Let Joseph Rigobert take my place
as narrator, and tell the story of the end to You--as he told it, in times
past, to his lawyer and to Me.
FOURTH (AND LAST) NARRATIVE
STATEMENT OF JOSEPH RIGOBERT: ADDRESSED TO THE ADVOCATE WHO DEFENDED HIM
AT HIS TRIAL
Respected Sir,--On the twenty-seventh of February I was sent, on business
connected with the stables at Maison Rouge, to the city of Metz. On the
public promenade I met a magnificent woman. Complexion, blond.
Nationality, English. We mutually admired each other; we fell into
conversation. (She spoke French perfectly--with the English accent.) I
offered refreshment; my proposal was accepted. We had a long and
interesting interview--we discovered that we were made for each other. So
far, Who is to blame?
Is it my fault that I am a handsome man--universally agreeable as such to
the fair sex? Is it a criminal offense to be accessible to the amiable
weakness of love? I ask again, Who is to blame? Clearly, nature. Not the
beautiful lady--not my humble self.
To resume. The most hard-hearted person living will understand that two
beings made for each other could not possibly part without an appointment
to meet again.
I made arrangements for the accommodation of the lady in the village near
Maison Rouge. She consented to honor me with her company at supper, in my
apartment at the stables, on the night of the twenty-ninth.
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