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

Affairs That Do Not Concern My Country,' To Which My Editor Replied,

'You Do Not Have To Take Part.  You Must Go To Russia To Make An

Inquiry Into The Present Status Of The Different Parties.  You Will

Commence By Interviewing The Emperor.'  I Said,  'Well,  Then,  Here

Goes,' And Took The Train."

"And You Have Interviewed The Emperor?"

"Oh,  Yes,  That Has Not Been Difficult.  I Expected To Arrive Direct

At St. Petersburg,  But At Krasnoie-Coelo The Train Stopped And The

Grand-Marshal Of The Court Came To Me And Asked Me To Follow Him.

It Was Very Flattering.  Twenty Minutes Later I Was Before His

Majesty.  He Awaited Me!  I Understood At Once That This Was

Obviously For Something Out Of The Ordinary."

"And What Did He Say To You?"

"He Is A Man Of Genuine Majesty.  He Reassured Me At Once When I

Explained My Scruples To Him.  He Said There Was No Occasion For Me

To Take Part In The Politics Of The Matter,  But To Save His Most

Faithful Servant,  Who Was On The Point Of Becoming The Victim Of

The Strangest Family Drama Ever Conceived."

Madame Matrena,  White As A Sheet,  Rose To Her Feet.

"Ah," She Said Simply.

But Rouletabille,  Whom Nothing Escaped,  Saw Her Hand Tremble On The

Back Of The Chair.

He Went On,  Not Appearing To Have Noticed Her Emotion:

"His Majesty Added These Exact Words: 'It Is I Who Ask It Of You;

I And Madame Trebassof.  Go,  Monsieur,  She Awaits You'"

He Ceased And Waited For Madame Trebassof To Speak.

She Made Up Her Mind After Brief Reflection.

"Have You Seen Koupriane?"

"The Chief Of Police?  Yes.  The Grand-Marshal Accompanied Me Back

To The Station At Krasnoie-Coelo,  And The Chief Of Police

Accompanied Me To St. Petersburg Station.  One Could Not Have Been

Better Received."

"Monsieur Rouletabille," Said Matrena,  Who Visibly Strove To Regain

Her Self-Control,  "I Am Not Of Koupriane's Opinion And I Am Not"

- Here She Lowered Her Trembling Voice - " Of The Opinion His

Majesty Holds.  It Is Better For Me To Tell You At Once,  So That

You May Not Regret Intervening In An Affair Where There Are - Where

There Are - Risks - Terrible Risks To Run.  No,  This Is Not A Family

Drama.  The Family Is Small,  Very Small: The General,  His Daughter

Natacha (By His Former Marriage),  And Myself.  There Could Not Be A

Family Drama Among Us Three.  It Is Simply About My Husband,

Monsieur,  Who Did His Duty As A Soldier In Defending The Throne Of

His Sovereign,  My Husband Whom They Mean To Assassinate!  There Is

Nothing Else,  No Other Situation,  My Dear Little Guest."

To Hide Her Distress She Started To Carve A Slice Of Jellied Veal

And Carrot.

"You Have Not Eaten,  You Are Hungry.  It Is Dreadful,  My Dear Young

Man.  See,  You Must Dine With Us,  And Then - You Will Say Adieu.

Yes,  You Will Leave Me All Alone.  I Will Undertake To Save Him All

Alone.  Certainly,  I Will Undertake It."

A Tear Fell On The Slice She Was Cutting.  Rouletabille,  Who Felt

The Brave Woman's Emotion Affecting Him Also,  Braced Himself To Keep

From Showing It.

"I Am Able To Help You A Little All The Same," He Said.  "Monsieur

Koupriane Has Told Me That There Is A Deep Mystery.  It Is My

Vocation To Get To The Bottom Of Mysteries."

"I Know What Koupriane Thinks," She Said,  Shaking Her Head.  "But

If I Could Bring Myself To Think That For A Single Day I Would

Rather Be Dead."

The Good Matrena Petrovna Lifted Her Beautiful Eyes To Rouletabille,

Brimming With The Tears She Held Back.

She Added Quickly:

"But Eat Now,  My Dear Guest; Eat.  My Dear Child,  You Must Forget

What Koupriane Has Said To You,  When You Are Back In France."

"I Promise You That,  Madame."

"It Is The Emperor Who Has Caused You This Long Journey.  For Me,

I Did Not Wish It.  Has He,  Indeed,  So Much Confidence In You?" She

Asked Naively,  Gazing At Him Fixedly Through Her Tears.

"Madame,  I Was Just About To Tell You.  I Have Been Active In Some

Important Matters That Have Been Reported To Him,  And Then Sometimes

Your Emperor Is Allowed To See The Papers.  He Has Heard Talk,  Too

(For Everybody Talked Of Them,  Madame),  About The Mystery Of The

Yellow Room And The Perfume Of The Lady In Black."

Here Rouletabille Watched Madame Trebassof And Was Much Mortified

At The Undoubted Ignorance That Showed In Her Frank Face Of Either

The Yellow Room Or The Black Perfume.

"My Young Friend," Said She,  In A Voice More And More Hesitant,

"You Must Excuse Me,  But It Is A Long Time Since I Have Had Good

Eyes For Reading."

Tears,  At Last,  Ran Down Her Cheeks.

Rouletabille Could Not Restrain Himself Any Further.  He Saw In One

Flash All This Heroic Woman Had Suffered In Her Combat Day By Day

With The Death Which Hovered.  He Took Her Little Fat Hands,  Whose

Fingers Were Overloaded With Rings,  Tremulously Into His Own:

"Madame,  Do Not Weep.  They Wish To Kill Your Husband.  Well Then,

We Will Be Two At Least To Defend Him,  I Swear To You."

"Even Against The Nihilists!"

"Aye,  Madame,  Against All The World.  I Have Eaten All Your Caviare.

I Am Your Guest.  I Am Your Friend."

As He Said This He Was So Excited,  So Sincere And So Droll That

Madame Trebassof Could Not Help Smiling Through Her Tears.  She Made

Him Sit Down Beside Her.

"The Chief Of Police Has Talked Of You A Great Deal.  He Came Here

Abruptly After The Last Attack And A Mysterious Happening That I

Will Tell You About.  He Cried,  'Ah,  We Need Rouletabille To Unravel

This!'  The Next Day He Came Here Again.  He Had Gone To The Court.

There,  Everybody,  It Appears,  Was Talking Of You.  The Emperor

Wished To Know You.  That Is Why Steps Were Taken Through The

Ambassador At Paris."

"Yes,  Yes.  And Naturally All The World Has Learned Of It.  That

Makes It So Lively.  The Nihilists Warned Me Immediately That I

Would Not Reach Russia Alive.  That,  Finally,  Was What Decided Me

On Coming.  I Am Naturally Very Contrary."

"And How Did You Get Through The Journey?"

"Not Badly.  I Discovered At Once In The Train A Young Slav Assigned

To Kill Me,  And I Reached An Understanding With Him.  He Was A

Charming Youth,  So It Was Easily Arranged."

Rouletabille Was Eating Away Now At Strange Viands That It Would

Have Been Difficult For Him To Name.  Matrena Petrovna Laid Her Fat

Little Hand On His Arm:

"You Speak Seriously?"

"Very Seriously."

"A Small Glass Of Vodka?"

"No Alcohol."

Madame Matrena Emptied Her Little Glass At A Draught.

"And How Did You Discover Him?  How Did You Know Him?"

"First,  He Wore Glasses.  All Nihilists Wear Glasses When Traveling.

And Then I Had A Good Clew.  A Minute Before The Departure From

Paris I Had A Friend Go Into The Corridor Of The Sleeping-Car,  A

Reporter Who Would Do Anything I Said Without Even Wanting To Know

Why.  I Said,  'You Call Out Suddenly And Very Loud,  "Hello,  Here Is

Rouletabille."'  So He Called,  'Hello,  Here Is Rouletabille,' And

All Those Who Were In The Corridor Turned And All Those Who Were

Already In The Compartments Came Out,  Excepting The Man With The

Glasses.  Then I Was Sure About Him."

Madame Trebassof Looked At Rouletabile,  Who Turned As Red As The

Comb Of A Rooster And Was Rather Embarrassed At His Fatuity.

"That Deserves A Rebuff,  I Know,  Madame,  But From The Moment The

Emperor Of All The Russias Had Desired To See Me I Could Not Admit

That Any Mere Man With Glasses Had Not The Curiosity To See What

I Looked Like.  It Was Not Natural.  As Soon As The Train Was Off

I Sat Down By This Man And Told Him Who I Thought He Was.  I Was

Right.  He Removed His Glasses And,  Looking Me Straight In The Eyes,

Said He Was Glad To Have A Little Talk With Me Before Anything

Unfortunate Happened.  A Half-Hour Later The Entente-Cordiale Was

Signed.  I Gave Him To Understand That I Was Coming Here Simply On

Business As A Reporter And That There Was Always Time To Check Me

If I Should Be Indiscreet.  At The German Frontier He Left Me To

Go On,  And Returned Tranquilly To His Nitro-Glycerine."

"You Are A Marked Man Also,  My Poor Boy."

"Oh,  They Have Not Got Us Yet."

Matrena Petrovna Coughed.  That _Us_ Overwhelmed Her.  With What

Calmness This Boy That She Had Not Known An Hour Proposed To Share

The Dangers Of A Situation That Excited General Pity But From Which

The Bravest Kept Aloof Either From Prudence Or Dismay.

"Ah,  My Friend,  A Little Of This Fine Smoked Hamburg Beef?"

But The Young Man Was Already Pouring Out Fresh Yellow Beer.

"There," Said He.  "Now,  Madame,  I Am Listening.  Tell Me First

About The Earliest Attack."

"Now," Said Matrena,  "We Must Go To Dinner."

Rouletabille Looked At Her Wide-Eyed.

"But,  Madame,  What Have I Just Been Doing?"

Madame Matrena Smiled.  All These Strangers Were Alike.  Because

They Had Eaten Some Hors-D'ceuvres,  Some Zakouskis,  They Imagined

Their Host Would Be Satisfied.  They Did Not Know How To Eat.

"We Will Go To The Dining-Room.  The General Is Expecting You.

They Are At Table."