Upon the woman's insistence, a juridical examination had beenconducted on the premises. The fire had begun in a hayloft intowhich several persons had taken oath I had entered the evening ofthat fatal day, and that was true. Searching for a water closet towhich I had not been very clearly directed by a maid I hadconsulted, I had entered this loft having failed to locate thesought after place, and there I had remained long enough to makewhat I was accused of plausible, or at least to furnishprobabilities of its truth; and 'tis well known: in this day andage those are proofs. And so, do what I could to defend myself, theofficer's single response was to ready his manacles. "But,Monsieur," I expostulated before allowing him to put me in irons,"if I robbed my traveling companion at Villefranche,
