The Count's Millions [64]
it down to him."
"Did she return the key?"
"Yes; she gave it to him when she handed him the vial, and I saw him put it in his pocket."
The magistrate pointed to the bottle which was standing on the shelf. "Then the count himself must have put the vial back in its place," said he. "Further comment is unnecessary; for, if the money had then been missing, he could not have failed to discover the fact." No one had any reply to make to this quiet defence, which was, at the same time, a complete vindication. "And, besides," continued the magistrate, "who told you that this immense sum would be found here? Did you know it? Which one of you knew it?" And as nobody still ventured any remark, he added in an even more severe tone, and without seeming to notice Mademoiselle Marguerite's look of gratitude, "It is by no means a proof of honesty to be so extremely suspicious. Would it not have been easier to suppose that the deceased had placed the money somewhere else, and that it will yet be found?"
The clerk had been even less disturbed than the magistrate. He also was blase, having witnessed too many of those frightful and shameless dramas which are enacted at a dead man's bedside, to be surprised at anything. If he had deigned to glance at the escritoire, it was only because he was curious to see how small a space would suffice to contain two millions; and then he had begun to calculate how many years he would be obliged to remain a clerk before he could succeed in amassing such a fabulous sum. However, hearing his superior express the intention of continuing the search for the will, and the missing treasure, he abruptly abandoned his calculation, and exclaimed, "Then, I suppose, I can commence my report, monsieur?"
"Yes," replied the magistrate, "write as follows:" And in a monotonous voice he began to dictate the prescribed formula, an unnecessary proceeding, for the clerk was quite as familiar with it as the magistrate himself:--"On the 16th of October, 186-, at nine o'clock in the morning, in compliance with the request of the servants of the deceased Louis-Henri-Raymond de Durtal, Count de Chalusse, and in the interest of his presumptive heirs, and all others connected with him, and in accordance with the requirements of clauses 819 (Code Napoleon) and 909 (Code of Procedure), we, justice of the peace, accompanied by our clerk, visited the residence of the deceased aforesaid, in the Rue de Courcelles, where, having entered a bedroom opening on to the courtyard, and lighted by two windows looking toward the south, we found the body of the deceased aforesaid, lying on his bed, and covered with a sheet. In this room were----" He paused in his dictation, and addressing the clerk, "Take down the names of all present," said he. "That will require some little time, and, meanwhile, I will continue my search."
They had, in fact, only examined the shelf of the escritoire, and the drawers were still to be inspected. In the first which he opened, the magistrate found ample proofs of the accuracy of the information which had been furnished him by Mademoiselle Marguerite. The drawer contained a memorandum which established the fact that the Credit Foncier had lent M. de Chalusse the sum of eight hundred and fifty thousand francs, which had been remitted to him on the Saturday preceding his death. Beside this document lay a second memorandum, signed by a stockbroker named Pell, setting forth that the latter had sold for the count securities of various descriptions to the amount of fourteen hundred and twenty-three thousand francs, which sum had been paid to the count on the preceding Tuesday, partly in bank-notes and partly in gold. It was thus evident that M. de Chalusse had received a grand total of two million two hundred and seventy- three thousand francs within the past six days.
In the drawer which was next opened, the magistrate only found a number of deeds, bonds, leases, and mortgages; but they proved that public rumor, far from exaggerating the figures of the count's fortune, had diminished it, and
"Did she return the key?"
"Yes; she gave it to him when she handed him the vial, and I saw him put it in his pocket."
The magistrate pointed to the bottle which was standing on the shelf. "Then the count himself must have put the vial back in its place," said he. "Further comment is unnecessary; for, if the money had then been missing, he could not have failed to discover the fact." No one had any reply to make to this quiet defence, which was, at the same time, a complete vindication. "And, besides," continued the magistrate, "who told you that this immense sum would be found here? Did you know it? Which one of you knew it?" And as nobody still ventured any remark, he added in an even more severe tone, and without seeming to notice Mademoiselle Marguerite's look of gratitude, "It is by no means a proof of honesty to be so extremely suspicious. Would it not have been easier to suppose that the deceased had placed the money somewhere else, and that it will yet be found?"
The clerk had been even less disturbed than the magistrate. He also was blase, having witnessed too many of those frightful and shameless dramas which are enacted at a dead man's bedside, to be surprised at anything. If he had deigned to glance at the escritoire, it was only because he was curious to see how small a space would suffice to contain two millions; and then he had begun to calculate how many years he would be obliged to remain a clerk before he could succeed in amassing such a fabulous sum. However, hearing his superior express the intention of continuing the search for the will, and the missing treasure, he abruptly abandoned his calculation, and exclaimed, "Then, I suppose, I can commence my report, monsieur?"
"Yes," replied the magistrate, "write as follows:" And in a monotonous voice he began to dictate the prescribed formula, an unnecessary proceeding, for the clerk was quite as familiar with it as the magistrate himself:--"On the 16th of October, 186-, at nine o'clock in the morning, in compliance with the request of the servants of the deceased Louis-Henri-Raymond de Durtal, Count de Chalusse, and in the interest of his presumptive heirs, and all others connected with him, and in accordance with the requirements of clauses 819 (Code Napoleon) and 909 (Code of Procedure), we, justice of the peace, accompanied by our clerk, visited the residence of the deceased aforesaid, in the Rue de Courcelles, where, having entered a bedroom opening on to the courtyard, and lighted by two windows looking toward the south, we found the body of the deceased aforesaid, lying on his bed, and covered with a sheet. In this room were----" He paused in his dictation, and addressing the clerk, "Take down the names of all present," said he. "That will require some little time, and, meanwhile, I will continue my search."
They had, in fact, only examined the shelf of the escritoire, and the drawers were still to be inspected. In the first which he opened, the magistrate found ample proofs of the accuracy of the information which had been furnished him by Mademoiselle Marguerite. The drawer contained a memorandum which established the fact that the Credit Foncier had lent M. de Chalusse the sum of eight hundred and fifty thousand francs, which had been remitted to him on the Saturday preceding his death. Beside this document lay a second memorandum, signed by a stockbroker named Pell, setting forth that the latter had sold for the count securities of various descriptions to the amount of fourteen hundred and twenty-three thousand francs, which sum had been paid to the count on the preceding Tuesday, partly in bank-notes and partly in gold. It was thus evident that M. de Chalusse had received a grand total of two million two hundred and seventy- three thousand francs within the past six days.
In the drawer which was next opened, the magistrate only found a number of deeds, bonds, leases, and mortgages; but they proved that public rumor, far from exaggerating the figures of the count's fortune, had diminished it, and