As we were still talking about Pranzini, M. Maloureau, who had been attorney general under the Empire, said: “Oh! I formerly1 knew a very curious affair, curious for several reasons, as you will see.
“I was at that time imperial attorney in one of the provinces. I had to take up the case which has remained famous under the name of the Moiron case.
“Monsieur Moiron, who was a teacher in the north of France, enjoyed an excellent reputation throughout the whole country. He was a person of intelligence, quiet, very religious, a little taciturn; he had married in the district of Boislinot, where he exercised his profession. He had had three children, who had died of consumption, one after the other. From this time he seemed to bestow2 upon the youngsters confided3 to his care all the tenderness of his heart. With his own money he bought toys for his best scholars and for the good boys; he gave them little dinners and stuffed them with delicacies4, candy and cakes: Everybody loved this good man with his big heart, when suddenly five of his pupils died, in a strange manner, one after the other. It was supposed that there was an epidemic5 due to the condition of the water, resulting from drought; they looked for the causes without being able to discover them, the more so that the symptoms were so peculiar6. The children seemed to be attacked by a feeling of lassitude; they would not eat, they complained of pains in their stomachs, dragged along for a short time, and died in frightful7 suffering.
“A post-mortem examination was held over the last one, but nothing was discovered. The vitals were sent to Paris and analyzed8, and they revealed the presence of no toxic9 substance.
“For a year nothing new developed; then two little boys, the best scholars in the class, Moiron's favorites, died within four days of each other. An examination of the bodies was again ordered, and in both of them were discovered tiny fragments of crushed glass. The conclusion arrived at was that the two youngsters must imprudently have eaten from some carelessly cleaned receptacle. A glass broken over a pail of milk could have produced this frightful accident, and the affair would have been pushed no further if Moiron's servant had not been taken sick at this time. The physician who was called in noticed the same symptoms he had seen in the children. He questioned her and obtained the admission that she had stolen and eaten some candies that had been bought by the teacher for his scholars.
“On an order from the court the schoolhouse was searched, and a closet was found which was full of toys and dainties destined10 for the children. Almost all these delicacies contained bits of crushed glass or pieces of broken needles!
“Moiron was immediately arrested; but he seemed so astonished and indignant at the suspicion hanging over him that he was almost released. How ever, indications of his guilt11 kept appearing, and baffled in my mind my first conviction, based on his excellent reputation, on his whole life, on the complete absence of any motive12 for such a crime.
“Why should this good, simple, religious man have killed little children, and the very children whom he seemed to love the most, whom he spoiled and stuffed with sweet things, for whom he spent half his salary in buying toys and bonbons13?
“One must consider him insane to believe him guilty of this act. Now, Moiron seemed so normal, so quiet, so rational and sensible that it seemed impossible to adjudge him insane.
“However, the proofs kept growing! In none of the candies that were bought at the places where the schoolmaster secured his provisions could the slightest trace of anything suspicious be found.
“He then insisted that an unknown enemy must have opened his cupboard with a false key in order to introduce the glass and the needles into the eatables. And he made up a whole story of an inheritance dependent on the death of a child, determined14 on and sought by some peasant, and promoted thus by casting suspicions on the schoolmaster. This brute15, he claimed, did not care about the other children who were forced to die as well.
“The story was possible. The man appeared to be so sure of himself and in such despair that we should undoubtedly16 have acquitted17 him, notwithstanding the charges against him, if two crushing discoveries had not been made, one after the other.
“The first one was a snuffbox full of crushed glass; his own snuffbox, hidden in the desk where he kept his money!
“He explained this new find in an acceptable manner, as the ruse18 of the real unknown criminal. But a mercer from Saint-Marlouf came to the presiding judge and said that a gentleman had several times come to his store to buy some needles; and he always asked for the thinnest needles he could find, and would break them to see whether they pleased him. The man was brought forward in the presence of a dozen or more persons, and immediately recognized Moiron. The inquest revealed that the schoolmaster had indeed gone into Saint-Marlouf on the days mentioned by the tradesman.
“I will pass over the terrible testimony19 of children on the choice of dainties and the care which he took to have them eat the things in his presence, and to remove the slightest traces.
“Public indignation demanded capital punishment, and it became more and more insistent20, overturning all objections.
“Moiron was condemned21 to death, and his appeal was rejected. Nothing was left for him but the imperial pardon. I knew through my father that the emperor would not grant it.
“One morning, as I was working in my study, the visit of the prison almoner was announced. He was an old priest who knew men well and understood the habits of criminals. He seemed troubled, ill at ease, nervous. After talking for a few minutes about one thing and another, he arose and said suddenly: 'If Moiron is executed, monsieur, you will have put an innocent man to death.'
“Then he left without bowing, leaving me behind with the deep impression made by his words. He had pronounced them in such a sincere and solemn manner, opening those lips, closed and sealed by the secret of confession22, in order to save a life.
“An hour later I left for Paris, and my father immediately asked that I be granted an audience with the emperor.
“The following day I was received. His majesty23 was working in a little reception room when we were introduced. I described the whole case, and I was just telling about the priest's visit when a door opened behind the sovereign's chair and the empress, who supposed he was alone, appeared. His majesty, Napoleon, consulted her. As soon as she had heard the matter, she exclaimed: 'This man must be pardoned. He must, since he is innocent.'
“Why did this sudden conviction of a religious woman cast a terrible doubt in my mind?
“Until then I had ardently24 desired a change of sentence. And now I suddenly felt myself the toy, the dupe of a cunning criminal who had employed the priest and confession as a last means of defence.
“I explained my hesitancy to their majesties25. The emperor remained undecided, urged on one side by his natural kindness and held back on the other by the fear of being deceived by a criminal; but the empress, who was convinced that the priest had obeyed a divine inspiration, kept repeating: 'Never mind! It is better to spare a criminal than to kill an innocent man!' Her advice was taken. The death sentence was commuted26 to one of hard labor27.
“A few years later I heard that Moiron had again been called to the emperor's attention on account of his exemplary conduct in the prison at Toulon and was now employed as a servant by the director of the penitentiary28.
“For a long time I heard nothing more of this man. But about two years ago, while I was spending a summer near Lille with my cousin, De Larielle, I was informed one evening, just as we were sitting down to dinner, that a young priest wished to speak to me.
“I had him shown in and he begged me to come to a dying man who desired absolutely to see me. This had often happened to me in my long career as a magistrate29, and, although I had been set aside by the Republic, I was still often called upon in similar circumstances. I therefore followed the priest, who led me to a miserable30 little room in a large tenement31 house.
“There I found a strange-looking man on a bed of straw, sitting with his back against the wall, in order to get his breath. He was a sort of skeleton, with dark, gleaming eyes.
“As soon as he saw me, he murmured: 'Don't you recognize me?'
“'No.'
“'I am Moiron.'
“I felt a shiver run through me, and I asked 'The schoolmaster?'
“'Yes.'
“'How do you happen to be here?'
“'The story is too long. I haven't time to tell it. I was going to die —and that priest was brought to me—and as I knew that you were here I sent for you. It is to you that I wish to confess—since you were the one who once saved my life.'
“His hands clutched the straw of his bed through the sheet and he continued in a hoarse32, forcible and low tone: 'You see—I owe you the truth—I owe it to you—for it must be told to some one before I leave this earth.
“'It is I who killed the children—all of them. I did it—for revenge!
“'Listen. I was an honest, straightforward33, pure man—adoring God—this good Father—this Master who teaches us to love, and not the false God, the executioner, the robber, the murderer who governs the earth. I had never done any harm; I had never committed an evil act. I was as good as it is possible to be, monsieur.
“'I married and had children, and I loved them as no father or mother ever loved their children. I lived only for them. I was wild about them. All three of them died! Why? why? What had I done? I was rebellious34, furious; and suddenly my eyes were opened as if I were waking up out of a sleep. I understood that God is bad. Why had He killed my children? I opened my eyes and saw that He loves to kill. He loves only that, monsieur. He gives life but to destroy it! God, monsieur, is a murderer! He needs death every day. And He makes it of every variety, in order the better to be amused. He has invented sickness and accidents in order to give Him diversion all through the months and the years; and when He grows tired of this, He has epidemics35, the plague, cholera36, diphtheria, smallpox37, everything possible! But this does not satisfy Him; all these things are too similar; and so from time to time He has wars, in order to see two hundred thousand soldiers killed at once, crushed in blood and in the mud, blown apart, their arms and legs torn off, their heads smashed by bullets, like eggs that fall on the ground.
“'But this is not all. He has made men who eat each other. And then, as men become better than He, He has made beasts, in order to see men hunt them, kill them and eat them. That is not all. He has made tiny little animals which live one day, flies who die by the millions in one hour, ants which we are continually crushing under our feet, and so many, many others that we cannot even imagine. And all these things are continually killing38 each other and dying. And the good Lord looks on and is amused, for He sees everything, the big ones as well as the little ones, those who are in the drops of water and those in the other firmaments. He watches them and is amused. Wretch39!
“'Then, monsieur, I began to kill children. I played a trick on Him. He did not get those. It was not He, but I! And I would have killed many others, but you caught me. There!
“'I was to be executed. I! How He would have laughed! Then I asked for a priest, and I lied. I confessed to him. I lied and I lived.
“'Now, all is over. I can no longer escape from Him. I no longer fear Him, monsieur; I despise Him too much.'
“This poor wretch was frightful to see as he lay there gasping40, opening an enormous mouth in order to utter words which could scarcely be heard, his breath rattling41, picking at his bed and moving his thin legs under a grimy sheet as though trying to escape.
“'You have nothing more to say?' I asked.
“'No, monsieur.'
“'Then, farewell.'
“'Farewell, monsieur, till some day——'
“I turned to the ashen-faced priest, whose dark outline stood out against the wall, and asked: 'Are you going to stay here, Monsieur l'Abbe?'
“'Yes.'
“I had had enough of this. I opened the door and ran away.”
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1
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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delicacies
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| n.棘手( delicacy的名词复数 )；精致；精美的食物；周到 | |
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epidemic
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| n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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analyzed
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| v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析 | |
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toxic
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| adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的 | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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bonbons
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| n.小糖果( bonbon的名词复数 ) | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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acquitted
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| 宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现 | |
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ruse
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| n.诡计，计策；诡计 | |
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testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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insistent
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| adj.迫切的，坚持的 | |
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condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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ardently
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| adv.热心地，热烈地 | |
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majesties
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| n.雄伟( majesty的名词复数 )；庄严；陛下；王权 | |
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commuted
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| 通勤( commute的过去式和过去分词 )； 减（刑）； 代偿 | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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penitentiary
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| n.感化院；监狱 | |
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magistrate
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| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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tenement
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| n.公寓；房屋 | |
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hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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straightforward
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| adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的 | |
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rebellious
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| adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的 | |
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epidemics
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| n．流行病 | |
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cholera
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| n.霍乱 | |
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smallpox
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| n.天花 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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43
sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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