Mouzon. You don't know. [A pause] You thought that Goyetche had lived too long?
Etchepare. No, Monsieur.
Mouzon. No, Monsieur. Then why did you say to another witness, Piarrech Artola, why did you say, in speaking of your creditor, "It's too much, the Almighty has forgotten him"?
Etchepare. I didn't say that.
Mouzon. You didn't say that. So this witness is a liar too! Answer me. Is he a liar? [Silence] You don't answer. It's just as well. Come now, Etchepare, why do you persist in these denials—eh? Isn't it all plain enough? You are avaricious, interested, greedy for gain—
Etchepare. It's so hard to make a living.
Mouzon. You are a man of violent temper—from time to time you get drunk, and then you become dangerous. You have been four times convicted for assault and wounding—you are over-ready with your knife. Is that the truth or isn't it? You were tired of paying—for nothing—a biggish annual sum to this old man. The time for payment was approaching; you were pressed for money; you felt that Goyetche had lived too long, and you killed him. It's so obvious—eh? Isn't it true?
Etchepare [gradually recovering himself] I did not murder him.
Mouzon. We won't juggle with words. Did you pay anyone else to kill him?
Etchepare. I had nothing to do with his death. You yourself say I was pressed for money. So how could I have paid anyone to kill him?