XX
THE ARREST OF JOSEPHINE
The somewhat grim faces of Mme. Guinon, Julie and the Flirt lit upsuddenly. Bonzille, the tramp set free by the police the day after the"drive" in the Rue Charbonniere, had opened the bottle of vermouth, andJosephine bustled around to find glasses to put on the table.
Josephine had visitors in her little lodging. There was to be a quietlunch. On the sideboard attractive dishes were ready, a fine savour ofcooking onions came from the dark corner in which Loupart's prettymistress was doing hasty cookery over the gas.
"Neat or with water?" asked Bonzille, performing his office of cupbearer with comical dignity.
Mme. Guinon asked for plenty of water. Julie shrugged her shouldersindifferently; she didn't care so long as there was drink, while theFlirt, in her cracked voice, breathed in the loafer's ear: "How about asip of brandy to put with it?"
The appetiser loosened tongues: they began to cackle. From a drawerJosephine got out a pack of cards, which the Flirt promptly seized,while Julie, leaning familiarly on her shoulder, counselled her:
"Cut with the left and watch what you are doing; we shall see if there'sany luck for us in the pack."
* * * * *
Josephine had now been back three days from her painful journey and hadnot seen Loupart. The latter, after having abandoned the motor in somewaste ground among the fortifications, had vanished with the Beard, onlybidding his mistress go home as if nothing had happened and wait fornews of him.
The Simplon Express affair had made a great stir in the fashionableworld, and had produced considerable uneasiness among the criminalclass.
To be sure no name had been mentioned, and apparently the police werenot following any definite clue. Still, in the Chapelle quarter, andespecially in the den of the "Goutte d'Or" and the Rue de Chartres, itwas noticed that the absence of the chief members of the Band ofCyphers coincided with the date of the tragedy.
At first there had been some slight stand-offishness shown to Josephineon her return. She was greeted with doubtful allusions, equivocalcompliments, with a touch of coldness, and folks were also amazed at notseeing Loupart reappear with her.
Josephine told herself that she must at all costs disabuse herneighbours of this bad impression, and that is why she had decided togive a luncheon party to her most intimate friends. These might also beher most formidable opponents, for such damsels as the Flirt and Julie,even big Ernestine, could not fail to be jealous of the mistress of adistinguished leader; besides, she was the prettiest woman in thequarter.
Joining the conversation from time to time, Josephine smiled andregained confidence. Her manoeuvre bade fair to be crowned withsuccess.
As they sat down to table the door opened and Mother Toulouche came in,carrying a capacious basket.
"Well," cried the old fence, "I got wind that something was going onhere, and I said to myself, 'Why shouldn't Mother Toulouche be in it aswell?' One more or less don't matter, eh, Josephine?"
Josephine assented and made room for her. Before sitting down the oldwoman put her basket on the floor.
"If I invite myself, Fifine, I bring something to the feast. Here aresome portugals and two dozen snails which will help out."
All at once, Josephine, who, despite the general gaiety, wasabsent-minded and preoccupied, rose and ran to the door, answering aknock. She was at bottom horribly uneasy at hearing nothing of herlover. She began to fear that the police for once might have got theupper hand. It was little Paulot, the porter's son, who rushed in quiteout of breath.
"Mme. Josephine, mother told me to come up and warn you that twogentlemen were asking for you in the lodge just now. Two gentlemen inspecial 'rig.'"
"Do you know them, Paulot?"
"I don't, Mme. Josephine."
"What did they want of me?"
"They didn't say."
"What did your mother answer?"
"Don't know. Believe she told 'em you were in your den."
The occurrence cast a chill over the company. Little Paulot was given abig glass of claret, and when he had left the Flirt observed gravely:
"It's the cops."
"Why should they come and inquire for me?"
Julie tried to console her.
"Anyhow they'll not come up to your place."
Josephine was greatly upset. Were they after her or Loupart? Why hadthey withdrawn? Would they come back?
In a flash she burst out, beating her fist on the table:
"Bah! I've had enough of this, not knowing what is going to happen fromone moment to the next. Sooner than stay here, I'll go and find out."
The Flirt suggested, with a spiteful smile.
"Go ahead, my girl, they won't be far away; go and ask them what theywant."
"Very well," cried Josephine, "I will."
And the young girl emptied her glass to give her courage.
"And if you don't come back, we'll set your room to rights," cried theFlirt after her. "Good luck, try and not sleep in the jug."
Josephine rushed downstairs, and then, after a moment's hesitation,turned and went down the Rue de Chartres.
At first she noticed nothing unusual or suspicious. The faces of thoseshe met were mostly familiar to her. But suddenly her heart stoppedbeating. Two men accosted her simultaneously, one on her right, theother on her left.
Her neighbour on the right asked very softly:
"Are you Josephine Ramot?"
"Yes."
"You must come with us."
"Yes," said Josephine, resigned.
A few moments later, Josephine, seated in a cab between the two men, wascrossing Paris. The detectives had given the address: "Boulevard duPalais."
Loupart's mistress, taken on her arrival to the ante-room adjoining theprivate rooms of the examining magistrates, had not much time forreflection.
To be sure, she was not guilty. Not guilty? Well, at bottom the affairof the Marseilles train made Josephine uneasy. And the story of themotor, too, the motor taken by force from unknown travellers. Whatknowledge had the police of these events? When questioned, was she toconfess or deny?
A little old man, bald and fussy, appeared at the end of the passage andcalled her.
"Josephine Ramot, the private room of Justice Fuselier."
Mechanically she went forward between her two captors, who pushed herinto a well-lit apartment, in the corner of which stood a big desk. Awell-dressed gentleman was sitting there, writing; opposite him, in theshadow, some one stood motionless. The magistrate raised his head; hisface was cold and contained, but not spiteful.
"What is your name?"
"Josephine Ramot."
"Where were you born?"
"Rue de Belleville."
"What is your age?"
"Twenty-two."
"You live by prostitution?"
Josephine coloured and, with an angry voice, cried:
"No, your honour, I have a calling. I am a polisher."
"Are you working now?"
Josephine felt awkward.
"Well, to say the truth, at the moment I have no work, but they know meat M. Monthier's, Rue de Malte; it was there I was apprenticed, and----"
"And since you became the mistress of the ruffian Loupart, known as 'TheSquare,' you have ceased to practise an honest calling?"
"I won't deny being Loupart's mistress, but as for prostitution----"
The man Josephine had noticed standing in the shadow came forward andmurmured a few words in the magistrate's ear.
"M. Juve," cried Josephine, moving toward the inspector with her handout. She stopped short as the detective motioned to her that such afamiliarity was not allowable, and the examination was resumed.
The magistrate, after having by some curt questions brought to light thesalient points of Josephine's life, and clearly mapped out the speedydevelopment of the honest little work girl into a ruffian's mistress,and in all probability, accomplice, began the interrogation on the mainpoint
.
At some length he narrated without losing a single change of hercountenance, the various incidents of the evening begun in the railwaywhich ended with the disaster to the Simplon Express.
Fuselier made Josephine pass again through her headlong exit fromLariboisiere, her quick passage through Paris when she was barelyconvalescent, and still suffering from the effects of the fever, herdeparture in the Marseilles Express, where she picked up half a score offootpads headed by her redoubtable lover; then the waiting in thesilence of the night, the affray, the threats, and lastly, afterbreaking the couplings to the train, the dangerous flight of the band,the headlong rush through the country.
The magistrate wound up:
"You came to town afterwards, Josephine Ramot, in company with Loupart,called 'The Square,' and his factotum, the ruffian 'Beard.'"
Josephine, embarrassed by the steady glance of the magistrate,endeavoured to keep her face devoid of expression, but as in his recitalthe points of the adventure she had shared grew more definite, she feltshe was constantly changing colour and at certain moments her eyelidsquivered over her downcast eyes.
Evidently he was well posted. That young man who got into the samecompartment as M. Martialle must certainly have belonged to the police.But for that the judge would never have known precisely what took place.Decidedly this was a bad beginning.
Josephine now dreaded to see the door open and Loupart appear, thebracelets on his wrists, followed by the Beard, similarly fettered, forbeyond a doubt the two men had been nabbed.
Hunched up, her nerves tense, Josephine kept her mind fixed on onepoint. She was waiting anxiously for the first chance to protest. At acertain juncture the magistrate declared:
"You three, Loupart, 'The Beard' and yourself, shared between you theproceeds of the robberies committed."
As soon as she could get a word in, Josephine shouted her innocence.
Oh, as to that, no! She had not touched a cent from the business. Shedid not even know what was involved.
The exact truth was this. She was ill in the hospital when all of asudden she remembered that Loupart had some days before bidden her be atall costs at the Lyons Station, on a certain Saturday evening at exactlyseven o'clock. Now that particular Saturday was the day after theattempt on her life. As she was much better she set off in obedience toher lover. She knew no more; she had done no more; she would not havethem accuse her of any more.
The young woman had gradually grown warm, her voice rose and vibrated.The judge let her have her say, and when she had finished there was asilence.
M. Fuselier slowly dipped a pen in the ink, and in his level voicedeclared, casting a glance in Juve's direction:
"After all, what seems clearly established is complicity."
Josephine gave a start--she knew the terrible significance of the term.Complicity meant joint guilt.
But Juve intervened:
"Excuse me, in place of 'complicity' perhaps we had better say'compulsion.'"
"I don't follow you, Juve."
"We must bear in mind, your honour, that this girl is to be pardoned toa certain extent for having obeyed her lover's order, more particularlyat a time when the latter had gained quite a victory over the police.For in spite of the protection of our people, his attempt against herpartially succeeded."
Taken aback, M. Fuselier looked from the detective to the young womanwhom he regarded as guilty. Juve's outburst seemed to him out of place.
"Your pardon, Juve, but your reasoning seems to me somewhat specious;however, I will not press this charge against the girl; we havesomething better."
Turning to Loupart's mistress, the judge asked abruptly:
"What has become of Lady Beltham?"
Josephine was amazed by the question. She turned inquiring eyes towardJuve, who quickly said:
"M. Fuselier, this is not the moment----"
The magistrate, dropping this line, again tackled Josephine on herrelations with Loupart.
In a flash Josephine made up her mind. She would simulate innocence atall costs. With the craft of a consummate actress, she began in a lowvoice, which gradually rose and became impressive, insinuating:
"How pitiful it is to think that everyone bears a grudge against a poorgirl who, some day in springtime, has given herself the pleasure of alover! Is there any harm in giving oneself to the man who loves you? Whoforbids it? No one but the priests, and they have been kicked out ofdoors!"
The magistrate could not help smiling, and Juve showed signs ofamusement.
"But I am honest, and when I understand something of what was going on,I wrote to M. Juve. And what thanks did I get? Two bullet holes in myskin!"
M. Fuselier hesitated about turning his summons into a committal.