The Secret Of The Night(Fiscle Part 3) by Gaston Leroux (readera ebook reader txt) 📕

The Fourth Side Gives Directly Onto A Wooded Field That Stretches

To The River Neva.  On This Side The Level Of The Ground Is Much

Lower,  So Low That The Sole Window Opening In That Wall (The Window

Of Natacha's Sitting-Room On The Ground-Floor) Is As High From The

Ground As Though It Were On The Next Floor In Any Other Part Of The

House.  This Window Is Closed By Iron Shutters,  Fastened Inside By

A Bar Of Iron.

"Friends: Athanase Georgevitch,  Ivan Petrovitch,  Thaddeus The

Timber-Merchant (Peat Boots),  Michael And Boris (Fine Shoes).

Matrena,  Sincere Love,  Blundering Heroism.  Natacha Unknown. Against

Natacha:  Never There During The Attacks.  At Moscow At The Time Of

The Bomb In The Sleigh,  No One Knows Where She Was,  And It Is She

Who Should Have Accompanied The General (Detail Furnished By

Koupriane That Matrena Generously Kept Back).  The Night Of The

Bouquet Is The Only Night Natacha Has Slept Away From The House.

Coincidence Of The Disappearance Of The Nails And The Presence All

Alone On The Ground-Floor Of Natacha,  In Case,  Of Course,  Matrena

Did Not Pull Them Out Herself.  For Natacha: Her Eyes When She Looks

At Her Father."

And This Bizarre Phrase:

"We Mustn't Be Rash.  This Evening I Have Not Yet Spoken To Matrena

Petrovna About The Little Hat-Pin.  That Little Hat-Pin Is The

Greatest Relief Of My Life."

"Good Morning,  My Dear Little Familiar Spirit.  The General Slept

Splendidly The Latter Part Of The Night.  He Did Not Touch His

Narcotic.   I Am Sure It Is That Dreadful Mixture That Gives Him

Such Frightful Dreams.  And You,  My Dear Little Friend,  You Have

Not Slept An Instant.  I Know It.  I Felt You Going Everywhere

About The House Like A Little Mouse.  Ah,  It Seems Good,  So Good.

I Slept So Peacefully,  Hearing The Subdued Movement Of Your Little

Steps.  Thanks For The Sleep You Have Given Me,  Little Friend."

Matrena Talked On To Rouletabille,  Whom She Had Found The Morning

After The Nightmare Tranquilly Smoking His Pipe In The Garden.

"Ah,  Ah,  You Smoke A Pipe.  Now You Do Certainly Look Exactly Like

A Dear Little Domovoi-Doukh.  See How Much You Are Alike.  He

Smokes Just Like You.  Nothing New,  Eh?  You Do Not Look Very Bright

This Morning.  You Are Worn Out.  I Have Just Arranged The Little

Guest-Chamber For You,  The Only One We Have,  Just Behind Mine.

Your Bed Is Waiting For You.  Is There Anything You Need?  Tell Me.

Everything Here Is At Your Service."

"I'm Not In Need Of Anything,  Madame," Said The Young Man Smilingly,

After This Outpouring Of Words From The Good,  Heroic Dame.

"How Can You Say That,  Dear Child?   You Will Make Yourself Sick.

I Want You To Understand That I Wish You To Rest.  I Want To Be A

Mother To You,  If You Please,  And You Must Obey Me,  My Child.  Have

You Had Breakfast Yet This Morning?  If You Do Not Have Breakfast

Promptly Mornings,  I Will Think You Are Annoyed.  I Am So Annoyed

That You Have Heard The Secret Of The Night.  I Have Been Afraid

That You Would Want To Leave At Once And For Good,  And That You

Would Have Mistaken Ideas About The General.  There Is Not A

Better Man In The World Than Feodor,  And He Must Have A Good,  A

Very Good Conscience To Dare,  Without Fail,  To Perform Such Terrible

Duties As Those At Moscow,  When He Is So Good At Heart.  These

Things Are Easy Enough For Wicked People,  But For Good Men,  For

Good Men Who Can Reason It Out,  Who Know What They Do And That They

Are Condemned To Death Into The Bargain,  It Is Terrible,  It Is

Terrible!  Why,  I Told Him The Moment Things Began To Go Wrong In

Moscow,  'You Know What To Expect,  Feodor.  Here Is A Dreadful Time

To Get Through - Make Out You Are Sick.'  I Believed He Was Going

To Strike Me,  To Kill Me On The Spot.  'I!  Betray The Emperor In

Such A Moment!  His Majesty,  To Whom I Owe Everything!  What Are

You Thinking Of,  Matrena Petrovna!'  And He Did Not Speak To Me

After That For Two Days.  It Was Only When He Saw I Was Growing

Very Ill That He Pardoned Me,  But He Had To Be Plagued With My

Jeremiads And The Appealing Looks Of Natacha Without End In His

Own Home Each Time We Heard Any Shooting In The Street.  Natacha

Attended The Lectures Of The Faculty,  You Know.  And She Knew Many

Of Them,  And Even Some Of Those Who Were Being Killed On The

Barricades.  Ah,  Life Was Not Easy For Him In His Own Home,  The

Poor General!  Besides,  There Was Also Boris,  Whom I Love As Well,

For That Matter,  As My Own Child,  Because I Shall Be Very Happy To

See Him Married To Natacha - There Was Poor Boris Who Always Came

Home From The Attacks Paler Than A Corpse And Who Could Not Keep

From Moaning With Us."

"And Michael?" Questioned Rouletabille.

"Oh,  Michael Only Came Towards The Last.  He Is A New Orderly To

The General.  The Government At St. Petersburg Sent Him,  Because

Of Course They Couldn't Help Learning That Boris Rather Lacked Zeal

In Repressing The Students And Did Not Encourage The General In

Being As Severe As Was Necessary For The Safety Of The Empire.  But

Michael,  He Has A Heart Of Stone; He Knows Nothing But The

Countersign And Massacres Fathers And Mothers,  Crying,  'Vive Le

Tsar!'  Truly,  It Seems His Heart Can Only Be Touched By The Sight

Of Natacha.  And That Again Has Caused A Good Deal Of Anxiety To

Feodor And Me.  It Has Caught Us In A Useless Complication That We

Would Have Liked To End By The Prompt Marriage Of Natacha And Boris.

But Natacha,  To Our Great Surprise,  Has Not Wished It To Be So.  No,

She Has Not Wished It,  Saying That There Is Always Time To Think Of

Her Wedding And That She Is In No Hurry To Leave Us.  Meantime She

Entertains Herself With This Michael As If She Did Not Fear His

Passion,  And Neither Has Michael The Desperate Air Of A Man Who

Knows The Definite Engagement Of Natacha And Boris.  And My

Step-Daughter Is Not A Coquette.  No,  No.  No One Can Say She Is A

Coquette.  At Least,  No One Had Been Able To Say It Up To The Time

That Michael Arrived.  Can It Be That She Is A Coquette?  They Are

Mysterious,  These Young Girls,  Very Mysterious,  Above All When They

Have That Calm And Tranquil Look That Natacha Always Has; A Face,

Monsieur,  As You Have Noticed Perhaps,  Whose Beauty Is Rather

Passive Whatever One Says And Does,  Excepting When The Volleys In

The Streets Kill Her Young Comrades Of The Schools.  Then I Have

Seen Her Almost Faint,  Which Proves She Has A Great Heart Under

Her Tranquil Beauty.  Poor Natacha!  I Have Seen Her Excited As I

Over The Life Of Her Father.  My Little Friend,  I Have Seen Her

Searching In The Middle Of The Night,  With Me,  For Infernal

Machines Under The Furniture,  And Then She Has Expressed The

Opinion That It Is Nervous,  Childish,  Unworthy Of Us To Act Like

That,  Like Timid Beasts Under The Sofas,  And She Has Left Me To

Search By Myself.  True,  She Never Quits The General.  She Is More

Reassured,  And Is Reassuring To Him,  At His Side.  It Has An

Excellent Moral Effect On Him,  While I Walk About And Search Like

A Beast.  And She Has Become As Fatalistic As He,  And Now She Sings

Verses To The Guzla,  Like Boris,  Or Talks In Corners With Michael,

Which Makes The Two Enraged Each With The Other.  They Are Curious,

The Young Women Of St. Petersburg And Moscow,  Very Curious.  We

Were Not Like That In Our Time,  At Orel.  We Did Not Try To Enrage

People.  We Would Have Received A Box On The Ears If We Had."

Natacha Came In Upon This Conversation,  Happy,  In White Voile,

Fresh And Smiling Like A Girl Who Had Passed An Excellent Night.

She Asked After The Health Of The Young Man Very Prettily And

Embraced Matrena,  In Truth As One Embraces A Much-Beloved Mother.

She Complained Again Of Matrena's Night-Watch.

"You Have Not Stopped It,  Mamma; You Have Not Stopped It,  Eh?  You

Are Not Going To Be A Little Reasonable At Last?  I Beg Of You!

What Has Given Me Such A Mother!  Why Don't You Sleep?  Night Is

Made For Sleep.  Koupriane Has Upset You.  All The Terrible Things

Are Over In Moscow.  There Is No Occasion To Think Of Them Any More.

That Koupriane Makes Himself Important With His Police-Agents And

Obsesses Us All.  I Am Convinced That The Affair Of The Bouquet

Was The Work Of His Police."

"Mademoiselle," Said Rouletabille,  "I Have Just Had Them All Sent

Away,  All Of Them - Because I Think Very Much The Same As You Do."

"Well,  Then,  You Will Be My Friend,  Monsieur Rouletabille I Promise

You,  Since You Have Done That.  Now That The Police Are Gone We

Have Nothing More To Fear.  Nothing.  I Tell You,  Mamma; You Can

Believe Me And Not Weep Any More,  Mamma Dear."

"Yes,  Yes; Kiss Me.  Kiss Me Again!" Repeated Matrena,  Drying Her

Eyes.  "When You Kiss Me I Forget Everything.  You Love Me