"
"That theory--shall I give it you? It is not only a theory; it is my
firm belief as to the facts of the case."
"You suspect--"
"I more than suspect--I am very strongly persuaded that this murder
has been committed by the girl Paolina Foscarelli."
"My own notion--"
"Look here, this is how it has been. The Marchese Ludovico has made
love to this girl--has made her in love with him--taking the matter
au grand serieux, in the way girls will--specially, I am told, it is
the way, with those Venetian women. Well, by ill chance, as the
devil would have it, she sees her lover starting on a tete-a-tete
expedition into the Pineta with this other girl--just the woman of
all others in the world, as I am given to understand, to be a
dangerous rival, and to excite a deadly jealousy. This much we have
in evidence. Further, we know that the girl Paolina was expected to
return from her expedition to St. Apollinare early in the morning--
say at nine o'clock, or thereabouts--whereas she did not return till
several hours afterwards. In addition to all this, we have now
ascertained that when she left the church she did not set out on her
return towards the city, as she might naturally be expected to have
done; but, on the contrary, went in the direction of the Pineta.
Then, assuming the story, told by the Marchese to be true, we know
that, about the very time that this Paolina was entering the forest,
her rival was lying asleep and alone there in the immediate
neighbourhood.
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