the countess of saint geran-第12章

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condition；　sometimes　shrieking　like　a　wild　beast；　sometimes

stammering　disconnected　words。　　All　that　the　officers　could　hear　was



〃Monsieur　le　Comte　。　　。　　。　　call　。　　。　　。　　the　Countess　。　　。　　。　　de

Saint…Geran　。　　。　　。　　let　them　come。　　。　　。　　。〃　　The　officers　earnestly

begged　him　to　try　to　be　more　explicit。



The　marquis　had　another　fit；　when　he　opened　his　eyes；　he　said



〃Send　for　the　countess　。　　。　　。　　let　them　forgive　me　。　　。　　。　　I　wish

to　tell　them　everything。〃　　The　police　officers　asked　him　to　speak；

one　even　told　him　that　the　count　was　there。　　The　marquis　feebly

murmured



〃I　am　going　to　tell　you〃　　Then　he　gave　a　loud　cry　and　fell　back

dead。



It　thus　seemed　as　if　fate　took　pains　to　close　every　mouth　from　which

the　truth　might　escape。　　Still；　this　avowal　of　a　deathbed　revelation

to　be　made　to　the　Count　de　Saint…Geran　and　the　deposition　of　the

priest　who　had　administered　the　last　sacraments　formed　a　strong　link

in　the　chain　of　evidence。



The　judge　of　first　instruction；　collecting　all　the　information　he　had

got；　made　a　report　the　weight　of　which　was　overwhelming。　　The

carters；　the　nurse；　the　domestic　servants；　all　gave　accounts

consistent　with　each　other；　the　route　and　the　various　adventures　of

the　child　were　plainly　detailed；　from　its　birth　till　its　arrival　at

the　village　of　Descoutoux。



Justice；　thus　tracing　crime　to　its　sources；　had　no　option　but　to

issue　a　warrant　for　the　arrest　of　the　Marchioness　de　Bouilie；　but　it

seems　probable　that　it　was　not　served　owing　to　the　strenuous　efforts

of　the　Count　de　Saint…Geran；　who　could　not　bring　himself　to　ruin　his

sister；　seeing　that　her　dishonour　would　have　been　reflected　on　him。

The　marchioness　hid　her　remorse　in　solitude；　and　appeared　again　no

more。　　She　died　shortly　after；　carrying　the　weight　of　her　secret　till

she　drew　her　last　breath。



The　judge　of　Moulins　at　length　pronounced　sentence　on　the　midwife；

whom　he　declared　arraigned　and　convicted　of　having　suppressed　the

child　born　to　the　countess；　for　which　he　condemned　her　to　be　tortured

and　then　hanged。　　The　matron　lodged　an　appeal　against　this　sentence；

and　the　case　was　referred　to　the　Conciergerie。



No　sooner　had　the　count　and　countess　seen　the　successive　proofs　of

the　procedure；　than　tenderness　and　natural　feelings　accomplished　the

rest。　　They　no　longer　doubted　that　their　page　was　their　son；　they

stripped　him　at　once　of　his　livery　and　gave　him　his　rank　and

prerogatives；　under　the　title　of　the　Count　de　la　Palice。



Meanwhile；　a　private　person　named　Sequeville　informed　the　countess

that　he　had　made　a　very　important　discovery；　that　a　child　had　been

baptized　in　1642　at　St。　Jean…en…Greve；　and　that　a　woman　named　Marie

Pigoreau　had　taken　a　leading　part　in　the　affair。　　Thereupon　inquiries

were　made；　and　it　was　discovered　that　this　child　had　been　nursed　in

the　village　of　Torcy。　　The　count　obtained　a　warrant　which　enabled　him

to　get　evidence　before　the　judge　of　Torcy；　nothing　was　left　undone　to

elicit　the　whole　truth；　he　also　obtained　a　warrant　through　which　he

obtained　more　information；　and　published　a　monitory。　　The　elder　of

the　Quinet　girls　on　this　told　the　Marquis　de　Canillac　that　the　count

was　searching　at　a　distance　for　things　very　near　him。　　The　truth

shone　out　with　great　lustre　through　these　new　facts　which　gushed　from

all　this　fresh　information。　　The　child；　exhibited　in　the　presence　of

a　legal　commissary　to　the　nurses　and　witnesses　of　Torcy；　was

identified；　as　much　by　the　scars　left　by　the　midwife's　nails　on　his

head；　as　by　his　fair　hair　and　blue　eyes。　　This　ineffaceable　vestige

of　the　woman's　cruelty　was　the　principal　proof；　the　witnesses

testified　that　la　Pigoreau；　when　she　visited　this　child　with　a　man

who　appeared　to　be　of　condition；　always　asserted　that　he　was　the　son

of　a　great　nobleman　who　had　been　entrusted　to　her　care；　and　that　she

hoped　he　would　make　her　fortune　and　that　of　those　who　had　reared　him。



The　child's　godfather；　Paul　Marmiou；　a　common　labourer；　the　grocer

Raguenet；　who　had　charge　of　the　two　thousand　livres；　the　servant　of

la　Pigoreau；　who　had　heard　her　say　that　the　count　was　obliged　to　take

this　child；　the　witnesses　who　proved　that　la　Pigoreau　had　told　them

that　the　child　was　too　well　born　to　wear　a　page's　livery；　all

furnished　convincing　proofs；　but　others　were　forthcoming。



It　was　at　la　Pigoreau's　that　the　Marquis　de　Saint…Maixent；　living

then　at　the　hotel　de　Saint…Geran；　went　to　see　the　child；　kept　in　her

house　as　if　it　were　hers；　Prudent　Berger；　the　marquis's　page；

perfectly　well　remembered　la　Pigoreau；　and　also　the　child；　whom　he

had　seen　at　her　house　and　whose　history　the　marquis　had　related　to

him。　　Finally；　many　other　witnesses　heard　in　the　course　of　the　case；

both　before　the　three　chambers　of　nobles；　clergy；　and　the　tiers　etat；

and　before　the　judges　of　Torcy；　Cusset；　and　other　local　magistrates；

made　the　facts　so　clear　and　conclusive　in　favour　of　the　legitimacy　of

the　young　count；　that　it　was　impossible　to　avoid　impeaching　the

guilty　parties。　　The　count　ordered　the　summons　in　person　of　la

Pigoreau；　who　had　not　been　compromised　in　the　original　preliminary

proceedings。　　This　drastic　measure　threw　the　intriguing　woman　on　her

beam　ends；　but　she　strove　hard　to　right　herself。



The　widowed　Duchess　de　Ventadour；　daughter　by　her　mother's　second

marriage　of　the　Countess　dowager　of　Saint…Geran；　and　half…sister　of

the　count；　and　the　Countess　de　Lude；　daughter　of　the　Marchioness　de

Bouille；　from　whom　the　young　count　carried　away　the　Saint…Geran

inheritance；　were　very　warm　in　the　matter；　and　spoke　of　disputing　the

judgment。　　La　Pigoreau　went　to　see　them；　and　joined　in　concert　with

them。



Then　commenced　this　famous　lawsuit；　which　long　occupied　all　France；

and　is　parallel　in　some　respects；　but　not　in　the　time　occupied　in　the

hearing；　to　the　case　heard　by　Solomon；　in　which　one　child　was　claimed

by　two　mothers。



The　Marquis　de　Saint…Maixent　and　Madame　de　Bouille　being　dead；　were

naturally　no　parties　to　the　suit；　which　was　fought　against　the

Saint…Geran　family　by　la　Pigoreau　and　Mesdames　du　Lude　and　de

Ventadour。　　These　ladies　no　doubt　acted　in　good　faith；　at　first　at

any　rate；　in　refusing　to　believe　the　crime；　for　if　they　had

originally　known　the　truth　it　is　incredible　that　they　could　have

fought　the　case　so　long　aid　so　obstinately。



They　first　of　all　went　to　the　aid　of　the　midwife；　who　had　fallen　sick

in　prison；　they　then　consulted　together；　and　resolved　as　follows：



That　the　accused　should　appeal　against　criminal　proceedings；



That　la　Pigoreau　should　lodge　a　civil　petition　against　the　judgments

which　ordered　her　arrest　and　the　confronting　of　witnesses；



That　they　should　appeal　against　the　abuse　of　obtaining　and　publishing

monitories；　and　lodge　an　interpleader　against　the　sentence　of　the

judge　of　first　instruction；　who　had　condemned　the　matron　to　capital

punishment；



And　that　finally；　to　carry　the　war　into　the　enemy's　camp；　la　Pigoreau

should　impugn　the　maternity　of　the　countess；　claiming　the　child　as

her　own；　and　that　the　ladies　should　depose　that　the　countess's

accouchement　was　an　imposture　invented　to　cause　it　to　be　supposed

that　she　had　given　birth　to　a　child。



For　more　safety　and　apparent　absence　of　collusion　Mesdames　du　Lude

and　de　Ventadour　pretended　to　have　no　communication　with　la　Pigoreau。



About　this　time　the　midwife　died　in　prison；　from　an　illness　which

vexation　and　remorse　had　aggravated。　　After　her　death；　her　son

Guillemin　confessed　that　she　had　often　told　him　that　the　countess　had

given　birth　to　a　son　whom　Baulieu　had　carried　off；　and　that　the　child

entrusted　to　Baulieu　at　the　chateau　Saint…Geran　was　the　same　as　the

one　recovered；　the　youth　added　that　he　had　concealed　this　fact　so

long　as　it　might　injure　his　mother；　and　he　further　stated　that　the

ladies　de　Ventadour　and　du　Lude　had　helped　her　in　prison　with　money

and　adviceanother　strong　piece　of　presumptive　evidence。



The　peti