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

Strange Thoughts,  She Replaced The Pin In Her Hat And Went To Hang

It In The Veranda,  Which Served Also As Vestibule.  Rouletabille

Never Quitted Her Eyes.  Matrena Watched The Reporter With A Stupid

Glance.  Natacha Crossed The Drawing-Room And Entered Her Chamber

By Passing Through Her Little Sitting-Room,  Through Which All

Entrance To Her Chamber Had To Be Made.  That Little Room,  Though,

Had Three Doors.  One Opened Into Natacha's Chamber,  One Into The

Drawing-Room,  And The Third Into The Little Passage In A Corner Of

The House Where Was The Stairway By Which The Servants Passed From

The Kitchens To The Ground-Floor And The Upper Floor.  This Passage

Had Also A Door Giving Directly Upon The Drawing-Room.  It Was

Certainly A Poor Arrangement For Serving The Dining-Room,  Which Was

On The Other Side Of The Drawing-Room And Behind The Veranda,  Such

A Chance Laying-Out Of A House As One Often Sees In The Off-Hand

Planning Of Many Places In The Country.

Alone Again With Rouletabille,  Matrena Noticed That He Had Not Lost

Sight Of The Corner Of The Veranda Where Natacha Had Hung Her Hat.

Beside This Hat There Was A Toque That Ermolai Had Brought In.  The

Old Servant Had Found It In Some Corner Of The Garden Or The

Conservatory Where He Had Been.  A Hat-Pin Stuck Out Of That Toque

Also.

"Whose Toque Is That?" Asked Rouletabille.  "I Haven't Seen It On

The Head Of Anyone Here."

"It Is Natacha's," Replied Matrena.

She Moved Toward It,  But The Young Man Held Her Back,  Went Into The

Veranda Himself,  And,  Without Touching It,  Standing On Tiptoe,  He

Examined The Pin.  He Sank Back On His Heels And Turned Toward

Matrena.  She Caught A Glimpse Of Fleeting Emotion On The Face Of

Her Little Friend.

"Explain To Me," She Said.

But Be Gave Her A Glance That Frightened Her,  And Said Low:

"Go And Give Orders Right Away That Dinner Be Served In The Veranda.

All Through Dinner It Is Absolutely Necessary That The Door Of

Natacha's Sitting-Room,  And That Of The Stairway Passage,  And That

Of The Veranda Giving On The Drawing-Room Remain Open All The Time.

Do You Understand Me?   As Soon As You Have Given Your Orders Go To

The General's Chamber And Do Not Quit The General's Bedside,  Keep

It In View.  Come Down To Dinner When It Is Announced,  And Do Not

Bother Yourself About Anything Further."

So Saying,  He Filled His Pipe,  Lighted It With A Sort Of Sigh Of

Relief,  And,  After A Final Order To Matrena,  "Go," He Went Into

The Garden,  Puffing Great Clouds.  Anyone Would Have Said He Hadn't

Smoked In A Week.  He Appeared Not To Be Thinking But Just Idly

Enjoying Himself.  In Fact,  He Played Like A Child With Milinki,

Matrena's Pet Cat,  Which He Pursued Behind The Shrubs,  Up Into The

Little Kiosque Which,  Raised On Piles,  Lifted Its Steep Thatched

Roof Above The Panorama Of The Isles That Rouletabille Settled Down

To Contemplate Like An Artist With Ample Leisure.

The Dinner,  Where Matrena,  Natacha And Rouletabille Were Together

Again,  Was Lively.  The Young Man Having Declared That He Was More

And More Convinced That The Mystery Of The Bomb In The Bouquet Was

Simply A Play Of The Police,  Natacha Reinforced His Opinion,  And

Following That They Found Themselves In Agreement On About

Everything Else.  For Himself,  The Reporter During That Conversation

Hid A Real Horror Which Had Seized Him At The Cynical And

Inappropriate Tranquillity With Which The Young Lady Received All

Suggestions That Accused The Police Or That Assumed The General 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 Koupriane

Where Matrena Or Natacha Seemed Alone To Be Possible Agents.  As He

Listened To Natacha Rouletabille Commenced To Doubt And Quake Just

As He Had Seen Matrena Do.  The More He Looked Into The Nature Of

Natacha The Dizzier He Grew.  What Abysmal Obscurities Were There

In Her Nature!

Nothing Interesting Happened During Dinner.  Several Times,  In

Spite Of Rouletabille's Obvious Impatience With Her For Doing It,

Matrena Went Up To The General.  She Returned Saying,  "He Is Quiet.

He Doesn't Sleep.  He Doesn't Wish Anything.  He Has Asked Me To

Prepare His Narcotic.  It Is Too Bad.  He Has Tried In Vain,  He

Cannot Get Along Without It."

"You,  Too,  Mamma,  Ought To Take Something To Make You Sleep.  They

Say Morphine Is Very Good."

"As For Me," Said Rouletabille,  Whose Head For Some Few Minutes

Had Been Dropping 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."

"Eh,  My Little Domovoi Doukh,  I Am Going To Carry You There In My

Arms."

Matrena Extended Her Large Round Arms Ready To Take Rouletabille

As Though He Had Been A Baby.

"No,  No.  I Will Get Up There All Right Alone," Said Rouletabille,

Rising Stupidly And Appearing Ashamed Of His Excessive Sleepiness.

"Oh,  Well,  Let Us Both Accompany Him To His Chamber," Said Natacha,

"And I Will Wish Papa Good-Night.  I'm Eager For Bed Myself.  We Will

All Make A Good Night Of It.  Ermolai And Gniagnia Will Watch With

The Schwitzar In The Lodge.  Things Are Reasonably Arranged Now."

They All Ascended The Stairs.  Rouletabille Did Not Even Go To See

The General,  But Threw Himself On His Bed.  Natacha Got Onto The

Bed Beside Her Father,  Embraced Him A Dozen Times,  And Went

Downstairs Again.  Matrena Followed Behind Her,  Closed Doors And

Windows,  Went Upstairs Again To Close The Door Of The Landing-Place

And Found Rouletabille 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 Make Nothing Out Of His Acts And Looks All Day,  Came 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," She Said,  "Will You Tell Me Now?"

"Yes,  Madame," He Replied At Once.  "Sit In That Chair And Listen

To Me.  There Are Things You Must Know At Once,  Because We Have

Reached A Dangerous Hour."

"The Hat-Pins First.  The Hat-Pins!"

Rouletabille 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 Herself Sit

Down Again,  However,  In Obedience To Rouletabile's 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 General's Chamber."

"Be Calm,  Madame.  Understand Me And Answer Me: You Heard The

Tick-Tack From The Bouquet While You Were In Your Own Chamber?"

"Yes,  With The Doors Open,  Naturally."

"You Told Me The Persons Who Came To Say Good-Night To The General.

At That Time There Was No Noise Of Tick-Tack?"

"No,  No."

"Do You Think That If There Had Been Any Tick-Tack Then You Would

Have Heard 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 He Was

Sound Asleep."

"And You Heard Nothing?"

"Nothing."

"You Closed The Doors Behind Those Persons?"

"Yes,  The Door To The Great Staircase.  The Door Of The Servants'

Stairway Was Condemned 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 Chambers Have Been Condemned By Me.  In Order

To Enter Any Of The Four Rooms On This Floor It Is Necessary Now To

Pass By The Door Of My Chamber,  Which Gives On The Main Staircase."

"Perfect.  Then,  No One Has Been Able To Enter The Apartment.  No

One Had Been In The Apartment For At Least Two Hours Excepting 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 It

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! Exclaimed Matrena,  Whose Tears,  Always Ready In Emotional

Moments,  Flowed Freely.  "But,  Holy Mary,  Why Do You Speak To Me

Without Looking At Me?  What 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