The Countess said that she undoubtedly heard a second.
"Still, might not Madame have been deceived—by an echo, for instance?"
The lady was convinced of the accuracy of her statement.
Here there was a pause of some minutes, during which the lawyers whispered together, and the Lieutenant of Police conferred with the Judge.
He then went on with the examination.
"How long an interval elapsed, Madame, between the two reports?"
"Scarcely a minute, I should think," replied the Countess.
There was another pause. Then the Lieutenant of Police thanked her for her information, and intimated that, for the present, she would not be troubled farther.
Some gendarmes were then summoned, and gave their evidence as follows:—
Paul Dubourg, gendarme in the Baillage of St. Flour. "I have examined the body and firearms of the late Baron, in the presence of M. le Lieutenant of Police. A musket was found lying beside the body, and a brace of pistols were in his riding-belt. None of these had been discharged. All the pieces were loaded."