第54章 ARSENIC A LA BRETONNE(11)

In the meantime Rosalie suffered the most dreadful agonies.She could neither sit up nor lie down, but threw herself about with great violence.During this time Helene was constantly coming and going about her victim.She had not the courage, however, to watch her victim die.At five in the morning she went out to market, leaving the mother alone with her child.The poor mother, worn out with her exertions, also went out, to ask for help from friends.Rosalie died in the presence of the witness at seven o'clock in the morning of the 1st of July.Helene returned.It is all over,'' said the witness.Helene's first move was to look for the vessels containing the ejections of the invalid to throw them out.These were green in hue.M.Bidard stopped her, and locked the vessels up.That same day justice was invoked.

M.Bidard's deposition had held his hearers spellbound for over an hour and a half.He had believed, he added finally, that, in spite of her criminal conduct, Helene at least was a faithful servant.He had been wrong.She had put his cellar to pillage, and in her chest they had found many things belonging to him, besides a diamond belonging to his daughter and her wedding-ring.

The President questioned Helene on the points of this important deposition.Helene simply denied everything.It had not been she who was jealous of Rosalie, but Rosalie who had been jealous of her.She hadgiven the two girls all the nursing she could, with no intention but that of helping them to get better.To the observation of the President, once again, that arsenic had been administered, and to his question, what person other than she had a motive for poisoning the girls, or had such opportunity for doing so, Helene answered defiantly, You won't redden my face by talking of arsenic.I defy anybody to say they saw me give arsenic.''

The Procureur-General invited M.Bidard to say what amount of intelligence he had found in Helene.M.Bidard declared that he had never seen in any of his servants an intelligence so acute or subtle.He held her to be a phenomenon in hypocrisy.He put forward a fact which he had neglected to mention in his deposition.It might throw light on the character of the accused.Francoise had a dress hanging up to dry in the mansard.Helene went up to the garret above this, made a hole in the ceiling, and dropped oil of vitriol on her companion's dress to burn it.

Dr Pinault gave an account of Rosalie's illness, and spoke of the suspicions he and his colleagues had had of poisoning.It was a crime, however, for which there seemed to be no motive.The poisoner could hardly be M.Bidard, and as far as suspicion might touch the cook, she seemed to be lavish in her care of the patient.It was not until the very last that he, with his colleagues, became convinced of poison.

Rosalie dead, the justiciary went to M.Bidard's.The cupboards were searched carefully.The potion which Rosalie had thought to be mixed with burning stuff was still there, just sampled.It was put into a bottle and capped.

An autopsy could not now be avoided.It was held next day.M.Pinault gave an account of the results.Most of the organs were in a normal condition, and such slight alterations as could be seen in others would not account for death.It was concluded that death had been occasioned by poison.The autopsy on the exhumed body of Perrotte Mace was inconclusive, owing to the condition of adipocere.

Dr Guyot spoke of the case of Francoise Huriaux, and was now sure she had been given poison in small doses.Dr Boudin described the progress of Rosalie's illness.He was in no doubt, like his colleagues,that she had been poisoned.

The depositions of various witnesses followed.A laundress said that Helene's conduct was to be explained by jealousy.She could not put up with any supervision, but wanted full control ofthe household and ofthe money.

Francoise Huriaux said Helene was angry because M.Bidard would not have her as sole domestic.She had resented Francoise's being engaged.The witness noticed that she became ill whenever she ate food prepared for her by Helene.When she did not eat Helene was angry but threw out the food Francoise refused.

Several witnesses testified to the conduct of Helene towards Rosalie Sarrazin during her fatal illness.Helene was constant, self-sacrificing, in her attention to the invalid.One incident, however, was described by a witness which might indicate that Helene's solicitude was not altogether genuine.One morning, towards the end of Rosalie's life, the patient, in her agony, escaped from the hold of her mother, and fell into an awkward position against the wall.Rosalie's mother asked Helene to place a pillow for her.Ma foi!'' Helene replied.You're beginning to weary me.You're her mother! Help her yourself!''

The testimony of a neighbour, one Francoise Louarne, a domestic servant, supports the idea that Helene resented the presence of Rosalie in the house.Helene said to this witness, M.Bidard has gone into the country with his housemaid.Everything SHE does is perfect.They leave me here--to work if I want to, eat my bread dry: that's my reward.But the housemaid will go before I do.Although M.Bidard has given me my notice, he'll have to order me out before I'll go.Look!'' Helene added.Here's the bed of the ugly housemaid--in a room not too far from the master's.Me--they stick me up in the mansard!'' Later, when Rosalie was very ill, Helene pretended to be grieved.You can't be so very sorry,'' the witness remarked; you've said plenty that was bad about the girl.''

Helene vigorously denounced the testimony as all lies.The woman had never been near Bidard's house.

The pharmacist responsible for dispensing the medicines given toRosalie was able to show that arsenic could not have got into them by mistake on his part.

At the hearing of the trial on the 12th of December Dr Pinault was asked to tell what happened when the emissions of Rosalie Sarrazin were being transferred for analysis.