to congratulate 
 his favourite Felix. 
 
 Madame Deblain and her so-called accomplice 
 were no longer held at their infamous bar by a 
 stupid and odious accusation, but by the throng 
 of their friends, all eager to show their respect 
 and affection. 
 
 Rhea and Felix at last managed to get away ; 
 but, in order to escape from a popular ovation, 
 they were obliged to leave the prison by a back- 
 door. This manœuvre, however, did not entirely 
 defeat tiie crowd, for they came round the 
 Golden Lion, and stayed till past midnight, 
 uttering loud cries. 
 
 Madame Deblain and her father could hardly 
 restrain the Reverend Jonathan from appearing 
 on the balcony to address the crowd— he thought 
 it would be such an excellent opportunity for 
 preaching the truth. 
 
 The next day, before noon, more than two 
 thousand persons had called and left cards at 
 the hotel ; and when Dr. Maxwell went to the 
 railway station, on his way to Paris, he was 
 recognized and received with loud applause. 
 
EPILOGUE 
 
 WILIJAM WITSON S SECRET 
 
 The train which bore away Witson — for, 
 having played out his part, Dr. Maxwell had 
 ceased to exist — had hardly left the station 
 at Vermel, when the expression of his face 
 changed completely. The cheerful looks he 
 wore, as his friends wished him good-by, dis- 
 appeared, and gave place to that anxious, 
 sombre look, which to Jane, his adopted 
 daughter, was so unaccountable. It seemed 
 as though a mask had suddenly fallen from his 
 face ; for as he sat, shrunk up in one of the 
 corners of the carriage, he thought no more of 
 what he had done to save his countrywoman. 
 He gave himself up entirely to thoughts of 
 that mysterious past which, for many years, 
 had caused him to lead so strange a life — 
 which had made him, in France and in 
 
390 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 America, the auxiliary of the law when it 
 vainly sought some guilty person, or its adver- 
 sary when the innocent were accused. 
 
 For some time he remained motionless, 
 plunged in deep thought. Then suddenly, as 
 if he had come to some final conclusion, he 
 exclaimed : 
 
 "Well, I have kept my oath and done my 
 duty. Now, God's will be done ! This very 
 evening she shall know all, and to-morrow I 
 shall be the most miserable or the happiest of 
 men ! " 
 
 That evening Witson arrived in Paris where 
 he was expected by Jane, to whom he had sent 
 a telegram. On hearing the carriage stop 
 before the door of the house, she ran across the 
 garden and rushed into his arms. 
 
 "Here you are at last!" said she. "And 
 now, have you done with these mysterious 
 journeys, which cause me such anxiety, and 
 make you leave me so much alone ? Never 
 before has your absence made me so unhappy. 
 It has been such a long month! And I must 
 have tormented poor Mrs. Vanwright dread- 
 fully ! How clever you have been 1 And what 
 a wretch that Dr. Piemen was ! " 
 
 They entered the dining-room, where the 
 cloth was laid, and Witson had not been able 
 
 c 
 
WILLIAM WITSOirS SECRET 
 
 39» 
 
 IS 
 
 Id 
 
 to say a word. He tried to smile at Jane's 
 chatter ; but his smile was constrained, and he 
 looked far from happy. Mrs. Vanwright took 
 her accustomed place at table, and her pre- 
 sence, by repressing Jane's demonstrations of 
 affection, enabled Witson to conceal the per- 
 turbation of his mind. 
 
 The young girl's curiosity was insatiable. 
 She had devoured the accounts of the trial, as 
 it was reported in the newspapers. But that 
 did not content her ; and her guardian had to 
 relate to her all the incidents of that criminal 
 drama, which had been so completely cleared 
 up by means of his intelligence, learning, and 
 power of analysis. And at every fresh detail 
 she uttered exclamations of surprise and admi- 
 ration. 
 
 The good governess, who perceived the em- 
 barrassment of Witson, endeavoured to calm 
 her pupil, and put a stop to her questions. 
 But she was quite irrepressible ; andt great as 
 was Witson's self-contrt)l, he at last gave way, 
 and murmured : 
 
 " God grant me courage ! ** 
 
 Jane heard him ; grew very pale, and 
 anxiously asked him what was the matter, and 
 whether she had said anything to give him 
 pain. She took his hands, which he had 
 
392 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 clasped over his face, and, seeing his eyes 
 filled with tears, she added, as she knelt down 
 beside him : 
 
 " Oh, pray, pray forgive me ! " 
 
 And as he fixed on her his sad eyes, and 
 made her no reply, she turned to Mrs. Van- 
 wright, crying : 
 
 " Tell him, do tell him, that if I have said 
 anything to hurt him, it was without intending 
 it ! How could I mean to hurt him, when I love 
 him better than any one else in the world ! " 
 And she took his hand again, and kissed it. 
 
 " Ah, this is too much," exclaimed Witson, as 
 he wrenched himself away. " I must tell her 
 all ! The hour has come ! " 
 
 Then he added, as he warned her by a 
 gesture not to approach him : 
 
 '* My child, listen to me. In a few moments 
 you will know the secret which has tortured me 
 for ten long years! And terrible as this revela- 
 tion may*be to you, promise not to curse me ; 
 promise me that, if we rtiust separate, you will 
 not quite forget him who has been as a father to 
 you, and who loves you with all his soul ! " 
 
 " Ah, do not say such things I " entreated the 
 girl. 
 
 Witson rushed out of the room, and Jane had 
 hardly recovered from her amazement, when he 
 returned and said, as he gave her a manuscript : 
 
WILLIAM WITSOiVS SECRET 
 
 593 
 
 ** Read that, and when you have read it, be 
 guided entirely by your own heart as to the 
 resolution you come to. I shall not see you 
 again till to-morrow ; I have a great deal of 
 writing to do, and I am going to my room now. 
 Good-night, my darling ; good-night." 
 
 He pressed her to his heart and kissed her 
 tenderly ; t iin summoning all his courage, he 
 pushed her away and fled from the room, and 
 Mrs. Vanwright and Jane heard hirn enter his 
 study and lock the door. 
 
 " What can it all mean ? " exclaimed Jane, 
 with tears in her eyes. " What can these papers 
 be about ?" 
 
 " I do not know," said the good woman, " but 
 you had better obey your guardian ; go to y©ur 
 room, read the papers, and then you will know 
 all about it." 
 
 " Well, so I will ! Gçod-night, then, Mrs. 
 Vanwright." 
 
 With a sad heart Jane left the dinini,'-room 
 and went slowly upstairs. On arriving at her 
 room she hesitated a moment, then, with a 
 trembling hand, she opened the mysterious 
 envelope. 
 
 It contained about a dozen pages in Witson's 
 beautiful, firm writing. At the commencement 
 she read : " A criminal error. Philadelphia, May 
 the I St, 1 8 7-." 
 
 'c* 
 
394 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 The name " Philadelphia " awakened in her 
 mind many childish recollections, and she re- 
 mained for some time in thought; at last she said: 
 " Well, I will do as he wishes ; I will read on." 
 
 She then began reading the manuscript, of 
 which the last lines alone could reveal to her 
 the terrible secret of the man she loved so well. 
 
 "In 187- Dr. Maxwell was one of the most 
 eminent physicians in Philadelphia, although he 
 was then quite young. He had finished his 
 studies in Paris, and had taken his degree there ; 
 it was known that he had embraced this noble 
 career from love of science : for his fortune was 
 large, and he made excellent use of it. These 
 reasons had sufficed to place him at the head of 
 the medical profession, and he was universally 
 esteemed. There was but one thing with which 
 people found fault— he did not marry ; and when 
 any one spoke to him of some charming young 
 heiress, he would answer, laughing, that for 
 some years he meant to devote himself entirely 
 to his profession. ... , ...^ • 
 
 ** In fact, Dr. Maxwell would have had very 
 little time to give to family affections ; he was 
 a Professor at the School of Medicine, and 
 Governor of the Children's Hospital. At the 
 hours he gave to seeing patients gratuitously, his 
 house was besieged by poor people, who every- 
 
WILLIAM IVITSON'S SECRET 
 
 295 
 
 *» 
 
 len 
 
 nd 
 the 
 his 
 ■ry- 
 
 where extolled his generosity, and he was fre- 
 quently asked to meet other doctors, in con- 
 sultation, in various cities of the United States. 
 He was also the great medical authority in all 
 criminal affairs.' 
 
 "It was in this last capacity that he was one 
 day called before the coroner in the neighbour- 
 hood of the docks, relative to a case in which a 
 man, named Jack Summer, a builder's foreman, 
 had died under suspicious circumstances. 
 
 "After a rather short and, apparently, not 
 serious illness. Summer had died suddenly in 
 great tortures. His death, however, caused no 
 suspicion, and his funeral took place at the usual 
 time ; but, forty-eight hours later, there came a 
 demand for the exhumation of the body from 
 the Star Insurance Company, in which Sum- 
 mer's life had been insured for two thousand 
 dollars. They refused to pay this sum to the 
 widow, and demanded an inquest as to the 
 cause of the illness and death of their client. 
 
 *' The Company's solicitor affirmed that, ac- 
 cording to information he had gathered, Summer 
 had been poisoned by his wife, and that, conse- 
 quently, the Company could not pay the money 
 to her. 
 
 " T\u\ inquest which then took place brought 
 up such serious evidence against Mis. Suuuuer 
 
396 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 that she was arrested, notwithstanding her tears, 
 her protestations of innocence, and her ill-heahh. 
 
 *' Mrs. Margaret Summer was a rather delicate 
 young woman, of irreproachable character ; but 
 it had been observed that, for some time past, 
 she had seemed jealous and ill-tempered. It 
 was known that her husband's conduct had been 
 the cause of this change in her ; for, though he 
 was an excellent workman, Summer — a young, 
 strong, and handsome man — was rather given 
 to drink and bad company. Still, he was not a 
 bad husband ; and even when tipsy, never abused 
 or ill-treated his wife, but patiently endured 
 her scoldings, and was extremely fond of his 
 little Mary, a sweet child of six or seven years 
 old. 
 
 " He had had one serious quarrel with Mar- 
 garet about this child. Mrs. Summer, who was an 
 Irishwoman, was a fervent Catholic, and wished 
 to bring up her child in that religion ; but her 
 husband had opposed it, and used to take the 
 child to church with him. 
 
 " That was the state of affairs in the house- 
 hold when the m an died so suddenly ; and it was 
 in consequence of rumours started by the neigh- 
 bours that the Star Insurance Company had 
 demanded the inquest, oi which one of the con- 
 sequences was the calling in of Dr. Maxwell to 
 
WILLIAM WITSON'S SECRET 
 
 397 
 
 make the post-mortem examination on the body 
 of Jack Summer. 
 
 " The doctor had nothing to do with the good 
 Ok* bad reputation of the woman accused by 
 public rumour ; he had but one duty to fulfil — 
 he had no business to concern himself with 
 extraneous questions — and it was thus that 
 Stephen Maxwell acted. Without going into 
 technical details of the examination here, it will 
 suffice to say that his report was overwhelming 
 as regarded the poisoning of the deceased by 
 verdigris. An appreciable quantity of copper 
 was found in the organs of the victim, and the 
 doctor asserted that this copper could only 
 exist in a human body by having been adminis- 
 tered during life. 
 
 " Armed with this report, the coroner pursued 
 the investigation. He discovered in the Sum- 
 mers* house two copper vessels, on the sides of 
 which were traces of verdigris which had been 
 scraped off with the point of a knife, and a 
 bottle of pickles, in which was a knitting-needle 
 that, by the action of the vinegar, had become 
 poisonous. 
 
 " These were considered sufficient proofs of 
 the murder of Summer by a person who had 
 been constantly about him ; and in virtue of the 
 axiom, Is fecit cut prodest^ it must be the 
 
398 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 wife who was guilty, since, by her husband's 
 death, she would obtain the two thousand 
 dollars of insurance money. 
 
 *' Besides this, Dr. Sterton, who had attended 
 Summer, and treated him for internal inflam- 
 mation, said he had been struck by the fre- 
 quent vomitings of his patient ; and that, 
 though at the moment of his death he had not 
 thought of crime, the post-mortem convinced 
 him that he had been mistaken in his diagnosis. 
 On thinking over the various symptoms of the 
 deceased, he saw that he might have died from a 
 slow and continuous absorption of salts of copper. 
 
 "In consequence of this evidence, Margaret 
 Summer was committed for trial on the charge 
 of poisoning her husband. 
 
 " But the case was not destined to be tried ; 
 for Margaret, immediately after her incarcera- 
 tion, became seriously ill, and died as much 
 from the effects of despair and grief as from the 
 phthisis by which she was attacked. 
 
 " Her unexpected decease caused, in the 
 neighbourhood where the Summers had lived, 
 a complete revulsion of feeling. There was a 
 cry of calumny, 'and those who had given 
 evidence against the poor woman, as well as 
 the Insurance Ofiice, only escaped being 
 severely handled by having a strong guard of 
 police placed for their protection. 
 
WILLIAM WITSON'S SECRET 
 
 399 
 
 " Then the people bethought them that Mar- 
 garet had left a little girl of six or seven years, 
 whom charitable neighbours had taken care of; 
 and a subscription was raised to place her in 
 a school, where she could remain till she was 
 gf 'n up : for, though the guilt of the mother 
 was not proved, law expenses had absorbed all 
 the property ; even the furniture had been sold 
 to provide for this purpose. 
 
 " When Dr. Maxwell was informed of these 
 events, he felt the deepest emotion. Of course 
 his conscience did not accuse him, for h<; had 
 performed his part with the care he gave to all 
 his professional duties. But he considered it 
 was very unfortunate that Mrs. Summer should 
 not have been tried ; because, although he had 
 found copper in the organs of the deceased, it 
 did not necessarily follow that it should have 
 been administered by the wife. And yet the 
 death of the unfortunate woman rendered it 
 impossible that the truth could ever be known, 
 and her memory remain for ever dishonoured. 
 Notwithstanding the popular belief, her child 
 would remain the daughter of a supposed 
 criminal ; and, as the Insurance Company 
 would not pay, the girl was likely to be the 
 victim, not only of shame, but of poverty. 
 
 " Was not this a great injustice ? Jack 
 Summer had insured liis life for the benefi*^ of 
 
40O 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 Wl 
 
 \ -It-, 
 
 both his wife and daughter ; and, as Mrs. 
 Summer had not been proved guilty, ought she 
 not to be considered by the Company as 
 innocent, and ought not her daughter to in- 
 herit the insurance money ? 
 
 *' This question so preoccupied Dr. Maxwell, 
 that, growing interested in the poor little girl, 
 he made a personal appeal to the Star ; but 
 the directors received his application so un- 
 favourably, that he resolved to have recourse 
 to law, as soon as he should have got Mrs. 
 Summer's child from the neighbours who had 
 taken charge of it. 
 
 •• Affairs were in this condition when the 
 American papers reproduced the scientific dis- 
 cussion which had arisen in consequence of 
 the death sentence having been passed on a 
 chemist at St. Denis, near Paris, named 
 Moreau. This man had appeared before the 
 court of assizes of the Seine, under the charge 
 of having poisoned his two wives with verdi- 
 gris ; and after his condemnation and execu- 
 tion, certain skilful men had asserted that, if 
 Moreau had got rid of his wives by poison, it 
 certainly. was not by the verdigris which the 
 experts had found in the organs of the victims. 
 
 " One learned practitioner went even farther ; 
 for,, arguing from the discoveries of some of 
 
WILLIAM WITSON^S SECRET 
 
 401 
 
 Mrs. 
 ht she 
 ny as 
 to in- 
 
 ixwell, 
 le girl, 
 r ; but 
 so un- 
 icourse 
 t Mrs. 
 10 had 
 
 în the 
 Ific dis- 
 nce of 
 on a 
 named 
 >re the 
 charge 
 verdi- 
 execu- 
 hat, if 
 son, it 
 :h the 
 :tims. 
 [rther ; 
 Ime of 
 
 his eminent brethren — discoveries made long 
 previous to the Moreau tragedy — he demon- 
 strated conclusively that, if the absorption of 
 verdigris be in a certain measure detrimental 
 to health, it cannot possibly cause death by its 
 own toxicological properties. 
 
 " This discussion was just of the nature to 
 trouble the cohscience of Stephen Maxwell. 
 He followed up all its phases with growing 
 interest ; and, when he had made himself 
 acquainted with all the reports, and with all 
 the pamphlets published concerning this matter 
 — when he had made a new examination 
 of the organs of Summer — he became con- 
 vinced that, like the doctors who had testified 
 to poisoning by verdigris in Moreau's case, 
 he too had made a mistake in saying the same 
 thing concerning the death of Mrs. Summer's 
 husband. Then he felt absolute despair ; for 
 thoui^h the unfortunate woman had not been 
 condemned, she had died in prison of de- 
 spair, shame, and privation ; her memory was 
 branded, her daughter reduced to misery and 
 dishonour. And it was he — the eminent 
 doctor, the much-honoured savant, the honour- 
 able man — who had committed this dreadful 
 error ! Then it must be his part to do all that 
 lay in his power to repair it. 
 
 D D 
 
40» 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 ** Having taken this resolution, Stephen Max- 
 well gave himself up entirely to the work he 
 had imposed upon himself. 
 
 " First of all — sacrificing his reputation for 
 infallibility — he published a report in which 
 he frankly owned his mistake, thus completely 
 rehabilitating the memory of Margaret Sunim^T ; 
 then he caused a monument fo be erected to 
 her memory, and he adopted her daughter. 
 
 " Then, abandoning his high position in Phil- 
 adelphia, he sentenced himself to dedicate 
 several years of his life, to treating poor 
 patients gratuitously, and to watching crimiiial 
 cases, and being always ready to fight against 
 medical and judicial errors. 
 
 " Thus for many years has Dr. Maxwell lived 
 faithful to his vow ; but he knows not if he lias 
 yet expiated his fault, for Margaret's daughter 
 is near him, and he can only know from that 
 child, herself, if she will pardon him for the 
 death of her mother. 
 
 " Then only he who has been called William 
 Dow, Charles Murray, and William Witson will 
 believe he has the right to resume the name of 
 Stephen Maxwell, at the same time that his 
 adopted daughter Jane resumes that of Mary 
 Summer." 
 
 These words terminated the manuscript, 
 
WILLIAM IVITSON'S SECRET 
 
 403 
 
 tcript, 
 
 which Jane read with tearful eyes, for she had 
 not needed to read to the end of the painful 
 story to understand who were the real cha- 
 racters of it. 
 
 "My poor mother!" she exclaimed, as she 
 tried to remember the face of her from whom 
 she had been so cruelly separated. 
 
 Then she knelt down and addressed to 
 Heaven a fervent prayer ; and feeling calmer, 
 she said, but this time with a smile : 
 
 "How he, too, must have suffered ! My 
 mother herself, were she living, would bid me 
 love him ! " 
 
 Then suddenly bethinking herself that 
 William, on leaving her, had sadly ^aid, " I will 
 see you to-morrow," she exclaimed : 
 
 " I will not wait so long to reassure him, to 
 save him from despair ! He uoves me. I know 
 he does ! " 
 
 And flying down the stairs she knocked at 
 the door of Witson's study, saying : 
 
 ** It is I, dear friend, it is I ! " 
 
 The door opened, and Jane rushed into the 
 trembling arms of William. 
 
 "Of all the past I know but one thing, 
 Stephen Maxwell," said she, in accents of love ; 
 ** it is your devotedness, your grief, your affec- 
 tion for me, who love you as you deserve to 
 
404 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 be loved. Whenever you like we will go to 
 Philadelphia, and, hand in hand, we will pray 
 at the grave of poor Margaret Summer, my 
 unhappy mother ! " 
 
 With radiant eyes, Stephen Maxwell an- 
 swered only by pressing her to his heart. 
 
 One month after the events that we have just 
 related, the principal personages in this story 
 were grouped about the deck of the Perdre 
 (the splendid steamer had just left Havre) ; 
 they were Mr. Panton, his two daughters, the 
 Reverend Jonathan, Felix Barthey, Stephen 
 Maxwell, and his ward. They were all going 
 to America. 
 
 Mr. Panton had recovered his rosy colour 
 and his cheerfulness ; the clergyman, still pale 
 and meagre, still raised his eyes and hands 
 heavenward, as though in thankfulness at quit- 
 ting a country where he had been able to con- 
 vert no one to the doctrines of Swedenborg; 
 Rhea, leaning against the bulwarks, seemed, on 
 the contrary, to be casting a regretful glance at 
 the receding shores of France, where she had 
 undergone such dreadful things ; and Barthey 
 was entirely occupied with Jenny, who was 
 leaning on his arm, just as Jane was resting on 
 the arm of Maxwell. 
 
WILLIAM WITSON'S SECRET 
 
 405 
 
 an- 
 
 The American doctor and his ward, who was 
 soon to become his wife, had come on board at 
 the last moment ; but we may ima^iine with what 
 joy they were welcomed by those who owed 
 them so much. 
 
 The lighthouses at La Hêve were sinking 
 below the horizon, and our friends began to 
 think about looking after their comfort on board ; 
 Mr. Panton and Jonathan, thinking nothing 
 about the poetry of Ocean, had gone down long 
 before to see after their cabins. Just then Max- 
 well approached Madame Gould -Parker, whom 
 Rhea had rejoined ; and seeing, with the two 
 sisters, a nurse, holding a baby, which Jenny 
 was wrapping up in an embroidered pelisse, he 
 could not help an exclamation of surprise, which 
 did not escape the colonel's widow. 
 
 Then, blushing and smiling, she said : ' 
 
 «' My son, Maurice !" 
 
 " Your son," said the doctor. " Excuse me ! I 
 Jid not know " 
 
 And as Felix Barthey also smiled, Maxwell 
 exclaimed : 
 
 " Ah, I understand now I My dear child, 
 excuse me ! '' 
 
 " His name is Maurice," resumed Jenny, " and 
 he was born in that terrible night of the 22nd of 
 September, during which Rhea never left me 
 
406 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. P LE M EN 
 
 for a moment. She has never allowed me to 
 make the slightest explanation as to the real 
 cause of her leaving Vermel that night ; she 
 would not even let me tell you, although it would 
 have been absolute proof of her innocence. She 
 risked her own honour, to save my honour and 
 my life." Jenny elapsed Rhea in her arms, and 
 kissing her, repeated, again and again : " R.hea, 
 my darling sister ! " 
 
 Maxwell felt great admiration for Rhea's con- 
 duct ; he took her hand, and pressing it to his 
 lips, he said : 
 
 " You are a worthy daugliter of our fearless 
 race, and I can well understand that unhappy 
 man loving you to madness ! " 
 
 These words, which reminded Rhea of so 
 many dreadful things, made her shudder. 
 
 From feelings of humanity and professional 
 pride, Maxwell had only told her that her hus- 
 band's death was caused by a terrible mistake, 
 and not by an odious crime ; so that Madame 
 Deblain carried away with her from France a 
 feeling of pity, and perhaps something more, for 
 the man who, having decided to sacrifice his life 
 in expiation of his crime, had yet so well guarded 
 the secret of the: birth of Jenny's child. 
 
 Six months Inter Madame Gould-Parker be- 
 came Madame Barthey, and, long before, Jane 
 
WILLIAM WITSON'S SECRET 
 
 407 
 
 had married Stephen Maxwell, whose return to 
 Philadelphia was hailed by the poor and unfor- 
 tunate. 
 
 All that now remains for us to do is to inform 
 our readers what became of the members of the 
 court of Vermel who figured in this judicial 
 drama, whilst our amateur detective was enjoy- 
 ing in America his well-earned happiness. 
 
 M. de la Marnière, a victim of political in- 
 trigue, was the first to be dismissed ; the dignity 
 and independence of thought which he had 
 shown in the Deblain affair, making him a con- 
 spicuous mark ; but when he returned to private 
 life, he returned to it with a lofty place in public 
 
 opinion. 
 
 The rest of our characters had various for- 
 tunes : the chief justice Monsel remained at the 
 head of the Court of Vermel ; M. Lachau::yée 
 now left to others the defence of those who had 
 formerly profited by his remarkable eloquence ; 
 M. Duret was no longer public prosecutor, and 
 the ambitious Babou kept waiting, but with much 
 weakened hopes, to be appointed chief judge, 
 or to receive the cross of the Legion of 
 Honour. 
 
 In the Place Vendôme, or wherever may 
 reside the head of the Government, tact and the 
 absence of personal feeling are considered of as 
 
4o8 
 
 THE CASE OF DR. PLEMEN 
 
 much importance as professional probity ; there-, 
 fore MM. Duret and Babou were not easily 
 pardoned for their blundering in the Deblain 
 case ; for, though Ministries pass away, written 
 accounts of trials do not. 
 
 AX-v>'.\ 
 
 •r S 
 
 3\m\\ 
 
 M ! i 
 
 îiJ iv 
 
lere-. 
 
 asily 
 
 )lain