Volume I Part 39 (1/2)
Round him were the principal witnesses, Madame Flameche,of the victim, and Louis Ladureau, cabinetmaker, and Jean Durdent, plumber
Near the crily woman, who looked like a monkey dressed as a lady
This is how Renard (Leopold) recounted the drama:
”Good heavens, it is a misfortune of which I was the first victi to do The facts are their own commentary, Monsieur le President I a man, an upholsterer in the same street for the last sixteen years, known, liked, respected and esteehbors have testified, even the porter who is not _folatre_ every day I a, I like honest men, and respectable pleasures
That is what has ruinedto do with it, I continue to respect myself
”Every Sunday for the last five years, et fresh air, without counting that we are fond of fishi+ng Oh! we are as fond of it as we are of small onions Melie inspired me with that passion, the jade, and she isthat all the mischief in this business is her fault, as you will see i and mild-tempered, without a pennyworth of malice in , she is short and thin; very well, she does ood qualities; she has some, and very important ones for a man in business But her character! Just ask about it in the neighborhood, and even the porter's wife, who has just sentabout it
”Every day she used to find fault with my mild temper: 'I would not put up with this! I would not put up with that' If I had listened to her, Monsieur le President, I should have had at least three bouts of fisticuffs a ood reasons too; they laugh best who laugh last”
He turned towards her frankly: ”Oh! very well, I can charge you, since you were the cause of it”
Then, facing the President again he said:
”I will continue We used to go to Passy every Saturday evening, so as to be able to begin fishi+ng at daybreak the nextIt is a habit which has becoo this summer I discovered a place, oh! such a spot! Oh! there! in the shade, eight feet of water at least and perhaps ten, a hole with _retour_ under the bank, a regular nest for fish and a paradise for the fisherht look upon that hole as my property, Monsieur le President, as I was its Christopher Colu any opposition They used to say: 'That is Renard's place;' and nobody would have gone to it, not even Monsieur Plumsay, who is well known, be it said without any offense, for boning other peoples' places
”Well, I returned to my place of which I felt certain, just as if I had owned it I had scarcely got there on Saturday, when I got into _Delila_, with ian boat, which I had built by Fourot into the boat and ere going to bait, and for baiting, there is nobody to be compared with me, and they all know it You want to knohat I bait? I cannot answer that question; it has nothing to do with the accident; I cannot answer, that is my secret There are more than three hundred people who have asked lasses of brandy and liquors, fried fish, o and try whether the chub will coet at my secret, my recipe Only my wife knowsand she will not tell it, any more than I shall! Is not that so Melie?”
The President of the Court interrupted hiet to the facts as soon as you can,” and the accused continued: ”I a to them Well, on Saturday July 8, we left by the twenty-five past five train, and before dinner ent to ground-bait as usual The weather proht for to-morrow!' And she replied: 'It looks like it'
We never talk ether
”And then we returned to dinner I was happy and thirsty, and that was the cause of everything I said to Melie: 'Look here Melie, it is fine weather, so suppose I drink a bottle of _Casque a meche_' That is a little white hich we have christened so, because if you drink tooand takes the place of a nightcap Do you understand me?
”She replied: 'You can do as you please, but you will be ill again, and I will not be able to get up to-hted, I must confess Nevertheless, I could not withstand it, and I drank my bottle It all comes from that
”Well, I could not sleep By Jove! It kept , and then I went to sleep so soundly that I should not have heard the angel shouting at the last Judgment
”In short, my oke me at six o'clock, and I jumped out of bed, hastily put on my trousers and jersey, washed my face and jumped on board _Delila_ But it was too late, for when I arrived athad never happened torobbed under my own eyes I said to an to nag at , you drunkard!
Are you satisfied, you great fool?' I could say nothing, because it was all quite true, and so I landed all the same near the spot and tried to profit by as left Perhaps after all the fellow o away
”He was a little thin e straw hat, and his wife, a fat wo embroidery, was behind him
”When she saw us take up our position close to their place, she murmured: 'I suppose there are no other places on the river!' And my wife, as furious, replied: 'People who kno to behave, hborhood before occupying reserved spots'