“Go down and tell these people that the authorities are this moment
examining the accused; that they interrupt us; and that, if they keep
on, they will have to do with me.”
The gendarme obeyed his orders. M. de Boiscoran had turned deadly pale.
He said to himself,--
“These unfortunate people believe my guilt!”
“Yes,” said M. Galpin, who had overheard the words; “and you would
comprehend their rage, for which there is good reason, if you knew all
that has happened.”
“What else?”
“Two Sauveterre firemen, one the father of five children, have perished
in the flames. Two other men, a farmer from Brechy, and a gendarme who
tried to rescue them, have been so seriously burned that their lives are
in danger.”