“Yes, Sire.”
“And how did the experiment succeed?”
“Perfectly in two instances; but at the third the instrument, though it severed the spine, did not detach the head. They had to finish with a knife.”
The young gentlemen listened with frightened eyes and parted lips.
“Three executions this morning?” exclaimed Charles Lameth, who with his brother had not yet turned against the Queen.
“Yes, gentlemen,” said the King; “but they were three corpses furnished by the hospitals. What is your opinion of the instrument?”
“An improvement on such machines; but the accident at the third experiment proves that it stands in need of improvement still.”
“What is it like?” asked the royal locksmith who had a bias for machines.
Gilbert helped his explanation out by drawing a sketch on a sheet of paper at a table. The King saw how curious the bystanders were and allowed them to come near.
“Who knows,” said Suleau obeying, “but that one of us may make the acquaintance of Lady Guillotine?”