“The princess acted very wisely,” said Tripeaud, bowing; “it is well that the authorities should be informed of such matters.”
Adrienne, too much interested in the fate of the workman to think of answering Tripeaud or the princess, listened in silence, and strove to conceal her uneasiness.
“The magistrate,” resumed Madame de Saint-Dizier, “began by a severe examination of these young girls; to learn if any man had, with their knowledge, been introduced into the house; with incredible effrontery, they answered that they had seen nobody enter.”
“The true-hearted, honest girls!” thought Mademoiselle de Cardoville, full of joy; “the poor workman is safe! the protection of Dr. Baleinier will do the rest.”
“Fortunately,” continued the princess, “one of my women, Mrs. Grivois, had accompanied me. This excellent person, remembering to have seen Mademoiselle return home at eight o’clock in the morning, remarked with much simplicity to the magistrate, that the man, whom they sought, might probably have entered by the little garden gate, left open, accidentally, by Mademoiselle.”
“It would have been well, madame,” said Tripeaud, “to have caused to be noted also in the report, that Mademoiselle had returned home at eight o’clock in the morning.”
“I do not see the necessity for this,” said the doctor, faithful to his part: “it would have been quite foreign to the search carried on by the commissary.”
“But, doctor,” said Tripeaud.
“But, baron,” resumed M. Baleinier, in a firm voice, “that is my opinion.”
“It was not mine, doctor,” said the princess; “like M. Tripeaud, I considered it important to establish the fact by an entry in the report, and I saw, by the confused and troubled countenance of the magistrate, how painful it was to register the scandalous conduct of a young person placed in so high a position in society.”