which he said he had seen made by the
accused, he was asked, "Did Léotade request you
to forward his account-book to him by 'a girl,'
or by 'the girl'?"

"l am not sure."

At the end of certain statements concerning
the immorality of the accused, Léotade broke
through his reserve, and exclaimed, "I was not
—indeed I could not be—in the vestibule at a
quarter past nine. He lies! My whole life
contradicts the possibility of my being guilty of
what he lays to my charge! From my childhood
my conduct has been good. In my own village
I was the only one out of fifty children, chosen
to receive my first communion; and it was not
for my birth or because I was a clever child, but
because I was a good child, that I was chosen.
"When I left my home, I had even the esteem of
my neighbours. Even then my thoughts were
turned to a religion life; but I was obliged to
work because my mother was poor. When my
mother died, still wishing to give myself up
to a religious life, I went to ask the advice
of our curé at home; he took an interest in
me, and was glad to help me to my calling.
At last he gained me admission to the "frères"
of Toulouse. I set off with joy; I finished my
novitiate; I was then sent to Mirepoix, and
afterwards to Bordeaux. Then I returned to
Toulouse—against my own wish; but wherever
I have been, my good character speaks in my
favour. You can bring no period of my life
against me. I was made house-steward because
I was trusted. My prison has not changed
my faith. I pray to God unceasingly; and I
pray for you (turning to the jury); I shall pray
for you whatever be your decision. You may
condemn me to death, but you shall not lose
my prayers. I am not fearful for the future,
and, if you condemn me, I shall die as cheerfully
as missionaries and martyrs die in distant
lands."

"Do you persist in saying you saw Léotade
and Jubrien in the vestibule?" said the judge to
Conte.

"Before God and man, I swear it. They
were both there."

"The evidence will show which of us has
lied," answered Léotade.

"Accused," observed the president, "the
quality, not the quantity, of evidence is valuable,
it is possible that, considering the circumstances
of the case, Conte's statement may be preferred
to yours, though yours be corroborated by many
more."

"Conte will be judged sooner or later by Him
who is the judge of all."

"Divine justice is the auxiliary of human
justice. If you are condemned by man, you
will find your sentence confirmed in another
world!"

This is, to say the least of it, rather
remarkable on the part of a judge. Every
suggestion of the counsel of the defence was
slighted; they were rarely allowed to object to
the questions of the procureur-général, or to
put any of their own. To the unanimous
testimony of the whole religious confraternity it
was deemed a sufficient refutation that they
were a confraternity. They were, ipso facto,
banded together to lie and defeat the ends of
justice.

The procureur-général made a long and
elaborate address. The most telling part of his
really brilliant, speech was an imaginary
description of the details of the double crime. With
vivid power of representation, he led his hearers
from the vestibule to the stable, and there
showed them what he pictured to himself as all
the horrid details of the murder. The audience
were intensely excited, and where the logician
failed, the orator triumphed.

M. Gasc followed for the defence, turning the
attention of the court to the celebrated Galas
case. He laid special stress on the improbability,
if not impossibility, that Léotade could have
traversed all those long corridors and courts with
his victim, without encountering a soul. Even
during his speech he was more than once
interrupted by M. de Labaume.

The procureur-général waived his right of
reply, and the president demanded of the
accused if he wished to add anything to his
case?

"I have no wish," he replied, "to prolong
this discussion; but I declare again that I have
said nothing false before the court. I have
spoken with sincerity; and if there have been
apparent inconsistencies in some of my depositions,
made at different times, attribute them to
the rigour of my solitary confinement. Ah,
sirs, you little know what that solitude is! Let
justice judge me as she will! I am
innocent!"

By a majority of more than nine voices, the
accused was found guilty, and condemned to the
"travaux forcés" for life.

Léotade survived in the "Bagne" until 1850.
His conduct was exemplary during his miserable
imprisonment. He did much good among
his fellow-prisoners, and even in the midst of the
horrible wickedness of the hulks, induced many
of them to lead a Christian life. They were
hushed and awed when he lay on his death-bed.
Some rough fellows who did not know, or did
not respect, the dying monk, made some
disturbance in the room:

"Hush!" whispered the rest. "Be still. The
frère is praying."

             At the completion, in March, of
SIR EDWARD BULWER LYTTON'S NEW WORK,
                   A STRANGE STORY,
                    Will be commenced
    A NEW NOVEL, BY MR. WILKIE COLLINS.