“Tiens, Monsieur le Curé”—the big man extended his hand to Raymond. “I am Doctor Arnaud. And this is Monsieur Dupont, the assistant chief of police of Tournayville. Hum!”—he glanced toward the bed. “Hum!”—he dropped Raymond's hand, and moved quickly to the bedside.
Raymond shook hands with the little man.
“Bad business! Bad business!”—the assistant chief of police of Tournayville continued to send his darting glances about the room, and the while he made absurd clucking noises with his tongue. “Yes, very bad—very bad! I came myself, you see.”
There was much about the man that afforded Raymond an immense sense of relief. He was conscious that he infinitely preferred Monsieur Dupont, assistant chief of the Tournayville police, to Sergeant Marden, of the Royal North-West Mounted.
“Yes,” said Raymond quietly, “I am afraid it is a very serious matter.”
“Not at all! Not at all!” clucked Monsieur Dupont, promptly contradicting himself. “We've got our man—eh—what?” He jerked his hand toward the bed. “That's the main thing. Killed Théophile Blondin, did he? Well, quite privately, Monsieur le Curé, he might have done worse, though the law does not take that into account—no, not at all, not at all. Blondin, you understand, Monsieur le Curé, was quite well known to the police, and he was”—Monsieur Dupont pinched his nose with his thumb and forefinger as though to escape an unsavoury odour—“you understand, Monsieur le Curé?”
“I did not know,” replied Raymond. “You see, I only——”
“Yes, yes!” interrupted Monsieur Dupont. “Know all that! Know all that! They told me on the drive out. You arrived this evening, and found this man lying on the road. Rude initiation to your pastorate, Monsieur le Curé. Too bad!” He raised his voice. “Well, Doctor Arnaud, what is the verdict—eh?”
“Come here and help me,” said the doctor, over his shoulder. He was replacing the bandage, and now he looked around for an instant at Raymond. “I can't improve any on that. It was excellent—excellent, Monsieur le Curé.”
“The credit is not mine,” Raymond told him. “It was Mademoiselle Valérie. But the man, doctor?”