The accusation1 hanging over the head of Maitre Quennebert was a very serious one, threatening his life, if proved. But he was not uneasy; he knew himself in possession of facts which would enable him to refute it triumphantly2.
The platonic3 love of Angelique de Guerchi for the handsome Chevalier de Moranges had resulted, as we have seen, in no practical wrong to the Duc de Vitry. After her reconciliation4 with her lover, brought about by the eminently5 satisfactory explanations she was able to give of her conduct, which we have already laid before our readers, she did not consider it advisable to shut her heart to his pleadings much longer, and the consequence was that at the end of a year she found herself in a condition which it was necessary to conceal6 from everyone. To Angelique herself, it is true, the position was not new, and she felt neither grief nor shame, regarding the coming event as a means of making her future more secure by forging a new link in the chain which bound the duke to her. But he, sure that but for himself Angelique would never have strayed from virtue8's path, could not endure the thought of her losing her reputation and becoming an object for scandal to point her finger at; so that Angelique, who could not well seem less careful of her good name than he, was obliged to turn his song of woe9 into a duet, and consent to certain measures being taken.
One evening, therefore, shortly before Maitre Quennebert's marriage, the fair lady set out, ostensibly on a journey which was to last a fortnight or three weeks. In reality she only made a circle in a post-chaise round Paris, which she re-entered at one of the barriers, where the duke awaited her with a sedan-chair. In this she was carried to the very house to which de Jars had brought his pretended nephew after the duel10. Angelique, who had to pay dearly for her errors, remained there only twenty-four hours, and then left in her coffin11, which was hidden in a cellar under the palace of the Prince de Conde, the body being covered with quicklime. Two days after this dreadful death, Commander de Jars presented himself at the fatal house, and engaged a room in which he installed the chevalier.
This house, which we are about to ask the reader to enter with us, stood at the corner of the rue7 de la Tixeranderie and the rue Deux-Portes. There was nothing in the exterior13 of it to distinguish it from any other, unless perhaps two brass14 plates, one of which bore the words MARIE LEROUX-CONSTANTIN, WIDOW, CERTIFIED15 MIDWIFE, and the other CLAUDE PERREGAUD, SURGEON. These plates were affixed16 to the blank wall in the rue de la Tixeranderie, the windows of the rooms on that side looking into the courtyard. The house door, which opened directly on the first steps of a narrow winding17 stair, was on the other side, just beyond the low arcade18 under whose vaulted19 roof access was gained to that end of the rue des Deux-Portes. This house, though dirty, mean, and out of repair, received many wealthy visitors, whose brilliant equipages waited for them in the neighbouring streets. Often in the night great ladies crossed its threshold under assumed names and remained there for several days, during which La Constantin and Claude Perregaud, by an infamous20 use of their professional knowledge, restored their clients to an outward appearance of honour, and enabled them to maintain their reputation for virtue. The first and second floors contained a dozen rooms in which these abominable21 mysteries were practised. The large apartment, which served as waiting and consultation22 room, was oddly furnished, being crowded with objects of strange and unfamiliar23 form. It resembled at once the operating-room of a surgeon, the laboratory of a chemist and alchemist, and the den12 of a sorcerer. There, mixed up together in the greatest confusion, lay instruments of all sorts, caldrons and retorts, as well as books containing the most absurd ravings of the human mind. There were the twenty folio volumes of Albertus Magnus; the works of his disciple24, Thomas de Cantopre, of Alchindus, of Averroes, of Avicenna, of Alchabitius, of David de Plaine-Campy, called L'Edelphe, surgeon to Louis XIII and author of the celebrated25 book The Morbific Hydra26 Exterminated27 by the Chemical Hercules. Beside a bronze head, such as the monk28 Roger Bacon possessed29, which answered all the questions that were addressed to it and foretold30 the future by means of a magic mirror and the combination of the rules of perspective, lay an eggshell, the same which had been used by Caret31, as d'Aubigne tells us, when making men out of germs, mandrakes, and crimson32 silk, over a slow fire. In the presses, which had sliding-doors fastening with secret springs, stood Jars filled with noxious33 drugs, the power of which was but too efficacious; in prominent positions, facing each other, hung two portraits, one representing Hierophilos, a Greek physician, and the other Agnodice his pupil, the first Athenian midwife.
For several years already La Constantin and Claude Perregaud had carried on their criminal practices without interference. A number of persons were of course in the secret, but their interests kept them silent, and the two accomplices35 had at last persuaded themselves that they were perfectly36 safe. One evening, however, Perregaud came home, his face distorted by terror and trembling in every limb. He had been warned while out that the suspicions of the authorities had been aroused in regard to him and La Constantin. It seemed that some little time ago, the Vicars-General had sent a deputation to the president of the chief court of justice, having heard from their priests that in one year alone six hundred women had avowed37 in the confessional that they had taken drugs to prevent their having children. This had been sufficient to arouse the vigilance of the police, who had set a watch on Perregaud's house, with the result that that very night a raid was to be made on it. The two criminals took hasty counsel together, but, as usual under such circumstances, arrived at no practical conclusions. It was only when the danger was upon them that they recovered their presence of mind. In the dead of night loud knocking at the street door was heard, followed by the command to open in the name of the king.
"We can yet save ourselves!" exclaimed surgeon, with a sudden flash of inspiration.
Rushing into the room where the pretended chevalier was lying, he called out—
"The police are coming up! If they discover your sex you are lost, and so am I. Do as I tell you."
At a sign from him, La Constantin went down and opened the door. While the rooms on the first floor were being searched, Perregaud made with a lancet a superficial incision38 in the chevalier's right arm, which gave very little pain, and bore a close resemblance to a sword-cut. Surgery and medicine were at that time so inextricably involved, required such apparatus39, and bristled40 with such scientific absurdities41, that no astonishment42 was excited by the extraordinary collection of instruments which loaded the tables and covered the floors below: even the titles of certain treatises43 which there had been no time to destroy, awoke no suspicion.
Fortunately for the surgeon and his accomplice34, they had only one patient—the chevalier—in their house when the descent was made. When the chevalier's room was reached, the first thing which the officers of the law remarked were the hat, spurred boots, and sword of the patient. Claude Perregaud hardly looked up as the room was invaded; he only made a sign to those—who came in to be quiet, and went on dressing44 the wound. Completely taken in, the officer in command merely asked the name of the patient and the cause of the wound. La Constantin replied that it' was the young Chevalier de Moranges, nephew of Commander de Jars, who had had an affair of honour that same night, and being sightly wounded had been brought thither45 by his uncle hardly an hour before. These questions and the apparently46 trustworthy replies elicited47 by them being duly taken down, the uninvited visitors retired48, having discovered nothing to justify49 their visit.
All might have been well had there been nothing the matter but the wound on the chevalier's sword-arm. But at the moment when Perregaud gave it to him the poisonous nostrums50 employed by La Constantin were already working in his blood. Violent fever ensued, and in three days the chevalier was dead. It was his funeral which had met Quennebert's wedding party at the church door.
Everything turned out as Quennebert had anticipated. Madame Quennebert, furious at the deceit which had been practised on her, refused to listen to her husband's justification51, and Trumeau, not letting the grass grow under his feet, hastened the next day to launch an accusation of bigamy against the notary52; for the paper which had been found in the nuptial53 camber was nothing less than an attested54 copy of a contract of marriage concluded between Quennebert and Josephine-Charlotte Boullenois. It was by the merest chance that Trumeau had come on the record of the marriage, and he now challenged his rival to produce a certificate of the death of his first wife. Charlotte Boullenois, after two years of marriage, had demanded a deed of separation, which demand Quennebert had opposed. While the case was going on she had retired to the convent of La Raquette, where her intrigue55 with de Jars began. The commander easily induced her to let herself be carried off by force. He then concealed56 his conquest by causing her to adopt male attire57, a mode of dress which accorded marvellously well with her peculiar58 tastes and rather masculine frame. At first Quennebert had instituted an active but fruitless search for his missing wife, but soon became habituated to his state of enforced single blessedness, enjoying to the full the liberty it brought with it. But his business had thereby59 suffered, and once having made the acquaintance of Madame Rapally, he cultivated it assiduously, knowing her fortune would be sufficient to set him straight again with the world, though he was obliged to exercise the utmost caution and reserve in has intercourse60 with her, as she on her side displayed none of these qualities. At last, however, matters came to such a pass that he must either go to prison or run the risk of a second marriage. So he reluctantly named a day for the ceremony, resolving to leave Paris with Madame Rapally as soon as he had settled with his creditors61.
In the short interval62 which ensued, and while Trumeau was hugging the knowledge of the discovery he had made, a stroke of luck had brought the pretended chevalier to La Constantin. As Quennebert had kept an eye on de Jars and was acquainted with all his movements, he was aware of everything that happened at Perregaud's, and as Charlotte's death preceded his second marriage by one day, he knew that no serious consequences would ensue from the legal proceedings63 taken against him. He produced the declarations made by Mademoiselle de Guerchi and the commander, and had the body exhumed64. Extraordinary and improbable as his defence appeared at first to be, the exhumation65 proved the truth of his assertions. These revelations, however, drew the eye of justice again on Perregaud and his partner in crime, and this time their guilt66 was brought home to them. They were condemned67 by parliamentary decree to "be hanged by the neck till they were dead, on a gallows68 erected69 for that purpose at the cross roads of the Croix-du-Trahoir; their bodies to remain there for twenty-four hours, then to be cut down and brought back to Paris, where they were to be exposed an a gibbet," etc., etc.
It was proved that they had amassed70 immense fortunes in the exercise of their infamous calling. The entries in the books seized at their house, though sparse71, would have led, if made public, to scandals, involving many in high places; it was therefore judged best to limit the accusation to the two deaths by blood-poisoning of Angelique de Querchi and Charlotte Boullenois.
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1
accusation
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| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
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triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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platonic
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| adj.精神的；柏拉图（哲学）的 | |
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reconciliation
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| n.和解，和谐，一致 | |
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eminently
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| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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10
duel
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| n./v.决斗；(双方的)斗争 | |
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coffin
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| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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exterior
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| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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15
certified
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| a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的 | |
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16
affixed
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| adj.[医]附着的，附着的v.附加( affix的过去式和过去分词 )；粘贴；加以；盖（印章） | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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18
arcade
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| n.拱廊；(一侧或两侧有商店的)通道 | |
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vaulted
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| adj.拱状的 | |
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infamous
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| adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的 | |
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21
abominable
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| adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的 | |
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consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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23
unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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disciple
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| n.信徒，门徒，追随者 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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hydra
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| n.水螅；难于根除的祸患 | |
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exterminated
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| v.消灭，根绝( exterminate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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monk
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| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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30
foretold
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| v.预言，预示( foretell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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caret
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| n.加字符号 | |
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crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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noxious
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| adj.有害的，有毒的；使道德败坏的，讨厌的 | |
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accomplice
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| n.从犯，帮凶，同谋 | |
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accomplices
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| 从犯，帮凶，同谋( accomplice的名词复数 ) | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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avowed
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| adj.公开声明的，承认的v.公开声明，承认( avow的过去式和过去分词) | |
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38
incision
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| n．切口，切开 | |
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apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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bristled
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| adj. 直立的，多刺毛的 动词bristle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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absurdities
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| n.极端无理性( absurdity的名词复数 )；荒谬；谬论；荒谬的行为 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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43
treatises
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| n.专题著作，专题论文，专著( treatise的名词复数 ) | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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45
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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46
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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47
elicited
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| 引出，探出( elicit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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48
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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49
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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50
nostrums
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| n.骗人的疗法，有专利权的药品( nostrum的名词复数 )；妙策 | |
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51
justification
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| n.正当的理由；辩解的理由 | |
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52
notary
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| n.公证人，公证员 | |
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53
nuptial
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| adj.婚姻的，婚礼的 | |
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54
attested
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| adj.经检验证明无病的，经检验证明无菌的v.证明( attest的过去式和过去分词 )；证实；声称…属实；使宣誓 | |
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55
intrigue
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| vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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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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thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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creditors
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| n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 ) | |
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62
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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64
exhumed
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| v.挖出，发掘出( exhume的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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exhumation
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| n.掘尸，发掘；剥璐 | |
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66
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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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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gallows
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| n.绞刑架，绞台 | |
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ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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amassed
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| v.积累，积聚( amass的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sparse
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| adj.稀疏的，稀稀落落的，薄的 | |
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