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

"But You Say At Once ... The Bouquet!  Come To The General's Room!"

"Not A Move.  And Continue Listening To Me Without Interrupting,"

Said He,  Still Inclining His Ear,  And Still Without Looking At Her.

"It Is Because These Things Were As The 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 The 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,  Rouletabille 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 Someone 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's Chamber 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

Rouletabille's Look,  To Keep Calm,  But In Spite Of All The Reporter's

Exhortations She Could Not Hold Her Tongue.

"But Which Way?  Where Will They Enter?"

"By The Door."

Which Door?"

"That Of The Chamber Giving On The Servants' Stair-Way."

"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 Other Side."

"What!  That Is Impossible."

Rouletabille Laid His Two Hands On Matrena's Strong Shoulders And

Repeated,  Detaching 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 Size Of A Pin Bored In The Panel Of The Door Above

The Bolt."

"God!" Quavered Matrena.  "I Don't Understand What You Mean By Your

Little Hole.  Explain To Me,  Little Domovoi."

"Follow Me Carefully,  Then," Continued Rouletabille,  His Eyes All

The Time Fixed Elsewhere.  "The Person Who Wishes To Enter 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,  If 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,  Domovoi! But How Did You Do That When You Never Entered The

General's Chamber Until To-Night?"

"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,  Bidden Behind The Door,

Do You Know What I Was Watching Myself,  While I Appeared To Be

Solely Occupied Digging 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 Was 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 Fine To Be

Mounting A Stairway Reserved To Servants And That Koupriane Told

Me Had Been Condemned,  And It Was That Made Me Notice It In A

Moment; But 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 You Anything About It Because I Had My Reasons For

That,  And,  Anyway,  The Trace Dried While I Was Telling You About

My Journey."

"Ah,  Why Not Have Told Me Later?"

"Because I Didn't Know You Yet."

"Subtle Devil! You Will Kill Me.  I Can No Longer...  Let Us Go

Into The General's Chamber.  We Will Wake Him."

"Remain Here.  Remain Here.  I Have Not Told You Anything.  That

Boot-Print Preoccupied 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 You 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 How?  You Are Sure The Little Hole Is The Way Someone Came?

But What Makes You Think That Is How They Mean To Return?  You Know

Well Enough That,  Not Having Succeeded In The 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 Chamber.  Yes,  Someone Returned,

Returned That Way,  And I Was So Sure Of That,  Of The Forthcoming

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 Not Difficult,  Madame,  To Watch A Single Little Hat-Pin."

"A Mistake," Said Matrena,  In A Low Voice.  "Miserable Little

Domovoi Who Told Me Nothing,  Me Whom You Let Go To Sleep On My

Mattress,  In 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 Absence It Could

Have Been Opened.  If Someone 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 Absence.

"Ah,  Dear Heroic Little Friend Of Jesus!  But Listen To Me.  Listen

To Me,  My Angel.  Ah,  I Don't Know Where I Am Or What I Say.  My

Brain Is No More Than A Flabby Balloon Punctured With Pins,  With

Little Holes Of Hat-Pins.  Tell Me About The Hat-Pins.  Right Off!

No,  At First,  What Is 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?  Because The Old One Was Judged A Little Too Narrow

And They Wished To Enlarge It,  And In Enlarging It They Broke Off

The Point Of A Hat-Pin In It.  Madame,  The Point Is There Yet,

Filling Up The Little Old Hole And The Piece Of Metal Is Very Sharp

And Very Bright."

"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 The Point Of A

Pen-Knife,  Then Have Finished The Hole With The Hat-Pin.  The 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 Remain So Quiet With Such A

Certainty.  Great Heavens! What Proof Have You That They Have Not

Been There Already?"

"Just 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 Little 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 The Veranda,  Has The Tip Newly Broken Off."

"O Misery!" Cried Matrena,  Crumpling In Her Chair.

Rouletabille Raised Her.

"What Would You Have?  I Have Examined Your Own Hat-Pins.  Do You

Think I Would Have Suspected You If I Had Found One Of Them Broken?

I