Mathieu was removed from the court. Rouletabille went on:

"Since she has made this confession, I am free to tell you that she
often met the keeper at night on the first floor of the donjon, in
the room which was once an oratory. These meetings became more
frequent when her husband was laid up by his rheumatism. She gave
him morphine to ease his pain and to give herself more time for the
meetings. Madame Mathieu came to the chateau that night, enveloped
in a large black shawl which served also as a disguise. This was
the phantom that disturbed Daddy Jacques. She knew how to imitate
the mewing of Mother Angenoux' cat and she would make the cries to
advise the keeper of her presence. The recent repairs of the donjon
did not interfere with their meetings in the keeper's old room, in
the donjon, since the new room assigned to him at the end of the
right wing was separated from the steward's room by a partition only.

"Previous to the tragedy in the courtyard Madame Mathieu and the
keeper left the donjon together. I learnt these facts from my
examination of the footmarks in the court the next morning. Bernier,
the concierge, whom I had stationed behind the donjon--as he will
explain himself--could not see what passed in the court. He did
not reach the court until he heard the revolver shots, and then he
fired. When the woman parted from the man she went towards the open
gate of the court, while he returned to his room.

"He had almost reached the door when the revolvers rang out. He
had just reached the corner when a shadow bounded by. Meanwhile,
Madame Mathieu, surprised by the revolver shots and by the entrance
of people into the court, crouched in the darkness. The court is