The King was the first to break the silence. "You have
hope?" he said. "You can save him?"
"Pardon, sire, a moment," the physician answered, rising from his
knees. "Where is the cat?"
Someone brought it, and M. Du Laurens, after looking at it, said
curtly, "It has been poisoned."
La Trape uttered a groan of despair. "At what hour did it take
the milk?" the physician asked.
"A little before ten last evening," I said, seeing that La Trape
was too far gone for speech.
"Ah! And the man?"
"An hour later."
Du Laurens shook his head, and was preparing to lay down the cat,
which he had taken in his hands, when some appearance led him to
examine it again and more closely. "Why what is this?" he
exclaimed, in a tone of surprise, as he took the body to the
window. "There is a large swelling under its chin."
No one answered.
"Give me a pair of scissors," he continued; and then, after a
minute, when they had been handed to him and he had removed the
fur, "Ha!" he said gravely, "this is not so simple as I thought.
Pages:
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342