The History of a Crime


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Gindrier had had no food that day; he thought he would go home, and  
returned to the new district of the Havre Railway Station, where he  
resided. In the Rue de Calais, which is a lonely street running from Rue  
Blanche to the Rue de Clichy, a fiacre passed him. Gindrier heard his  
name called out. He turned round and saw two persons in a fiacre,  
relations of Baudin, and a man whom he did not know. One of the  
relations of Baudin, Madame L----, said to him, "Baudin is  
wounded!" She added, "They have taken him to the St. Antoine Hospital.  
We are going to fetch him. Come with us." Gindrier got into the  
fiacre. The stranger, however, was an emissary of the Commissary of  
Police of the Rue Ste. Marguerite St. Antoine. He had been charged by  
the commissary of Police to go to Baudin's house, No, 88, Rue de Clichy,  
to inform the family. Having only found the women at home he had  
confined himself to telling them that Representative Baudin was wounded.  
He offered to accompany them, and went with them in the fiacre. They  
had uttered the name of Gindrier before him. This might have been  
imprudent. They spoke to him; he declared that he would not betray the  
Representative, and it was settled that before the Commissary of Police  
Gindrier should assume to be a relation, and be called Baudin.  
The poor women still hoped. Perhaps the wound was serious, but Baudin  
was young, and had a good constitution. "They will save him," said they.  
Gindrier was silent. At the office of the Commissary of Police the truth  
was revealed.--"How is he?" asked Madame L---- on entering. "Why?" said  
the Commissary, "he is dead." "What do you mean? Dead!" "Yes; killed on  
the spot."  
This was a painful moment. The despair of these two women who had been  
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269 270 271 272 273

Quick Jump
1 171 343 514 685