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

Back And Lugged Him To His Chamber.  In That Also She Refused Aid

From Anyone.  The General Clung To His Wife's Neck During The Ascent

And Laughed Like A Child.  Rouletabille Remained In The Hallway,

Watching The Garden Attentively.  Ermolai Walked Out Of The Villa

And Crossed The Garden,  Going To Meet A Personage In Uniform Whom

The Young Man Recognized Immediately As The Grand-Marshal Of The

Court,  Who Had Introduced Him To The Tsar.  Ermolai Informed Him

That Madame Matrena Was Engaged In Helping Her Husband Retire,  And

The Marshal Remained At The End Of The Garden Where He Had Found

Michael And Boris Talking In The Kiosque.  All Three Remained There

For Some Time In Conversation,  Standing By A Table Where General

And Madame Trebassof Sometimes Dined When They Had No Guests.  As

They Talked The Marshal Played With A Box Of White Cardboard Tied

With A Pink String.  At This Moment Matrena,  Who Had Not Been Able

To Resist The Desire To Talk For A Moment With Rouletabille And

Tell Him How Happy She Was,  Rejoined The Young Man.

"Little Domovoi," Said She,  Laying Her Hand On His Shoulder,  "You

Have Not Watched On This Side?"

She Pointed In Her Turn To The Dining-Room.

"No,  No.  You Have Seen It,  Madame,  And I Am Sufficiently Informed."

"Perfectly.  There Is Nothing.  No One Has Worked There!  No One

Has Touched The Board.  I Knew It.  I Am Sure Of It.  It Is Dreadful

What We Have Thought About It!  Oh,  You Do Not Know How Relieved And

Happy I Am.  Ah,  Natacha,  Natacha,  I Have Not Loved You In Vain.

(She Pronounced These Words In Accents Of Great Beauty And Tragic

Sincerity.)  When I Saw Her Leave Us,  My Dear,  Ah,  My Legs Sank

Under Me.  When She Said,  'I Have Forgotten Something; I Must Hurry

Back,' I Felt I Had Not The Strength To Go A Single Step.  But Now

I Certainly Am Happy,  That Weight At Least Is Off My Heart,  Off My

Heart,  Dear Little Domovoi,  Because Of You,  Because Of You."

She Embraced Him,  And Then Ran Away,  Like One Possessed,  To Resume

Her Post Near The General.

Notes In Rouletabille's Memorandum-Book: The Affair Of The Little

Cavity Under The Floor Not Having Been Touched Again Proves Nothing

For Or Against Natacha (Even Though That Excellent Matrena Petrovna

Thinks So).  Natacha Could Very Well Have Been Warned By The Too

Great Care With Which Madame Matrena Watched The Floor.  My Opinion,

Since I Saw Matrena Lift The Carpet The First Time Without Any Real

Precaution,  Is That They Have Definitely Abandoned The Preparation

Of That Attack And Are Trying To Account For The Secret Becoming

Known.  What Matrena Feels So Sure Of Is That The Trap I Laid By

The Promenade To The Point Was Against Natacha Particularly.  I

Knew Beforehand That Natacha Would Absent Herself During The

Promenade.  I'm Not Looking For Anything New From Natacha,  But What

I Did Need Was To Be Sure That Matrena Didn't Detest Natacha,  And

That She Had Not Faked The Preparations For An Attack Under The

Floor In Such A Way As To Throw Almost Certain Suspicion On Her

Step-Daughter.  I Am Sure About That Now.  Matrena Is Innocent Of

Such A Thing,  The Poor Dear Soul.  If Matrena Had Been A Monster

The Occasion Was Too Good.  Natacha's Absence,  Her Solitary

Presence For A Quarter Of An Hour In The Empty Villa,  All Would

Have Urged Matrena,  Whom I Sent Alone To Search Under The Carpet

In The Dining-Room,  To Draw The Last Nails From The Board If She

Was Really Guilty Of Having Drawn The Others.  Natacha Would Have

Been Lost Then!  Matrena Returned Sincerely,  Tragically Happy At

Not Having Found Anything New,  And Now I Have The Material Proof

That I Needed.  Morally And Physically Matrena Is Removed From It.

So I Am Going To Speak To Her About The Hat-Pin.  I Believe That

The Matter Is Urgent On That Side Rather Than On The Side Of The

Nails In The Floor.

After The Departure Of Matrena,  Rouletabille Turned His Attention

To The Garden.   Neither The Marshal Of The Court Nor The Officers

Were There Any Longer.  The Three Men Had Disappeared.  Rouletabille

Wished To Know At Once Where They Had Gone.  He Went Rapidly To The

Gate,  Named The Officers And The Marshal To Ermolai,  And Ermolai

Made A Sign That They Had Passed Out.  Even As He Spoke He Saw The

Marshal's Carriage Disappear Around A Corner Of The Road.  As To

The Two Officers,  They Were Nowhere On The Roadway.  He Was

Surprised That The Marshal Should Have Gone Without Seeing Matrena

Or The General Or Himself,  And,  Above All,  He Was Disquieted By The

Disappearance Of The Orderlies.  He Gathered From The Gestures Of

Ermolai That They Had Passed Before The Lodge Only A Few Minutes

After The Marshal's Departure.  They Had Gone Together.  Rouletabille

Set Himself To Follow Them,  Traced Their Steps In The Soft Earth Of

The Roadway And Soon They Crossed Onto The Grass.  At This Point

The Tracks Through The Massed Ferns Became Very Difficult To Follow.

He Hurried Along,  Bending Close To The Ground Over Such Traces As He

Could See,  Which Continually Led Him Astray,  But Which Conducted Him

Finally To The Thing That He Sought.  A Noise Of Voices Made Him

Raise His Head And Then Throw Himself Behind A Tree.  Not Twenty

Steps From Him Natacha And Boris Were Having An Animated

Conversation.  The Young Officer Held Himself Erect Directly In

Front Of Her,  Frowning And Impatient.  Under The Uniform Cloak That

He Had Wrapped About Him Without Having Bothered To Use The Sleeves,

Which Were Tossed Up Over His Chest,  Boris Had His Arms Crossed.

His Entire Attitude Indicated Hauteur,  Coldness And Disdain For

What He Was Hearing.  Natacha Never Appeared Calmer Or More Mistress

Of Herself.  She Talked To Him Rapidly And Mostly In A Low Voice.

Sometimes A Word In Russian Sounded,  And Then She Resumed Her Care

To Speak Low.  Finally She Ceased,  And Boris,  After A Short Silence,

In Which He Had Seemed To Reflect Deeply,  Pronounced Distinctly

These Words In French,  Pronouncing Them Syllable By Syllable,  As

Though To Give Them Additional Force:

"You Ask A Frightful Thing Of Me."

"It Is Necessary To Grant It To Me," Said The Young Girl With

Singular Energy.  "You Understand,  Boris Alexandrovitch! It Is

Necessary."

Her Gaze,  After She Had Glanced Penetratingly All Around Her And

Discovered Nothing Suspicious,  Rested Tenderly On The Young

Officer,  While She Murmured,  "My Boris!"  The Young Man Could Not

Resist Either The Sweetness Of That Voice,  Nor The Captivating Charm

Of That Glance.  He Took The Hand She Extended Toward Him And Kissed

It Passionately.  His Eyes,  Fixed On Natacha,  Proclaimed That He

Granted Everything That She Wished And Admitted Himself Vanquished.

Then She Said,  Always With That Adorable Gaze Upon Him,  "This

Evening!"  He Replied,  "Yes,  Yes.  This Evening!  This Evening!"

Upon Which Natacha Withdrew Her Hand And Made A Sign To The Officer

To Leave,  Which He Promptly Obeyed.  Natacha Remained There Still A

Long Time,  Plunged In Thought.  Rouletabille Had Already Taken The

Road Back To The Villa.  Matrena Petrovna Was Watching For His

Return,  Seated On The First Step Of The Landing On The Great

Staircase Which Ran Up From The Veranda.  When She Saw Him She Ran

To Him.  He Had Already Reached The Dining-Room.

"Anyone In The House?" He Asked.

"No One.  Natacha Has Not Returned,  And ..."

"Your Step-Daughter Is Coming In Now.  Ask Her Where She Has Been,

If She Has Seen The Orderlies,  And If They Said They Would Return

This Evening,  In Case She Answers That She Has Seen Them."

"Very Well,  Little Domovoi Doukh.  The Orderlies Left Without My

Seeing When They Went."

"Ah," Interrupted Rouletabille,  "Before She Arrives,  Give Me All

Her Hat-Pins."

"What!"

"I Say,  All Her Hat-Pins.  Quickly!"

Matrena Ran To Natacha's Chamber And Returned With Three Enormous

Hat-Pins With Beautifully-Cut Stones In Them.

"These Are All?"

"They Are All I Have Found.  I Know She Has Two Others.  She Has

One On Her Head,  Or Two,  Perhaps; I Can't Find Them."

"Take These Back Where You Found Them," Said The Reporter,  After

Glancing At Them.

Matrena Returned Immediately,  Not Understanding What He Was Doing.

"And Now,  Your Hat-Pins.  Yes,  Your Hat-Pins."

"Oh,  I Have Only Two,  And Here They Are," Said She,  Drawing Them

From The Toque She Had Been Wearing And Had Thrown On The Sofa When

She Re-Entered The House.

Rouletabille Gave Hers The Same Inspection.

"Thanks.  Here Is Your Step-Daughter."

Natacha Entered,  Flushed And Smiling.

"Ah,  Well," Said She,  Quite Breathless,  "You May Boast That I Had

To Search For You.  I Made The Entire Round,  Clear Past The Barque.

Has The Promenade Done Papa Good?"

"Yes,  He Is Asleep," Replied Matrena.  "Have You Met Boris And

Michael?"

She Appeared To Hesitate A Second,  Then Replied:

"Yes,  For An Instant."

"Did They Say Whether They Would Return This Evening?"

"No," She Replied,  Slightly Troubled.  "Why All These Questions?"

She Flushed Still More.

"Because I Thought It Strange," Parried Matrena,  "That They Went

Away As They Did,  Without Saying Goodby,  Without A Word,  Without

Inquiring If The General Needed Them.  There Is Something Stranger

Yet.  Did You See Kaltsof With Them,  The Grand-Marshal Of The Court?"

"No."

"Kaltsof Came For A Moment,  Entered The Garden And Went Away Again

Without Seeing Us,  Without Saying Even A Word To The General."

"Ah," Said Natacha.

With Apparent Indifference,  She Raised Her Arms And Drew Out Her

Hat-Pins.  Rouletabille Watched The Pin Without A Word.  The Young

Girl Hardly Seemed Aware