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

He Coughed And Said:

"You Believe,  Then,  That The General Runs A Great Immediate Danger?"

"I Do Not Only Believe It,  Monsieur,  I Am Sure Of It.  His Death

Is A Matter Of Hours For The Poor Dear Man.  Before I Go I Shall

Not Fail To Tell Him,  So That He Can Prepare Himself Comfortably

For The Great Journey And Ask Pardon Of The Lord For The Rather

Heavy Hand He Has Laid On These Poor Men Of Presnia."

"Monsieur Rouletabille,  Have You Discovered Something?"

"Good Lord,  Yes,  I Have Discovered Something,  Monsieur Koupriane.

You Don't Suppose I Have Come So Far To Waste My Time,  Do You?"

"Something No One Else Knows?"

"Yes,  Monsieur Koupriane,  Otherwise I Shouldn't Have Troubled To

Feel Concerned.  Something I Have Not Confided To Anyone,  Not Even

To My Note-Book,  Because A Note-Book,  You Know,  A Note-Book Can

Always Be Lost.  I Just Mention That In Case You Had Any Idea Of

Having Me Searched Before My Departure."

"Oh,  Monsieur Rouletabille!"

"Eh,  Eh,  Like The Way The Police Do In Your Country; In Mine Too,

For That Matter.  Yes,  That's Often Enough Seen.  The Police,

Furious Because They Can't Hit A Clue In Some Case That Interests

Them,  Arrest A Reporter Who Knows More Than They Do,  In Order To

Make Him Talk.  But - Nothing Of That Sort With Me,  Monsieur.  You

Might Have Me Taken To Your Famous 'Terrible Section,' I'd Not Open

My Mouth,  Not Even In The Famous Rocking-Chair,  Not Even Under The

Blows Of Clenched Fists."

"Monsieur Rouletabille,  What Do You Take Us For?  You Are The Guest

Of The Tsar."

"Ah,  I Have The Word Of An Honest Man.  Very Well,  I Will Treat You

As An Honest Man.  I Will Tell You What I Have Discovered.  I Don't

Wish Through Any False Pride To Keep You In Darkness About Something

Which May Perhaps - I Say Perhaps - Permit You To Save The General."

"Tell Me.  I Am Listening."

"But It Is Perfectly Understood That Once I Have Told You This You

Will Give Me My Passport And Allow Me To Depart?"

"You Feel That You Couldn't Possibly," Inquired Koupriane,  More And

More Troubled,  And After A Moment Of Hesitation,  "You Couldn't

Possibly Tell Me That And Yet Remain?"

"No,  Monsieur.  From The Moment You Place Me Under The Necessity Of

Explaining Each Of My Movements And Each Of My Acts,  I Prefer To Go

And Leave To You That 'Responsibility' Of Which You Spoke Just Now,

My Dear Monsieur Koupriane."

Astonished And Disquieted By This Long Conversation Between

Rouletabille And The Head Of Police,  Matrena Petrovna Continually

Turned Upon Them Her Anguished Glance,  Which Always Insensihly

Softened As It Rested On Rouletabille.  Koupriane Read There All

The Hope That The Brave Woman Had In The Young Reporter,  And He

Read Also In Rouletabille's Eye All The Extraordinary Confidence

That The Mere Boy Had In Himself.  As A Last Consideration Had He

Not Already Something In Hand In Circumstances Where All The

Police Of The World Had Admitted Themselves Vanquished?  Koupriane

Pressed Rouletabille's Hand And Said Just One Word To Him:

"Remain."

Having Saluted The General And Matrena Affectionately,  And A Group

Of Friends In One Courteous Sweep,  He Departed,  With Thoughtful Brow.

During All This Time The General,  Enchanted With The Promenade,

Told Stories Of The Caucasus To His Friends,  Believing Himself Young

Again And Re-Living His Nights As Sub-Lieutenant At Tills.  As To

Natacha,  No One Had Seen Her.  They Retraced The Way To The Villa

Along Deserted By-Paths.  Koupriane's Call Made Occasion For Athanase

Georgevitch And Thaddeus,  And The Two Officers Also,  To Say That He

Was The Only Honest Man In All The Russian Police,  And That Matrena

Petrovna Was A Great Woman To Have Dared Rid Herself Of The Entire

Clique Of Agents,  Who Are Often More Revolutionary Than The

Nihilists Themselves.  Thus They Arrived At The Datcha.

The General Inquired For Natacha,  Not Understanding Why She Had

Left Him Thus During His First Venture Out.  The Schwitzar Replied

That The Young Mistress Had Returned To The House And Had Left Again

About A Quarter Of An Hour Later,  Taking The Way That The Party Had

Gone On Their Promenade,  And He Had Not Seen Her Since.

Boris Spoke Up:

"She Must Have Passed On The Other Side Of The Carriages While We

Were Behind The Trees,  General,  And Not Seeing Us She Has Gone On

Her Way,  Making The Round Of The Island,  Over As Far As The Barque."

The Explanation Seemed The Most Plausible One.

"Has Anyone Else Been Here?" Demanded Matrena,  Forcing Her Voice To

Be Calm.  Rouletabille Saw Her Hand Tremble On The Handle Of The

Rolling-Chair,  Which She Had Not Quitted For A Second During All

The Promenade,  Refusing Aid From The Officers,  The Friends,  And

Even From Rouletabille.

"First There Came The Head Of Police,  Who Told Me He Would Go And

Find You,  Barinia,  And Right After,  His Excellency The Marshal Of

The Court.  His Excellency Will Return,  Although He Is Very Pressed

For Time,  Before He Takes The Train At Seven O'clock For

Krasnoie-Coelo."

All This Had Been Said In Russian,  Naturally,  But Matrena Translated

The Words Of The Schwitzar Into French In A Low Voice For

Rouletabille,  Who Was Near Her.  The General During This Time Had

Taken Rouletabille's Hand And Pressed It Affectionately,  As If,  In

That Mute Way,  To Thank Him For All The Young Man Had Done For

Them.  Feodor Himself Also Had Confidence,  And He Was Grateful For

The Freer Air That He Was Being Allowed To Breathe.  It Seemed To

Him That He Was Emerging From Prison.  Nevertheless,  As The

Promenade Had Been A Little Fatiguing,  Matrena Ordered Him To Go

And Rest Immediately.  Athanase And Thaddeus Took Their Leave.

The Two Officers Were Already At The End Of The Garden,  Talking

Coldly,  And Almost Confronting One Another,  Like Wooden Soldiers.

Without Doubt They Were Arranging The Conditions Of An Encounter To

Settle Their Little Difference At Once.

The Schwitzar Gathered The General Into His Great Arms And Carried

Him Into The Veranda.  Feodor Demanded Five Minutes' Respite Before

He Was Taken Upstairs To His Chamber.  Matrena Petrovna Had A Light

Luncheon Brought At His Request.  In Truth,  The Good Woman Trembled

With Impatience And Hardly Dared Move Without Consulting

Rouletabille's Face.  While The General Talked With Ermolai,  Who

Passed Him His Tea,  Rouletabille Made A Sign To Matrena That She

Understood At Once.  She Joined The Young Man In The Drawing-Room.

"Madame," He Said Rapidly,  In A Low Voice,  "You Must Go At Once To

See What Has Happened There."

He Pointed To The Dining-Room.

"Very Well."

It Was Pitiful To Watch Her.

"Go,  Madame,  With Courage."

"Why Don't You Come With Me?"

"Because,  Madame,  I Have Something To Do Elsewhere.  Give Me The

Keys Of The Next Floor."

"No,  No.  What For?"

"Not A Second's Delay,  For The Love Of Heaven.  Do What I Tell You

On Your Side,  And Let Me Do Mine.  The Keys!  Come,  The Keys!"

He Snatched Them Rather Than Took Them,  And Pointed A Last Time To

The Dining-Room With A Gesture So Commanding That She Did Not

Hesitate Further.  She Entered The Dining-Room,  Shaking,  While He

Bounded To The Upper Floor.  He Was Not Long.  He Took Only Time

To Open The Doors,  Throw A Glance Into The General's Chamber,  A

Single Glance,  And To Return,  Letting A Cry Of Joy Escape Him,

Borrowed From His New And Very Limited Accomplishment Of Russian,

"Caracho!"

How Rouletabille,  Who Had Not Spent Half A Second Examining The

General's Chamber,  Was Able To Be Certain That All Went Well On

That Side,  When It Took Matrena - And That How Many Times A Day!

- At Least A Quarter Of An Hour Of Ferreting In All The Corners

Each Time She Explored Her House Before She Was Even Inadequately

Reassured,  Was A Question.  If That Dear Heroic Woman Had Been With

Him During This "Instant Information" She Would Have Received Such

A Shock That,  With All Confidence Gone,  She Would Have Sent For

Koupriane Immediately,  And All His Agents,  Reinforced By The

Personnel Of The Okrana (Secret Police).  Rouletabille At Once

Rejoined The General,  Whistling.  Feodor And Ermolai Were Deep In

Conversation About The Orel Country.  The Young Man Did Not Disturb

Them.  Then,  Soon,  Matrena Reappeared.  He Saw Her Come In Quite

Radiant.  He Handed Back Her Keys,  And She Took Them Mechanically.

She Was Overjoyed And Did Not Try To Hide It.  The General Himself

Noticed It,  And Asked What Had Made Her So.

"It Is My Happiness Over Our First Promenade Since We Arrived At

The Datcha Des Iles," She Explained.  "And Now You Must Go Upstairs

To Bed,  Feodor.  You Will Pass A Good Night,  I Am Sure."

"I Can Sleep Only If You Sleep,  Matrena."

"I Promise You.  It Is Quite Possible Now That We Have Our Dear

Little Domovoi.  You Know,  Feodor,  That He Smokes His Pipe Just

Like The Dear Little Porcelain Domovoi."

"He Does Resemble Him,  He Certainly Does," Said Feodor.  "That

Makes Us Feel Happy,  But I Wish Him To Sleep Also."

"Yes,  Yes," Smiled Rouletabille,  "Everybody Will Sleep Here.  That

Is The Countersign.  We Have Watched Enough.  Since The Police Are

Gone We Can All Sleep,  Believe Me,  General."

"Eh,  Eh,  I Believe You,  On My Word,  Easily Enough.  There Were Only

They In The House Capable Of Attempting That Affair Of The Bouquet.

I Have Thought That All Out,  And Now I Am At Ease.  And Anyway,

Whatever Happens,  It Is Necessary To Get Sleep,  Isn't It?  The

Chances Of War!  Nichevo!"  He Pressed Rouletabille's Hand,  And

Matrena Petrovna Took,  As Was Her Habit,  Feodor Feodorovitch