Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 03.pdf/601

 560 miraculous escape of another proposed vic tim, Marie Pichon. On the 26th of May, '61, at eleven o'clock at night, a woman knocked wildly at the door of a farm, in the village of Balan, de manding help against an assassin. Her bruised and wounded face, torn garments, shoeless feet, all bore testimony to the immi nence of the danger from which she had escaped. Conducted to the brigade of gen darmerie at Monti uel, she made the follow ing statement, listened to at the subsequent trial with breathless interest : — "To-day, at two o'clock, I was crossing the bridge La Guillotiere, at Lyons, when a man I had not before observed, but who must have been following me, plucked my dress and asked me if I could tell him in what street the Servants' Office was situated. I mentioned two, adding that I was myself about to visit the latter. He asked if I were in search of a place. ' Yes.' ' Then,' said he, ' I have exactly the thing to suit you. I am gardener at a chateau near Montluel, and my mis tress has sent me to Lyons with positive orders to bring back a house-servant, cost what it may.' He enumerated the advan tages I should enjoy, and said that the work would be very light, and the wages two hundred and fifty francs, besides many Christmas-boxes. A married daughter of his mistress paid her frequent visits, and always left five francs on the mantelpiece for the maid. He added that I should be ex pected to attend mass regularly. "The appearance, language, and manner of the man gave me so strong an impression of good faith, that without a minute's hesita tion I accepted his offer, and we accordingly left by the train, which arrived at Montluel about nightfall, — half-past seven. Placing my trunk upon his shoulder, he desired me to follow, saying we had now a walk of an hour and a half, but that by taking crosspaths we should quickly reach our destination. I car ried in one hand a little box; in the other my basket and umbrella. We crossed the railway and walked for some distance along

the parallel road, when the man turned sud denly to the left and led me down a steep descent, skirted on both sides by thick bushes. Presently he faced round, saying that my trunk fatigued him; that he would conceal it in a thicket, and come back for it with a carriage on the morrow. We then abandoned the path altogether, crossed sev eral fields, and came to a coppice, in which he hid the trunk, saying we should presently see the chateau. After this we traversed other fields, twice crossing over places that looked like dried-up watercourses, and finally, through very difficult ways, rather scram bling than walking, arrived at the summit of a little hill. "I must mention something that had at tracted my attention. Throughout the walk my guide seemed remarkably attentive, con stantly cautioning me to mind my steps, and assisted me carefully over every obstacle. Immediately after crossing the hill I spoke of, his movements began to give me un easiness. In passing some vines he tried to pull up a large stake. It, however, resisted his efforts, and as I was following close on his heels, he did not persevere. A little farther he stooped down and seemed to be endeavoring to pick up one of the large stones that lay about. Though now seri ously alarmed, I asked, with all the indiffer ence I could command, what he was looking for. He made an unintelligible reply, and presently repeated the manoeuvre. Again I inquired what he was looking for, — had he lost anything? ' Nothing, nothing,' he re plied; ' it was only a plant I meant to pick for my garden.' Other singular movements kept me in a state of feverish alarm. I ob served that he several times lagged behind, and, whenever he did so, moved his hands about under his blouse, as though in search of a weapon. I was frozen with terror. Run away I durst not, for I felt he would pursue me; but I constantly urged him to lead the way, assuring him I would follow. "In this way we reached the top of an other small hill, on which stood a half-built