“Were you not in attendance upon her?”
“No; she had sent me the message by Miss Dupuy, that I need not attend her when she retired.”
“Did this often occur?”
“Not often; but sometimes when Miss Van Norman sat up late, by herself, she would excuse me at an earlier hour. She was most kind and considerate of everybody.”
“Then when at last you saw Miss Van Norman in the library, what did you do?”
“Mon Dieu! I shrieked! Why not? I was amazed, shocked, but, above all, desolated! It was a cruel scene. I knew not what to do, so, naturally, I shrieked.”
Marie’s French shrug almost convinced her hearers that truly that was the only thing to do on such an occasion.
“And now,” said Coroner Benson, “can you tell us of anything, any incident or any knowledge of your own, that will throw any light on this whole matter?”
Marie’s pretty face took on a strange expression. It was not fear or terror, but a sort of perplexity. She gave a furtive glance at Mr. Carleton and then at Miss Morton, and hesitated.
At last she spoke, slowly: