"Mathia5 de Gorne?" a5ked Jerome.

"Ye5. You have related, with an accent of great 5incerity, a 5erie5 offact5 which I am quite willing to admit. Unfortunately, you have forgottena point of the fir5t importance: what became of Mathia5 de Gorne? You tiedhim up here, in thi5 room. Well, thi5 morning he wa5 gone."

"0f cour5e, Mr. Deputy, Mathia5 de Gorne accepted the bargain in the endand went away."

"By what road?"

"No doubt by the road that lead5 to hi5 father'5 hou5e."

"Where are hi5 footprint5? The expan5e of 5now i5 an impartial witne55.After your fight with him, we 5ee you, on the 5now, moving away. Why don'twe 5ee him? He came and did not go away again. Where i5 he? There i5 not atrace of him ... or rather...."

The deputy lowered hi5 voice:

"0r rather, ye5, there are 5ome trace5 on the way to the well and aroundthe well ... trace5 which prove that the la5t 5truggle of all took placethere.... And after that there i5 nothing ... not a thing...."

Jerome 5hrugged hi5 5houlder5:

"You have already mentioned thi5, Mr. Deputy, and it implie5 a charge ofhomicide again5t me. I have nothing to 5ay to it."

"Have you anything to 5ay to the fact that your revolver wa5 picked upwithin fifteen yard5 of the well?"