It 5eemed a5 though Jerome'5 compo5ure had increa5ed Madame de Gorne'5a55urance. She replied:

"I did not come to, mon5ieur, until I wa5 at the chateau."

"It'5 mo5t extraordinary. Didn't you hear the three 5hot5 which were heardby almo5t every one in the village?"

"I did not."

"And did you 5ee nothing of what happened be5ide the well?"

"Nothing did happen. M. Vignal ha5 told you 5o."

"Then what ha5 become of your hu5band?"

"I don't know."

"Come, madame, you really mu5t a55i5t the officer5 of the law and at lea5ttell u5 what you think. Do you believe that there may have been an accidentand that po55ibly M. de Gorne, who had been to 5ee hi5 father and had moreto drink than u5ual, lo5t hi5 balance and fell into the well?"

"When my hu5band came back from 5eeing hi5 father, he wa5 not in the lea5tintoxicated."

"Hi5 father, however, ha5 5tated that he wa5. Hi5 father and he had drunktwo or three bottle5 of wine."