Part 164 (1/2)

But as he was about to refuse two men placed their hands on his shoulders so unexpectedly and so suddenly that his knees bent under him on the pavement. The voice continued.

”Sentence of the court sitting in the prison of Vincennes on Marc Annibal de Coconnas, accused and convicted of high treason, of an attempt to poison, of sacrilege and magic against the person of the King, of a conspiracy against the kingdom, and of having by his pernicious counsels driven a prince of the blood to rebellion.”

At each charge Coconnas had shaken his head, keeping time like a fractious child. The judge continued:

”In consequence of which, the aforesaid Marc Annibal de Coconnas shall be taken from prison to the Place Saint Jean en Greve to be there beheaded; his property shall be confiscated; his woods cut down to the height of six feet; his castles destroyed, and a post planted there with a copper plate bearing an inscription of his crime and punishment.”

”As for my head,” said Coconnas, ”I know you will cut that off, for it is in France, and in great jeopardy; but as for my woods and castles, I defy all the saws and axes of this most Christian kingdom to harm them.”

”Silence!” said the judge; and he continued:

”Furthermore, the aforesaid Coconnas”--

”What!” interrupted Coconnas, ”is something more to be done to me after my head is cut off? Oh! that seems to me very hard!”

”No, monsieur,” said the judge, ”_before_.”

And he resumed:

”Furthermore, the aforesaid Coconnas before the execution of his sentence shall undergo the severest torture, consisting of ten wedges”--

Coconnas sprang up, flas.h.i.+ng a burning glance at the judge.

”And for what?” he cried, finding no other words but these simple ones to express the thousand thoughts that surged through his mind.

In reality this was complete ruin to Coconnas' hopes. He would not be taken to the chapel until after the torture, from which many frequently died. The braver and stronger the victim, the more likely he was to die, for it was considered an act of cowardice to confess; and so long as the prisoner refused to confess the torture was continued, and not only continued, but increased.

The judge did not reply to Coconnas; the rest of the sentence answered for him. He continued:

”In order to compel the aforesaid Coconnas to confess in regard to his accomplices, and the details of the plan and conspiracy.”

”By Heaven!” cried Coconnas; ”this is what I call infamous; more than infamous--cowardly!”

Accustomed to the anger of his victims, which suffering always changed to tears, the impa.s.sible judge merely made a sign.

Coconnas was seized by the feet and the shoulders, overpowered, laid on his back, and bound to the rack before he was able even to see those who did the act.

”Wretches!” shouted he, in a paroxysm of fury, straining the bed and the cords so that the tormentors themselves drew back. ”Wretches! torture me, twist me, break me to pieces, but you shall know nothing, I swear!

Ah! you think, do you, that it is with pieces of wood and steel that a gentleman of my name is made to speak? Go ahead! I defy you!”

”Prepare to write, clerk,” said the judge.

”Yes, prepare,” shouted Coconnas; ”and if you write everything I am going to tell you you infamous hangmen, you will be kept busy. Write!

write!”

”Have you anything you wish to confess?” asked the judge in his calm voice.

”Nothing; not a word! Go to the devil!”