(French dramatist, born 1858; author of a series of powerful dramas exposing the sources of corruption in French social, political and business life. The present play has for its theme the law as a snare for the feet of the poor and friendless. The principal character is a government prosecuting attorney, driven by professional ambition and jealousy, and the nagging of his wife and daughters. A murder has been committed, and the newspapers are scolding because the criminal has not been caught. Suspicion falls upon a poor wretch of a smuggler, who is hounded and bullied into incriminating himself. At the last moment, when the case is in the hands of the jury, the prosecuting attorney's conscience is troubled, and he realizes that he is sending an innocent man to the gallows) MME. VAGRET:--But--these circumstances, how could you have ignored them up to now? VAGRET (_his head bowed_):--You think I have ignored them?--Would I dare to tell you all? I am not a bad man, you'd grant? I wouldn't desire that anyone should suffer through my fault. Well!--Oh! but how it shames me to confess it, to say it aloud, after having confessed it to myself! Well! When I studied this case, I had got it so fixed in my head, in advance, that this fellow Etchepare was a criminal, that when an argument in his favor presented itself to my mind, I kept it away from me, shrugging my shoulders. As to the facts about which I am telling you, and from which suddenly my doubt has been born--at first I sought only to prove to myself that these facts were false, taking, in the testimony of the witnesses, only what would combat their exactness, repelling all the rest, with a frightful _naiveté_ in my bad faith.--And in the end, to dissipate my last scruples, I said to myself, like you: "It is the affair of the defense, not mine!" Listen and see to just what point the exercise of the profession of prosecutor renders us unjust and cruel; I had, myself--I had a thrill of joy at first, when I saw that the judge, in his questioning, left in the shadow the sum of those little facts. There, that is the trade! you understand, the trade! Ah! poor creatures that we are, poor creatures! MME. VAGRET:--Possibly the jury may not condemn him? VAGRET:--It will condemn him. MME. VAGRET:--Or that it will admit some extenuating circumstances. VAGRET:--No. I urged them too emphatically against this. Was I not ardent enough, my God! violent enough? MME. VAGRET:--That's true. Why should you have developed your argument with so much passion?