Monsieur Lecoq, v.1

sed either to eat or drink. Anxiety, hope, and even fatigue itself, had imparted to his body the fictitious stre

than fiction. Here was reality-a terrible reality personified by the corpses of three victims lying on the marble slabs at the Morgue. Still, if the catastrophe itself

ere shared by the officials at the prison; the latter stood alone. Again, the former's opinion was based upon formidable proof, the evidence of sight; while

tter not only refused to confess, but answered all the questions put to him in the most evasive fashion. In several instances, moreover, he had not replied at all. If the magistr

nal act, they are sometimes seized with a wild frenzy and suffer repeated nervous attacks; at others they fall into a dull stupor, just as some glutted beast succumbs to sleep with the blood of his

ent of frenzy, commits a crime, not unfrequently seeks

q's theory. This wretched man's secret must be a terrible one since he held it dearer than

ather was still cold and muggy; and a thick fog hung over the city. But the young detective was too engrossed with his own thoughts to pay attention to any atmospherical unpleas

had come to cast his nets round about the markets, whence the p

coq," continued the inspector; "you are still tr

l try

in disguise, or

ther, I am qu

ou will not refuse us the oppor

save me a long walk. I was going to the prefecture to request you, on M. d'Escorval's behalf, to send one of our comrades to the Morgue this morning. The affair at the

sinthe shall be there

s a mockery. Still Lecoq did not protest, for it was better to be badly

ou should have informed me of this last evening. H

ome work

es

ow whether the floor of the cell was paved or tiled." So saying,

A B C of his profession. When he can't discover anything, he invents wonderful stories, and then misleads the magistrates with his high-

crushing proofs that often suffice to extort from the most obstinate criminal a complete confession. If Lecoq was in haste to part company with Gevrol, it was because he was anxious to pursue his investigations still further, before appearing in M. d'Escorval's presence

ance. Moreover, the owner refused to show him the books upon which are recorded-or should be recorded-each driver's daily engagements. Lecoq was beginning to despair, when at about half-past seven o'clock he reached an establishment just beyond the for

proved to be a little old man, with a ruddy complexion, and a p

on Monday, between one and two in the morning, drove a

rveying Lecoq attentively, c

itive answer

y, "you know two ladies who have

inly the one he was looking for. "Have you heard anything about a

der in a lo

; they fled when we entered the place. I am trying to find them. I a

surprised at the luck-money they gave me-a louis and two five-franc pieces for the

did you d

ave forgotten the number, but

ld not have let you driv

, and I think they went in just as I

to spring on to the box, e

had gone straight to their real home in a vehicle hired on the public highway. Hence, the driver's hope of finding them in the Rue de Bourgogne was purely chimerical. Lecoq was fully aware of this, and yet he did not hesitate to jump on to the box and give the s

eded to ingratiate himself into the driver's good graces, being anxi

hey up, Cocotte!" and his mare pricked up her ears and quickened her pace, so that

e the principal facts, now I should like the detai

e than a franc and a half for myself, but I was so wet and miserable and the horse seemed so done up that I decided to go home. I did grumble, I can tell you. Well, I had just passed the corner

, who could not res

them; but one of them ran after the cab, crying: 'A louis! a louis for yourself!' I hes

that the wisest course was not to interrupt the driv

part of the city. So, just as they were about to get into the cab, I called to them: 'Wait a bit, my little friends, you have promised

nute," exclaimed Lecoq, approvingl

do you

n did they seem to be; wh

ood!" replied the drive

ow were th

nbow. One of them, however, was very neat and prim

ran aft

ly paused: some vivid remembrance passed through his brain, and,

nge. One of the two women called the other 'Madame' as large as life, wh

tive, in three different keys. "And whi

tle fool!' said she, 'do you want to ruin us? You will have time to faint when we get home; now come along. And then she began to sob: 'Indeed, madame, indeed I can't!' she

g the shoes with the high heels, the marks of which he had so particularly noticed in the snow, with all the attendant signs of precipitation, terror, and weakness. In reality, social preeminence belonged to the woman who had left the

d the driver, who during the last few

bbily dressed woman who paid me had a hand as small as a child

u see h

ught a gli

re pretty, or whether she

replied. "In my opinion she wasn't pretty, and I don't believe she wa

or short, stou

en the

the other," asked Lecoq,

notice her at all; all I know abou

gnize her if yo

heaven

y down the street the driver pulled up, and, turning to Lecoq,

it and slip it into his pocket, to spring to the ground and enter the

owed to her politely, and, displaying the silk handkerchief, exclaimed

hich

don't exa

that this polite young man was making

ssed on. One of them dropped this handkerchief, which I picked up. I hastened after her to restore it, but before I could overtake them they had rung the bell at your door and were already in the house. I did not like to ring at such an unearth

can keep it. We have no ladies in this house who a

" insisted Lecoq, "

lose the door or come upstairs, I said to myself: 'Some mischievous fellow has been playing a trick on me.' I slipped on my dress and went out into the hall, where I saw two women hastening towa

at dir

nning toward the

he might possibly have need of at another time, and then went back to the

if Lecoq, who had consulted his watch, had not forestalled the outburst by saying: "Nine o'clock-I am an hour

most sickly sight fails to impress them; and even under the most distressing circumstances, they hasten gaily to and fro, exchanging jests well calculated to make an ordinary mortal's flesh creep. As a rule, they are far less interested in the corpses laid

ted crowd was gathered outside the building. The newspapers had reported the tragedy at the Widow

than in front of the Morgue," he said, springing to the ground. Then, producing first his watch, and nex

" replied the dr

ut

e liquor I bought with it had given me the gripes. Don't be uneasy about the score, and if you need a trap use mine for nothing, till you

ill want your evidence, and

ver, care of M. Trigault. I lodge at his place, becaus

en you leave the Morgue you will want to go somewhere else," he said, "you

alais de Justice; but it is

eless to say 'no'; I've made up my mind, and I'm a Breton, you know.

equest. Accordingly, Lecoq made a gesture o

all, were packed as closely as sardines, and it was only by dint of well-nigh superhuman efforts that Lecoq managed to effect an entrance. As usual, he found among the mob a

rime, accident, and suicide bring to this horrible place. A few, the more sensitive among them, may come no further than the

however, on the morrow of the tragedy at Poivriere, for the mysterious murderer whose identity Lecoq was trying to establish had furnished three victims for their delectation. Panting with curiosity, they paid but little a

h only to fall in fine spray upon the marble. Through the small arched windows a gray light stole in on the exposed bodies, bringing each muscle into bold relief, revealing the ghastly tints of the lifeless f

lance on the three victims. He was looking for Father Absinthe, whom he could not perceive. Had Gevrol intentional

ecoq addressed himself to the head keeper: "It would se

re, on days like this, I would charge an admission fee of two sous a head, with half-pr

versation, but Lecoq did not seize it. "Excuse me," he

ere was

y then? I don't

questioner, but after a moment's hesitation,

q, exhibiting his card in

your

Le

said he, "I have a letter for you, written by you

e tore open the envelope a

lleague's superiority. Indeed, our hero accepted it as a token of unquestioning devotion which it would be his duty to repay with a master's kind protec

m-in-arm. From their manner and appearance, I judged them to be clerks in some store or warehouse. Suddenly I noticed that one of t

em exclaimed: 'What are you about, you fool, to mix yoursel

ere obliged to take him to a little restaurant close by. I entered it myself, and it is there I write this letter, in the mean time watching them out of the corne

istakes in spelling in well-nigh every line; still, its meaning was c

that, as the old coachman urged on his horse, he could n

xperienced considerable difficulty in dismissing the old cabman, who insisted upon remaining at his orders. He succeeded at last, however, but even when he had reached the portico

was about to enter the long, narrow, badly-lighted corridor known as the Galerie de l'Instruction, when, findi

M. d'Escorval is not here this morning,

What do

s carriage, at his own door, he had a mo