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marked coldness and aversion that the com pany, who were ignorant of the true cause, could not forbear expressing their surprise. The mirth of the feast departed with Louis's appearance. A consciousness of " something wrong " silenced every one; and at the earli est possible moment consistent with goodmanners, the guests departed, and Louis and his resentful wife found themselves alone. No sooner had the company gone, than Madame de la Pivardiere broke out into pas sionate reproaches, and told her husband to go to his new wife and ask her, if he wanted an explanation of her own coldness and dis pleasure. In vain Louis attempted to deny the wrong. She refused to credit, even to listen to, any defence, and heaping on him the bitterest reproaches, ended by declaring that in a very brief space he should be made to repent bitterly the injury he had done her. With these ominous words she withdrew, her husband retiring to a separate chamber prepared for him by her orders. During the night a knocking was heard at the gate of the mansion, and when one of the female servants went down to inquire who was there, a man asked whether M. de la Pivardiere had arrived, and, being told that he had, he immediately disappeared. Next day De la Pivardiere was not to be found, although his horse and riding ap parel remained at the chiteau. Several days elapsed, and nothing was heard of him. Then there started into life a sinister rumor. Louis de la Pivardiere, it was affirmed, had been assassinated in his own house at Narbonne! How, when, or where the report ori ginated was never known, but it reached the ears of the authorities, and finally the lieutenant-criminel and other officers of justice ar rived at the house to investigate the matter and draw up a procte verbal. The discoveries they made were of a startling nature. The mattress and the bed on which De la Pivar diere had slept were found to be stained with blood, and in the cellar a deep trench dug about the size of a man's body was discovered, but there was no body in it when they exam

ined it. In addition to these and other cir cumstances, two maidservants, being arrested, gave a precise and detailed account of the murder of the missing gentleman. One of them, Marguerite Mercier, stated that Ma dame de la Pivardiere introduced two male servants of the Abbe's into her husband's chamber, by whose hands he was then and there put to death. The second, Catherine Le Moine, declared that she had been sent out of the way, and only -returned just as the murder had been accomplished. The little daughter of De la Pivardiere, nine years old, stated that in the middle of the night she had heard her father's voice exclaiming, " Oh, my God, have pity on me!" Numerous other witnesses were examined, some of whom deposed to having heard a shot fired during the night of the supposed murder. What proof could seem more complete than this? Madame de la Pivardiere was thereupon ordered into custody. But the lady had fled, and taken refuge in the house of a friend, pending the issue of the inquiry. The Abbe, however, was arrested, and the two maidservants were confronted with him; but in his presence they hesitated, faltered, and at last openly retracted all that they had previously sworn to. No sooner, however, was he removed than they reiterated their former statement, and on being again con fronted with him they pertinaciously ad hered to it. While matters were in this state, a most unexpected turn was given to the proceed ings. It was confidently asserted that La Pivardiere was alive, and several witnesses swore that they had seen him at Chateauroux and at Issoudun, a few days after the time when he was said to have been mur dered at Narbonne. Upon this, Madame de la Pivardiere, upon whom such a load of suspicion rested, ap plied to the court for a warrant of arrest against her husband, that the fact of his ex istence might be duly proved. She herself