Thereupon Dumoulin had sent for two men who, as orderlies at Chalons, had lived side by side with Vinson.
There was a momentous silence while Lieutenant Servin went to the end of the corridor and signed to the two waiting witnesses to come forward. The two men entered the commandant"s office, facing Dumoulin in true military style.
Dumoulin, reading out the names of the two witnesses from a paper, started his interrogation with a haughty air.
"Hiloire?"
"Present, Commandant."
"What is your name?"
The soldier opened his eyes wide, and thinking he had to give his Christian name, stammered:
"Justinien!"
"What?" growled the commandant: "You are not called Hiloire?"
The bewildered man attempted some confused explanations, from which it could be gathered that Hiloire was his surname and Justinien his baptismal name!
"Good!" declared the commandant, who proceeded to question the second soldier as to his ident.i.ty! When it was made clear that he was one Tarbottin, baptismal name Niccodeme, the commandant questioned them together.
"You are soldiers of the second cla.s.s in the 213th of the line, and fulfil the functions of staff orderlies?"
"Yes, Commandant."
"You know Corporal Vinson?"
"Yes, Commandant."
Dumoulin pointed to Fandor.
"Is he Corporal Vinson?"
"Yes, Commandant," repeated the two soldiers.
Lieutenant Servin intervened. He pointed out to his chief that the witnesses had replied in the affirmative without turning to look at the supposed corporal.
The commandant cried angrily:
"What kind of imbeciles are you? Before saying that you recognise a person you must begin by looking at that person! Look at the corporal!"
The two soldiers obeyed: they turned with precision and stared at Fandor.
"Is that man Corporal Vinson?"
"Yes, Commandant."
"You are sure of that?"
"No, Commandant."
Despite the miserable position he found himself in, Fandor could not help smiling at the bewilderment of the two soldiers: it was evident they could be made to say anything.
The commandant was growing more and more exasperated.
"What"s that!" he shouted: "I will give you eight days in the cells if you continue to play the fool like this!... Try to understand what you are doing! Do you even know why you are here?"
After consulting each other with a look as to who should answer, Tarbottin explained:
"It is the sergeant who told us that we were being sent to Paris to recognise Corporal Vinson--well, then?"
"Well," continued Hiloire: "we recognised him!"
Then, speaking together, with an air of proud satisfaction:
"Yes, we got our orders. We have carried them out!"
The commandant was scarlet. With a violent blow of his fist he sent three sets of case papers flying to the ground. He turned to Lieutenant Servin.
"I fail to understand why the staff captain has expressly sent us the biggest fools he could lay hands on.... What the deuce can you get out of such a pair?... Has the counter verification been carried out? Have they been shown the body of the real Corporal Vinson?"
Lieutenant Servin replied that this had been done.
"And what did they declare?"
"Nothing definite.... I may say they were very much moved at the sight of the corpse--also, that it is decomposing rapidly."
Here Fandor broke in:
"Commandant, I am extremely surprised that you thought it necessary to summon only two soldiers! It is at least strange!... I have the right to expect that in the conduct of the enquiry connected with the action you wish to bring against me you should proceed more seriously than you are doing at present.... A magistrate should be impartial!"...
The commandant had risen. He bent towards Fandor across his writing-table. Fandor also had risen--Dumoulin"s air was threatening: he was furious.
"What do you mean by that?" he shouted.
"I mean to say," burst out Fandor, "that for the last forty-eight hours you have given proofs of a revolting partiality--against me!"
For a minute Dumoulin drew himself up, crimson, choking: he was an embodied protest. Suddenly he dropped the official and became the fellow-citizen. He cried:
"But I am an honest man!"
Dumoulin was a worthy official of the old school. Whatever his temperamental drawbacks, he undoubtedly aimed at a conscientious conduct of any case he had in charge. Fandor had made an exceedingly bad impression on him. He had been scandalised that a civilian, a mere journalist, had dared to treat the army with contempt, by so lightly taking the place of a real soldier. Unquestionably there were grave presumptions of Fandor"s guilt: that was Dumoulin"s opinion.
Considering the importance of the affair, the terrible consequences which might ensue for the accused were the case to go against him, it was imperative that the enquiry should be thorough down to the minutest detail.... The commandant well knew the weak points in his procedure. There was this confrontation, with the absurd testimonies of the two soldiers: it had proved a ridiculous fiasco. Also, he would have great difficulty in showing conclusively that Fandor had been a certain time at Chalons under Vinson"s uniform.
Dumoulin, mastering his emotion, resumed his official tone.
"Fandor!"...