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

On The Hall Of The Winter-Theater,  Empty Now.  But The Apartment

Was Already Occupied.  Before A Table Covered With A Shining Service

Gounsovski Did The Honors.

He Received Them Like A Servant,  With His Head Down,  An Obsequious

Smile,  And His Back Bent,  Bowing Several Times As Each Of The Guests

Were Presented To Him.  Athanase Had Described Him Accurately

Enough,  A Mannikin In Fat.  Under The Vast Bent Brow One Could

Hardly See His Eyes,  Behind The Blue Glasses That Seemed Always

Ready To Fall As He Inclined Too Far His Fat Head With Its Timid

And Yet All-Powerful Glance.  When He Spoke In His Falsetto Voice,

His Chin Dropped In A Fold Over His Collar,  And He Had A Steady

Gesture With The Thumb And Index Finger Of His Right Hand To Retain

The Glasses From Sliding Down His Short,  Thick Nose.

Behind Him There Was The Fine,  Haughty Silhouette Of Prince Galitch.

He Had Been Invited By Annouchka,  For She Had Consented To Risk This

Supper Only In Company With Three Or Four Of Her Friends,  Officers

Who Could Not Be Further Compromised By This Affair,  As They Were

Already Under The Eye Of The Okrana (Secret Police) Despite Their

High Birth.  Gounsovski Had Seen Them Come With A Sinister Chuckle

And Had Lavished Upon Them His Marks Of Devotion.

He Loved Annouchka.  It Would Have Sufficed To Have Surprised Just

Once The Jealous Glance He Sent From Beneath His Great Blue Glasses

When He Gazed At The Singer To Have Understood The Sentiments That

Actuated Him In The Presence Of The Beautiful Daughter Of The Black

Land.

Annouchka Was Seated,  Or,  Rather,  She Lounged,  Oriental Fashion,

On The Sofa Which Ran Along The Wall Behind The Table.  She Paid

Attention To No One.  Her Attitude Was Forbidding,  Even Hostile.

She Indifferently Allowed Her Marvelous Black Hair That Fell In Two

Tresses Over Her Shoulder To Be Caressed By The Perfumed Hands Of

The Beautiful Onoto,  Who Had Heard Her This Evening For The First

Time And Had Thrown Herself With Enthusiasm Into Her Arms After The

Last Number.  Onoto Was An Artist Too,  And The Pique She Felt At

First Over Annouchka's Success Could Not Last After The Emotion

Aroused By The Evening Prayer Before The Hut.  "Come To Supper,"

Annouchka Had Said To Her.

"With Whom?" Inquired The Spanish Artist.

"With Gounsovski."

"Never."

"Do Come.  You Will Help Me Pay My Debt And Perhaps He Will Be

Useful To You As Well.  He Is Useful To Everybody."

Decidedly Onoto Did Not Understand This Country,  Where The Worst

Enemies Supped Together.

Rouletabille Had Been Monopolized At Once By Prince Galitch,  Who

Took Him Into A Corner And Said:

"What Are You Doing Here?"

"Do I Inconvenience You?" Asked The Boy.

The Other Assumed The Amused Smile Of The Great Lord.

"While There Is Still Time," He Said,  "Believe Me,  You Ought To

Start,  To Quit This Country.  Haven't You Had Sufficient Notice?"

"Yes," Replied The Reporter.  "And You Can Dispense With Any Further

Notice From This Time On."

He Turned His Back.

"Why,  It Is The Little Frenchman From The Trebassof Villa," Commenced

The Falsetto Voice Of Gounsovski As He Pushed A Seat Towards The

Young Man And Begged Him To Sit Between Him And Athanase Georgevitch,

Who Was Already Busy With The Hors-Doeuvres.

"How Do You Do,  Monsieur?" Said The Beautiful,  Grave Voice Of Annouchka.

Rouletabille Saluted.

"I See That I Am In A Country Of Acquaintances," He Said,  Without

Appearing Disturbed.

He Addressed A Lively Compliment To Annouchka,  Who Threw Him A Kiss.

"Rouletabille!" Cried La Belle Onoto.  "Why,  Then,  He Is The Little

Fellow Who Solved The Mystery Of The Yellow Room."

"Himself."

"What Are You Doing Here?"

"He Came To Save The Life Of General Trebassof," Sniggered

Gounsovski.  "He Is Certainly A Brave Little Young Man."

"The Police Know Everything," Said Rouletabille Coldly.  And He

Asked For Champagne,  Which He Never Drank.

The Champagne Commenced Its Work.  While Thaddeus And The Officers

Told Each Other Stories Of Bakou Or Paid Compliments To The Women,

Gounsovski,  Who Was Through With Raillery,  Leaned Toward Rouletabille

And Gave That Young Man Fatherly Counsel With Great Unction.

"You Have Undertaken,  Young Man,  A Noble Task And One All The More

Difficult Because General Trebassof Is Condemned Not Only By His

Enemies But Still More By The Ignorance Of Koupriane.  Understand

Me Thoroughly: Koupriane Is My Friend And A Man Whom I Esteem Very

Highly.  He Is Good,  Brave As A Warrior,  But I Wouldn't Give A

Kopeck For His Police.  He Has Mixed In Our Affairs Lately By

Creating His Own Secret Police,  But I Don't Wish To Meddle With That.

It Amuses Us.  It's The New Style,  Anyway; Everybody Wants His Secret

Police Nowadays.  And Yourself,  Young Man,  What,  After All,  Are You

Doing Here?  Reporting?  No.  Police Work?  That Is Our Business

And Your Business.  I Wish You Good Luck,  But I Don't Expect It.

Remember That If You Need Any Help I Will Give It You Willingly.  I

Love To Be Of Service.  And I Don't Wish Any Harm To Befall You."

"You Are Very Kind,  Monsieur," Was All Rouletabille Replied,  And

He Called Again For Champagne.

Several Times Gounsovski Addressed Remarks To Annouchka,  Who

Concerned Herself With Her Meal And Had Little Answer For Him.

"Do You Know Who Applauded You The Most This Evening?"

"No," Said Annouchka Indifferently.

"The Daughter Of General Trebassof."

"Yes,  That Is True,  On My Word," Cried Ivan Petrovitch.

"Yes,  Yes,  Natacba Was There," Joined In The Other Friends From The

Datcha Des Iles.

"For Me,  I Saw Her Weep," Said Rouletabille,  Looking At Annouchka

Fixedly.

But Annouchka Replied In An Icy Tone:

"I Do Not Know Her."

"She Is Unlucky In Having A Father..."  Prince Galitch Commenced.

"Prince,  No Politics,  Or Let Me Take My Leave," Clucked Gounsovski.

"Your Health,  Dear Annouchka."

"Your Health,  Gounsovski.  But You Have No Worry About That."

"Why?" Demanded Thaddeus Tchitcbnikoff In Equivocal Fashion.

"Because He Is Too Useful To The Government," Cried Ivan Petrovitch.

"No," Replied Annouchka; "To The Revolutionaries."

All Broke Out Laughing.  Gounsovski Recovered His Slipping Glasses

By His Usual Quick Movement And Sniggered Softly,  Insinuatingly,

Like Fat Boiling In The Pot:

"So They Say.  And It Is My Strength."

"His System Is Excellent," Said The Prince.  "As He Is In With

Everybody,  Everybody Is In With The Police,  Without Knowing It."

"They Say ... Ah,  Ah ... They Say ..." (Athanase Was Choking Over A

Little Piece Of Toast That He Had Soaked In His Soup) "They Say That

He Has Driven Away All The Hooligans And Even All The Beggars Of The

Church Of Kasan."

Thereupon They Commenced To Tell Stories Of The Hooligans,

Street-Thieves Who Since The Recent Political Troubles Had Infested

St. Petersburg And Whom Nobody,  Could Get Rid Of Without Paying

For It.

Athanase Georgevitch Said:

"There Are Hooligans That Ought To Have Existed Even If They Never

Have.  One Of Them Stopped A Young Girl Before Varsovie Station.

The Girl,  Frightened,  Immediately Held Out Her Purse To Him,  With

Two Roubles And Fifty Kopecks In It.  The Hooligan Took It All.

'Goodness,' Cried She,  'I Have Nothing Now To Take My Train With.'

'How Much Is It?' Asked The Hooligan.  'Sixty Kopecks.' 'Sixty

Kopecks!  Why Didn't You Say So?' And The Bandit,  Hanging Onto The

Two Roules,  Returned The Fifty-Kopeck Piece To The Trembling Child

And Added A Ten-Kopeck Piece Out Of His Own Pocket."

"Something Quite As Funny Happened To Me Two Winters Ago,  At Moscow,"

Said La Belle Onoto.  "I Had Just Stepped Out Of The Door When I Was

Stopped By A Hooligan.  'Give Me Twenty Kopecks,' Said The Hooligan.

I Was So Frightened That I Couldn't Get My Purse Open.  'Quicker,'

Said He.  Finally I Gave Him Twenty Kopecks.  'Now,' Said He Then,

'Kiss My Hand.'  And I Had To Kiss It,  Because He Held His Knife In

The Other."

"Oh,  They Are Quick With Their Knives," Said Thaddeus.  "As I Was

Leaving Gastinidvor Once I Was Stopped By A Hooligan Who Stuck A

Huge Carving-Knife Under My Nose.  'You Can Have It For A Rouble

And A Half,' He Said.  You Can Believe That I Bought It Without Any

Haggling.  And It Was A Very Good Bargain. It Was Worth At Least

Three Roubles.  Your Health,  Belle Onoto."

"I Always Take My Revolver When I Go Out," Said Athanase.  "It Is

More Prudent.  I Say This Before The Police.  But I Would Rather Be

Arrested By The Police Than Stabbed By The Hooligans."

"There's No Place Any More To Buy Revolvers," Dedared Ivan

Petrovitch.  "All Such Places Are Closed."

Gounsovski Settled His Glasses,  Rubbed His Fat Hands And Said:

"There Are Some Still At My Locksmith's Place.  The Proof Is That

To-Day In The Little Kaniouche My Locksmith,  Whose Name Is Smith,

When Into The House Of The Grocer At The Corner And Wished To Sell

Him A Revolver.  It Was A Browning.  'An Arm Of The Greatest

Reliability,' He Said To Him,  'Which Never Misses Fire And Which

Works Very Easily.'  Having Pronounced These Words,  The Locksmith

Tried His Revolver And Lodged A Ball In The Grocer's Lung.  The

Grocer Is Dead,  But Before He Died He Bought The Revolver.  'You

Are Right,' He Said To The Locksmith; 'It Is A Terrible Weapon.'

And Then He Died."