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SHE STANDS ACCUSED
capable woman and responsible for the direction of affairs； did not allow
her grief to overwhelm her。 The dead epicier was buried without much
delaythe weather was hot； and he had been of gross habitand the
business at the corner of Rue de la Paix went on as near to usual as the
loss of the ‘outside' partner would allow。
Rumour； meantime； had got to work。 There were circumstances
about the sudden death of Boursier which the busybodies of the environs
felt they might regard as suspicious。 For some time before the death of
the epicier there had been hanging about the establishment a Greek called
Kostolo。 He was a manservant out of employ； and not； even on the
surface； quite the sort of fellow that a respectable couple like the Boursiers
might be expected to accept as a family friend。 But such； no less； had
been the Greek's position with the household。 So much so that； although
Kostolo had no money and apparently no prospects； Boursier himself had
asked him to be godfather to a niece。 The epicier found the Greek
amusing； and； on falling so suddenly ill； made no objection when Kostolo
took it on himself to act as nurse； and to help in the preparing of drinks
and medicines that were prescribed。
It is perhaps to the rather loud…mouthed habits of this Kostolo that the
birth of suspicion among the neighbours may be attributed。 On the death
of Boursier he had remarked that the nails of the corpse were blue a colour；
he said； which was almost a certain indication of poisoning。 Now； the
two doctors who had attended Boursier； having failed to account for his
illness； were inclined to suspect poisoning as the cause of his death。 For
this reason they had suggested an autopsy； a suggestion rejected by the
widow。 Her rejection of the idea aroused no immediate suspicion of her
in the minds of the doctors。
Kostolo； in addition to repeating outside the house his opinion
regarding the blueness of the dead Boursier's nails； began； several days
after the funeral； to brag to neighbours and friends of the warm
relationship existing between himself and the widow。 He dropped hints
of a projected marriage。 Upon this the neighbours took to remembering
how quickly Kostolo's friendship with the Boursier family had sprung up；
and how frequently he had visited the establishment。 His nursing
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SHE STANDS ACCUSED
activities were remembered also。 And it was noticed that his visits to the
Boursier house still went on； it was whispered that he visited the Veuve
Boursier in her bedroom。
The circumstances in which Boursier had fallen ill were well known。
Nobody； least of all Mme Boursier or Kostolo； had taken any trouble to
conceal them。 Anybody who liked to ask either Mme Boursier or the
Greek about the soup could have a detailed story at once。 All the
neighbourhood knew it。 And since the Veuve Boursier's story is
substantially the same as other versions it may as well be dealt with here
and now。
M。 Boursier； said his widow； tasted his soup that Sunday morning。
‘‘What a taste！'' he said to the cook； Josephine。 ‘‘This rice is poisoned。''
‘‘But； monsieur；'' Josephine protested； ‘‘that's amazing！ The potage
ought to be better than usual this morning； because I made a liaison for it
with three egg…yolks！''
M。 Boursier called his wife； and told her he couldn't eat his potage au
riz。 It was poisoned。 Mme Boursier took a spoonful of it herself； she
said； and saw nothing the matter with it。 Whereupon her husband； saying
that if it was all right he ought to eat it； took several spoonfuls more。
‘‘The poor man；'' said his widow； ‘‘always had a bad taste in his mouth；
and he could not face his soup。'' Then； she explained； he became very
sick； and brought up what little of the soup he had taken； together with
flots de bile。
All this chatter of poison； particularly by Kostolo and the widow；
together with the persistent rumours of an adulterous association between
the pair； gave colour to suspicions of a criminal complicity； and these in
process of time came to the ears of the officers of justice。 The two
doctors were summoned by the Procureur…General； who questioned them
closely regarding Boursier's illness。 To the mind of the official
everything pointed to suspicion of the widow。 Word of the growing
suspicion against her reached Mme Boursier； and she now hastened to ask
the magistrates for an exhumation and a post…mortem examination。 This
did not avert proceedings by the Procureur。 It was already known that
she had refused the autopsy suggested by the two doctors； and it was
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SHE STANDS ACCUSED
stated that she had hurried on the burial。
Kostolo and the Widow Boursier were called before the Juge
d'instruction。
％ II
There is about the Greek Kostolo so much gaudy impudence and
barefaced roguery that； in spite of the fact that the main concern of these
pages is with women； I am constrained to add his portrait to the sketches I
have made in illustration。 He is of the gallery in which are Jingle and
Montague Tigg； with this differencethat he is rather more sordid than
either。
Brought before the Procureur du Roi； he impudently confessed that he
had been； and still was； Mme Boursier's lover。 He told the judge that in
the lifetime of her husband Mme Boursier had visited him in his rooms
several times； and that she had given him money unknown to her husband。
Mme Boursier at first denied the adulterous intimacy with Kostolo； but
the evidence in the hands of the Procureur was too much for her。 She had
partially to confess the truth of Kostolo's statement in this regard。 She
emphatically denied； however； that she had ever even thought of； let alone
agreed to； marriage with the Greek。 She swore that she had been
intimate with Kostolo only once； and that； as far as giving him money was
concerned； she had advanced him but one small sum on his IOU。
These confessions； together with the information which had come to
him from other investigations； served to increase the feeling of the
Procureur that Boursier's death called for probing。 He issued an
exhumation order； and on the 31st of July an autopsy on the body of
Boursier was carried out by MM。 Orfila and Gardy； doctors and professors
of the Paris faculty of medicine。 Their finding was that no trace existed
of any disorders to which the death of Boursier might be attributedsuch；
for example； as cerebral congestion； rupture of the heart or of a larger
vesselbut that； on the other hand； they had come upon a sufficiency of
arsenic in the intestines