distance.

This certainly looked like suicide, although the absence of the pistol
pointed to murder. The man's face was perfectly calm, with no suggestion of
fright or anger; his hands and body lay in a natural position and his
clothes were in no way disordered. Either he had met death willingly, or it
had come to him without warning, like a lightning stroke.

"Doctor," asked the commissary, glancing at the open window, "if this man
shot himself, could he, in your opinion, with his last strength have thrown
the pistol out there?"

"Certainly not," answered Joubert. "A man who received a wound like this
would be dead before he could lift a hand, before he could wink."

"Ah!"

"Besides, a search has been made underneath that window and no pistol has
been found."

"It must be murder," muttered Pougeot. "Was there any quarreling with the
woman?"

"Joseph says not. On the contrary, they seemed on the friendliest terms."

"Hah! See what he has on his person. Note everything down. We must find out
who this poor fellow was."

[Illustration: "On the floor lay a man."]