The men took me to see the magistrate (a judge in a local court). The magistrate was an old man. He had a kind face. But he looked at me in a serious way. The magistrate asked to see the witnesses.
Six men came into the room. One fisherman spoke first. He said he was on his boat the night before with his son and his brother-in-law, Daniel Nugent. The wind was very strong that night. It was very dark because there was no moon.
The men returned to the shore. They did not land at the main harbor. They landed at a small creek (a narrow area of water that goes into the land). The fisherman walked on the sand. He hit his foot against something and fell. He used a lamp to see.
The fisherman found the body of a young man. The body was not wet. It was still warm. The men took the body to a small house. They tried to help the man. But they could not save him.
The dead man was about twenty-five years old. He was a handsome man. There were black marks on his neck. Someone had used their fingers to strangle (to kill someone by pressing their neck) him. There were no other marks on the body.
I heard about the marks on the neck. I remembered my brother, William. The monster had killed William in the same way. I felt very sick and weak. I sat down on a chair. Mr. Kirwin, the magistrate, watched me carefully.
The fisherman’s son said the same thing as his father. Then Daniel Nugent spoke. He said he saw a boat near the shore before they found the body. One man was in the boat. Daniel Nugent said it was the same boat that I had used that day.
A woman also spoke. She lived near the beach. She was at the door of her house. She saw a boat with one man. The man left the place where the fishermen found the body. Another woman said the fishermen brought the body to her house.
Other men spoke about me. The wind was very strong that night. They thought I had stayed on the sea for many hours. They thought I had brought the dead body from another place. They believed I was the murderer.
Mr. Kirwin wanted to see my reaction. He took me to a room in an inn (a small hotel). The dead body was in that room. I felt calm at first. I knew I had been with other people on my island when the man died.
I walked to the coffin (a wooden box for a dead person). I looked inside at the body. I felt a terrible horror. It was Clerval. My best friend was dead.
I cried out in pain. I asked if my actions had killed Clerval too. I said I had already destroyed two people. Then I fell to the floor. I was very ill.
I had a high fever (a very high body temperature when you are sick) for two months. I was near death. I said many terrible things. I said I had killed William, Justine, and Clerval. I screamed about the monster.
Only Mr. Kirwin understood me. I spoke my own language. The other witnesses did not understand the words. But they saw that I was very afraid. I looked like I was in great pain.
I woke up after two months. I was in a room in the prison. The windows had metal bars. The room was dirty and sad. An old woman sat near me.
The old woman was a nurse. She was not a kind person. She did not feel sorry for me. She told me that I was a murderer. She said it was better for me to be dead.
I felt very lonely. No one loved me there. A doctor came to see me. The doctor did not care about me. He only gave me medicine. I thought I was a lost man.
But Mr. Kirwin was actually a kind man. He gave me the best room in the prison. He paid for the doctor and the nurse. He did not visit often. He did not like to hear me scream. But he made sure I was safe.
One day, Mr. Kirwin came to the room. He spoke to me in French. He was very polite. He said he wanted to help. He said that my family was safe.
Mr. Kirwin told me that a friend was there. I was afraid. I thought the monster was at the door. I cried and told Mr. Kirwin to take the person away. I did not want to see the monster.
Mr. Kirwin looked troubled. My cry made him think I was guilty. He said he was surprised that I did not want to see my father. I was surprised too. I asked if my father was really there. Mr. Kirwin smiled and left the room.
My father entered the room. I was very happy. I asked about Elizabeth and Ernest. My father said they were well. But he was sad to see me in prison.
My father and I could not speak for a long time. I was still very weak. Mr. Kirwin told us to rest. I felt better because my father was with me. But I still felt very sad about Clerval.
I stayed in prison for three months. Then it was time for the trial (a meeting where a judge decides if a person is guilty). Mr. Kirwin helped me. He found witnesses and a lawyer.
The judge looked at the evidence. I was on the Orkney Islands when Clerval died. This proved that I was not the murderer. The judge said I was free. I left the prison.
My father was very happy. He wanted to return to Geneva. But I was not happy. I felt like my life was over. I saw the monster’s eyes in my dreams.
My father talked about our home. He talked about Elizabeth. I wanted to see my home again. But I also felt a great darkness in my heart. I wanted to die.
I had one duty. I must protect my family in Geneva. I must wait for the monster. I wanted to kill the monster. I was very thin and weak. I looked like a skeleton.
My father and I went on a ship to France. It was midnight. I sat on the deck. I looked at the stars. I was happy to leave Ireland. But I was very sad about Clerval.
I took a drug called laudanum (a strong medicine to help a person sleep). I took it every night to sleep. But I had terrible dreams. I felt the monster’s fingers on my neck.
I screamed in my sleep. My father woke me up. I saw the waves and the sky. I was safe for now. But I knew the monster was still waiting for me.