The gazette-times., April 22, 1915, HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION, Page 15, Image 21

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HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION SERIAL.
The Secret of the Night By Gaston Leroux
TimiLUXQ MYSTEIIY STORY OP RUSSIA V IVntlCVB BY XOTED FRESCH AITHOR.
HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
SYNOrSIS OF rKKVIOCS CHATTBIW.
Toiinir Joseph RouletsMll. otMbl
reporter for Paraiirtaii Bosrspaper. sat.
In fact. detacttt of renown. Is "
Russia by th Cur to aav "
Genaral Trcbaaaof tPeador reodorovuen'
who has beaa eotdamned to death "r "
Nihilist. H la rectivod by tha Gen
eral's ever-faithful and er-watcnful wi..
Madam Trebassof (Matrena Pvlna(
Ha meat Katcha. th General'! i
by a prevk-ua man-lajre. Tha aen"r.?irJl?
t hla villa, surrounded by a few '
frlenda. KoulatabUI learne of tha first two
nttempta araiiut tha Ut of lha General
from Mad&uo Trebassof. On f Roaiet
ahllle'a flrat anions la to dismiss tha mo
police guarding tha villa. Boulatabllle
hears of tha third autesnupt on tha aen
eral'a life, by aaii of a clock orkbomD
Jet In a vas of flowers on hla table, it
was frustrate! by Madame Trebassof, who
was slightly Injured by the explosion, lha
detectlv laarna that Natclia I;
with Borl, but alio la very friendly to
wards Michael. Ha learae tha acret M
tha nirht th terrible Blihtmaraa that are
eiparlancad by tha aged General. Natacha
la uspectd of complicity In the plots
aealnn the Ufa of the General, bat Bou
letabllle atoutly affirme bla belief In her
innoeence Though a great warning ten
HouletaMII that his ward, tha GaaeraJ.
will be dead tn 48 hours, the detective aug
geata a promenade by th aea, unattended.
Natacba absents herself- during the prom
nade OB ailgbt cause. Roiiletablll be
:omea interested In hat-pili. He U coufl
jent of plot against the (leneral by
).)Ipe39 methods and watches tha door of
in unused entrant to the room where th
general sleeps.
THE? dinner, where Matrena, Natacha and
Rouletabllle were, together again, was
lively. The young man baring declared
that he m more- and more convinced that
the mystery of the bomb In th bouquet was
Imply a play of the police, Natacha rein
forced his opinion, and following that they
found- themselves In agreement on about
everything els. For himself, the reporter
during that conversation hid a real horror
which had seld aim at the cynical and
Inappropriate trannuHUty with which the
young lady received all suggestions that
accused the police or that assumed the gen
eral no longer ran any Immediate danger.
In short, he worked, or at least believed
he worked, to clear Natacha as he had
cleared Matrena, so that there would develop
the absolute necessity of assuming a third
person's intervention In the facts disclosed
so clearly by Kouprlan where Matrena or
Natacha seemed alone to be possible agents.
As he listened to Natacha Rouletabllle com
menced to doubt and quake Just as he had
Been Matrena do. The more he looked into
the nature of Natacha the dixsier he grew.
What abysmal obscurities were there In
her naturel
Nothing Interesting happened during din
ner. Several times, in spite of Roulela
bllle's obvious impatience with her for do
ing it. Matrena went up to the general. She
returned Baying, "He Is quiet. He doesn't
sleep. He doesn't wish anything. He has
asked me to prepare his narcotic. It is too
bud. Ha basjried in vain, he cannot get
along without it."
"You, too, mamma, ought to take some
thing to make you sleep. They say mor
phine is very good."
"As for me." said rtouletabllle, whose
hend for some few minutes had been drop
ping now toward one shoulder and now
toward another, "I have no need of any
narcotic to make me sleep. If you will
permit me, I will get to bed at once,"
"Eli, my little domovol doukh, I am going
to carry you there in my arms."
Matrena, estended her large round arms
ready to take Rouletabilte as though he
had been a baby. '
"No, no. I will get up there all right,
alone," said Roulctabille, rising stupidly
and appearing ashamed of hla excessive
sleepiness.
"Oh, well, let us both accompany him to
hla chambers." said Natacha, "and I will
wish papa good night. I'm eager for bed
myself. We will all make a good night
of It. Ermolal and Gnlagnla will watch
with the schwitznr In the lodge. Things
are) reasonably arranged now."
They all ascended tho stairs, rtouleta
bllle did not even go to see the general,
fent threw himself on his bed. Natacha got
ofito the be beside her father, embraced
him a dozen times, and went downstairs
again. Matrena followed behind her, closed
doors and windows, went j3talrs again to
close the door of the landing-place and
found Rouletahllle seated on his bed, his
Arms crossed, not appearing to have any
desire for sleep at all. His face was so
strangely pensive also that the anxiety of
Matrena, who had been able to mike noth
ing out of his acts and looks all daycame
back upon her instantly In greater' force
than ever. She touched his arm In order
to be sure that he knew she was there.
"My little friend," ahe said, "will you
tell me now?"
"res, madame," he replied at once. "Sit
In that chair and listen tp me. There are
things you must know at once, because w
have reached a dangerous hour."
"The hatpins first. The hatpins!"
Rouletahllle rose lightly from the bed
and, facing her, but watching something
besides her, said:
"It Is necessary you should know that
someone almost Immediately is going to
renew the attempt of the bouquet."
Matrena sprang to her feet as quickly as
though she had been told there was a bomb
In the seat of her chair. She made Imrjilf
sit down again, however, In obedience to
Rouletabille urgent look commanding
absolute quiet.
"Renew the attempt of the bouquet!" she
murmured in a stifled voice, "But there Is
not a flower in the genesal'B chamber."
"Be calm, madame. Understand me and
snswer me: You heard the tick-tack from
tho bouquet while you were in your own
chamber?"
"Yes, with the doors open, naturally.'
"You told mo the poisons who came to
say good night to the general. At that
time there waa no noise of tick-tack?"
"No. no."
"Do you think that if there had been any
tick-tack then you would have beard it,
with all those persons talking In the
room?"
"I hear everything. I hear everything."
"Did you go downstairs at the same time
those people did."
"No, no; I remained near the general for
some time, until ha was sound asleep,"
"And you heard nothing?"
"Nothing."
"Ion closed tha doors behind those per
sons?" "Yes. the door to the great staircase. The
door of the servants' stairway wan con
demned a long time ago; it has been locked
by me, I alone have the key and on the
inside of the door opening into the general's
chamber there Is also a bolt which is always
shot. All the other doors of the chamber
have been condemned by me. In order to
enter any of the four rooms on this floor
it la necessary now to pass by the door of
my chamber, which gives in the main
"staircase."
"Perfect. Then, no one has been able to
enter the apartment No one had been In
tho apartment for at least two bours ex
cepting you and the general, when you
heard the clockwork. From that the only
conclusion Is that only the general and
you could have started it going."
"What are you trying to say?" Matrena
demanded, astounded.
"I wish to prove to you by this absurd
conclusion, madame, that 11 Is necessary
never never, you understand? Never to
reason solely upon even the most evident
external evidence when those seemingly
conclusive appearances are in conflict with
certain moral truths that also are clear as
the light of day. The light of day for me,
madame. Is that the general does not desire
to commit suicide and. above all. that he
would not choose the strange method of
suicide by clockwork. The light of day for
me is that you adore your husband and
that you are ready to sacrifice your life
for his."
"Now! Here!" exclaimed Matrena, whose
tears, always ready in emotional moments,
(lowed freely. "But, Holy Mary, why do
you speak to me without looking at me?
M'hat is It? What is it?"
"Don't turn! Don't make a movement!
You hear not a move! And speak low,
very low. And don't cry, for the love of
Gcd!"
"But you say at once , . , the bou
quet! Come to the general's room!"
"Not a move. And continue listening to
me without interrupting," said he, still in
clining his ear, and still without looking
at her. "It Is because these things were
as tho light of day to me that I say to
myself, 'It is impossible that it should be
Impossible for a third person not to have
placed the bomb In the bouquet. Someone
Is able to enter tho general's chamber even
when the general is watching and all the
doors are locked."
"Oh, no. No one could possibly enter, I
swear it to you."
As she swore It a little too loudly, Rou
letabille seized her arm so that she almost
cried out, but she understood instantly that
it was to keep her quiet.
"I tell you not to Interrupt me, once for
all."
"But, then, tell me what you are looking
at like that"
"I am watching the corner where s'ome
one Is going to enter the general's chamber
when everything Is locked, madame. Do
not move!"
Matrena, her teeth chattering, recalled
that when she entered Rouletabille'g cham
ber she had found all the doors open that
communicated with the chain of rooms: the
young man's chamber with hers, the dressing-room
and the general's chamber. She
tried, under Rouletabllie's look, to keep
calm, but In spite of all the reporter's ex
hortations she could not hold her tongue.
"But which way? Where will they en
tnr?" "By the door."
"Which door?"
"That of the chamber giving on the ser
vants' stairway."
"Why. how? The key! The bolt!"
"They have made a key."
"But the bolt is drawn this side."
"They will draw it back from the olber
side."
"What! That is Impossible.'
Rouletabllle laid his two hands en Mat
rena's strong shoulders and repeated, de
taching each syllable. "They will draw it
back from the other side."
"It is impossible. I repeat It."
"Madame, your Nihilists haven't invented
anything. It is a trick much in vogue with
sneak thieves in hotels. All it needs is a
little hole the sise of a pin bored in the
panel of the door above the bolt,"
"God!" quavered Matrena. "I don't un
derstand what you mean by your little hole.
Explain to mo, little domovol."
"Follow ma carefully, then," continued
Roulctabille, his eyes all the time fixed
elsewhere. "The person who wishes to en
ter sticks through the hole a brass wire that
he has already given the necessary curve to
and which is fitted on its end with a light
point of steel curved Inward. With such an
instrument It is child's play.Jf the hole has
been made where It ought to be, to touch
the bolt on the Inside from the outside, pick
the knob on It. withdraw it, and open the
door if the bolt Is like this one, a small
door-bolt." '
"Oh, oh, oh," moaned Matrena, who paled
visibly. "And that hole?"
"It exists."
"You have discovered It?"
"Yes, the first hour I was here."
"Oh, doinovolt But how did you do that
when you never entered the general's cham
ber until tonight?"
"Doubtless, but I went up that servants'
staircase much earlier than that. And I
will tell you why.. When I was brought
into the villa the first time, and you
watched me. hidden behind the door, do
you know what I was watching myself,
while 1 appeared to be solely occupied dig
ging out the caviare? The fresh print of
boot-nails which left the carpet near the
table, where someone had spilled beer (the
beer was still running down the cloth.)
Someone had stepped in the beer. The boot
print wa3 not clearly visible excepting
there. But from there it went to the door
of the servants stairway and mounted the
stairs. That boot was too fin to be mount
ing a stairway reserved to-servants and that
Kouprains told me bad been condemned,
and it was that made me notice It in a
moment; bnt Just then you entered."
"You never told me anything about it.
Of course if I had known there was a boot
print ..."
"I didn't tell yon anything about it be
cause I had my reasons for that, and, any
way, the trace dried while I was telling you
about my Journey,"
"Ah, why stot have told me later?
"Because I didn't know yoo yet."
"Subtle devil! You will kill me. I can
no longer. . , . Let us go into the gen
eral's chamber. We will wake htm.
"Remain here. Remain here. I have not
told you anything; That boot-print preoc
cupied me, and later, when I could get away
from the dining-room, I was not easy until
I had climbed that stairway myself and
gone to see that door, where I discovered
what I have just told you and what I am
going to tell you now."
"What? What? In all you have said
there has been nothing about the hat-pins."
"We have come to them now."
"And the bouquet attack, which Is going
to happen again? Why? Why?"
"This Is it When this evening yon let me
go to the general's chamber, I examined the
bolt of the door without your suspecting it.
My opinion was confirmed. It was that
way that the bomb was brought, and it is
by that way that someone has prepared to
return."
"But bow? You ar sure the little hole
is the way someone came? But what makes
you think that is how they mean to return?
Yon know well enough that, not having
succeeded In tho general's chamber, they
are at work in the dining-room,"
"Madame, it is probable. It is certain that
they have given up the work in the dining
room since they have commenced this very
day working again In the general's cham
ber. Yea, someone returned, returned that
way, and I was so sure of that of the forth
coming return, that I removed the police in
order to be able to study everything more
at my ease. Do you understand now my
confidence and why I have been able to
assume so heavy a responsibility? It is
because I knew I had only one thing to
watch; one little hat-pin. It is net diffi
cult, madam, to watch a single little hat
pin." "A mistake," said Matrena, in a low voire.
"Miserable little domovol who told me noth
ing, me whom you let go to sleep on my
mattress, tn front of that door that might
open any moment."
"No, madame. For I was behind it!'
"Ah, dear little holy angel! But what
were you thinking of! That door has not
been watched this afternoon. In our ab
sence it could have been opened. If some
one has placed a bomb during our absence!"
"That is why I sent you at once in to the
dining-room on that search that I thought
would be fruitless, dear madame. And that
is why I hurried upstairs to the bedroom. I
went to the stairway door instantly. I had
prepared for proof positive if anyone had
pushed it open even half a millimeter. No,
no one had touched the door in our ab
sence." "Ah, dear heroic little friend of Jesus!
But listen to me. Listen to me, my angel.
Ah, I don't know where I ara or what to
say. My brain Is no more than a flabby
balloon punctured with pins, with little
holes of hat-pins. Tell me about th hat
pins. Right off! No, at first, what la It
that makes you believe good God! that
someone will return by that door? How
can you see that, all that, in a poor little
hat-pin?"
"Madame, It is not a single hat-pin hole;
there are two of them."
"Two hat-pin holes?"
"Yes, two. An old one and a new one.
One quite new. Why this second hole? Be
cause the old one was judged a little too
narrow and they wished to enlarge it, and
in enlarging It they broke off the point ol
a hat-pin in It Madame, the point is titer
yet filling up th little eld hole and the
piece of metal is very sharp and very
bright"
"Ah, now I understand the examination
of the hat-pins. Then it is so easy as that
to get through a door with a hat-pin?"
"Nothing easier, especially if the panel Is
of pine. Sometimes one happens to break
the point of a pin in the first hole. Then
of necessity one makes a second. In order
to commence the second hole, the point of
the pin being broken, they have used th
point of a penknife, that have finished the
hole with the hat-pin. Th second hole is
still nearer the bolt than the first one.
Don't move like that, madame."
"But they are going to come! They are
going to come!"
"I believe so."
"But I can't understand how you can re
main so quiet with such a certainty. Great
heavens! what proof have yen that they
have not been there already?"
"JuBt an ordinary pin, madame, not a
. hat-pin this time. Don't confuse the pins,
I will show you in a little while."
"He will drive me distracted with his
pins, dear light of my eyes! Bounty of
Heaven! God's envoy! Dear lltjtle happiness-bearer!"
In her transport she tried to take him In
her trembling arms, but he waved her back.
She caught her breath and resumed:
"Did the examination of all the hat-pins
tell you anything?"
"Yes. The fifth hat-pin of Mademoiselle
Natacha's, the one in the toque out in th
veranda, has the tip newly broken off."
"O misery!" cried Matrena, crumpling In
her chatr.
Rouletahllle raised her.
"What would you have? I liave exam
ined your own hat-pins. Do you think I
would have suspected you if I had found
one of them broken? I would simply have
thought that someone had used your prop
erty for an abominable purpose, that is
all."
"Oh, that Is true, that is true. Pardon
me. Mother of Christ, this boy crazes me!
He consoles me and he horrifies me. B
makes me think ef such dreadful things,
and then he reassures me. He does what
he wishes with m. What should I be
come without him?"
And this time she succeeded in taking his
head in her two hands and kissing him
passionately. Rouletabille pushed her back
roughly.
"You keep me from seeing," he said.
She was in tears over his rebuff. She
understood now. Roulctabille during all
this conversation had not ceased to watch
through the open doors of Matrena's room
and the dressing-room the farther fatal door
whose brass bolt shone in the yellow light
of the night lamp.
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