BUNERAT. You know, my dear Vagret, I'm a plain speaker. No shilly-shallying about me. When I hunt the boar I charge right down on him. I speak plainly--anyone can know what's in my mind. I'm the son of a peasant, I am, and I make no bones about it. Well, it seems to me that your Bar--I know, of course, that you lead it with distinguished integrity and honesty--but it seems to me--how shall I put it?--that it's getting weak. Mouzon, you will remember, said the same thing when he was consulting the statistics. MOUZON. It really is a very bad year. BUNERAT. You know it was a question of making ourselves an exception to the general rule--of getting our Court raised to a higher class. Well, Mauleon won't be raised from the third class to the second if the number of causes diminishes. MOUZON. We should have to prove that we had been extremely busy. BUNERAT. And many of the cases you settled by arrangement might well have been the subject of proceedings. MOUZON. Just reflect that this year we have awarded a hundred and eighteen years less imprisonment than we did last year! BUNERAT. And yet the Court has not been to blame. We safeguard the interests of society with the greatest vigilance. MOUZON. But before we can punish you must give us prisoners. VAGRET. I have recently issued the strictest orders respecting the repression of smuggling offences, which are so common in these parts. BUNERAT. Well, that's something. You understand the point of view we take. It's a question of the safety of the public, my dear fellow. MOUZON. We are falling behind other Courts of the same class. See, I've worked out the figures. [_He takes a paper from his pocket-book and accidentally drops other papers, which La Bouzole picks up_] I see-- LA BOUZOLE. You are dropping your papers, Mouzon. Is this yours--this envelope? [_He reads_] "Monsieur Benoit, Officer of the Navy, Railway Hotel, Bordeaux." A nice scent-- MOUZON [_flurried, taking the letter from La Bouzole_] Yes--a letter belonging to a friend of mine. LA BOUZOLE. And this? The Irissary murder? MOUZON. Ah, yes--it's--I was going to explain--it's--oh, the Irissary murder, yes--it's the translation Bunerat gave me of the article which appeared in the _Eskual Herria_ to-day. It is extremely unpleasant. They say Mauleon is a sort of penal Court--something like a Biribi of the magistracy. VAGRET. But, after all, I can't invent a murderer for you just because the fellow is so pig-headed that he won't allow himself to be taken! Delorme has sent the description they gave us to the offices of all the magistrates. MOUZON. Delorme! Shall I tell you what I think? Well, our colleague Delorme is making a mistake in sticking to the idea that the criminal is a tramp. VAGRET. But there is a witness. MOUZON. The witness is lying, or he's mistaken. BUNERAT. A witness who saw gipsies leaving the victim's house that morning. MOUZON. I repeat, the witness is lying, or he is mistaken. VAGRET. Why so?