an armenian woman had inspired a violent passion in a young turkish gentleman, but her prudence was long an obstacle to her lover's desires. at last he went beyond all bounds, and threatened to kill both her and her husband if she refused to gratify him. frightened by this threat, which she knew too well he would carry out, she feigned consent, and gave the turk a rendezvous at her house at an hour when she said her husband would be absent; but by arrangement the husband arrived, and although the turk was armed with a sabre and a pair of pistols, it so befell that they were fortunate enough to kill their enemy, whom they buried under their dwelling unknown to all the world. but some days after the event they went to confess to a priest of their nation, and revealed every detail of the tragic story. this unworthy minister of the lord supposed that in a mahommedan country, where the laws of the priesthood and the functions of a confessor are either unknown or disapproved, no examination would be made into the source of his information, and that his evidence would have the same weight as any other accuser's. so he resolved to make a profit and gratify his own avarice. several times he visited the husband and wife, always borrowing considerable sums, and threatening to reveal their crime if they refused him. the first few times the poor creatures gave in to his exactions; but the moment came at last when, robbed of all their fortune, they were obliged to refuse the sum he demanded. faithful to his threat, the priest, with a view to more reward, at once denounced them to the dead man's father. he, who had adored his son, went to the vizier, told him he had identified the murderers through their confessor, and asked for justice. but this denunciation had by no means the desired effect. the vizier, on the contrary, felt deep pity for the wretched armenians, and indignation against the priest who had betrayed them. he put the accuser into a room which adjoined the court, and sent for the armenian bishop to ask what confession really was, and what punishment was deserved by a priest who betrayed it, and what was the fate of those whose crimes were made known in this fashion. the bishop replied that the secrets of confession are inviolable, that christians burn the priest who reveals them, and absolve those whom he accuses, because the avowal made by the guilty to the priest is proscribed by the christian religion, on pain of eternal damnation. the vizier, satisfied with the answer, took the bishop into another room, and summoned the accused to declare all the circumstances: the poor wretches, half dead, fell at the vizier's feet. the woman spoke, explaining that the necessity of defending life and honour had driven them to take up arms to kill their enemy. she added that god alone had witnessed their crime, and it would still be unknown had not the law of the same god compelled them to confide it to the ear of one of his ministers for their forgiveness. now the priest's insatiable avarice had ruined them first and then denounced them. the vizier made them go into a third room, and ordered the treacherous priest to be confronted with the bishop, making him again rehearse the penalties incurred by those who betray confessions. then, applying this to the guilty priest, he condemned him to be burnt alive in a public place;—in anticipation, said he, of burning in hell, where he would assuredly receive the punishment of his infidelity and crimes. the sentence was executed without delay.

in spite of the effect which the advocate intended to produce by these three cases, either the judges rejected them, or perhaps they thought the other evidence without the confession was enough, and it was soon clear to everyone, by the way the trial went forward, that the marquise would be condemned. indeed, before sentence was pronounced, on the morning of july 16th, 1676, she saw m. pirot, doctor of the sorbonne, come into her prison, sent by the chief president. this worthy magistrate, foreseeing the issue, and feeling that one so guilty should not be left till the last moment, had sent the good priest. the latter, although he had objected that the conciergerie had its own two chaplains, and added that he was too feeble to undertake such a task, being unable even to see another man bled without feeling ill, accepted the painful mission, the president having so strongly urged it, on the ground that in this case he needed a man who could be entirely trusted. the president, in fact, declared that, accustomed as he was to dealing with criminals, the strength of the marquise amazed him. the day before he summoned m. pirot, he had worked at the trial from morning to night, and for thirteen hours the accused had been confronted with briancourt, one of the chief witnesses against her. on that very day, there had been five hours more, and she had borne it all, showing as much respect towards her judges as haughtiness towards the witness, reproaching him as a miserable valet, given to drink, and protesting that as he had been dismissed for his misdemeanours, his testimony against her ought to go for nothing. so the chief president felt no hope of breaking her inflexible spirit, except by the agency of a minister of religion; for it was not enough to put her to death, the poisons must perish with her, or else society would gain nothing. the doctor pirot came to the marquise with a letter from her sister, who, as we know, was a nun bearing the name of sister marie at the convent saint-jacques. her letter exhorted the marquise, in the most touching and affectionate terms, to place her confidence in the good priest, and look upon him not only as a helper but as a friend.

when m. pirot came before the marquise, she had just left the dock, where she had been for three hours without confessing anything, or seeming in the least touched by what the president said, though he, after acting the part of judge, addressed her simply as a christian, and showing her what her deplorable position was, appearing now for the last time before men, and destined so soon to appear before god, spoke to her such moving words that he broke down himself, and the oldest and most obdurate judges present wept when they heard him. when the marquise perceived the doctor, suspecting that her trial was leading her to death, she approached him, saying:

"you have come, sir, because——"

but father chavigny, who was with m. pirot; interrupted her, saying:

"madame, we will begin with a prayer."

they all fell on their knees invoking the holy spirit; then the marquise asked them to add a prayer to the virgin, and, this prayer finished, she went up to the doctor, and, beginning afresh, said:

"sir, no doubt the president has sent you to give me consolation: with you i am to pass the little life i have left. i have long been eager to see you."

"madame," the doctor replied, "i come to render you any spiritual office that i can; i only wish it were on another occasion."

"we must have resolution, sir," said she, smiling, "for all things."

then turning to father chavigny, she said:

"my father, i am very grateful to you for bringing the doctor here, and for all the other visits you have been willing to pay me. pray to god for me, i entreat you; henceforth i shall speak with no one but the doctor, for with him i must speak of things that can only be discussed tete-a-tete. farewell, then, my father; god will reward you for the attention you have been willing to bestow upon me."

with these words the father retired, leaving the marquise alone with the doctor and the two men and one woman always in attendance on her. they were in a large room in the montgomery tower extending, throughout its whole length. there was at the end of the room a bed with grey curtains for the lady, and a folding-bed for the custodian. it is said to have been the same room where the poet theophile was once shut up, and near the door there were still verses in his well-known style written by his hand.

as soon as the two men and the woman saw for what the doctor had come, they retired to the end of the room, leaving the marquise free to ask for and receive the consolations brought her by the man of god. then the two sat at a table side by side. the marquise thought she was already condemned, and began to speak on that assumption; but the doctor told her that sentence was not yet given, and he did not know precisely when it would be, still less what it would be; but at these words the marquise interrupted him.

"sir," she said, "i am not troubled about the future. if my sentence is not given yet, it soon will be. i expect the news this morning, and i know it will be death: the only grace i look for from the president is a delay between the sentence and its execution; for if i were executed to-day i should have very little time to prepare, and i feel i have need for more."

the doctor did not expect such words, so he was overjoyed to learn what she felt. in addition to what the president had said, he had heard from father chavigny that he had told her the sunday before that it was very unlikely she would escape death, and indeed, so far as one could judge by reports in the town, it was a foregone conclusion. when he said so, at first she had appeared stunned, and said with an air of great terror, "father, must i die?" and when he tried to speak words of consolation, she had risen and shaken her head, proudly replying—

"no, no, father; there is no need to encourage me. i will play my part, and that at once: i shall know how to die like a woman of spirit."

then the father had told her that we cannot prepare for death so quickly and so easily; and that we have to be in readiness for a long time, not to be taken by surprise; and she had replied that she needed but a quarter of an hour to confess in, and one moment to die.

so the doctor was very glad to find that between sunday and thursday her feelings had changed so much.

"yes," said she, "the more i reflect the more i feel that one day would not be enough to prepare myself for god's tribunal, to be judged by him after men have judged me."

"madame," replied the doctor, "i do not know what or when your sentence will be; but should it be death, and given to-day, i may venture to promise you that it will not be carried out before to-morrow. but although death is as yet uncertain, i think it well that you should be prepared for any event."

"oh, my death is quite certain," said she, "and i must not give way to useless hopes. i must repose in you the great secrets of my whole life; but, father, before this opening of my heart, let me hear from your lips the opinion you have formed of me, and what you think in my present state i ought to do."

"you perceive my plan," said the doctor, "and you anticipate what i was about to say. before entering into the secrets of your conscience, before opening the discussion of your affairs with god, i am ready, madame, to give you certain definite rules. i do not yet know whether you are guilty at all, and i suspend my judgment as to all the crimes you are accused of, since of them i can learn nothing except through your confession. thus it is my duty still to doubt your guilt. but i cannot be ignorant of what you are accused of: this is a public matter, and has reached my ears; for, as you may imagine, madame, your affairs have made a great stir, and there are few people who know nothing about them."

"yes," she said, smiling, "i know there has been a great deal of talk, and i am in every man's mouth."

"then," replied the doctor, "the crime you are accused of is poisoning. if you are guilty, as is believed, you cannot hope that god will pardon you unless you make known to your judges what the poison is, what is its composition and what its antidote, also the names of your accomplices. madame, we must lay hands on all these evil-doers without exception; for if you spared them, they would be able to make use of your poison, and you would then be guilty of all the murders committed by them after your death, because you did not give them over to the judges during your life; thus one might say you survive yourself, for your crime survives you. you know, madame, that a sin in the moment of death is never pardoned, and that to get remission for your crimes, if crimes you have, they must die when you die: for if you slay them not, be very sure they will slay you."

"yes, i am sure of that," replied the marquise, after a moment of silent thought; "and though i will not admit that i am guilty, i promise, if i am guilty, to weigh your words. but one question, sir, and pray take heed that an answer is necessary. is there not crime in this world that is beyond pardon? are not some people guilty of sins so terrible and so numerous that the church dares not pardon them, and if god, in his justice, takes account of them, he cannot for all his mercy pardon them? see, i begin with this question, because, if i am to have no hope, it is needless for me to confess."

"i wish to think, madame," replied the doctor, in spite of himself half frightened at the marquise, "that this your first question is only put by way of a general thesis, and has nothing to do with your own state. i shall answer the question without any personal application. no, madame, in this life there are no unpardonable sinners, terrible and numerous howsoever their sins may be. this is an article of faith, and without holding it you could not die a good catholic. some doctors, it is true, have before now maintained the contrary, but they have been condemned as heretics. only despair and final impenitence are unpardonable, and they are not sins of our life but in our death."

"sir," replied the marquise, "god has given me grace to be convinced by what you say, and i believe he will pardon all sins—that he has often exercised this power. now all my trouble is that he may not deign to grant all his goodness to one so wretched as i am, a creature so unworthy of the favours already bestowed on her."

the doctor reassured her as best he could, and began to examine her attentively as they conversed together. "she was," he said, "a woman naturally courageous and fearless; naturally gentle and good; not easily excited; clever and penetrating, seeing things very clearly in her mind, and expressing herself well and in few but careful words; easily finding a way out of a difficulty, and choosing her line of conduct in the most embarrassing circumstances; light-minded and fickle; unstable, paying no attention if the same thing were said several times over. for this reason," continued the doctor, "i was obliged to alter what i had to say from time to time, keeping her but a short time to one subject, to which, however, i would return later, giving the matter a new appearance and disguising it a little. she spoke little and well, with no sign of learning and no affectation, always, mistress of herself, always composed and saying just what she intended to say. no one would have supposed from her face or from her conversation that she was so wicked as she must have been, judging by her public avowal of the parricide. it is surprising, therefore—and one must bow down before the judgment of god when he leaves mankind to himself—that a mind evidently of some grandeur, professing fearlessness in the most untoward and unexpected events, an immovable firmness and a resolution to await and to endure death if so it must be, should yet be so criminal as she was proved to be by the parricide to which she confessed before her judges. she had nothing in her face that would indicate such evil. she had very abundant chestnut hair, a rounded, well-shaped face, blue eyes very pretty and gentle, extraordinarily white skin, good nose, and no disagreeable feature. still, there was nothing unusually attractive in the face: already she was a little wrinkled, and looked older than her age. something made me ask at our first interview how old she was. 'monsieur,' she said, 'if i were to live till sainte-madeleine's day i should be forty-six. on her day i came into the world, and i bear her name. i was christened marie-madeleine. but near to the day as we now are, i shall not live so long: i must end to-day, or at latest to-morrow, and it will be a favour to give me the one day. for this kindness i rely on your word.' anyone would have thought she was quite forty-eight. though her face as a rule looked so gentle, whenever an unhappy thought crossed her mind she showed it by a contortion that frightened one at first, and from time to time i saw her face twitching with anger, scorn, or ill-will. i forgot to say that she was very little and thin. such is, roughly given, a description of her body and mind, which i very soon came to know, taking pains from the first to observe her, so as to lose no time in acting on what i discovered."

as she was giving a first brief sketch of her life to her confessor, the marquise remembered that he had not yet said mass, and reminded him herself that it was time to do so, pointing out to him the chapel of the conciergerie. she begged him to say a mass for her and in honour of our lady, so that she might gain the intercession of the virgin at the throne of god. the virgin she had always taken for her patron saint, and in the midst of her crimes and disorderly life had never ceased in her peculiar devotion. as she could not go with the priest, she promised to be with him at least in the spirit. he left her at half-past ten in the morning, and after four hours spent alone together, she had been induced by his piety and gentleness to make confessions that could not be wrung from her by the threats of the judges or the fear of the question. the holy and devout priest said his mass, praying the lord's help for confessor and penitent alike. after mass, as he returned, he learned from a librarian called seney, at the porter's lodge, as he was taking a glass of wine, that judgment had been given, and that madame de brinvilliers was to have her hand cut off. this severity—as a fact, there was a mitigation of the sentence—made him feel yet more interest in his penitent, and he hastened back to her side.

as soon as she saw the door open, she advanced calmly towards him, and asked if he had truly prayed for her; and when he assured her of this, she said, "father, shall i have the consolation of receiving the viaticum before i die?"

"madame," replied the doctor, "if you are condemned to death, you must die without that sacrament, and i should be deceiving you if i let you hope for it. we have heard of the death of the constable of saint-paul without his obtaining this grace, in spite of all his entreaties. he was executed in sight of the towers of notre-dame. he offered his own prayer, as you may offer yours, if you suffer the same fate. but that is all: god, in his goodness, allows it to suffice."

"but," replied the marquise, "i believe m. de cinq-mars and m. de thou communicated before their death."

"i think not, madame," said the doctor; "for it is not so said in the pages of montresor or any other book that describes their execution."

"but m. de montmorency?" said she.

"but m. de marillac?" replied the doctor.

in truth, if the favour had been granted to the first, it had been refused to the second, and the marquise was specially struck thereby, for m. de marillac was of her own family, and she was very proud of the connection. no doubt she was unaware that m. de rohan had received the sacrament at the midnight mass said for the salvation of his soul by father bourdaloue, for she said nothing about it, and hearing the doctor's answer, only sighed.

"besides," he continued, "in recalling examples of the kind, madame, you must not build upon them, please: they are extraordinary cases, not the rule. you must expect no privilege; in your case the ordinary laws will be carried out, and your fate will not differ from the fate of other condemned persons. how would it have been had you lived and died before the reign of charles vi? up to the reign of this prince, the guilty died without confession, and it was only by this king's orders that there was a relaxation of this severity. besides, communion is not absolutely necessary to salvation, and one may communicate spiritually in reading the word, which is like the body; in uniting oneself with the church, which is the mystical substance of christ; and in suffering for him and with him, this last communion of agony that is your portion, madame, and is the most perfect communion of all. if you heartily detest your crime and love god with all your soul, if you have faith and charity, your death is a martyrdom and a new baptism."

"alas, my god," replied the marquise, "after what you tell me, now that i know the executioner's hand was necessary to my salvation, what should i have become had i died at liege? where should i have been now? and even if i had not been taken, and had lived another twenty years away from france, what would my death have been, since it needed the scaffold for my purification? now i see all my wrong-doings, and the worst of all is the last—i mean my effrontery before the judges. but all is not yet lost, god be thanked; and as i have one last examination to go through, i desire to make a complete confession about my whole life. you, sir, i entreat specially to ask pardon on my behalf of the first president; yesterday, when i was in the dock, he spoke very touching words to me, and i was deeply moved; but i would not show it, thinking that if i made no avowal the evidence would not be sufficiently strong to convict me. but it has happened otherwise, and i must have scandalised my judges by such an exhibition of hardihood. now i recognise my fault, and will repair it. furthermore, sir, far from feeling angry with the president for the judgment he to-day passes against me, far from complaining of the prosecutor who has demanded it, i thank them both most humbly, for my salvation depends upon it."

the doctor was about to answer, encouraging her, when the door opened: it was dinner coming in, for it was now half-past one. the marquise paused and watched what was brought in, as though she were playing hostess in her own country house. she made the woman and the two men who watched her sit down to the table, and turning to the doctor, said, "sir, you will not wish me to stand on ceremony with you; these good people always dine with me to keep me company, and if you approve, we will do the same to-day. this is the last meal," she added, addressing them, "that i shall take with you." then turning to the woman, "poor madame du rus," said she, "i have been a trouble to you for a long time; but have a little patience, and you will soon be rid of me. to-morrow you can go to dravet; you will have time, for in seven or eight hours from now there will be nothing more to do for me, and i shall be in the gentleman's hands; you will not be allowed near me. after then, you can go away for good; for i don't suppose you will have the heart to see me executed." all this she said quite calmly, but not with pride. from time to time her people tried to hide their tears, and she made a sign of pitying them. seeing that the dinner was on the table and nobody eating, she invited the doctor to take some soup, asking him to excuse the cabbage in it, which made it a common soup and unworthy of his acceptance. she herself took some soup and two eggs, begging her fellow-guests to excuse her for not serving them, pointing out that no knife or fork had been set in her place.

when the meal was almost half finished, she begged the doctor to let her drink his health. he replied by drinking hers, and she seemed to be quite charmed by, his condescension. "to-morrow is a fast day," said she, setting down her glass, "and although it will be a day of great fatigue for me, as i shall have to undergo the question as well as death, i intend to obey the orders of the church and keep my fast."

"madame," replied the doctor, "if you needed soup to keep you up, you would not have to feel any scruple, for it will be no self-indulgence, but a necessity, and the church does not exact fasting in such a case."

"sir," replied the marquise, "i will make no difficulty about it, if it is necessary and if you order it; but it will not be needed, i think: if i have some soup this evening for supper, and some more made stronger than usual a little before midnight, it will be enough to last me through to-morrow, if i have two fresh eggs to take after the question."

"in truth," says the priest in the account we give here, "i was alarmed by this calm behaviour. i trembled when i heard her give orders to the concierge that the soup was to be made stronger than usual and that she was to have two cups before midnight. when dinner was over, she was given pen and ink, which she had already asked for, and told me that she had a letter to write before i took up my pen to put down what she wanted to dictate." the letter, she explained, which was difficult to write, was to her husband. she would feel easier when it was written. for her husband she expressed so much affection, that the doctor, knowing what had passed, felt much surprised, and wishing to try her, said that the affection was not reciprocated, as her husband had abandoned her the whole time of the trial. the marquise interrupted him:

"my father, we must not judge things too quickly or merely by appearances. m. de brinvilliers has always concerned himself with me, and has only failed in doing what it was impossible to do. our interchange of letters never ceased while i was out of the kingdom; do not doubt but that he would have come to paris as soon as he knew i was in prison, had the state of his affairs allowed him to come safely. but you must know that he is deeply in debt, and could not appear in paris without being arrested. do not suppose that he is without feeling for me."

she then began to write, and when her letter was finished she handed it to the doctor, saying, "you, sir, are the lord and master of all my sentiments from now till i die; read this letter, and if you find anything that should be altered, tell me."

this was the letter—

"when i am on the point of yielding up my soul to god, i wish to assure you of my affection for you, which i shall feel until the last moment of my life. i ask your pardon for all that i have done contrary to my duty. i am dying a shameful death, the work of my enemies: i pardon them with all my heart, and i pray you to do the same. i also beg you to forgive me for any ignominy that may attach to you herefrom; but consider that we are only here for a time, and that you may soon be forced to render an account to god of all your actions, and even your idle words, just as i must do now. be mindful of your worldly affairs, and of our children, and give them a good example; consult madame marillac and madame couste. let as many prayers as possible be said for me, and believe that in my death i am still ever yours, d'aubray."

the doctor read this letter carefully; then he told her that one of her phrases was not right—the one about her enemies. "for you have no other enemies," said he, "than your own crimes. those whom you call your enemies are those who love the memory of your father and brothers, whom you ought to have loved more than they do."

"but those who have sought my death," she replied, "are my enemies, are they not, and is it not a christian act to forgive them?"

"madame," said the doctor, "they are not your enemies, but you are the enemy of the human race: nobody can think without, horror of your crimes."

"and so, my father," she replied, "i feel no resentment towards them, and i desire to meet in paradise those who have been chiefly instrumental in taking me and bringing me here."

"madame," said the doctor, "what mean you by this? such words are used by some when they desire people's death. explain, i beg, what you mean."

"heaven forbid," cried the marquise, "that you should understand me thus! nay, may god grant them long prosperity in this world and infinite glory in the next! dictate a new letter, and i will write just what you please."

when a fresh letter had been written, the marquise would attend to nothing but her confession, and begged the doctor to take the pen for her. "i have done so many wrong thing's," she said, "that if i only gave you a verbal confession, i should never be sure i had given a complete account."

then they both knelt down to implore the grace of the holy spirit. they said a 'veni creator' and a 'salve regina', and the doctor then rose and seated himself at a table, while the marquise, still on her knees, began a confiteor and made her whole confession. at nine o'clock, father chavigny, who had brought doctor pirot in the morning, came in again. the marquise seemed annoyed, but still put a good face upon it. "my father," said she, "i did not expect to see you so late; pray leave me a few minutes longer with the doctor." he retired. "why has he come?" asked the marquise.

"it is better for you not to be alone," said the doctor.

"then do you mean to leave me?" cried the marquise, apparently terrified.

"madame, i will do as you wish," he answered; "but you would be acting kindly if you could spare me for a few hours. i might go home, and father chavigny would stay with you."

"ah!" she cried, wringing her hands, "you promised you would not leave me till i am dead, and now you go away. remember, i never saw you before this morning, but since then you have become more to me than any of my oldest friends."

"madame," said the good doctor, "i will do all i can to please you. if i ask for a little rest, it is in order that i may resume my place with more vigour to-morrow, and render you better service than i otherwise could. if i take no rest, all i say or do must suffer. you count on the execution for tomorrow; i do not know if you are right; but if so, to-morrow will be your great and decisive day, and we shall both need all the strength we have. we have already been working for thirteen or fourteen hours for the good of your salvation; i am not a strong man, and i think you should realise, madame, that if you do not let me rest a little, i may not be able to stay with you to the end."

"sir," said the marquise, "you have closed my mouth. to-morrow is for me a far more important day than to-day, and i have been wrong: of course you must rest to-night. let us just finish this one thing, and read over what we have written."

it was done, and the doctor would have retired; but the supper came in, and the marquise would not let him go without taking something. she told the concierge to get a carriage and charge it to her. she took a cup of soup and two eggs, and a minute later the concierge came back to say the carriage was at the door. then the marquise bade the doctor good-night, making him promise to pray for her and to be at the conciergerie by six o'clock the next morning. this he promised her.

the day following, as he went into the tower, he found father chavigny, who had taken his place with the marquise, kneeling and praying with her. the priest was weeping, but she was calm, and received the doctor in just the same way as she had let him go. when father chavigny saw him, he retired. the marquise begged chavigny to pray for her, and wanted to make him promise to return, but that he would not do. she then turned to the doctor, saying, "sir, you are punctual, and i cannot complain that you have broken your promise; but oh, how the time has dragged, and how long it has seemed before the clock struck six!"

"i am here, madame," said the doctor; "but first of all, how have you spent the night?"

"i have written three letters," said the marquise, "and, short as they were, they took a long time to write: one was to my sister, one to madame de marillac, and the third to m. couste. i should have liked to show them to you, but father chavigny offered to take charge of them, and as he had approved of them, i could not venture to suggest any doubts. after the letters were written, we had some conversation and prayer; but when the father took up his breviary and i my rosary with the same intention, i felt so weary that i asked if i might lie on my bed; he said i might, and i had two good hours' sleep without dreams or any sort of uneasiness; when i woke we prayed together, and had just finished when you came back."

"well, madame," said the doctor, "if you will, we can pray again; kneel down, and let us say the 'veni sancte spiritus'."

she obeyed, and said the prayer with much unction and piety. the prayer finished, m. pirot was about to take up the pen to go on with the confession, when she said, "pray let me submit to you one question which is troubling me. yesterday you gave me great hope of the mercy of god; but i cannot presume to hope i shall be saved without spending a long time in purgatory; my crime is far too atrocious to be pardoned on any other conditions; and when i have attained to a love of god far greater than i can feel here, i should not expect to be saved before my stains have been purified by fire, without suffering the penalty that my sins have deserved. but i have been told that the flames of purgatory where souls are burned for a time are just the same as the flames of hell where those who are damned burn through all eternity tell me, then, how can a soul awaking in purgatory at the moment of separation from this body be sure that she is not really in hell? how can she know that the flames that burn her and consume not will some day cease? for the torment she suffers is like that of the damned, and the flames wherewith she is burned are even as the flames of hell. this i would fain know, that at this awful moment i may feel no doubt, that i may know for certain whether i dare hope or must despair."

"madame," replied the doctor, "you are right, and god is too just to add the horror of uncertainty to his rightful punishments. at that moment when the soul quits her earthly body the judgment of god is passed upon her: she hears the sentence of pardon or of doom; she knows whether she is in the state of grace or of mortal sin; she sees whether she is to be plunged forever into hell, or if god sends her for a time to purgatory. this sentence, madame, you will learn at the very instant when the executioner's axe strikes you; unless, indeed, the fire of charity has so purified you in this life that you may pass, without any purgatory at all, straight to the home of the blessed who surround the throne of the lord, there to receive a recompense for earthly martyrdom."

"sir," replied the marquise, "i have such faith in all you say that i feel i understand it all now, and i am satisfied."

the doctor and the marquise then resumed the confession that was interrupted the night before. the marquise had during the night recollected certain articles that she wanted to add. so they continued, the doctor making her pause now and then in the narration of the heavier offences to recite an act of contrition.

after an hour and a half they came to tell her to go down. the registrar was waiting to read her the sentence. she listened very calmly, kneeling, only moving her head; then, with no alteration in her voice, she said, "in a moment: we will have one word more, the doctor and i, and then i am at your disposal." she then continued to dictate the rest of her confession. when she reached the end, she begged him to offer a short prayer with her, that god might help her to appear with such becoming contrition before her judges as should atone for her scandalous effrontery. she then took up her cloak, a prayer-book which father chavigny had left with her, and followed the concierge, who led her to the torture chamber, where her sentence was to be read.

first, there was an examination which lasted five hours. the marquise told all she had promised to tell, denying that she had any accomplices, and affirming that she knew nothing of the composition of the poisons she had administered, and nothing of their antidotes. when this was done, and the judges saw that they could extract nothing further, they signed to the registrar to read the sentence. she stood to hear it: it was as follows:

"that by the finding of the court, d'aubray de brinvilliers is convicted of causing the death by poison of maitre dreux d'aubray, her father, and of the two maitres d'aubray, her brothers, one a civil lieutenant, the other a councillor to the parliament, also of attempting the life of therese d'aubray, her sister; in punishment whereof the court has condemned and does condemn the said d'aubray de brinvilliers to make the rightful atonement before the great gate of the church of paris, whither she shall be conveyed in a tumbril, barefoot, a rope on her neck, holding in her hands a burning torch two pounds in weight; and there on her knees she shall say and declare that maliciously, with desire for revenge and seeking their goods, she did poison her father, cause to be poisoned her two brothers, and attempt the life of her sister, whereof she doth repent, asking pardon of god, of the king, and of the judges; and when this is done, she shall be conveyed and carried in the same tumbril to the place de greve of this town, there to have her head cut off on a scaffold to be set up for the purpose at that place; afterwards her body to be burnt and the ashes scattered; and first she is to be subjected to the question ordinary and extraordinary, that she may reveal the names of her accomplices. she is declared to be deprived of all successions from her said father, brothers, and sister, from the date of the several crimes; and all her goods are confiscated to the proper persons; and the sum of 4000 livres shall be paid out of her estate to the king, and 400 livres to the church for prayers to be said on behalf of the poisoned persons; and all the costs shall be paid, including those of amelin called lachaussee. in parliament, 16th july 1676."

the marquise heard her sentence without showing any sign of fear or weakness. when it was finished, she said to the registrar, "will you, sir, be so kind as to read it again? i had not expected the tumbril, and i was so much struck by that that i lost the thread of what followed."

the registrar read the sentence again. from that moment she was the property of the executioner, who approached her. she knew him by the cord he held in his hands, and extended her own, looking him over coolly from head to foot without a word. the judges then filed out, disclosing as they did so the various apparatus of the question. the marquise firmly gazed upon the racks and ghastly rings, on which so many had been stretched crying and screaming. she noticed the three buckets of water

[note: the torture with the water was thus administered. there were eight vessels, each containing 2 pints of water. four of these were given for the ordinary, and eight for the extraordinary. the executioner inserted a horn into the patient's mouth, and if he shut his teeth, forced him to open them by pinching his nose with the finger and thumb.]

prepared for her, and turned to the registrar—for she would not address the executioner—saying, with a smile, "no doubt all this water is to drown me in? i hope you don't suppose that a person of my size could swallow it all." the executioner said not a word, but began taking off her cloak and all her other garments, until she was completely naked. he then led her up to the wall and made her sit on the rack of the ordinary question, two feet from the ground. there she was again asked to give the names of her accomplices, the composition of the poison and its antidote; but she made the same reply as to the doctor, only adding, "if you do not believe me, you have my body in your hands, and you can torture me."

the registrar signed to the executioner to do his duty. he first fastened the feet of the marquise to two rings close together fixed to a board; then making her lie down, he fastened her wrists to two other rings in the wall, distant about three feet from each other. the head was at the same height as the feet, and the body, held up on a trestle, described a half-curve, as though lying over a wheel. to increase the stretch of the limbs, the man gave two turns to a crank, which pushed the feet, at first about twelve inches from the rings, to a distance of six inches. and here we may leave our narrative to reproduce the official report.

"on the small trestle, while she was being stretched, she said several times, 'my god! you are killing me! and i only spoke the truth.'

"the water was given: she turned and twisted, saying, 'you are killing me!'

"the water was again given.

"admonished to name her accomplices, she said there was only one man, who had asked her for poison to get rid of his wife, but he was dead.

"the water was given; she moved a little, but would not say anything.

"admonished to say why, if she had no accomplice, she had written from the conciergerie to penautier, begging him to do all he could for her, and to remember that his interests in this matter were the same as her own, she said that she never knew penautier had had any understanding with sainte-croix about the poisons, and it would be a lie to say otherwise; but when a paper was found in sainte-croix's box that concerned penautier, she remembered how often she had seen him at the house, and thought it possible that the friendship might have included some business about the poisons; that, being in doubt on the point, she risked writing a letter as though she were sure, for by doing so she was not prejudicing her own case; for either penautier was an accomplice of sainte-croix or he was not. if he was, he would suppose the marquise knew enough to accuse him, and would accordingly do his best to save her; if he was not, the letter was a letter wasted, and that was all.

"the water was again given; she turned and twisted much, but said that on this subject she had said all she possibly could; if she said anything else, it would be untrue."

the ordinary question was at an end. the marquise had now taken half the quantity of water she had thought enough to drown her. the executioner paused before he proceeded to the extraordinary question. instead of the trestle two feet and a half high on which she lay, they passed under her body a trestle of three and a half feet, which gave the body a greater arch, and as this was done without lengthening the ropes, her limbs were still further stretched, and the bonds, tightly straining at wrists and ankles, penetrated the flesh and made the blood run. the question began once more, interrupted by the demands of the registrar and the answers of the sufferer. her cries seemed not even to be heard.

"on the large trestle, during the stretching, she said several times, 'o god, you tear me to, pieces! lord, pardon me! lord, have mercy upon me!'

"asked if she had nothing more to tell regarding her accomplices, she said they might kill her, but she would not tell a lie that would destroy her soul.

"the water was given, she moved about a little, but would not speak.

"admonished that she should tell the composition of the poisons and their antidotes, she said that she did not know what was in them; the only thing she could recall was toads; that sainte-croix never revealed his secret to her; that she did not believe he made them himself, but had them prepared by glazer; she seemed to remember that some of them contained nothing but rarefied arsenic; that as to an antidote, she knew of no other than milk; and sainte-croix had told her that if one had taken milk in the morning, and on the first onset of the poison took another glassful, one would have nothing to fear.

"admonished to say if she could add anything further, she said she had now told everything; and if they killed her, they could not extract anything more.

"more water was given; she writhed a little, and said she was dead, but nothing more.

"more water was given; she writhed more violently, but would say no more.

"yet again water was given; writhing and twisting, she said, with a deep groan, 'o my god, i am killed!' but would speak no more."

then they tortured her no further: she was let down, untied, and placed before the fire in the usual manner. while there, close to the fire, lying on the mattress, she was visited by the good doctor, who, feeling he could not bear to witness the spectacle just described, had asked her leave to retire, that he might say a mass for her, that god might grant her patience and courage. it is plain that the good priest had not prayed in vain.

"ah," said the marquise, when she perceived him, "i have long been desiring to see you again, that you might comfort me. my torture has been very long and very painful, but this is the last time i shall have to treat with men; now all is with god for the future. see my hands, sir, and my feet, are they not torn and wounded? have not my executioners smitten me in the same places where christ was smitten?"

"and therefore, madame," replied the priest, "these sufferings now are your happiness; each torture is one step nearer to heaven. as you say, you are now for god alone; all your thoughts and hopes must be fastened upon him; we must pray to him, like the penitent king, to give you a place among his elect; and since nought that is impure can pass thither, we must strive, madame, to purify you from all that might bar the way to heaven."

the marquise rose with the doctor's aid, for she could scarcely stand; tottering, she stepped forward between him and the executioner, who took charge of her immediately after the sentence was read, and was not allowed to leave her before it was completely carried out. they all three entered the chapel and went into the choir, where the doctor and the marquise knelt in adoration of the blessed sacrament. at that moment several persons appeared in the nave, drawn by curiosity. they could not be turned out, so the executioner, to save the marquise from being annoyed, shut the gate of the choir, and let the patient pass behind the altar. there she sat down in a chair, and the doctor on a seat opposite; then he first saw, by the light of the chapel window, how greatly changed she was. her face, generally so pale, was inflamed, her eyes glowing and feverish, all her body involuntarily trembling. the doctor would have spoken a few words of consolation, but she did not attend. "sir," she said, "do you know that my sentence is an ignominious one? do you know there is fire in the sentence?"

the doctor gave no answer; but, thinking she needed something, bade the gaoler to bring her wine. a minute later he brought it in a cup, and the doctor handed it to the marquise, who moistened her lips and then gave it back. she then noticed that her neck was uncovered, and took out her handkerchief to cover it, asking the gaoler for a pin to fasten it with. when he was slow in finding a pin, looking on his person for it, she fancied that he feared she would choke herself, and shaking her head, said, with a smile, "you have nothing to fear now; and here is the doctor, who will pledge his word that i will do myself no mischief."

"madame," said the gaoler, handing her the pin she wanted, "i beg your pardon for keeping you waiting. i swear i did not distrust you; if anyone distrusts you, it is not i."

then kneeling before her, he begged to kiss her hand. she gave it, and asked him to pray to god for her. "ah yes," he cried, sobbing, "with all my heart." she then fastened her dress as best she could with her hands tied, and when the gaoler had gone and she was alone with the doctor, said:—

"did you not hear what i said, sir? i told you there was fire in my sentence. and though it is only after death that my body is to be burnt, it will always be a terrible disgrace on my memory. i am saved the pain of being burnt alive, and thus, perhaps, saved from a death of despair, but the shamefulness is the same, and it is that i think of."

"madame," said the doctor, "it in no way affects your soul's salvation whether your body is cast into the fire and reduced to ashes or whether it is buried in the ground and eaten by worms, whether it is drawn on a hurdle and thrown upon a dung-heap, or embalmed with oriental perfumes and laid in a rich man's tomb. whatever may be your end, your body will arise on the appointed day, and if heaven so will, it will come forth from its ashes more glorious than a royal corpse lying at this moment in a gilded casket. obsequies, madame, are for those who survive, not for the dead."

a sound was heard at the door of the choir. the doctor went to see what it was, and found a man who insisted on entering, all but fighting with the executioner. the doctor approached and asked what was the matter. the man was a saddler, from whom the marquise had bought a carriage before she left france; this she had partly paid for, but still owed him two hundred livres. he produced the note he had had from her, on which was a faithful record of the sums she had paid on account. the marquise at this point called out, not knowing what was going on, and the doctor and executioner went to her. "have they come to fetch me already?" said she. "i am not well prepared just at this moment; but never mind, i am ready."

the doctor reassured her, and told her what was going on. "the man is quite right," she said to the executioner; "tell him i will give orders as far as i can about the money." then, seeing the executioner retiring, she said to the doctor, "must i go now, sir? i wish they would give me a little more time; for though i am ready, as i told you, i am not really prepared. forgive me, father; it is the question and the sentence that have upset me it is this fire burning in my eyes like hell-flames.

"had they left me with you all this time, there would now be better hope of my salvation."

"madame," said the doctor, "you will probably have all the time before nightfall to compose yourself and think what remains for you to do."

"ah, sir," she replied, with a smile, "do not think they will show so much consideration for a poor wretch condemned to be burnt. that does not depend on ourselves; but as soon as everything is ready, they will let us know, and we must start."

"madame," said the doctor, "i am certain that they will give you the time you need."

"no, no," she replied abruptly and feverishly, "no, i will not keep them waiting. as soon as the tumbril is at this door, they have only to tell me, and i go down."

"madame," said he, "i would not hold you back if i found you prepared to stand before the face of god, for in your situation it is right to ask for no time, and to go when the moment is come; but not everyone is so ready as christ was, who rose from prayer and awaked his disciples that he might leave the garden and go out to meet his enemies. you at this moment are weak, and if they come for you just now i should resist your departure."

"be calm; the time is not yet come," said the executioner, who had heard this talk. he knew his statement must be believed, and wished as far as possible to reassure the marquise. "there is no hurry, and we cannot start for another two of three hours."

this assurance calmed the marquise somewhat, and she thanked the man. then turning to the doctor, she said, "here is a rosary that i would rather should not fall into this person's hands. not that he could not make good use of it; for, in spite of their trade, i fancy that these people are christians like ourselves. but i should prefer to leave this to somebody else."

"madame," said the doctor, "if you will tell me your wishes in this matter, i will see that they are carried out."

"alas!" she said, "there is no one but my sister; and i fear lest she, remembering my crime towards her, may be too horrified to touch anything that belonged to me. if she did not mind, it would be a great comfort to me to think she would wear it after my death, and that the sight of it would remind her to pray for me; but after what has passed, the rosary could hardly fail to revive an odious recollection. my god, my god! i am desperately wicked; can it be that you will pardon me?"

"madame," replied the doctor, "i think you are mistaken about mlle, d'aubray. you may see by her letter what are her feelings towards you, and you must pray with this rosary up to the very end. let not your prayers be interrupted or distracted, for no guilty penitent must cease from prayer; and i, madame, will engage to deliver the rosary where it will be gladly received."

and the marquise, who had been constantly distracted since the morning, was now, thanks to the patient goodness of the doctor, able to return with her former fervour to her prayers. she prayed till seven o'clock. as the clock struck, the executioner without a word came and stood before her; she saw that her moment had come, and said to the doctor, grasping his arm, "a little longer; just a few moments, i entreat."

"madame," said the doctor, rising, "we will now adore the divine blood of the sacrament, praying that you may be thus cleansed from all soil and sin that may be still in your heart. thus shall you gain the respite you desire."

the executioner then tied tight the cords round her hands that he had let loose before, and she advanced pretty firmly and knelt before the altar, between the doctor and the chaplain. the latter was in his surplice, and chanted a 'veni creator, salve regina, and tantum ergo'. these prayers over, he pronounced the blessing of the holy sacrament, while the marquise knelt with her face upon the ground. the executioner then went forward to get ready a shirt, and she made her exit from the chapel, supported on the left by the doctor's arm, on the right by the executioner's assistant. thus proceeding, she first felt embarrassment and confusion. ten or twelve people were waiting outside, and as she suddenly confronted them, she made a step backward, and with her hands, bound though they were, pulled the headdress down to cover half her face. she passed through a small door, which was closed behind her, and then found herself between the two doors alone, with the doctor and the executioner's man. here the rosary, in consequence of her violent movement to cover her face, came undone, and several beads fell on the floor. she went on, however, without observing this; but the doctor stopped her, and he and the man stooped down and picked up all the beads, which they put into her hand. thanking them humbly for this attention, she said to the man, "sir, i know i have now no worldly possessions, that all i have upon me belongs to you, and i may not give anything away without your consent; but i ask you kindly to allow me to give this chaplet to the doctor before i die: you will not be much the loser, for it is of no value, and i am giving it to him for my sister. kindly let me do this."

"madame," said the man, "it is the custom for us to get all the property of the condemned; but you are mistress of all you have, and if the thing were of the very greatest value you might dispose of it as you pleased."

the doctor, whose arm she held, felt her shiver at this gallantry, which for her, with her natural haughty disposition, must have been the worst humiliation imaginable; but the movement was restrained, and her face gave no sign. she now came to the porch of the conciergerie, between the court and the first door, and there she was made to sit down, so as to be put into the right condition for making the 'amende honorable'. each step brought her nearer to the scaffold, and so did each incident cause her more uneasiness. now she turned round desperately, and perceived the executioner holding a shirt in his hand. the door of the vestibule opened, and about fifty people came in, among them the countess of soissons, madame du refuge, mlle. de scudery, m. de roquelaure, and the abbe de chimay. at the sight the marquise reddened with shame, and turning to the doctor, said, "is this man to strip me again, as he did in the question chamber? all these preparations are very cruel; and, in spite of myself, they divert my thoughts, from god."

low as her voice was, the executioner heard, and reassured her, saying that they would take nothing off, only putting the shirt over her other clothes.

he then approached, and the marquise, unable to speak to the doctor with a man on each side of her, showed him by her looks how deeply she felt the ignominy of her situation. then, when the shirt had been put on, for which operation her hands had to be untied, the man raised the headdress which she had pulled down, and tied it round her neck, then fastened her hands together with one rope and put another round her waist, and yet another round her neck; then, kneeling before her, he took off her shoes and stockings. then she stretched out her hands to the doctor.

"oh, sir," she cried, "in god's name, you see what they have done to me! come and comfort me."

the doctor came at once, supporting her head upon his breast, trying to comfort her; but she, in a tone of bitter lamentation, gazing at the crowd, who devoured her with all their eyes, cried, "oh, sir, is not this a strange, barbarous curiosity?"

"madame," said he, the tears in his eyes, "do not look at these eager people from the point of view of their curiosity and barbarity, though that is real enough, but consider it part of the humiliation sent by god for the expiation of your crimes. god, who was innocent, was subject to very different opprobrium, and yet suffered all with joy; for, as tertullian observes, he was a victim fattened on the joys of suffering alone."

as the doctor spoke these words, the executioner placed in the marquise's hands the lighted torch which she was to carry to notre-dame, there to make the 'amende honorable', and as it was too heavy, weighing two pounds, the doctor supported it with his right hand, while the registrar read her sentence aloud a second time. the doctor did all in his power to prevent her from hearing this by speaking unceasingly of god. still she grew frightfully pale at the words, "when this is done, she shall be conveyed on a tumbril, barefoot, a cord round her neck, holding in her hands a burning torch two pounds in weight," and the doctor could feel no doubt that in spite of his efforts she had heard. it became still worse when she reached the threshold of the vestibule and saw the great crowd waiting in the court. then her face worked convulsively, and crouching down, as though she would bury her feet in the earth, she addressed the doctor in words both plaintive and wild: "is it possible that, after what is now happening, m. de brinvilliers can endure to go on living?"

"madame," said the doctor, "when our lord was about to leave his disciples, he did not ask god to remove them from this earth, but to preserve them from all sin. 'my father,' he said, 'i ask not that you take them from the world, but keep them safe from evil.' if, madame, you pray for m. de brinvilliers, let it be only that he may be kept in grace, if he has it, and may attain to it if he has it not."

but the words were useless: at that moment the humiliation was too great and too public; her face contracted, her eyebrows knit, flames darted from her eyes, her mouth was all twisted. her whole appearance was horrible; the devil was once more in possession. during this paroxysm, which lasted nearly a quarter of an hour, lebrun, who stood near, got such a vivid impression of her face that the following night he could not sleep, and with the sight of it ever before his eyes made the fine drawing which—is now in the louvre, giving to the figure the head of a tiger, in order to show that the principal features were the same, and the whole resemblance very striking.

the delay in progress was caused by the immense crowd blocking the court, only pushed aside by archers on horseback, who separated the people. the marquise now went out, and the doctor, lest the sight of the people should completely distract her, put a crucifix in her hand, bidding her fix her gaze upon it. this advice she followed till they gained the gate into the street where the tumbril was waiting; then she lifted her eyes to see the shameful object. it was one of the smallest of carts, still splashed with mud and marked by the stones it had carried, with no seat, only a little straw at the bottom. it was drawn by a wretched horse, well matching the disgraceful conveyance.

the executioner bade her get in first, which she did very rapidly, as if to escape observation. there she crouched like a wild beast, in the left corner, on the straw, riding backwards. the doctor sat beside her on the right. then the executioner got in, shutting the door behind him, and sat opposite her, stretching his legs between the doctor's. his man, whose business it was to guide the horse, sat on the front, back to back with the doctor and the marquise, his feet stuck out on the shafts. thus it is easy to understand how madame de sevigne, who was on the pont notre-dame, could see nothing but the headdress of the marquise as she was driven to notre-dame.

the cortege had only gone a few steps, when the face of the marquise, for a time a little calmer, was again convulsed. from her eyes, fixed constantly on the crucifix, there darted a flaming glance, then came a troubled and frenzied look which terrified the doctor. he knew she must have been struck by something she saw, and, wishing to calm her, asked what it was.

"nothing, nothing," she replied quickly, looking towards him; "it was nothing."

"but, madame," said he, "you cannot give the lie to your own eyes; and a minute ago i saw a fire very different from the fire of love, which only some displeasing sight can have provoked. what may this be? tell me, pray; for you promised to tell me of any sort of temptation that might assail you."

"sir," she said, "i will do so, but it is nothing." then, looking towards the executioner, who, as we know, sat facing the doctor, she said, "put me in front of you, please; hide that man from me." and she stretched out her hands towards a man who was following the tumbril on horseback, and so dropped the torch, which the doctor took, and the crucifix, which fell on the floor. the executioner looked back, and then turned sideways as she wished, nodding and saying, "oh yes, i understand." the doctor pressed to know what it meant, and she said, "it is nothing worth telling you, and it is a weakness in me not to be able to bear the sight of a man who has ill-used me. the man who touched the back of the tumbril is desgrais, who arrested me at liege, and treated me so badly all along the road. when i saw him, i could not control myself, as you noticed."

"madame," said the doctor, "i have heard of him, and you yourself spoke of him in confession; but the man was sent to arrest you, and was in a responsible position, so that he had to guard you closely and rigorously; even if he had been more severe, he would only have been carrying out his orders. jesus christ, madame, could but have regarded his executioners as ministers of iniquity, servants of injustice, who added of their own accord every indignity they could think of; yet all along the way he looked on them with patience and more than patience, and in his death he prayed for them."

in the heart of the marquise a hard struggle was passing, and this was reflected on her face; but it was only for a moment, and after a last convulsive shudder she was again calm and serene; then she said:—

"sir, you are right, and i am very wrong to feel such a fancy as this: may god forgive me; and pray remember this fault on the scaffold, when you give me the absolution you promise, that this too may be pardoned me." then she turned to the executioner and said, "please sit where you were before, that i may see m. desgrais." the man hesitated, but on a sign from the doctor obeyed. the marquise looked fully at desgrais for some time, praying for him; then, fixing her eyes on the crucifix, began to pray for herself: this incident occurred in front of the church of sainte-genevieve des ardents.

but, slowly as it moved, the tumbril steadily advanced, and at last reached the place of notre-dame. the archers drove back the crowding people, and the tumbril went up to the steps, and there stopped. the executioner got down, removed the board at the back, held out his arms to the marquise, and set her down on the pavement. the doctor then got down, his legs quite numb from the cramped position he had been in since they left the conciergerie. he mounted the church steps and stood behind the marquise, who herself stood on the square, with the registrar on her right, the executioner on her left, and a great crowd of people behind her, inside the church, all the doors being thrown open. she was made to kneel, and in her hands was placed the lighted torch, which up to that time the doctor had helped to carry. then the registrar read the 'amende honorable' from a written paper, and she began to say it after him, but in so low a voice that the executioner said loudly, "speak out as he does; repeat every word. louder, louder!" then she raised her voice, and loudly and firmly recited the following apology.

"i confess that, wickedly and for revenge, i poisoned my father and my brothers, and attempted to poison my sister, to obtain possession of their goods, and i ask pardon of god, of the king, and of my country's laws."

the 'amende honorable' over, the executioner again carried her to the tumbril, not giving her the torch any more: the doctor sat beside her: all was just as before, and the tumbril went on towards la greve. from that moment, until she arrived at the scaffold, she never took her eyes off the crucifix, which the doctor held before her the whole time, exhorting her with religious words, trying to divert her attention from the terrible noise which the people made around the car, a murmur mingled with curses.

when they reached the place de greve, the tumbril stopped at a little distance from the scaffold. then the registrar m. drouet, came up on horseback, and, addressing the marquise, said, "madame, have you nothing more to say? if you wish to make any declaration, the twelve commissaries are here at hand, ready to receive it."

"you see, madame," said the doctor, "we are now at the end of our journey, and, thank god, you have not lost your power of endurance on the road; do not destroy the effect of all you have suffered and all you have yet to suffer by concealing what you know, if perchance you do know more than you have hitherto said."

"i have told all i know," said the marquise, "and there is no more i can say."

"repeat these words in a loud voice," said the doctor, "so that everybody may hear."

then in her loudest voice the marquise repeated—

"i have told all i know, and there is no more i can say."

after this declaration, they were going to drive the tumbril nearer to the scaffold, but the crowd was so dense that the assistant could not force a way through, though he struck out on every side with his whip. so they had to stop a few paces short. the executioner had already got down, and was adjusting the ladder. in this terrible moment of waiting, the marquise looked calmly and gratefully at the doctor, and when she felt that the tumbril had stopped, said, "sir, it is not here we part: you promised not to leave me till my head is cut off. i trust you will keep your word."

"to be sure i will," the doctor replied; "we shall not be separated before the moment of your death: be not troubled about that, for i will never forsake you."

"i looked for this kindness," she said, "and your promise was too solemn for you to think for one moment of failing me. please be on the scaffold and be near me. and now, sir, i would anticipate the final farewell,—for all the things i shall have to do on the scaffold may distract me,—so let me thank you here. if i am prepared to suffer the sentence of my earthly judge, and to hear that of my heavenly judge, i owe it to your care for me, and i am deeply grateful. i can only ask your forgiveness for the trouble i have given you." tears choked the doctor's speech, and he could not reply. "do you not forgive me?" she repeated. at her words, the doctor tried to reassure her; but feeling that if he opened his mouth he must needs break into sobs, he still kept silent. the marquise appealed to him a third time. "i entreat you, sir, forgive me; and do not regret the time you have passed with me. you will say a de profundus at the moment of my death, and a mass far me to-morrow: will you not promise?"

"yes, madame," said the doctor in a choking voice; "yes, yes, be calm, and i will do all you bid me."

the executioner hereupon removed the board, and helped the marquise out of the tumbril; and as they advanced the few steps towards the scaffold, and all eyes were upon them, the doctor could hide his tears for a moment without being observed. as he was drying his eyes, the assistant gave him his hand to help him down. meanwhile the marquise was mounting the ladder with the executioner, and when they reached the platform he told her to kneel down in front of a block which lay across it. then the doctor, who had mounted with a step less firm than hers, came and knelt beside her, but turned in the other direction, so that he might whisper in her ear—that is, the marquise faced the river, and the doctor faced the hotel de ville. scarcely had they taken their place thus when the man took down her hair and began cutting it at the back and at the sides, making her turn her head this way and that, at times rather roughly; but though this ghastly toilet lasted almost half an hour, she made no complaint, nor gave any sign of pain but her silent tears. when her hair was cut, he tore open the top of the shirt, so as to uncover the shoulders, and finally bandaged her eyes, and lifting her face by the chin, ordered her to hold her head erect. she obeyed, unresisting, all the time listening to the doctor's words and repeating them from time to time, when they seemed suitable to her own condition. meanwhile, at the back of the scaffold, on which the stake was placed, stood the executioner, glancing now and again at the folds of his cloak, where there showed the hilt of a long, straight sabre, which he had carefully concealed for fear madame de brinvilliers might see it when she mounted the scaffold. when the doctor, having pronounced absolution, turned his head and saw that the man was not yet armed, he uttered these prayers, which she repeated after him: "jesus, son of david and mary, have mercy upon me; mary, daughter of david and mother of jesus, pray for me; my god, i abandon my body, which is but dust, that men may burn it and do with it what they please, in the firm faith that it shall one day arise and be reunited with my soul. i trouble not concerning my body; grant, o god, that i yield up to thee my soul, that it may enter into thy rest; receive it into thy bosom; that it may dwell once more there, whence it first descended; from thee it came, to thee returns; thou art the source and the beginning; be thou, o god, the centre and the end!"

the marquise had said these words when suddenly the doctor heard a dull stroke like the sound of a chopper chopping meat upon a block: at that moment she ceased to speak. the blade had sped so quickly that the doctor had not even seen a flash. he stopped, his hair bristling, his brow bathed in sweat; for, not seeing the head fall, he supposed that the executioner had missed the mark and must needs start afresh. but his fear was short-lived, for almost at the same moment the head inclined to the left, slid on to the shoulder, and thence backward, while the body fell forward on the crossway block, supported so that the spectators could see the neck cut open and bleeding. immediately, in fulfilment of his promise, the doctor said a de profundis.

when the prayer was done and the doctor raised his head, he saw before him the executioner wiping his face. "well, sir," said he, "was not that a good stroke? i always put up a prayer on these occasions, and god has always assisted me; but i have been anxious for several days about this lady. i had six masses said, and i felt strengthened in hand and heart." he then pulled out a bottle from under his cloak, and drank a dram; and taking the body under one arm, all dressed as it was, and the head in his other hand, the eyes still bandaged, he threw both upon the faggots, which his assistant lighted.

"the next day," says madame de sevigne, "people were looking for the charred bones of madame de brinvilliers, because they said she was a saint."

in 1814, m. d'offemont, father of the present occupier of the castle where the marquise de brinvilliers poisoned her father, frightened at the approach of all the allied troops, contrived in one of the towers several hiding-places, where he shut up his silver and such other valuables as were to be found in this lonely country in the midst of the forest of laigue. the foreign troops were passing backwards and forwards at offemont, and after a three months' occupation retired to the farther side of the frontier.

then the owners ventured to take out the various things that had been hidden; and tapping the walls, to make sure nothing had been overlooked, they detected a hollow sound that indicated the presence of some unsuspected cavity. with picks and bars they broke the wall open, and when several stones had come out they found a large closet like a laboratory, containing furnaces, chemical instruments, phials hermetically sealed full of an unknown liquid, and four packets of powders of different colours. unluckily, the people who made these discoveries thought them of too much or too little importance; and instead of submitting the ingredients to the tests of modern science, they made away with them all, frightened at their probably deadly nature.

thus was lost this great opportunity—probably the last—for finding and analysing the substances which composed the poisons of sainte-croix and madame de brinvilliers.