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

to get rid of a living man, but dead one,
all But let me see; you wish me to spirit
away, before daylight, the corpse in Madame
la Countesse de BIS carriage"
The lady started. "You know me%
81 have that honor, madame. Now there
is one way of getting rid of this corpse.'
"And that is ?"
"What do you say, madame, to the body
being found in the streets, this morning,
| about three or four o'clock, pierced with
several dagger wounds"'
"Assassinated? %
eyes, madame. Three stabs in the stonl-
ach and one in the heart; it shall be well
done. The body is found; nothing on it, not
even watch or rings-murdered by thieves.
| quest, which will end in nothing, and in a
week the whole affair forgotten"
''Murderedp' Emo.
"But since he is dead, madame, where is
! the crime or wrong to stab him? ''
'Enoughp' cried the countess, her face
buried in her hands; ''enough, monsieur,
enough. Horrible, horrible-it can never be
-neverV
81 could not understand her; but some
dop'
"Then what do you say, madame, to the
body disappearing suddenly from the face of
the earth, so that even the most vigorous
search should fail to recover it? 1t shall
never be found"
''Never?"
stNever."
''Then there would be no burial?'
''Burial, madame, burial? Ali if madame
desires the luxury of burial, my plan is
| useless"
''But how would you hide it?"
THAT is my business"
sob! no. must knOWo
believe me, madame, you had better not.
Does the surgeon show his saw to the pa
tent whose limb he is going to amputate?
Nay, madame, do not seek to control my ac-
tions, let me choose my own expedients;
what can it matter so long as you are set free
and therefore, madame, tell me ifmy second
offer is accepted"
On receiving this sharp and decided answer
1 took my hat and started for the door, but,
on seeing this, the countess gave quick,
sudden cry of pain, that made me turn round
involuntarily, and in doing so / caught the
prefet's eye. He signed to me to remain.
"Oh, monsieurp' exclaimed the countess,
''imagine some other means, conjure you.
My life and my honor are in your hands"
"Had it not been out of respect for my
chief, should have disregarded the ladys
scruples altogether, and have caused the body
to be thrown in the Seine, with hundred
weight of stones fastened to it. As it was,
l saw that l was master of the position, and
thus addressed the countess:
Madame, if am to do anything for you,
tell me everything that took place tonight or
else / can promise nothing. When the dis
ease is mortal you must hide nothing from
the surgeon"
'sThen-ifit must be M. Karls
wrung from my weakness yester-evening,
permission to stay a few mstants with me
after the opera"
''For the first time since the absence of
your husband?' 1 asked
''The first time, monsieur; but why that
question: a
because your people will suspect nothing;
they will only be astonished."
The countess continued: "The drawing
room was so warm that was obliged to make
Honorine, my maid, open the door of my
bedroom so as to equalize the temperature a
little. To open the windows was out of the
question, for you know how cold it is to-
night. What with the heat, the tea, and the
conversation, M. Karis became so troubled
and excited that he at last asked permission
either to 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
of his coat, and having done so, he sat down
again on the sofa, and began to relate, with
greater animation than ever before, ridic-
ulous accident which had happened to an
actress while she was before the audience
Suddenly he was silent; asked him to con-
tinue; no answer. / beg, I insist-still the
sane silence. At first I thought he was
asleep, but, on reflection, this sudden transit
ton from noisy hilarity to SO deep slumber
seemed so strange to me that left my seat
to look at him more closely. His face was
horribly drawn; his eyes thrown up; the cor
ner of his mouth almost touching his ear.
He was dead. l screamed and tainted, cut
ting my forehead against the sofa foot as I
fell. Honorine rushed in, and although one
of us was dead and the other senseless, she
never lost her presence of mind for mo-
ment; 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
home-between Etampes and Paris-and
would be with us in three hours. As soon
as she had brought me to my senses, she
pushed the sofa close to the window, and COW
cred the corpse with the falling curtain.
Something must be done, but what could l
do?-everything fell to her. She had often
heard me speak of the project of police, and
decided that we must tell him all, without
losing moment, and, profting by the fact
that every one else in the house had gone to
bed, carry the corpse betweenIus down stairs,
place it in the carriage, and then waken the
coachman. While he was Harvesting the
horses, must dress myself in evening cos
tune, so that if my husband should arrive at
home before us, might say had just re-
turned from soiree. From whose? Hon
orine decides everything, for l am too bewil-
dered to do aught but look on; but the poor
girl had not foreseen the greatest difficulty.
Oh, the horrible task! the difficulty nav, al
most impossbility, of dressing body from
which all life had fed. 1t fell, it slipped, it
almost foated 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 sacrileg-
ious toilet. And then we had to carry him
down stairs, 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
whilst he put the horses to, lest he should
discover our secret, and II had my ball
costume to attend to. How did it know
not; took ribbons, jewels, bracelets, rouge,
flowers, anything that came under my hand.
What took place afterword can hardly say.
As soon as heard the noise of the carriage
wheels ran down stairs, got in with Honor
inc. and drove here"
"Such was Madame de BIS account, told
with decision, calmness and courage that
iiIesuS my OiOON AuAA NOAN SFOh AuluC-
Vidocq's.
MADAME" said, one more word.
'More," she murmured between her teeth,
which were closed together with force that
threatened to break them, "what more can
you waRt?''
M. Karl's address,"
wv nat, is that necessary~
indispensable"
She gave it me.
NOW madame, in few minutes hope to
nave nnlshed my task successfully"
And how? No stabbing, no dreadful dis
apearance?' NV
None whatever, since you wish if So Ey-
rything will be done in the most simnIe
manner, your reputation uncomnromised
and NJ Karfs body treated with as great re,
spect as though it was under his fathers
roof In quarter of an hour the cornse |
will be in M. Karl's own room, and Won
madame, will, in five minutes, be in your own
carriage, free from the dreadful burden it now
contains
"Ah, monsieur! how can thank youp
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 nv life