Death -- Fiction; France -- Fiction; Villages -- France -- Fiction
When the names inscribed on the general roll of jurors for the coming
assizes were made public, there was a fresh outburst of violence and
intrigue. The most terrible pressure was brought to bear on the persons
who were likely to serve; so that nobody might remain ignorant of
their names and addresses _Le Petit Beaumontais_ printed them, thus
designating them to the fury of the crowd in the event of their failing
to convict the prisoner. They received anonymous letters, they were
upset by strange visitors, they were begged to think of their wives and
children. In the drawing-rooms of the Avenue des Jaffres people amused
themselves with elaborate calculations, passing in review the more
or less certain opinions of each individual juror. Would such a one
convict or would he not? The question became a society pastime.
At beautiful Madame Lemarrois' house each Saturday, her day, nothing
else was spoken of. All the ladies came: Générale Jarousse, who,
although lean, ugly, and dusky, was said to be abominably unfaithful
to the general, her husband; Présidente Gragnon, who, still superb and
languishing, fascinated the young Assessors of the Public Prosecution
Service; Préfete Hennebise, who, like an artful and prudent Parisienne,
spoke little and listened a great deal; together with the eager Madame
Daix, the Investigating Magistrate's wife, and at times even Madame
de La Bissonnière, the Prosecutor's spouse, though she, gentle and
retiring in her ways, seldom went into society. The ladies had all
attended a great fête given at La Désirade by the Sanglebœufs in
accordance with the advice of Baron Nathan, who had prevailed on his
daughter to shake off her indolence and place herself, like others
of her sex, at the service of the good cause. The part which women
played in the affair was indeed an influential one: they were worth an
army, said young Deputy Marcilly, who, waiting to see on which side
victory would rest, comported himself as a Simonist with some and as an
anti-Simonist with others.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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