Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-02-02

That very well, BernaruCt linen, as
time passes, they become i'll measure
calm and meek as little lambs; then
they whimper and confess Dantin will
do as all the others have done. For the
moment no bowls about his innocence
and will threaten us, you will see with
summons from the chamber. That is
of no importance.
The chief then gave the officer some
instructions. He need not trouble him
self any moro just now about the Dan
tin affair, but attend to another matter
Of less importance, a trivial affair Aft
or the murder and his experiences at the
mOrgue this matter seemed low one to
Bcrnardct But each duty has its antit
esis. The police officer put into this
petty affair of II theft the same zeal, the
same sharp attention, with which he had
investigated the crime of tho Boulevard
dc Clichy 1t was his profession.
Bunardct started out on his quest. 1t
was near the Lallus (markcts) that he
had to work tins time The suspected
man was probably one of the rascals
who prowl about day and night, living
on adventures, and without any home /;
sleeping ulIer bridges or III one Of the
novels on tine outskirts of the Rue dc
Ncnlsc, where vice, distress and crime
0Ourished.
Ecrnardet first questioned the owner
Of the stolen property, obtained all the
information which he could about the
suspected man, and, with his keen
scent fer criminal aroused, he glanced
at nythiuG-rcn, things, objects that
wuuld have escaped less practicCd eye
lie was walking slowly along toward
the Pcrmancnce, looking kcenly at the
plsSgrsby, the articles in the shops the
various movements in the streets, to
SEQ If he could get a hint upon which to
work
1t was his habit to thus make use of
/ his walks In Il promenade he had more
than once met client. past or future.
The boys fled before his piercing eyes,
before this fat, jolly little man with
,ho hooking smile which showed I'M
ticr his red n4uStache. This fri ght which
he inspired made him laugh inwardly.
He knew that he was respected, that he
was feared. Among all these passcrsby
who jostlcd him without knowing that
he was watching them he was pow
or, an unknown but sovereign power.
He walked along with short. quick steps
ana WatchIul eyes, very muCu prcOcCu-
pied with this affair, thinking of tho
wor HESS person for whom he was seek
ing but he stopped occasionally to look
a the wares spread out in some brio a.
brac shop on in some bookstore window.
This also was his habit and his method
He ran his eye over the illustrated pa
.crs lying IN row in 'front.' over tho
socialistic placards, the songbools. He
kept himself an courant with every
thing which was thought, seen, pro-
claimed and sung
"WLen one governs, thought Ber-
nardct, zone q ght to have the habit of
going afoOt in the street. Ono can learn
nothing from the depths Of a coupe
driven by IA coachman wearing a tricol-
orCd ccclalc" He was going to the
prefecture, the Pcrmancncc when III
the Rue DIES Bons- Enfunts he was in
stinctivcly attracted TO Il shop window
where rusty old arms, tattcrcd uniforms,
worn shakos, garlHOnts without value,
smoky pictures, yellowcd engravings and
chance ornaments, rare old copies Of
books, old romances, ancient books
with eaten bindings, mass Of disSim-
liar ohiects-lost keys belt buckles,
abolished medals, battered sous-worc
miXed together i'll an oblong space is il
sort of trough.
On either side of this shop window
hung some soilcd uniforms, Il zouave's
vest, an acldcmician' old habit, lugu
brious with its cmbroideries Of green, {
SOiled costume which had been worn hy
some Pirrrut at the carnival. 1t was
in all its sad irony, the vulgar "haut
me down that - which makes one thinl
Of that other morgue where the cloth
ing mas been rejected by the living o.
abandoned by the dead
i3ernardet was neither Of molan
Choly temperament nor u dreamer, ant
he did not give much time to the tear
tul side nf the question, hut he was pos
sosSoi If raVenOus curiosity, and Tx
sight, however frequent, Of that shol
window always attracted him. With
moreover, that sort Of magnetism Whici
the scarchers, great or small, intuitive
~ feCl--a collector of kniCkknacks
discoveries Of unknown countries, boOl;
, worms bent over the volumes at sou
apiece or chemists crouchCd over re
tort-Bornardet had been suddenly at
, tractcd by Il portrait, exposed as an oh
jcct rarcr than the others, III the mids
of this detritus Of abandoned luxury o
Of past military glory,
Yes, among the tobacco boxes, tn
belt buckle, the Turkish poniard
watches with broken cases, common
place Japanese ornaments, Il painting
oval in form, lay there-a sort of larg
, medallion without frame, and at fins
=, sight, by singular attraction, it drew
!. and held the attention Of the polio
officer
"Ah!' said Bornardct ont loud, "bu
this is singular
, He leaned forward until his nos
, touched the cold glass and peered fixed
, ly at the picture, This painting, Il
large as one hand, was the portrait q
Il man, and Bernardet fully believed II
the first look he recognized the porso
, whom the painter had reproduced
, As his shadow fell across the windoN
Bcrnardct could not distinctly see tn
painting, for it was not directly in til
front line Of articles displayed, and h
. stepped to one side to see if he could e
y II better view. Assurcdly, there coul
be no doubt, the oval painting was Gel