The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-10-04

countess, imagine some other means
conjure you. My life and my honol
are in your hands,
"Had it not been for the respect o.
my chief, I should have disregarded
the lady's scruples altogether, and
have caused the body to be thrown
into the Seine. with hundred weight
Of stones fastened to it. As 1t was
saw that was master of the position,
| and thus addressed the countess:
Madame, II am to do anythins
for you, tell me everything that took
place tonight or else can promise
nothing. When the disease Is mortal
you must hide nothing from the sur
geOn.'
'Tben-ifit must be - M.
Marls wrung from my weakness yes
ter-evening, permission to stay few
instants with me after the opera
"tFopthc first time since the absence
Of your husband!' / asked. 3
The first time, monsieur; but why
that question p slcs :
"Because your people will suspect
nothing; they will only be astonish-
ed.' i.
"The countess continued; 'The
drawing-roOm was SO warm that 1 was
obliged to make Houorine, my maid,
open the door of my bedroom 30 as to
equalize the temperature q little. To
open the windows was out Of the ques-
ton, for you know how cold it is to-
night. What with the heat, the tea,
and the conversation, NJ. Karls became
go troubled and excited that he at last
asked permission, either 10 retire or to
be allowed to lay aside his coat, for he
felt as though he was choking and
short OF breath. allowed him to take
off his coat, and having done %, he
sat down again on the sofa, and began
to relate, with greater animation than
even before, ridiculous accident
which had happened to an actress
while she was before the audience.
Suddenly he become silent; I asked
him to continue; no answer. I beg, /
insist--still the same silence. At first
l thought he was asleep, but, on re-
Election, this sudden transition from
noisy hilarity to SO deep q slumber
seemed so strange to me that i left my
seat to look at him more closely. HIS
face was horribly drawn; his eyes
thrown up; the corner of bis mouth
almost touching his ear. He was dead.
I screamed and tainted, cutting my
forehead against the sofa as fell.
Honorine rushed in, and although one
OF us was dead and the other senseless.
she never lost her presence of mind
for q moment: with one glance she
sees the danger Of the position, and
never was danger more vast, more
real, for my husband was on his way
hnp,n Ekovv, os,d Do u
and would be with us in three hours.
senses, she pushed the sofa close to the
window, and covered the corpse with
the falling curtain. Something must
be done, but what could l do ?-eyery-
thing fell to her. She had often heard
me speak Of the prefect Of police, and
decided that we must tell him all,
without losing a moment, and, profit
ing by the fact that every one else in
the house had gone to bed, carry the
corpse between us downstairs, place
it in the carriage, and then waken the
coachman. While he was Harvesting
the horses, / must dress myself in
evening costume, 80 that if my hus-
hand should arrive at home before us,
/ might say had just returned from q
soiree. From whose? HOnorine de-
cides everything, for / am too bewil-
dered to do ought but to look on; but
the poor girl had not foreseen the
greatest difficulty. Oh, the horrible
task the difficulty, nay, almost inn
possibility, of dressing a body from
which all life had fled. 1t fell, it slip
ped, it almost floated away. The arms,
stretched out and stiff, refused to pass
through the sleeves, and when we
forced them in, it was hideous to hear
the horrible cracking and swapping of
the joints. And the boots! Oh!
nothing can be compared with this
sacrilegious toilet. And then we had
to carry him downstairs, avoiding the
slightest noise lest We should arouse
the porter; when We had placed him
in the carriage, HOnOrine went to
wake the cOachman, and stay with
him while he put tile horses to, lest
he should discover our secret, and II
had my ball costume to attend to.
How did it know not; took rib
bons, jewels, bracelets, rouge, flowers,
anything that came under my hand.
What took place aflerward can hard
~ say. AS soon as heard the noise
of the carriage-wheels l ran down
stairs, got in with Honorine, and drove
here.'
"Such was Madame de BIS account,
told with decision, a calmness and
courage, that made my blood run cold
-ay! even mine-Vidocq's.'
"'Madame,' said, 'One more word
"'More,' she murmured between her
teeth, which were closed together with
a force that threatened to break them,
what more can you wantT
"'M. Karls' address
"'What, is that necessary?
Indispensable
"She gave it to me.
"'NOw, madame, In a few minutes l
hope to have finished my task success
fully
"tAnd how? No stabbing, no dresd-
full disappearance" ~
"'None whatever. since YOU wish it
so. Everything will be done in the
most simple manner, your reputation
uncOmprOmised, and M. Karls' body
treated with as great respect as though
it was under his fathers roof. In a
quarter of an hour the corpse will be
in NJ. Karls' own room, and You, mad
anne, will, in five minutes, be in your
own carriage, free from the dreadful
burden it now contains
3 "'Ah, monsieur! how can thank
you? How can my gratitude equal the
service you do me-"
"She shook me by the hand as
though: she would crush it to pieces
it was one of the finest moments of my
life.
"Although spoke with such assur-
ance to the countess, 1 will not deny
that was not without uneasiness, and
intimated to the lady that We had done
with the Prefet's private office, and
that our next scene OF action would be
the street.
"Before leaving the room she turned
round to the magistrate, and pressing
her hand closely to her heart, she bade
him trust in her as he would in God.
To Pere Caron, who was waiting with
lights i'm the ante-chamber, she spoke
as passing:
"'You shall not be forgotten, mon
sieur; all that have promised shall
be done.' =
Descending the grand staircase, I
stopped at the door of the room where
had left the servant, who now joined
us with the delight Of prisoner set
free. E
'Honorine,' said the countess, all
goes well, but we have vet to finish.'
"'Ah! yes-to finish
"While the two went on a little in