登陆注册
5189100000081

第81章

"Do you know," asked he, "to whom Sauvresy confided them for keeping?""Ah," cried the detective, as if a sudden idea had enlightened him, "it was you."He added to himself, "Now, my good man, I begin to see where all your information comes from.""Yes, it was I," resumed M.Plantat."On the day of the marriage of Madame Sauvresy and Count Hector, in conformity with the last wishes of my dying friend, I went to Valfeuillu and asked to see Monsieur and Madame de Tremorel.Although they were full of company, they received me at once in the little room on the ground-floor where Sauvresy was murdered.They were both very pale and terribly troubled.They evidently guessed the purpose of my visit, for they lost no time in admitting me to an interview.After saluting them I addressed myself to Bertha, being enjoined to do so by the written instructions I had received; this was another instance of Sauvresy's foresight.'Madame,' said I, 'I was charged by your late husband to hand to you, on the day of your second marriage, this package, which he confided to my care.' She took the package, in which the bottle and the manuscript were enclosed, with a smiling, even joyous air, thanked me warmly, and went out.

The count's expression instantly changed; he appeared very restless and agitated; he seemed to be on coals.I saw well enough that he burned to rush after his wife, but dared not; I was going to retire;but he stopped me.'Pardon me,' said he, abruptly, 'you will permit me, will you not? I will return immediately,' with which he ran out.When I saw him and his wife a few minutes afterward, they were both very red; their eyes had a strange expression and their voices trembled, as they accompanied me to the door.They had certainly been having a violent altercation.""The rest may he conjectured," interrupted M.Lecoq."She had gone to secrete the manuscript in some safe place; and when her new husband asked her to give it up to him, she replied, 'Look for it.'""Sauvresy had enjoined on me to give it only into her hands.""Oh, he knew how to work his revenge.He had it given to his wife so that she might hold a terrible arm against Tremorel, all ready to crush him.If he revolted, she always had this instrument of torture at hand.Ah, the man was a miserable wretch, and she must have made him suffer terribly.""Yes," said Dr.Gendron, "up to the very day he killed her."The detective had resumed his promenade up and down the library.

"The question as to the poison," said he, " remains.It is a simple one to resolve, because we've got the man who sold it to her in that closet."Besides," returned the doctor," I can tell something about the poison.This rascal of a Robelot stole it from my laboratory, and I know only too well what it is, even if the symptoms, so well described by our friend Plantat, had not indicated its name to me.

I was at work upon aconite when Sauvresy died; and he was poisoned with aconitine.""Ah, with aconitine," said M.Lecoq, surprised."It's the first time that I ever met with that poison.Is it a new thing?""Not exactly.Medea is said to have extracted her deadliest poisons from aconite, and it was employed in Rome and Greece in criminal executions.""And I did not know of it! But I have very little time to study.

Besides, this poison of Medea's was perhaps lost, as was that of the Borgias; so many of these things are!""No, it was not lost, be assured.But we only know of it nowadays by Mathiole's experiments on felons sentenced to death, in the sixteenth century; by Hers, who isolated the active principle, the alkaloid, in 1833 and lastly by certain experiments made by Bouchardat, who pretends - "Unfortunately, when Dr.Gendron was set agoing on poisons, it was difficult to stop him; but M.Lecoq, on the other hand, never lost sight of the end he had in view.

"Pardon me for interrupting you, Doctor," said he."But would traces of aconitine be found in a body which had been two years buried? For Monsieur Domini is going to order the exhumation of Sauvresy.""The tests of aconitine are not sufficiently well known to permit of the isolation of it in a body.Bouchardat tried ioduret of potassium, but his experiment was not successful.""The deuce!" said M.Lecoq."That's annoying."The doctor smiled benignly.

"Reassure yourself," said he."No such process was in existence - so I invented one.""Ah," cried Plantat."Your sensitive paper!""Precisely."

"And could you find aconitine in Sauvresy's body?""Undoubtedly."

M.Lecoq was radiant, as if he were now certain of fulfilling what had seemed to him a very difficult task.

"Very well," said he."Our inquest seems to be complete.The history of the victims imparted to us by Monsieur Plantat gives us the key to all the events which have followed the unhappy Sauvresy's death.Thus, the hatred of this pair, who were in appearance so united, is explained; and it is also clear why Hector has ruined a charming young girl with a splendid dowry, instead of making her his wife.There is nothing surprising in Tremorel's casting aside his name and personality to reappear under another guise; he killed his wife because he was constrained to do so by the logic of events.He could not fly while she was alive, and yet he could not continue to live at Valfeuillu.And above all, the paper for which he searched with such desperation, when every moment was an affair of life and death to him, was none other than Sauvresy's manuscript, his condemnation and the proof of his first crime.

M.Lecoq talked eagerly, as if he had a personal animosity against the Count de Tremorel; such was his nature; and he always avowed laughingly that he could not help having a grudge against the criminals whom he purstied.There was an account to settle between him and them; hence the ardor of his pursuit.Perhaps it was a simple matter of instinct with him, like that which impels the hunting hound on the track of his game.

同类推荐
  • 宝镜三昧原宗辨谬说

    宝镜三昧原宗辨谬说

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Black Rock

    Black Rock

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 华严一乘教义分齐章科

    华严一乘教义分齐章科

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • In a Hollow of the Hills

    In a Hollow of the Hills

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说济诸方等学经一卷

    佛说济诸方等学经一卷

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • Her Prairie Knight

    Her Prairie Knight

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 豪门平凡女

    豪门平凡女

    “乔总,麻烦让让,苏琛还在等我。”夏落终于开口,可她的语气却还是那么生硬,脸上也是不做任何掩饰的着急。乔总?苏琛?“呵。”乔安的嘴里吐出一声低笑,嘴角斜斜的勾了一下,只是脸上的每一处弧度那么浅。“你急什么?男人等女人不是天经地义么?咱们旧情人叙叙旧也是应该的,他应该体谅的不是?”他都已经这么放低,她凭什么?当初背弃他们的人是她,她现在还凭什么还用这副嘴脸对待他?一句话,……
  • 重生九八做星嫂

    重生九八做星嫂

    【影帝老公VS小娇妻】叶欣被丈夫砸死,带着空间重生了,回到了十八岁。重活一次,叶欣再也不会听从父母的安排嫁给渣男,果断地嫁给了前世错过的邻村大哥哥,一代影帝——墨斌,不离不弃,做老公背后的贤内助。这一世,除了夫妻恩爱,还要利用空间做生意,把日子过得红红火火。白莲花抢她的男人,前世的丈夫纠缠不断,老娘前世软弱,眼睛瞎,今生眼明心亮,是人是鬼,看得非常清楚,有的是手段对付白莲花和渣男!别人敬她一尺,她会敬人一丈,如果有人存心不良想针对她,刁难她,叶欣会毫不客气地反击,谁敢抢她的老公,定会让那人后悔终生,甚至是连后悔的机会都没有。……记者问:墨天王,传闻你被富婆包养,是真的吗?如果是真的,能透露一下她是谁吗?墨斌答:是真的,她说会养我一辈子,我说一辈子不够,你得养我生生世世,她是我的妻子,也是我的第一个粉丝。墨天王结婚了!记者哗然,荧幕前的女粉丝纷纷捶胸顿足。
  • 永恒的伊甸园:正说古代巴比伦文明

    永恒的伊甸园:正说古代巴比伦文明

    古代文明探索之旅系列丛书发现古老的文明,探寻逝去的记忆,掀开古 代世界神秘的面纱,介绍古代文明的政治军事和社会生活的发展,展示各大 文明的经济、文化、艺术和科学的辉煌,带你领略几千年前古代人类的风采 ,充分了解人类无穷的智慧和叹为观止的成就……  拨开历史的层层迷 雾,人类文明之谜向你娓娓道来!
  • 左传(全集)

    左传(全集)

    《左传》原名《左氏春秋》,又名《春秋左氏传》,简称《左传》,相传是春秋末期鲁国史官左丘明以孔子的《春秋》为蓝本而作。全书约十八万字,广泛地记载了春秋时期各诸侯国的政治、军事、外交等方面的活动,是研究先秦历史和春秋时期历史的重要文献,对后世的史学产生了很大影响,特别是对确立编年体史书的地位起了很大作用。本书对《左传》里的一些经典篇目加以简明的注释,还给每篇作品都写了题解及评析,介绍事件的来龙去脉、相关背景,间或也作一些文学评点,以便读者更好地了解这部古典名著。
  • 幸福甜婚

    幸福甜婚

    办喜事都是比较热闹的,尤其是当地的一个大家族,当姑娘准备嫁人时,总会准备很多东西,比如礼物啊红包啊一类的,过程中少不了吵吵闹闹,甚至有些许的纷争,但这还是很温馨的故事。
  • 绝色男修皆炉顶

    绝色男修皆炉顶

    一觉醒来,来到神异莫测的修仙世界,但却成了一个被抛弃的炮灰正道女修士……幸好有俊男仙灵图在手,内蕴空间,每吸收一名俊男的阳元,就能提升功能,凑齐三十六位顶级美男,将会成为真正的仙器!为了在残酷的修仙世界生存下来,某女决定丢掉节操,坑蒙拐骗,偷取美男的真心,夺取阳元……炮灰终有逆袭时,只为成仙渡长生!
  • 上清太极隐注玉经宝诀

    上清太极隐注玉经宝诀

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 爱你生命的每一天

    爱你生命的每一天

    《爱你生命的每一天》是“茅盾文学奖获奖者散文丛书”之一,这套丛书共收入了8位茅盾文学奖获得者的8部散文集,包括李国文的《历史的真相》、陈忠实的《俯仰关中》、刘心武的《人情似纸》、宗璞的《二十四番花信》、迟子建的《我对黑暗的柔情》、周大新的《我们会遇到什么》、熊召政的《醉里挑灯看剑》和刘玉民的《爱你生命的每一天》。这套丛书是国内第一次将多位茅盾文学奖获奖者的散文以丛书的形式集中呈现,反映了他们散文创作的主要成就和独特风格。
  • 大乘法苑义林章

    大乘法苑义林章

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。