Causes Ceftbres. the house. All the inmates were aroused, and presently assembled in the grand salon. Then, suddenly, the Duke opened the door communicating from the salon with his wife's sleeping-chamber; he wore a gray dressinggown, and his features bore a frightened ex pression. He struck his head with his hands, repeating, " What is it? What is it? " And as he drew back, and as the light entered the chamber from a window which had just been opened, all the domestics saw the body of the Duchess lying upon the floor. Then M. de Praslin cried, " Ah, mon Dieu! mon Dieu! What a misfortune, what a misfor tune! Who could have done that? Help! help! Send for a physician!" The wife of the porter, Brifflard, ran to the Duchess. She still breathed, but in a moment all was over, life had fled. A physician arrived, but it was too late. Then the Duke, who had gone out, returned to the chamber and approached the body of his wife. "Ah, poor wife, poor wife! " he mur mured; " what monster has done this deed?" He threw himself upon the bed, uttering despairing cries : " Oh, my poor children! Who will tell them? They no longer have a mother!" A general alarm was given by the domes tics, and in a short time the officers of jus tice were at the house, and proceeded to make an examination. It was evident that the assassins could have entered the building only by the wooden stairway leading from the garden. No trace of their presence could be ascertained except a loaded pistol, the handle of which was covered with blood, and on it were found some hairs and a bit of the skin of the victim. Everything proved that the Duchess had attempted to escape from her assassin, either by rushing toward the doors to get out of the bedroom, or by endeavoring to pull the bell-ropes that her servants might come to her aid. It was thought that the first blows had been given her while in bed, and that she made her most desperate efforts near the fireplace. The murderer, necessarily covered with 23
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blood, must have left traces of it on his way; and, strange to say, that stained way was found to lead, not out of the building, but toward the apartment of the husband, the Due de Praslin. Drops and marks of blood were visible from the door of the Duchess's room to the door of the Duke's bedroom. M. de Praslin explained, with an emotion which seemed perfectly natural in the pres ence of such a frightful catastrophe, that the pistol found had been brought in by him self at the time he had heard the cries; that the traces of blood must have come from himself, after he had raised the body of his wife, and when he returned to his chamber, his hands covered with blood. Being fur ther interrogated, he stated : — "This morning, at break of day, I was awakened by cries, when I caught up a pis tol, and rushed into the chamber of Madame de Praslin. I found the Duchess seated on the floor, her head against a couch. Her face was covered with blood. I had scarce ly attempted to afford her aid, when I heard a knocking at the door communicating with the salon. I went and unbolted it, and found there my valet, my porter, and other people of the house, coming also to the assistance of the Duchess. In attending to my wife, I had stained myself with blood. My head was quite gone; I returned to my chamber and washed my hands. I endeavored to clear off with water the blood-stains upon my breast and my dressing-gown. I did so that I might not alarm my children, to whom I wished to communicate what had befallen their mother; but I had not the courage to tell them." Upon his attention being called to the hair and piece of skin sticking to the handle of the pistol, glued to it by blood, the Duke showed a moment's hesitation, but ended by saying, " I formally deny having struck Madame de Praslin with that or any other weapon. As to the hair and flesh upon the pistol, it is impossible for me to explain it!" The conviction of the magistrates was al ready formed; it was M. de Praslin who had
