“What do you mean by that?” “Nothing beyond my words, your Honour, Have I your permission to retire?” “No, remain; you are pretending not to understand.” “I do not understand these insinuations so covertly made.” Monsieur de Lamotte rose, exclaiming— “Insinuations! What more can I say to compel you to answer? My wife and son have disappeared. It is untrue that, as you pretend, they have been at Versailles. You deceived me at Buisson-Souef, just as you are deceiving me now, as you are endeavouring to deceive justice by inventing fresh lies. Where are they? What has become of them? I am tormented by all the fears possible to a husband and father; I imagine all the most terrible misfortunes, and I accuse you to your face of having caused their death! Is this sufficient, or do you still accuse me of covert insinuations?” Derues turned to the magistrate. “Is this charge enough to place me in the position of a criminal if I do not give a satisfactory explanation?” “Certainly; you should have thought of that sooner.” “Then,” he continued, addressing Monsieur de Lamotte, “I understand you persist in this odious accusation?” “I certainly persist in it.” “You have forgotten our friendship, broken all bonds between us: I am in your eyes only a miserable assassin? You consider my silence as guilty, you will ruin me if I do not speak?” “It is true.” “There is still time for reflection; consider what you are doing; I will forget your insults and your anger. Your trouble is great enough without my reproaches being added to it. But you desire that I should speak, you desire it absolutely?” “I do desire it.” “Very well, then; it shall be as you wish.” Derues surveyed Monsieur de Lamotte with a look which seemed to say, “I pity you.” He then added, with a sigh— “I am now ready to answer. Your Honour, will you have the kindness to resume my examination?” Derues had succeeded in taking up an advantageous position. If he had begun narrating the extraordinary romance he had invented, the least penetrating eye must have perceived its improbability, and one would have felt it required some support at every turn. But since he had resisted being forced to tell it, and apparently only ceded to Monsieur de Lamotte’s violent persistency, the situation was changed; and this refusal to speak, coming from a man who thereby compromised his personal safety, took the semblance of generosity, and was likely to arouse the magistrate’s curiosity and prepare his mind for unusual and mysterious revelations. This was exactly what Derues wanted, and he awaited the interrogation with calm and tranquillity. “Why did you leave Paris?” the magistrate demanded a second time. “I have already had the honour to inform you that important business necessitated my absence.” “But you refused to explain the nature of this business. Do you still persist in this refusal?” “For the moment, yes. I will explain it later.” “Where have you been? Whence do you return?”