The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-02-02 00:00:00

Translated from the French-

CHAPTER IV.
"My 'dear fellow," he began, as soon as she had
disappeared, "I have made more discoveries in one
day than the most illustrious navigators have ever
made in a century, and the last is the most curious
-of them all. I have just ascertained that this little
goat-herd, transplanted from the mountaina, is
-madly in love with you. She cried because she
thought the pin in your pocket had been forgotten
by your mistress. She is jealous; therefore she
:adores you. Refute my reasoning if you dare, and
if you can."
" I will refute nothing at all, but I declare if you
go ms much longer we shall quarrel."
"But I say, where does it come from, this spit,
'that might be served up with a franc's worth of
kidneys in any restaurant? Is it a keepsake from
the woman you love ?"
"Binos, my friend, you are unreasonable, and I
-would not answer you at all but that one must take
Pity on fools. I do not mind telling you that I
--found this pin last night in the omnibus, and that
I kept it as a souvenir. Most likely it fastened the
'hat of the poor girl who died on the road."
"What ! Is it so? But this is an ornament in
use among cooks out on a Sunday, and I tell you
that the lovely creature at this moment stretched on
.a.7slab at the Illorgue, never trudged with a market
basket. I should think it more likely to have been
adropped in the omnibus by one of her neighbours"
'Then I will make you a present Of it," said
l'reneuse.
1" I accept it," cried Dines. "It may form cir-
cumstantial evidence. Sometimes the slightest
'thing, no matter what, suffices to convict an assassin.
A mere nothieg : a paper, a sleevelink dropped on
the scene of the crime. In a melodrama that sort of
thing is called the finger of Providence."
"There you are, off again."
"Chaff as much as you like • an idea has just
atrtielt me, and I am going to try an experiment
under your very nose. Where is Mirza? Come
here, Mirza! Mi mi mi " called Dines in caress-
ing tones.
"What are you going to do to the cat? I must
beg you not to torment him."
Mirza, allured by Binos' manner, advanced towards
him slowly and composedly, as becomes a cat that
has a good opinion of itself.
"Do not reo to him, Mirza," said Freneuse. "That
young gentlernsn is mocking you; he has nothing to
"I have not brought him any cat's meat, certainly,"
grumbled Binos. "I don't pretend to keep my
neighbours eats; but I may be allowed to stroke
them. Mirza is a distinguished personage: he likes
me for 1,13, own sake. Do allow him to show his
affection."
So, Iseeping up a running fire of talk to diverrhis
frier' l's attention, the mischievous scoundrel seated
himself on a stool and held out a treacherous hand
'to the confiding Angora approaching :him; with
measured steps.
Freneuse, although he was watching Binos' move-
ments, had not noticed that he held the gilt pin inhis
hand: so well was it concealed that only the p oin
'came beyond the end of his thumb—a point as sharp
'S a needle.
Mir/a saw it; but he was curious and fond of
elainties—common faults with cats in high life—and
drew near to smell at what his master's familiar
:friend was offering, him.
His nose came in contact with the instrument.
linos seized the moment to prick the poor beast,
'which made a sulden learward movement. Its head
fell tack, its long silky hair bristled up, its hack
'became archel, its legs stiffened, its jaws fell apart,
And its eres were fieed ; but it neither moved nor
Oied; a sudden convulsive trembling passed over its
'Jody, and in twenty or thirty seconds it dropped
'dead and rigid.
"What have you done ?" cried Freneuse, rushing
forward to raise his unfortunate pet; but he had no
sooner touched it than he saw it was dead.
" Yes, Mirza has died like the girl in the
omnibus,' observed Binos composedly.
"You have killed him," retorted the artist angrily.
" This is beyond everything. Leave the room, and
never let me see you here again."
"You drive ire away ?"
and you richly deserve it, for you injure
all I care for. You have not been here half an-
hour, and have done nothing but mischief. You
sent Pia off in tears, and there was nothing left for
you but to kill a poor animal that was the joy of my
studio. On my honour, if you were not three parts
of a fool I would not merely shut my door upon
you, but demand satisfaction for your odious
Conduct,,
' "That would be odd," sneered Binos—" exces-
13ively odd! Call me out, and give me the pleasure
of a nice sword-thrust because I saved your life!
Well, that teats all!"
"Saved my life What are you talking about ?"
"Just that, my friend; neither more nor less."
"I should like to know how. Do you mean to
Say my cat was mad ?"
'NO, aiirza was a healthy Angora, and, if ever
he sinned—as, for instance, in tearing my trousers
to sharpen his claws, his death absolves him; he
has died to save his master, and in order that a
g r at crime may not go unpunished."
"Have done with your nonsense l"
"Will you hear me before you turn me out? I
'ask only ten minutes to prove that if I had not had
en inspiration of genius, something dreadful must
have come upon you."
t "Very well. Ten minutes, and then--"
"Then you shall do what you like. So shall I.
You see this pin ?"
"Yes, and if I had known you were going to put
It through my cat's heart--"
"-I have not looked at him. There is not a drop
of blood on all his white fur. I scarcely pricked his
• nose, and he fell stiff and stark."
"1)0 you not begin to understand now what took
place in the omnibus last night ?"
"Begin to understand ? What do you mean ? "
"The poor girl who is at the Morgue was killed
Just as I have killed Mina, only they pricked her in
the arm.".
"With this pin ? "
"Good Heavens! Yes, of course! That was quite
enough, and her agony lasted no longer than the
Poor brute's here, and was as silent."
, " What ? Then the pin is —"
"Poisoned, my dear sir, and you carried it in
your great coat pocket. In feeling for your hand-
kerchief or your tobacco-pouch, your fingers would
assuredly have encountered the point of this beau-
tiful little tool, and at the coming Salon there would
have been one picture and one medal less. It is a miracle
'that lam still alive," continued Dines. "If I had
taken hold of the point instead of the gilt knob at
the:"other end, I should at this moment have been
Stretched out on the floor of your studio, and you
swould, only have had to bury me. My death would
be no great disaster; art would not lose much by it;
but still T prefer that the accident should happen to
:your cat instead."
"And so do I," answered Freneuse, who was so
Much moved he scarcely knew what he did or said.
_ "Thank you for that kind word," said the good-
_Tor-nothing, making a grimace. "I perceive you
have no longer a spite against me for saving your
life, and I congratulate you sincerely on having
Picked up this little instrument in the vehicle. It
"will guide me in finding out those who usedlit."
"It is incredible! A pin charged with death!"
" The fact is evident."
"But these instantaneous poisons— that sort of
thing only exists in novels or in melodramas."
"And among savages, my dear friend. They
Poison the tips of their arrows when they hunt or
gO to war, and all wounds inflicted by these arrows
are mortal—it is well known."
"Oh, yes. I have read that, but
"And the poison they employ is known also; it is
the eurari, sail to be made from the venom of the
Tattle-snake, and when dried it can be kept for any
length of time. See here; look at this little bit of
Ted stuff, like varnish, coveringthe end of the pin.
1., • • That is a chemical production which would
'etestrey a whole regimentiof Prussians in less than
!aye minutes. . • . I always regretted that our
bayonets in the'siege---"
"Do be serious. This' is no subject for jesting,
should your supposition be correct."
" Can you still be in doubt? To convince yourself
you have only to examine Mirza. He was perfectly
well; the slightest possible prick sufficed to extin-
S_uisls his life, and you saw that he died noiselessly.
There was scarcely any preceptible trembling—one
!natant or rigidity, then he dropped and all was over.
Precisely the scene of the omnibus."
"Quito true. She gave but one feeble cry, then
She grew stiff."
"And her head sank on to her neighbour's
Shoulder. She moved no more—the deed was done!"
"You mean to say the wretch who :sat on her left
-Must have--"
"Stay. I will describe the:whole affair. You can
turn me out if you like when I have finished."
Freneuse made a gesture showing that he no
!wager thought of expelling his friend, and that he
had even forgiven him the murder of Mirza."
"This instrument," began Binos, "must have
been prepared and brought by the man who mounted
I)_ri to the roof. A woman would not have known
Jlevs to manipulate tho poison, and also, probably,
c
would not have dared. Just examine it. It is diffi-
„ult to imagine anything more ingeniously contrived.
It is bran new, and to all appearance a hat pin—an
IMnocent looking article; and had it been seized in
the hands of the wretch who used it, no one would
ve t tken it for what it is. At one end there is a
so that one can press hard upon it without
'Lug hurt; it is short enough to be hidden in a
trillq, yet sufficiently long and sharp to penetrate the
thickest
galenent, though, as it happens, the little
w
as in a miserable dress of worn material that
w;Scarcely ProteAed her better than a cobweb. -In a
everything had been foreseen by this man who
a scoundrel of the first order ncl the woman
uenertook to carry out the plot.'

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