CHAPTER XXI.
The examination of the prisoner by the magistrate lasted but a veryshort time, for the reason that no replies of any kind could beobtained to the questions put to him. He maintained a dogged silence,and although the magistrate impressed upon him that this silence wasin itself a strong proof of his guilt, and that if he had anything tosay in his defence it would be to his advantage to say it at once, nota word could be extracted from him, and he was taken to his cell,instructions being given that he should not be unbound and that astrict watch should be kept over him. While the unsuccessfulexamination was proceeding I observed the man two or three times raisehis eyes furtively to mine, or rather endeavour to raise them, for hecould not, for the hundredth part of a second, meet my stern gaze, andeach time he made the attempt it ended in his drooping his head with ashudder. On other occasions I observed his eyes wandering round theroom in a wild, disordered way, and these proceedings, which to mymind were the result of a low, premeditated cunning, led me to theconclusion that he wished to convey the impression that he was not inhis right senses, and therefore not entirely responsible for hiscrime. When the monster was taken away I spoke of this, and themagistrate fell in with my views, and said that the assumption ofpretended insanity was not an uncommon trick on the part of criminals.I then asked him and Doctor Louis whether they would accompany me in asearch for the weapon with which the dreadful deed was committed (fornone had been found on the prisoner), and in a further examination ofthe ground the man had traversed after he had killed his comrade inguilt. Doctor Louis expressed his willingness, but the magistrate saidhe had certain duties to attend to which would occupy him half an houror so, and that he would join us later on. So Doctor Louis and Ideparted alone to continue the investigation I had already commenced.
We began at the window at the back of the doctor's house, and I againpropounded to Doctor Louis my theory of the course of events, to whichhe listened attentively, but was no more convinced than he had beenbefore that a struggle had taken place.
"But," he said, "whether a struggle for life did or did not take placethere is not the slightest doubt of the man's guilt, I have alwaysviewed circumstantial evidence with the greatest suspicion, but inthis instance I should have no hesitation, were I the monster's judge,to mete out to him the punishment for his crime."
Shortly afterwards we were joined by the magistrate who had news tocommunicate to us.
"I have had," he said, "another interview with the prisoner, and havesucceeded in unlocking his tongue. I went to his cell, unaccompanied,and again questioned him. To my surprise he asked me if I was alone. Imoved back a pace or two, having the idea that he had managed toloosen the ropes by which he was bound, and that he wished to know ifI was alone for the purpose of attacking me. In a moment, however, thefear was dispelled, for I saw that his arms were tightly and closelybound to his side, and that it was out of his power to injure me. Herepeated his question, and I answered that I was quite alone, and thathis question was a foolish one, for he had the evidence of his sensesto convince him. He shook his head at this, and said in a strangevoice that the evidence of his senses was sufficient in the case ofmen and women, but not in the case of spirits and demons. I smiledinwardly at this--for it does not do for a magistrate to allow aprisoner from whom he wishes to extract evidence to detect any signsof levity in his judge--and I thought of the view you had presented tome that the man wished to convey an impression that he was a madman,in order to escape to some extent the consequences of the crime he hadcommitted. 'Put spirits and demons,' I said to him, 'out of thequestion. If you have anything to say or confess, speak at once; andif you wish to convince yourself that there are no witnesses either inthis cell--though that is plainly evident--or outside, here is theproof.' I threw open the door, and showed him that no one waslistening to our speech. 'I cannot put spirits or demons out of thequestion,' he said, 'because I am haunted by one, who has brought meto this.' He looked down at his ropes and imprisoned limbs. 'Are youguilty or not guilty?' I asked. 'I am not guilty,' he replied; 'I didnot kill him.' 'But he is murdered,' I said. 'Yes,' he replied, 'he ismurdered.' 'If you did not kill him,' I continued, 'who did?' What doyou think he answered? 'A demon killed him,' he said, 'and would havekilled me, if I had not fled and played him a trick.' I gazed at himin thought, wondering whether he had the slightest hope that he wasimposing upon me by his lame attempt at being out of his senses. 'Ademon?' I said questioningly. 'Yes, a demon,' he replied. 'But,' Isaid, and I admit that my tone was somewhat bantering, 'demons aremore powerful than mortals.' 'That is where it is,' he said; 'that iswhy I am here.' 'You are a clumsy scoundrel,' I said, 'and I willprove it to you; then you may be induced to speak the truth--inwhich,' I added, 'lies your only hope of a mitigation of punishment.Not that I hold out to you any such hope; but if you can establish,when you are ready to confess, that what you did was done inself-defence, it will be a point in your favour.' 'I cannot confess,'he said, 'to a crime which I did not commit. I am a clumsy scoundrelperhaps, but not in the way you mean. Prove it to me if you can.' 'Yousay,' I began, 'that a demon killed your comrade.' 'He did,' persistedthe prisoner. 'And,' I continued, 'that he would have killed you ifyou had not fled from him.' 'He would,' said the prisoner. 'But,' Isaid, 'demons are more powerful than men. Of what avail would havebeen your flight? Men can only walk or run; demons can fly. The demonyou have invented could have easily overtaken you and finished you asyou say he finished the man you murdered.' He was a little staggeredat this, and I saw him pondering over it. 'It isn't for me,' he saidpresently, 'to pretend to know why he did not suspect the trick Iplayed him; he could have killed me if he wanted. I have spoken thetruth. I heard him pursuing me.' 'There again,' I said, wondering thatthere should be in the world men with such a low order ofintelligence, 'you heard him pursuing you. Demons glide noiselesslyalong. It is impossible you could have heard this one. You will haveto invent another story.' 'I have invented none,' he persisteddoggedly, and repeated, 'I have spoken the truth.' As I could getnothing further out of him than a determined adherence to hisridiculous defence, I left him."
"Do you think," asked Doctor Louis, "that he has any, even theremotest belief in the story? Men sometimes delude themselves."
"I cannot believe it," replied the magistrate, "and yet I confess tobeing slightly puzzled. There was an air of sincerity about him whichmight be to his advantage had he to deal with judges who were ignorantof the cunning of criminals."
"Which means," said Doctor Louis, "that it is really not impossiblethat the man's mind is diseased."
"No," said the magistrate, in a positive tone, "I cannot for a momentadmit it. A tale in which a spirit or a demon is the principal actor!In this age it is too absurd!"
At that moment I made a discovery; I drew from the midst of a bush astick, one end of which was stained with blood. From its position itseemed as if it had been thrown hastily away; there had certainly beenno attempt at concealment.
"Here is the weapon," I cried, "with which the deed was done!"
The magistrate took it immediately from my hand, and examined it.
"Here," I said, pointing downwards, "is the direct line of flighttaken by the prisoner, and he must have flung the stick away in terroras he ran."
"It is an improvised weapon," said the magistrate, "cut but latelyfrom a tree, and fashioned so as to fit the hand and be used witheffect."
I, in my turn, then examined the weapon, and was struck by itsresemblance to the branch I had myself cut the previous night duringthe watch I kept upon the ruffians. I spoke of the resemblance, andsaid that it looked to me as if it were the self-same stick I hadshaped with my knife.
"Do you remember," asked the magistrate, "what you did with it afteryour suspicions were allayed?"
"No," I replied, "I have not the slightest remembrance what I did withit. I could not have carried it home with me, or I should have seen itthis morning before I left my house. I have no doubt that, after mymind was at
ease as to the intentions of the ruffians, I flung itaside into the woods, having no further use for it. When the men setout to perpetrate the robbery they must have stumbled upon the branch,and, appreciating the pains I had bestowed upon it, took it with them.There appears to be no other solution to their possession of it."
"It is the only solution," said the magistrate.
"So that," I said with a sudden thrill of horror, "I am indirectlyresponsible for the direction of the tragedy, and should have beenresponsible had they used the weapon against those I love! It isterrible to think of."
Doctor Louis pressed my hand. "We have all happily been spared,Gabriel," he said. "It is only the guilty who have suffered."
We continued our search for some time, without meeting with anyfurther evidence, and I spent the evening with Doctor Louis's family,and was deeply grateful that Providence had frustrated the villainousschemes of the wretches who had conspired against them. On thisevening Lauretta and I seemed to be drawn closer to each other, andonce, when I held her hand in mine for a moment or two (it was doneunconsciously), and her father's eyes were upon us, I was satisfiedthat he did not deem it a breach of the obligation into which we hadentered with respect to my love for his daughter. Indeed it was notpossible that all manifestations of a love so profound and absorbingas mine should be successfully kept out of sight; it would have beencontrary to nature.
I slept that night in Doctor Louis's house, and the next morningLauretta and Lauretta's mother said that they had experienced afeeling of security because of my presence.
At noon I was on my way to the magistrate's office.