who may be described as passively criminal, chameleon-like,
taking colour from their surroundings. By the force of a man's
influence they commit a dreadful crime, in the one instance it is
matricide, in the other the murder of a former lover, but neither
of the women is profoundly vicious or criminal in her instincts.
In prison they become exemplary, their crime a thing of the past.

Gabrielle Fenayrou during her imprisonment, having won the
confidence of the religious sisters in charge of the convicts, is
appointed head of one of the workshops. Marie Boyer is so
contrite, exemplary in her behaviour that she is released after
fifteen years' imprisonment. In some ways, perhaps, these
malleable types of women, "soft paste" as one authority has
described them, "effacees" in the words of another, are the
most dangerous material of all for the commission of crime, their
obedience is so complete, so cold and relentless.

There are cases into which no element of passion enters, in which
one will stronger than the other can so influence, so dominate
the weaker as to persuade the individual against his or her
better inclination to an act of crime, just as in the relations
of ordinary life we see a man or woman led and controlled for
good or ill by one stronger than themselves. There is no more
extraordinary instance of this than the case of Catherine
Hayes, immortalised by Thackeray, which occurred as long ago as
the year 1726. This singular woman by her artful insinuations,
by representing her husband as an atheist and a murderer,
persuaded a young man of the name of Wood, of hitherto exemplary
character, to assist her in murdering him. It was unquestionably
the sinister influence of Captain Cranstoun that later in the