Year: 1874

GREAT many years ago, while | was
comparatively young man and still un-
married, resided in certain city of
Penhsylvania and enjoy ed the reputation
of being the cleverest lawyer ever known
there. 1t is not for me to say the praise
was merited, but certainly found my
self able to discover loop-holes of escape
for those whom / defended which sur
prised even my fellow Lawyers. pos
sessed by nature those qualities which
would have made me an excellent detect
i've, and | was thorough student of the
law. There was no mystery about it, but
among the more ignorant classes | had
gained reputation for more than human
knowledge. Perhaps it was not polite
for them to say that the devil helped, but
they did.


However, began to tell you about
Madame Matteau.


She was an old lady who owned little
house in the suburbs of the city. She
herself was of American birth, but her
husband had been Frenchman, and so
the title Madame had been bestowed
upon her. She was now a widow, and
her daughter Gabrielle and son Henri
were her only living relatives Her in
come was but slender, and she eked it
out by taking few boarders, generally
steady old people, who had known her
for many years. These respected and
liked her, but the city generally had II
prejudice against her. There had been
two sudden deaths in her house. Each
time the victim was a stranger who came
at night and was found dead in his bed
in the morning. Each time the jury was
divided, some believing that strangula-
tion had been the cause of death, some
that the man had died in fit.


1t was a terrible thing that two such
deaths should have occurred beneath her
roof. Madame's friends pitied her. The
rest of the little world limited that these
were strangers, and that their trunks,
with no one knew what amount of money
and other valuable property, remained in
Madame's possession. No one said she
was murderess, but every one said it
was "very strange" in an odd tone, and
no one since that second death had visit
ed Madame Matteau.


myself-perhaps because | had ad-
mired her great deal, and her daughter
much more-had always insisted that it
was merely coincidence, and that in a
world in which apoplexy and heart dis
ease were so common it was no such
marvel that two men should have met
sudden deaths in the same house. But
my faith in this theory was shaken when
one morning it was published over the
city that another transient boarder had
been found dead in Madame Matteau's
house, and that she was arrested on sus-
pieion of having murdered him, his
watch and chain having been found in
her possession.


Before | had recovered from the shock
of this terrible piece of news a message
came to me from Madame Matteau. She
desired to see me. OF course l went to
her at once.


She had been taken to prison, and l
found her in little room with a barred
window and an insufficient fire upon the
hearth. The logs had burnt in two upon
the andirons, and the white ashes were
scattered over the hearth. Almost in
them sat Madame Matteau in her widows
dress of sOmber black.


She was chilly with grief and excite
ment and had drawn her chair close to
the fire.


She shook violently from head to foot,
and her face was deadly pale as she
turned 1t toward me and held out her
hand.


"Oh, thank Heaven, you have comem
ohC l. huOW 1Ou Cdu saw ulG. is
it not horrible? How could kill manY
Why should II Why do people come to
my house to dieS To die horribly, with
black faces and startling eyes, as if some
one had choked themg Ugh and he
was pretty young man the night before.
Oh, good Heaven, how horrible w


sat down beside her. l took her
hand.


MADAME Matteau," l said, abe calm
collect yourself As your lawyer, must
know all Tell me, from first to last.
what happened-what was said, what
was done. If you"


| paused; her black eyes had flashed
upon me. | could not ask her whether
she had any confession to make. saw
that she had not. Unless that she was
the best actress who ever lived, Madame
Matteau was innocent of any crime.


=" If you have any suspicious" added,
. tell them all to me-"


There is no one to suspect" sobbed
the poor woman.


In the house were Gabrielle, my
the cook; Mr.. and Mrs. Beau
in his boyhood-the best, the kindest
pSoPAV--tshAs NiaJ, a NOiJ Oiu hidui bOO
feeble to leave the house poor deformed
Miss Norman and the librarian, Mr..
Bassford None of these could or would
murder mouse. See how kind they
are; they remain in my house, they send
ne word that they have no doubt of me.
Oh, how can anybodyS"


And this man who began


Eyes" said Madame Matteau, 81 will
ell you he was fair, young, handsomely
iressed; he asked Mr. Bassford at the |
lepot If he knew of anyone who could
him. Mr. Bassford brought
him home. My only empty room was
he one in which those other two stran-
yers died, could not bear to put him in
here; but Mr.. Bassford laughed at me-
We had supper afterward. He talked a
ong while to Gabrielle. 1t was late
When he Tetired--late for q quiet house !