The Thin Red Line; and Blue Blood

nished reading, "you see what your wif

It is a tissue of misstatements from beginni

ctly genuine. It supplies a most important link in the chain of evidence, and I

e has been instilling insidious poison into her ears for these weeks past. I had my suspicions, but could prove nothing; no

of defence? You cannot deceive me; it would be

ll I know. I repeat, I saw

u. We have the fullest and strongest evidence o

I was the poor man's friend, not his murderer. I tr

ll not

ed with the indignation he felt at being thus bullied and

the judge, his manner growing more insolent, his look

h a dogged, obstinate silence, the result

n several times without eliciting any reply. "Take him away! Let him be kept in

ny winding passages, down a steep staircase to an underground passage, ending in a dungeon-like roo

them for paper, pens, and ink; he wished, he said, to make a full statement of his case to the British Embassy, and demand its protection. Still no reply. Maddened by this contemptuous treatment, and despairing almost of justice, he begged, entreated the warder to take pity on

ch against him; the facts, as stated by the judge, might be grossly misrepresented; but how was he to dispute them? There was no justice in this miserable country, with su

fe; of the woman for whom he had sacrificed everything-profession, fortune, name, the affection of relatives, the respect of friends. With bas

by such hideous dreams. He was told to dress himself and come out. A

ng me? Again before

re respectfully," replied one

, his interrogating me. I

ied the other

de of it, and out into the open air. There was a cab drawn up close to the door, the prisoner was ordered to get in, one poli

taking me?" a

replied his co

other

permitted to enter into co

knew from the narrowness of the river that it was not the main stream of the Seine. It was still early morning; the streets were not as yet very crowded, but as the cab entered a wide square it came upon a throng issuing from the portals of a large church, the congregation that had been a

e been part of an old-clothes shop. All round, hanging from pegs, each neatly ticketed with its own number, were sets o

he room sat Gascoigne's judge, with the sa

, abruptly-"will you

him contemptuously,

l obstinately persist in remainin

is chair, and disappear

escort bade him march, and the th

bove, perfectly plain-even bald-in its decoration, but in the centre, occupying the greater part of the space, and leaving room only for a passage around, was a large flat slab of marble, something l

Seine that morning; the second that of a stonemason who had fallen from a scaffolding and broken his neck and both legs; the third was the murdered man of the H?te

g forward to scrutinise narrowly the effect of

he Englishman certainly had started at the first sight of the corpse, but it was a natural movement of horror which might have escaped any unconcerned spectator at being brought i

ow will you confess?" cried t

tly. Then, as if in apology to himself, he added, "I c

rience"-this was to the police and the chief custodian of the Morgue-"I have never come across a more cold-blooded, cynical wretch; but he shall not beat me;

mount to a sentence of unlimited impriso

-enter it; one of them took his seat by his side as before, the other remo

ul treatment he had received. To be arraigned as a criminal prematurely, his guilt taken for granted on the testimony of unseen witnesses whose e

of appeal to his ambassador; he was forbidden to communicate with his friend

! Es

g practical shape. Surely it was worth his while to make an effort

ittle better than a foot's pace; the door next which he sat was on the side of the river. What if he knocked his guardian senseless, striking him a couple of British blows-one, two, straight

isoner's exit until his comrade on the box could come to the rescue; or that some officious bystander might act on the side of the l

d'Arcole. There was no time to be lost; at any moment it might turn down from the river, taking one of the cross streets. Setting his teeth firmly, and nerving himself for a supr

the cab; the next instant Gascoigne had op

ive the alarm. This came first from the policeman who had been assaulted, who, recovering quickly from the attack, roared lustily to his fellow for help. The cab stopped, the official

attling with the rapid stream. Both fired, almost sim

and then sank, leaving a smal

nswering the Englishman's description was ever recovered from the river; nor, on the other