The Eight Strokes of the Clock

o the beach. The sea, lying between the cliffs and the clouds on the horizon, might have suggested a mountain-lake slumbering in the hollow of the enclosing

e, we did not come here to enjoy the spectacle of nature or to wonder whether th

the conversation which I overheard, a fortnight

hich I was unable to

woman, who are brother and sister, have an appointment at a quarter to twelve this morning, the 12th of October, at the spot known as the Trois Mathildes, with a third person, who is married and who wishes at all costs to recover his or her liberty. Secondly, this appointment, at which they will come to a final agreement, is to be followed this evening by a walk

there's to be a victim and that the victim is to be flung off the top of the

marriage of the brother or the sister with the wife or the hu

beach. They therefore overlooked the few privately-owned cabins on the shingle, where a

r to the sea was another cabin,

gged children were p

ul problem. Which of those people yonder is threatened? Death has already selected its victim. Who is it? Is it that young, fair-haired woman, rocking herself and laughing? Is it that tall

nts, there you are, quivering in every nerve. You share in all the tragedies stirring around you; and the feeling of mystery awakens in the depths of your being. See, how closely you are obs

ouple! Yesterday, at the hotel, I had a lon

, who rather fancies himself as an athlete, and I pl

d gone back to Paris that morning with their governess. Her husband, a great tall fellow with a yellow bear

his wife, when they had left Rénine and Hortense an

e wife. "Are you goin

we go for a

noon: do you mind? I have a lot o

We'll go o

suggestion accidental? Or had they before them, contrary to t

tried t

e in anything so improbable. 'My husband and I have never had the slightest qu

ois Mathildes, if one of them come

e had a beautiful, slender, supple figure. Her clear-cut profile was emphasized by a rather too prominen

?" she called out to her husband,

e said. "It slipp

right and remained close to the bottom of the under-cliff, they were invisible to Hortense and Rén

his blazer over his shoulders and was making for the isolated cabin. As he passed the bridge-players, they asked him for a decision, pointing to their cards spread out upon

she came out through the casino. Hortense, on leaning forward, saw her entering one of the chal

or one of the card-players, or one of their wives, it wo

utes passed and twenty-f

." Hortense suggested, anxiously.

hildes," said Rénine, "we w

sh discussion broke out among the bri

t it to d

ept his decision ... if he consents to act

calle

val! D'

oor behind him, which kept him in the half dark,

cried one. "Let

by calling to him and, on receiv

eval! Are

apt to his feet with so uneasy an air t

it's not

he steps and started running to the cabin. He reached it j

Things must be done i

ings?" t

n finding that one of the upper slats was partly broken, hung on as best he coul

he must have been prevented by some serious cause. There is ev

What do you mean? He

prized open the lock and

his face, clutching his jacket and his newspaper in his ha

one. "He has k

right in the middle of the back, at a place which the hand

ers pro

e has been nobody here. We should have seen, if there had

ng up. Rénine allowed no one to enter the cabin, except a doctor who was present.

ed, together with some people of the village. Aft

the news to Thérèse d'Ormeval, who wa

witnesses, one might almost say, twenty spectators. No one had entered the cabin. No one had come out of it. As for the dagger with which M. d'Ormeval had been stabbed between the shoulders, it could not

ent and incapable of moving. It was the first time that her adventures with Rénine had taken her into the very heart of the action and that, in

!... Ah, Rénine, you couldn't save him this time!... And that's what upsets me more

and when she had quite recovered her composu

ection between the murder and the plo

d she, astonishe

against his wife or by a wife against her h

d not leave her rooms ... and then I shall never believe that prett

t el

were saying to each other.... You see, the murder has been committed un

Rénine, "the two cases ar

e's no making it out!

me a little

before your eyes. You have seen it reeled off like a scene in the cinema; and it all remains as o

was con

an that you have understood it?

oked at h

crime: I've no clue to that. Only, it is twelve o'clock. The brother and sister, seeing no one come to the appointment at the Trois Mathildes, will go down

ermen haul up their boats to the beach. A number of inquisitive persons were standing outside th

d been telephoning to Le Havre, to the office of the procurator-general, and had been told that the p

"The tragedy will not be enacted before two or three o

at was happening, continually questioned Rénine, who replied evasively, with his eyes

g for those two?

brother an

that they wi

! Here th

t out

. The brother was a puny little man, with a sallow complexion. He was wearing a motoring-cap. The sister too was short, but rather stout, and

s and drew nearer. Their gait be

news of d'Ormeval's death, she uttered a cry and tried to force her way through the crowd. The brother,

ng.... My sister, Germaine Astaing, knows Madame d'Ormeval inti

ad slipped behind them, followed them in

on her knees beside the bed on which the corpse lay stretched. Thérèse d'Ormeval was in the sitting-room and was sobbing in the m

nd!... My poo

ed at the pair of them:

to have killed him f

nd we know that Astaing and his sister were also acquainted

ible!" Horte

Frédéric Astaing stood up, she proceeded straightway to sit down beside her and c

s, examining the sitting-room, going into all the bedrooms, mingling with the various groups of persons present and asking questions about the manner in which the murder had been committed. Twice his sister came up and spoke to him. Then he went back to Madame d'Ormeval and

-magistrate and the public prosecutor pulled up outside the chale

On no account leave

the magistrate was beginning a preliminary investigation. He would call on Madame d'Ormeval afterwards. Accord

g low, with her face in her hands, prayed for a long time. Then she r

a few words wit

surprised a

monsieur? I a

t h

then, m

in the sit

e said,

shake hands with her, I presume th

closed the door and, at once pouncing upon Madame d'Ormeval

s presence need not drive you away. We have very se

e restrained anger. Hortense, who believed them to be friends and who might, up to a certain point, have believed them to be accomplices, foresaw with terror the hostile encou

particulars which I still need. Each of you knows the danger in which she stands, because each of you is conscious in her heart of the evil for which she is responsible. But you

, as though offen

the only ones to be considered. There are your two little daughters, Madame d'Ormeval. Since circumstances have set me in their pa

nd sobbed. Germaine Astaing shrugged her shoulders and made a

are you

oned by the exami

ou hav

l those have been who ha

ow nothing of what happened. Nobo

who comm

s impo

hérèse d'

in an outburst of rage and wit

e d'Ormeval, rushing at her. "Go! Leave

to restrain her, b

. to pitch them one against the oth

sive effort to ward off the insu

re? Why? Because I

wretched creature! You hear what

ery likely also she no longer had the strength to keep up the struggle; and it was Madame Astaing who retu

ad when the man whom you killed is lying in there on his death-bed! Ah, if one of us is a wretched cre

rible words which she was uttering; and her fin

hand came out with stains of blood upon it: your husband's blood, Thérèse. And then, even if I had not discovered anything, do you think that I should not have guessed, in the first few minut

ught that she could perceive in her the despondency of those who know themselves to be lost. Her cheeks had fallen

ed, you were here, on the balcony.... But then the dagger ..

er, 'She will kill him yet!' Frédéric used to try to defend you. He always had a weakness for you. But in his innermost heart he foresaw what would happen.... And now the horrible thing has been done. A stab in the back! Coward! Coward!... And you would have me say nothing? Why, I didn't hesitate a moment! Nor did Frédéric. We looked for proofs at once.... And I've denoun

s unable to continue and stood with her hand outstr

me d'Ormeval's bag. She clung t

ll be here presently; and the fact that the dagger and the pocket-book are in your p

one by one. He took the bag, opened it, produced a little dagger with an ebony handle and a

in amazement: "You're mad, mon

out. I sha'n't worry now. The magistrat

he police," she exclaimed, ind

ing to do with this. The quarrel between you must be settled in private. W

ng was choki

e this, monsieur! Who are you, aft

ve been attac

se she's guilty. For you can't de

eed on that point. Jacques d'Ormeval was killed by his

r, I swear they shall. That woman must

her and, touching

hat right I was interfering

end of Jacqu

a fr

ck, but at once pulled her

nd it is my duty to

ou will remain s

t know, wh

ccused his wife, if he had wished. He had am

hy

of his

herself. In the small, closed room, where there was such a clash of hatred, he was gradually becoming the master; and Germaine Astaing understood that it was

clearly, you also know that it was for my children's sake tha

d and taking heart, whereas her accuser was hesitating and seemed to be uneasy. And it also came about that the accuser dared not say anything further and that t

Thérèse, with the same unvarying gentleness,

ed a face aged and ravaged by sorrow; and, in a very low voice,

p to tell me of her appointments with my husband ... she hoped to make me suffer so much I should end by killing myself.... I did think of it sometimes, but I held out, for the children's sake ... Jacques was weakening. She wanted him to get a divorce ... and little by little he began

cried Germaine Astaing. "A woman doesn'

k her head a

ns had changed, Germaine; divorce was not enough for you; and it was something else that you would have obtained from him, another, much mor

spluttered Germaine.

de

cried Mad

he made not a movement of aversion

in which the terrible word is not set down, but in which it appears between every line. I trembled as I read it! That Jacques should come to this!... Nevertheless the idea of s

to ask him if there was no danger in

said. "I will be answe

ng her. Germaine Astaing did not move, but stood with folded arms and anxious eyes, while Hortense Danie

ren's sake, I was anxious that my death should look like an accident and that Jacques should have no part in it. That was why your plan of a walk on the cliff suited me.... A fall from the top of a cliff seems quite natural ... Jacques therefore left me to go to his cabin, from which he was to join you later at the Trois Mathildes. On the way, below the terrace, he dropped the key of the cabin. I went down and began to look for it with him ... And it happened then ... through your fault ... yes, Germaine, through your fault ... Jacques' pocket-book had slipped from his jacket, without his noticing it, and, together with the poc

listened to her felt this profoundly; and nothing could ha

less, she went on speaking unintelligible words; and it was onl

, evidently to hide his wound, and he moved away without staggering ... or staggering so little that I alone was able to perceive it. He even spoke to some friends who were playing cards. Then he went to his cabin and disappeared.... In a few moments, I came back indoors. I was persuaded that all of this was only a bad dream ... that I had not killed him ... or that at the worst the wound was a slight one. Jacques w

ed herself, s

hed her sent

hen they came and t

e stam

ul, very gentle.... And, in his presence, I understood my duty, as he had understood his.... He had kept silent, for the sake of the children. I would be silent too. We were both guilty of the murder of which he was the victim; and we must both do all we could to prevent the crime from recoiling upon them.... He had seen this clearly in his dying agony. He had had the a

she had recovered her strength a little in thinking of what she had done and in defending herself with such energy. Faced by the intriguing

arder as Thérèse's confessions became precise. No emotion seemed to soften her and no remorse to penetrate her being.

or, she adjusted her hat and powdered

darted

are you

e I c

examining-

y li

ha'n't

e. I'll wait

ll tell h

've been silly enough to say. How could he doubt th

k her by th

at the same time, Germaine, things that c

n't tou

e you, show

lett

ch my death w

t exists only in your imagination. Neith

rate. Your lett

he letters of a fr

mistress to

ove

e, in Jacques'

hey're

that y

nged to me. I've taken them ba

And you shall give them back ag

My brother kept t

ut her hands to Rénine with an ex

feeling in your bag. He took out the pocket-book, looked through it wit

aused an

st, with fi

tend to convey? If Frédéric Astaing had taken awa

that M. d'Ormeval must have picked it up, for I found it in the pocket of his blazer, which had been hung up near the bed. Here it is. It's si

much disconcerted that she did not try to defend her

of paper which you looked for eagerly and which also must have dropped out of the pocket-book. It was an uncrossed cheque for a hundred thousand francs, drawn by M. d'Ormeval in your brother's name ... just a little wedding-present ... what we might call pin-money. Acting on your instructions, your brother dashed off by motor to Le Havre to reach the bank before four o'clock. I may as well tell you that he will not have cashed the cheque, for I had a telephone-message sent to the bank to announce the murder of M. d'Ormeva

of hope remains, are easily swayed in defeat. Germaine was too intelligent not to grasp the fact that the least

ting, nor in any demonstration such as threa

she said. "What

lled upon for your evidence,

or, she hesitated and then

che

Madame d'Ormeva

. I would not to

o how she was to behave at the enquiry and to answer the question

ere continuing their investigations, taking measurements, exam

that you have the dagger and M.

erous, I suppose?" he said, laughin

t you

wh

may suspect

rease their perplexity, for we saw nothing at all. For prudence sake we will stay a day or two, to see which

essed the secret and

ind there is only one answer. There is no need to think about it. As the murder was not committed in the cabin, it must have been committed beforehand and the man was already mortally wounded when he entered his cabin. And forthwith the truth in this particular case appeared to me. Madame d'Ormeval, who was

e of the sky was becoming darker and t

ing of?" asked Réni

hatever happened, trust you through and against all. I know, as certainly as I know that I exist, t

, very

mit to my wish