The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1890-02-14
balcony, says she heard nothing"
"And you did not go outr

! not know anything more"
Lacroix noticed that she grew pale, and
thought she lied "She knows something else
and will not tell it," Then, with laughing
air, he turned again to Henliette, saying:
Il understand your repugnancc TO tell me
the truth, and l do not blame you for not
wishing to serve as u witness at the court Of
assizes, but the affair is grave and merits re-
! hection"--
"Sir!r
ado not say that you do not understand
me. No. my meaning is very clear to you,
and you have understood me perfectly well.
You say that If say nothing justice will
| not need my testimony and | will escape
much annoyance by keeping silent That is
true and would be justifable IL the question
was a triling one, but this is "a murder"
"Again Sip
aPermt me, madame; l have not finished.
! Up to tho present moment you say you were
| asleep at 10 O'clock. Neither you nor your
little girl had gone to bed until midnight"
! IL assure you, SIR" said Henriette, whose
heart seemed ready to burst.
"Do not deny. Your maid says other
| wise.n
"She is mistaken"
as it not more likely you who are mis-
takenp insinuated the magistrate, who
watched the visible emotion Of Henriette
with vigilant eye.
ais it possible that after all did not notice
the hour, and it may have been later than
thought"
as it TRUE that Victoria called your atten-
ton to a pistol shot near your Windows"
al do not remember it."
"And you declare that you heard nothing.
although you were SO late out Oh the
| balconyp
"Monsieur, permit me to remark" said
| Henriette, who felt that she could bear no
more, "that you question me with as much
rigidity as il l were an accomplish of this
crime There is a just limit, which beg OF
you not to pass. Your questions and your
insinuatious humiliate and fatigue me II
, you please, let this end"
II only search the light, madame" said
| Lacroix, with much gentleness, land to sur
round myself with all the witnesses that
might form my conviction. AS you wish,
madame, will Withdraw, particularly as I
have noticed for some moments that you
were profoundly agitated."
With this he saluted her coldly, but
politely, and withdrew, leaving her prey to
/ violent agitation. What to dot How hinder
Victoria from telling all she knew. How
much did she knows. Would all she pos
sessed buy her silencea Hardly knowing
what she did she rang for Victoria, but
learned that she had been ordered to go
directly to the magistrates office, where she
was now without doubt being examined by
M. Lacroix. Henriette passed over in her
mind all that had happened, and the more she
thought the greater grew her agony, for she
knew that her own denial, coupled with what
| i0ht ff,h ri l<x.
the avalanche upon her shoulders. She could
do nothing but sit in weary, dazed way,
from which even the caresses of her child
could not rouse her.
In the meantime the magistrate by threats
and promises obtained from Victoria the fact
that mother and child had been on the bal
cony. that she had heard every word they
had said as they spoke to some one to her in
visible, and who they believed to be Roger
Laroque; heard Suzanne say: "There is papa
going to see the neighbour" their apparent
agitation; and all that testimony was written
down and she was NJ ide to sign IL, and then
told not to 60 back I'd that house, but to hold
herself i'm readiness for future orders Then
III. Lacroix took all the papers he had seized
at the dend mans house and read them, after
which he made them into two packages. One
held papers of no moment, the other con-
tanned two letters only, each containing but
few lines. But in reading them Mr. La
croix could not restrain an exclamation of Joy
and surprise. These letters were dated six
and eight days back, and both addressed to
Larouette, who, according to the addresses on
the envelopes, lived at that time Rue st. Roch,
No II, in Paris, The first was as follows:
"Sir: You call upon me to pay to you 1870.
| On0 frop.,o inapad ma hxy xyy,,,s ,,ncla
Mr.. Ceestin Vaubernon, whose heir you are.
will not conceal from you that the restitu.
ton of so important a sum at the present mo.
ment will greatly embarrass me- If you will
call at my Office ut Rue St Mnur, 1 will ex'
plain to you the nature of that embarrass.
ment ROGER LARoQUE."
The other was moro laconic and even des-
perate.
"Sir: You exact your money. You have
the right to dose You can call at Rue ST.
Maur, and receive from the cashier the $780,
600 francs left by your uncle, plus the interest
which has accrued, and which paid yearly.
1t is for me almost the certainty of ruin,
bankruptcy and dishonor.
ROGER LARoouE."
M. Lacroix was convinced. At least proofs
seemed to accumulate pointing to Laroque
as the murderer. And, horrible thought the
wife and child had witnessed the crime. I he
motive was clear. Laroque had paid Larou-
cite, and to avoid ruin and bankruptcy had
planned and executed this crime
NJ Lacroix did not lose his time in useless
deductions. He felt that he nrss move
quickly to prevent Roger Laroquo from
dispensing the sum OF money he had stolen
from Larouette He took the train from Paris
and went direct to the prefecture of the
police. and they gave him two keen detectives,
Tristot and Pivolot. Then he returned to
Versailles, where he made his report to the
judge and state attorney. Then, being at
liberty to act, he shut himself up in his study
| to lay out his plans for the preliminary ex-
animation Of the inhabitants Of the Villa
Montalais.
And what was taking place at the villa
during this coming and going Of the commits
sary Of the police! Henrietta was in mortal
agony of fear since tho morning. Fever
burned in her veins. She was left in doubt
and uncertainty. Victoria did not return.
Roger did not come home at the usual hour.
Night fell and the hours dragged on. The
windows were all closed. Toward l o'clocl;
in the morning Roger returned. He came, as
he had the night before, to listen at the door of