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IIOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
IS
IIOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION SEUIAL.
e Secret of the Night By Gaston Leroux
T"""',TX "VBTBHT STOIIY OF ItCSSIAN INTHICUU HV NOTUI1 rilKXCII AUTIlnil.
ornis of rituvious chain
. TICItH.
? .....nt. nmitfntitlli- mten
b reporter for a I'arliilnn news-
Lilt I" inci. H uctcvma , "
Evo tho Ufa of General Trebnuof
tinned to death by Itio Nihilist.
m received by tho General's over-
Ffui and ever-watchful wire.
ITIO ITOUanwi nmsim . ,,
II IIo meets Aaiacnu, wm vun
b ilaunhtcr by a previous innr
b Tho Otnernl In nt his .Mlln,
hundeil by few faithful friends.
I . . . lit- 1 An una fit Ihfl first Itl'D
ftJ -!- . .-. !. ii. nan.
from Madam Trobaiiof. One of
M tab II 10 n nrni nciiuns in iw uu
I4 tho secret police gunrduiff th
IIT.
., . .... ..........
1 went out to caution, tho serv-
hts to n. strict watch, armed to
be tocth, beforu tho guto nil night
rid alio crossed the deserted gnr
IJnJcr tho vornnda tho echwltr.nr
breading n mattress for Ermnlal.
Iked him If ho had seen tho youiiK
hmnn anywhere, and after tho nn-
on lil milv snv to harself. "Where
I then?" Wliero had ilouletabllle:
Tho General, whom she had
tin to his room on her back,
at any help, and had helped Into
hout assistance, was msuirijcu
singular dlivtppcarance. Hud
ie already carried on "tnoir"
itabllle? Their friends were gono
bo orderlies had taken leuvo with-
bins able to tay whero till boy of.
rnallst had gone uut it wouiu
ollsh to worry about tho tjmap
neo of n Journalist, thoy had nald.
Ind of man theso journuiists
vent, arrived when onu least ex
them, and nulttcd their com
-vcn tho highest nocloty wlth-
ullty. It was what they called
unco "leaving Kngiish fashion.
ver. It appeared It was not meant
' Impolite, Perhaps ho had conn
egraph. A Journalist had to keep
kuch with tho telegraph nt all
Poor Matrcna Potrovnn roamed
plllary warden In tumult of heart,
i was tho light In the General's
frw on the first floor. Thero were
In tho basement from tho kit-
Tlicro was n light on tho ground
ir the sitting-room, from Natu
chamber window. Ah, tho night
hard to bear. And this night the
weighed heavier than over on
illent breast of Matrena. As she
cd sho felt as though sho lifted
weight of tho threatening night.
examined every thing every thing.
us shut tight, wum perfectly secure,
icre wus no ono within excepting
sho was absolutely sure of but
pi, all tho name, sho did not allow
anywhere In tho houso excepting
their work called thorn, isacn
place. That made, things surer.
vlihed each ono could remain flxod
tho porcelain statues of men out
lie lawn. Kven ns sho thought It.
at her feet, right ur her very feet,
bdow of one of tho porcelain men
fed, stretched Itsolf out, rose to Its
grasped her skirt .and spoko In
voice of Ilouletabllle. Ah. good! It
I Ilouletabllle. "Himself, dear mad
himself."
Phy Is Hrmolal In the verandah
him back to the kltchenii and tell
cliwltiur to go to bed. The sorv-
Aro enough for an ordinary guard
Ide. Then you go In at onco, shut
I door, and don't concern yourself
It me, dear mndame, aood-nlght.
buletnblllo had resumed, In the
lows, among tho other porcelain
res. his pose of a porcelain man.
.arena potrovtui did as she was
returned to the houso, spoko to
jscrnvlUur, who removed to tho
with Hrmolal. and their mistress
ed the outsldo door. She had closed
before the door of tho kltchon
which allowed the domestics to
' the villa from below. Down there
night the devoted gnlagnla and
faithful Hrmolal watched In turn.
rlthln the villa, now closed, there
on tho ground floor only Matrena
!lf and her stepdaughter Natacha,
slept In the chambor of the sit-
-room. and. nbove on the first floor.
Central asleep, or who ought to be
pep if ho liad taken his potion.
Irena remained In tho darkness of
drawing-room, her dark. lantern In
' hand. All her nights nasscd thus.
ping from door to door, from chain
' to chamber, watchlnc over tho
Ich of the police, not during to stop
sieaiiny promenade ovon to throw
self on tho mattress that she had
Ced acrosH tho doorway of her hus
Id's chamber. Did sho over Bleep? Sho
elf could hardly Bay. Who eln
lid, then? A tag of sleep here and
re, over the arm of a chair, or loan"
' against the wall, waked alwnva hv
no noise that she heard or dreamed.
lie warning always, perhaps, that
I alone had heard. And tonight, to
pit there Is Itoufetahjllo's alert guard
neip ner, ana sua feels a llttlo less
aching terror of watchfulness.
Ill there surges back into her mind
i ctuiircuon mat me ponce are no
uer there. Was lie right, this young;
i? Certainly sho could not denv
M srmo way she feels mora eontl.
pee- now that tho police aro gone.
u.-8 not naves to spend her time
watching their shadows In the tno
shadows, searching the darkness, tho
armchairs, tho sofas, to rouso thtm. to
appeal In low tones to all they held
binding, by their own mimo mid the
name of their father, to promise them
a bonus that would amount to some
thing If thoy watched well, to count
them In order to know where they sll
wore, and, suddenly, to throw full In
their faco the ray of light from her
llttlo dark-lantern In order to bo sure,
almolutoly sure, that sho was face to
f;ico with them, one of the police, and
not wun some other, some other with
nn Infernal machine under his arm,
Yes, sho BtirHy had less work now that
sho had no longer to watch the police.
And sho had less fear I
Hho thanked tlio vounc reporter for
that. Whero was ho7 Uld ho remain
in tno poso oc a porcelain statuo all
this tlmo out thure on the lawn? Bho
ncorcd through tho lnttlco of tho
vctnnda shutters and looked anxiously
out .Into tho darkened gmden. Whero
t-ould ho bo? Was Unit he, down yon
der, thnt crouching black heap with
nn unllKhtcd plpo In his mouth? No,
no. Thnt, she knew well, was the dwarf
alio genuinely loved, her little domovol
doukh, tho familiar Bplrlt of tho house,
who watched wllh her over the General's
life and thaulCH to whom serious Injury
had not yet befallen Feodor Keodoro
vltch ono could not regard a mangled
leg that seriously. Ordinarily In her
own country (sho was from tho Orol
district) one did not caro to sco tho
domovoUdoukh appear In flesh and
blood. When sho was little she was
always afraid that sho would come
upon him around a turn of the path In
hor father's garden. She always thought
of him nn no higher than that, settled
back on his liiiunchcs and smoking his
pipe. Then, after sho was married,
sho had suddenly run across him at a
turning In the bassar at Moscow. Ho
was Just ns sho had Imagined him, and
she had Immediately bought him, car
ried him homo herself and placed him,
with many precautions, for he was of
very dcllcnta porcelain. In tho vestl
hulo of thn palace. And In leaving
MoRcow sho had been careful not to
leave him there. She had carried lilm
herself In a ense nnd had placed him
herself on tho lawn of the datchn des
lies, that ho might continue to watch
over her happiness and over tho life of
her Fcndor. And In order that ho
should not be bored, eternally smoking
his plpo nllhlone, she had surrounded
him with n group of little porcelain
geull, after tlio fashion of the Jnrdlns
des lies. J.,ord! how that young
Frenchman hud frightened her, rising
suddenly llko that, without warning,
on tho lawn. Hlio had believed for a
moment that It wan tho domorol-doukh
himself rising to stretch his legs. Hap
pily hn had spoken at once and sho
had recognized his voice. And besides,
her domovol mtrely would not speak
French. Ah! Matrcna Petrovna breathed
freely now. It seemed to her, this
night, that there wero two little fa
miliar genii wntrhlng over thn house.
And thnt was worth more than all tho
pollen In tho wot Id, surely. How wily
thnt llttlo fellow was to order all those
men away. There was something It
wan necessary to know: It wan neces
sary therefore that nothing should bo
In tho way of learning It, An things
were now, the mystery could operate
without suspicion or Interference. Only
ono man watched It, and he had not
the nlr of watching. Certainly nou
lotabllle had not th nlr or constantly
watching anything. Ho had the man
ner, out In tho night, of nn easy little
man In porcelain, neither more nor
less, yot ho could sea everything If
anything were tncro to see nnd ho
could hear everything If thero wero
nnything to near, ono passed besido
him without suspecting him, and men
might talk to each other without an
Idea that ho heard them, and oven talk
to themselves according to tho habit
people have sometimes when they think
themselves uulto alone. All tho guests
had departed thus, passing closo by
ii I in, utmost brushing him, had cx-
hanged their "Adieus,' their "Au ro
jolrx," and all tholr final, drawn-out
farewells. That dear llttlo lfVIng
domovol certainly was a roguol Oh,
thnt dear llttlo domovol who had been
ho affected by the tears of Matrcna I'e
ttovnal Tho good, fat, sentimental, ho.
rolo woman longed to hear. Just then,
his rcassurlnjr voice.
"It Is I. Hero I nm," said tho voice
of her llttlo living fnmlllnr spirit nt
that instant, and sho felt hor nklrt
grasped. Hlio wnlted for what ho should
say. Sho felt no fuar. Vet sho had
supposed ho was outsldo tho house.
hllll. after till. Sho Wun lint Inn nut nil.
Ished that ho was within. He was so
ntiroiti no had entered behind her, In
tho shadow of her skirts, on nil. fours.
und had slipped away without anyono
iioucing mm, wiillo sho was speaking
to her enormous, majestlo Rchwlttar.
"So you wero lioro?" sho snld, taking
his hand and pressing It nervously in
hers.
"Yes, yes. I havo watched you clos.
Ing tho house. It Is n task woll done,
certainly. You havo not forgotten any
thing." "Hut where wero you, dear llttlo
demon? I havo been Into all tho cor
ners, and my hands did not touch you."
"I was under the toble sot with hors
d'oeuvres In the sitting-room."
"Ah, under tho tabo of xnkousklsl 1
have forbidden them beforo now to
spread a lonu hanging cloth there
which obliges mo to kick my foot
underneath cnsually In order to bo sure
there Is no ono beneath. It Is Impru
dent, very Imprudent, such tablecloths.
And under tho tablo of zakouskls havo
you been ablo to see or hear any
thing?" ".Madame, do you think that nnyono
could possibly see or hear nnything In
the villa when you are watching it
alone, when tho General Is asleep, and
your step-daughter Is preparing for
bed?"
"No, no, I do not bcllevo so. I do
not No, oh, Christ!"
They tallied thus very low In tho
dark, both seated In u corner of the
sofa, Ilouletahlllo'n hand hold tightly
In the burning hands of Matrcna To
trovna. Sho sighed anxiously. "And In tho
garden havo you heard anything?"
"I heard the officer Doris say to tho
officer Michael, In French, 'Shall wo ro-
turn at onco to tho villa?' The other
replied In ItiiNslan In a way I could see
was a refusal. Then they had a dis
cussion In Itusslan which I, nnturnlly,
could not understand. Hut from tho
way they talked I gathered that they
disagreed and that no lovo wus lost bo
tween them."
"No. they do not lovo each other.
They both love Natacha."
"And she, which ono of them does
she lovo? It Is necessary to tell mo.
"She pretends that she loves Horls
and I bcllevo she does, nnd yot sho la
very friendly with Michael and often
sho goes Into nooks nnd corners to chat
with him, which makes IlorlR mad with
Jealousy, Sho has forbidden Doris to
speak to her father about tholr mar
riage, on the pretext that sho does not
wish to leave her father now, while
ouch day, each minute tho General's
life In In danger."
"And you. niadamc do you lovo your
step-daughter?" brutally Inquired the
reporter.
"Yes sincerely," replied Matrena Po-
trovna, withdrawing her hand from
those of Ilouletabllle.
"And ahe does sho lovo you?"
"I bcllevo so. monsieur. I bellovo so
sincerely. Yes, she loves me, and thero
is not any reason why she should not
lovo inc. I believe uiidcrstalid mo
.thoroughly, becauso It comes from my
heart that wo all here In this houso
love ono nnnther. Our friends; aro old
proved friends. Ilorls hus been orderly
to my husband for a very long time.
Wo do no', shnro any of his too-modern
Ideas, nr.J thorn wero many discus
sions on the duty of soldlem nt tho
tlmo of tho massncrcS. 1 reproached
him .with being as womanish ns wo
werrf In going down on his knees to tho
Gcncrnl behind Natacha and mo, when
It becntna necessary to kill all thoso
poor monjlks of l'rcsnlo. It wan not
his role. A soldier Is n soldier. My
husband rnlHed hltn roughly and ordered
him, for his pains, to march nt tlio
head of the troops. It was right. What
clso could ho do? Tho Gcncrnl already
had enough to fight against, with tho
wholo revolution, with hi conscience,
with tho natural pity In his heart of n
bravo man, nnd with tho learn and In
supportable meanings, nt such a mo
ment, of tils daughter und his wlfe.
Ilorls understood, nnd obeyed him. but,
nfter tho death of tho poor students,
ho bohnved again Ilka n woman In
composing thoso verses on the heroes
of tho barricades: don't you think so7
Verses that Natacha and ho learned
by heart, working together, when they
wero surprlscdat It by the General.
There was n terrible scene. It was
boforo tho noxt-to-tho-last attack. Tho
General then had tho use of both legs.
Ho stamped his feet and fairly shook
tho house."
"Madame," snld Itoulelnbllle, "ft pro.
pos of the nltncks, you must tell ni
nbout tho third."
An ho snld this, leaning toward her,
Matrcna I'ctrovna ejaculated a "Lis
ten!" that mado him rigid In the night
with enr nlert. What had sho heard?
For him, ho had heard nothing.
"You hear nothing?" sho whispered
to him with nn effort. "A tlcktacU7"
"No, I hoar nothing."
"You know llko tho tlek-tack of a,
clock. Listen."
"How can you hear thn tlck-tackT
1'vo noticed that no clock mo running
here."
"Don't you understand? It Is so that
wo shnll ho nbla to hear tho tick-tack
bettor."
"Oh, yes. I understand. Hut I do not
hoar nnything,"
"For myself, I thlnlt I hear the tick
tack ull tho tlmo slnco tho last nttempt.
It hnuntfl my cars, It Is frightful, to say
to one's self: There Is clockwork some
whare, Just nbout to resell tho death
tick and not to know where, not to
know whcral When tlio police wero
hero I mado them all listen, and I wan
not sure even when they had all listened
nnd said thero wan no tick-tack. It In
torrlblo to henr It In my ear any mo
ment when I least expect It. Tick
tuck! Tick-tack! It Is thn blood beat
ing In my ear, for Instance, hard, an If
It struck on n sounding-board. Why, '
hero aro dropa of persplrutlon on my
hands) Listen!"
"Ah, this tlmo someone Is talklne
Is crying," said the young man.
"Hh-h-h!" And Ilouletabllle felt tho
rigid hand of Matrcna retrovna on his
urin. "It Is tho Oeneral, The Oeneral
Is drcamlngl"
Sho drew him Into the dining-room,
Into n corner where they could no
longer hear thn moaning. Hut all the
doors that communicated with tho din-tng-room,
tho drawing-room atijl tho
sitting-room remained open behind
him. by the secret precaution of Hou.
letublllc.
He waited whllo Matrena, whose
breath ho heard come hard, wan a llttlo
behind. In a moment, quite talkative,
and ns though sho wished to distract
Itoiitetabllle'n attention from the sounds
nbnvo, tho broken words and sighs, sho
continueui
(To 11 fnntlnu-il.)
mn
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