He bowed to M.Daburon, and held out the summons he had received.
"You summoned me, sir," he said; "and I am here awaiting your orders." The investigating magistrate had met the young advocate several times in the lobbies of the Palais; and he knew him well by sight.

He remembered having heard M.Gerdy spoken of as a man of talent and promise, whose reputation was fast rising.

He therefore welcomed him as a fellow-workman, and invited him to be seated.
The preliminaries common in the examinations of all witnesses ended; the name, surname, age, place of business, and so on having been written down, the magistrate, who had followed his clerk with his eyes while he was writing, turned towards Noel.
"I presume you know, M.Gerdy," he began, "the matters in connection with which you are troubled with appearing before me ?" "Yes, sir, the murder of that poor old woman at La Jonchere." "Precisely," replied M.Daburon.Then, calling to mind his promise to old Tabaret, he added, "If justice has summoned you so promptly, it is because we have found your name often mentioned in Widow Lerouge's papers." "I am not surprised at that," replied the advocate: "we were greatly interested in that poor woman, who was my nurse; and I know that Madame Gerdy wrote to her frequently." "Very well; then you can give me some information about her." "I fear, sir, that it will be very incomplete.

I know very little about this poor old Madame Lerouge.

I was taken from her at a very early age; and, since I have been a man, I have thought but little about her, except to send her occasionally a little aid." "You never went to visit her ?" "Excuse me.