The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-07-20


DIV that we had done with the Prefet's pri-
waite 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 babe him trust in her
as he would in God. To Pere Caron, who
was waiting with lights in the ante-chamber,
she spoke as passing:-
''You shall not be forgotten, monsieur; all
that have promised shall be DONE"
Descending the grand staircase, stopped
at the door OF the room where had left the
servant, who now joined us with the delight
of prisoner set free.
''Honorine," said the countess, "all goes
well but we have yet to finish"
"Ah! yes-to finish"
While the two we t on a little in advance,
I called out one of the most intelligent inspec-
tors, and told shim, as concisely as l could,
what had TO be done.
/ had not forgotten the servants exclama-
ton, 'Asleepp' and told the officer that if
the coachman were awake the matter would
be more difficult, for the principal object in
view was to get the dead body out of the car
riage without the coachman knowing what
had taken place. But how to do so, if he
should be awake?
'We shall see," said the officer; we shall
soon see.
''If he does not Sleep" answered, che
must Sleep"
"Of course he must, one way or another"
''The devilp' cried: 'not the other way
no, no."
Following the two women, we crept along
in the shadows of the houses, when suddenly,
as we neared the corner of the street, we
were startled by one of the most abominable
occurrences that could have happened, al
though had foreseen and dreaded it.
A man was singing well-known and very
popular air. Could it be the coachman? In
that case what should we do? The officer
proposed to creep up behind the driver, gar
rote him, and, after pulling him down from
the box, pretend to rob him, while the ladies
helped me to get the corpse out of the way.
He would then take to his heels, and the
coachman would mount his box again with
out knowing the trek played upon him. But
/ would not consent to this plan of campaign.
"Then what will you ?" asked the agent.
elbow can tell ?'' l answered first let us
see the state of affairs and, moving cautious
ly forward, glanced round the corner. The
driver was fast asleep; the singer being a
stranger, who was fast disappearing in the
direction of Pont st Michel.
While the officer ran back to tell the ladies'
they might advance, 1 opened the carriage
door, got out the dead body, and placed him
at full length in the shadow of the parapet
which runs along the Quai DIES Orfevres,
wedging him firmly with a couple of stones,
for the pavement was sloping. He was a
magnificent man, six feet or six feet one, at
least; fair, elegant-and such clothes, such
linen! All this was done in the twinkling of
an eye. The two ladies had now arrived, but
they could hardly crawl along; they were
worn out, and more like shadows than hui
man beings, and could not even get into the
carriage without assistance. Such fright,
such terror in their downward looks, as they
took their places without uttering sound!
Monsieur" said the countess to me, seiz-
ing my arm with a force that left the imprints
of her nails; ''you promise me that the body
shall not be outraged%'
II swore, madame, that in quarter of an
hour M. de Karls should be in his own bed !;
he will be there.'
And, bowling to the ladies, I closed the door
with terrific bang, and then jumping upon
the wheel, l woke the coachman.
"You sleepy scoundrel,' cried, "can't you
hear the ladies'? They've been calling out to
you to start for more than a quarter of an
hour
''All right, all right" he muttered, gather
ing up the reins. 'Where to? where to?''
Home, of course, you idiot-Rue Bell
chasse."
The carriage dashed off at full speed, the
horses feet striking fire from the stones in
their mad gallop; few minutes later, and
all was quiet. ss.
Without loss of time led the inspector to
the place where had put the dead man, and
raising him up we placed his arms within our
own, and carried him away as though he was
dead drunk; but although we were both
strong men, it was with the greatest difficult
ty that we could keep from slipping as we
made our way to The Pont Neuf. My idea
was this. Point Neuf is vast thoroughfare,
into which all the principal streets empty
and where it is impossible for any
one to say with certainty from which part of
Paris the wayfarer may have come. From
the city-from the Faubourg st. Germain-
from the Greve-or from the Faubourg st.
Jaques--he cannot say. l further intended
to throw off the scent any Interior search as
to where M de Karls had passed the night:
hence my choice of the Point Neuf. AS soon
as we arrived opposite the Place Dauphine, 1
decided to stop and wait for the first passing
cab; and any one who knows Paris can cas-
lily imagine that we had not to wait long, As
soon as we heard the sound of wheels, 1 told
the inspector to initiate the singing of drum
ken man, and to do so as well as he could in
German jargon. had hardly given the or
der when he burst forth in splendid style with
an Alsatian drinking song, in which Joined
heartily as onecould wish, and in such a man
ner that the approaching cabman could not
fail to think us both intoxicated. AS soon as
the cab came within few yards of us cried
out, "Here, my man, can you take this gem
tleman home; we've neither time, nor are
we sober enough to do it ourselves" With
out waiting for an answer, opened the door
and thrust in the dead body, not being very
particular, you may imagine, whether he was
seated comfortably or not, and banging the
door to, gave the driver five francs for his
Journey, and told him the address: ''Rue st.
Florentin, first large house on the right; and
look alive" And he did, while we struck up
our song again, as two drunken men. will
when they part from a companion.
The trick was DONE
When the cabman got to his journeys end
he was not at all astonished to find his fare
fast asleep; but experiencing very great diff
Guilty in awakening him, he began to think
must be wrong, and rang the bell
iercely. The door was opened; the porter
and his wife came out recognized M de Karls
at once, although his face was still more
drawn and disfgured, and in few moments
the whole household was up, in dreadful
state of dismay and CONSERVATION. The dri-
yer, examined by M de Karl's valet, told all
he knew-the gentleman was completely
drunk when he was put into the cab on Point
Neuf by two other gentlemen hardly less in
toxicated, who went off singing as soon as
they had put him in; that was all-every-
hing.
The dead man was carried up stairs to his
room and laid on his bed-so that had kept
my word to the countess; while next day the
papers mentioned the unfortunate death of
NJ. de Karls, young man of noble family,
who was seized with apoplexy while going
home in a cab. What took place on the
return home cannot tell you. for
never heard; but few days after she was
obliged to attend the funeral service in the
Madeleine, owing to the counts official rela-
ton with the Austrian embassy. What a
torture it must have been to her! Obliged to
appear calm and Indifferent, not daring to
weep or to pray, while her whole soul went
out in sorrow to the beloved dead.
She returned home, and never again left
her house alive; her sorrow turned to melan-
;holy, then to depressed languor, then came
illness, doctors, and lastly death. She lived
N her love-that dead, she died too. Que
But she had not forgotten her
promises. Caron received secretly large
sum OF money; the servant, Independent for
life, now lives at Villevord, on property of
Ter own; nor was l overlooked this splen-
lid diamond was my reward, and would
not part with it for millions-no, for tens of
nillions-it is riveted to my finger.
The count left Paris, and, after years of
.ravel in all parts of the world, he retired to
Dalmatia, where he had large estates, and
settled at last in Trieste. Lonely, melan-
holy, visiting no one. he had only one pleas
lre-the opera; music alone seemed to have
'he power of tightening the burden of sor
'ow he bore with him wherever he went.