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

The Others Laughed Heartily.  They Thought It Very Funny.  Decidedly

This Great Gounsovski Always Had A Funny Story.  Who Would Not Like

To Be His Friend?  Annouchka Had Deigned To Smile.  Gounsovski,  In

Recognition,  Extended His Hand To Her Like A Mendicant.  The Young

Woman Touched It With The End Of Her Fingers,  As If She Were Placing

A Twenty-Kopeck Piece In The Hand Of A Hooligan,  And Withdrew From

It With Disgust.  Then The Doors Opened For The Bohemians.  Their

Swarthy Troupe Soon Filled The Room.  Every Evening Men And Women

In Their Native Costumes Came From Old Derevnia,  Where They Lived

All Together In A Sort Of Ancient Patriarchal Community,  With Customs

That Had Not Changed For Centuries; They Scattered About In The

Places Of Pleasure,  In The Fashionable Restaurants,  Where They

Gathered Large Sums,  For It Was A Fashionable Luxury To Have Them

Sing At The End Of Suppers,  And Everyone Showered Money On Them In

Order Not To Be Behind The Others.  They Accompanied On Guzlas,  On

Castanets,  On Tambourines,  And Sang The Old Airs,  Doleful And

Languorous,  Or Excitable And Breathiess As The Flight Of The

Earliest Nomads In The Beginnings Of The World.

When They Had Entered,  Those Present Made Place For Them,  And

Rouletabille,  Who For Some Moments Had Been Showing Marks Of Fatigue

And Of A Giddiness Natural Enough In A Young Man Who Isn't In The

Habit Of Drinking The Finest Champagnes,  Profited By The Diversion

To Get A Corner Of The Sofa Not Far From Prince Galitch,  Who

Occupied The Place At Annouchka's Right.

"Look,  Rouletabaille Is Asleep," Remarked La Belle Onoto.

"Poor Boy!" Said Annouchka.

And,  Turning Toward Gounsovski:

"Aren't You Soon Going To Get Him Out Of Our Way?  I Heard Some Of

Our Brethren The Other Day Speaking In A Way That Would Cause Pain

To Those Who Care About His Health."

"Oh,  That," Said Gounsovski,  Shaking His Head,  "Is An Affair I Have

Nothing To Do With.  Apply To Koupriane.  Your Health,  Belle

Annouchka."

But The Bohemians Swept Some Opening Chords For Their Songs,  And

The Singers Took Everybody's Attention,  Everybody Excepting Prince

Galitch And Annouchka,  Who,  Half Turned Toward One Another,

Exchanged Some Words On The Edge Of All This Musical Uproar.  As

For Rouletabille,  He Certainly Must Have Been Sleeping Soundly Not

To Have Been Waked By All That Noise,  Melodious As It Was.  It Is

True That He Had - Apparently - Drunk A Good Deal And,  As Everyone

Knows,  In Russia Drink Lays Out Those Who Can't Stand It.  When

The Bohemians Had Sung Three Times Gounsovski Made A Sign That They

Might Go To Charm Other Ears,  And Slipped Into The Hands Of The

Chief Of The Band A Twenty-Five Rouble Note.  But Onoto Wished To

Give Her Mite,  And A Regular Collection Commenced.  Each One Threw

Roubles Into The Plate Held Out By A Little Swarthy Bohemian Girl

With Crow-Black Hair,  Carelessly Combed,  Falling Over Her Forehead,

Her Eyes And Her Face,  In So Droll A Fashion That One Would Have

Said The Little Thing Was A Weeping-Willow Soaked In Ink.  The

Plate Reached Prince Galitch,  Who Futilely Searched His Pockets.

"Bah!" Said He,  With A Lordly Air,  "I Have No Money.  But Here Is

My Pocket-Book; I Will Give It To You For A Souvenir Of Me,

Katharina."

Thaddeus And Athanase Exclaimed At The Generosity Of The Prince,

But Annouchka Said:

"The Prince Does As He Should,  For My Friends Can Never Sufficiently

Repay The Hospitality That That Little Thing Gave Me In Her Dirty

Hut When I Was In Hiding,  While Your Famous Department Was Deciding

What To Do About Me,  My Dear Gounsovski."

"Eh," Replied Gounsovski,  "I Let You Know That All You Had To Do

Was To Take A Fine Apartment In The City."

Annouchka Spat On The Ground Like A Teamster,  And Gounsovski From

Yellow Turned Green.

"But Why Did You Hide Yourself That Way,  Annouchka?" Asked Onoto As

She Caressed The Beautiful Tresses Of The Singer.

"You Know I Had Been Condemned To Death,  And Then Pardoned.  I Had

Been Able To Leave Moscow,  And I Hadn't Any Desire To Be Re-Taken

Here And Sent To Taste The Joys Of Siberia."

"But Why Were You Condemned To Death?"

"Why,  She Doesn't Know Anything!" Exclaimed The Others.

"Good Lord,  I'm Just Back From London And Paris - How Should I Know

Anything!  But To Have Been Condemned To Death!  That Must Have

Been Amusing."

"Very Amusing," Said Annouchka Icily.  "And If You Have A Brother

Whom You Love,  Onoto,  Think How Much More Amusing It Must Be To

Have Him Shot Before You."

"Oh,  My Love,  Forgive Me!"

"So You May Know And Not Give Any Pain To Your Annouchka In The

Future,  I Will Tell You,  Madame,  What Happened To Our Dear Friend,"

Said Prince Galitch.

"We Would Do Better To Drive Away Such Terrible Memories," Ventured

Gounsovski,  Lifting His Eyelashes Behind His Glasses,  But He Bent

His Head As Annouchka Sent Him A Blazing Glance.

"Speak,  Galitch."

The Prince Did As She Said.

"Annouchka Had A Brother,  Vlassof,  An Engineer On The Kasan Line,

Whom The Strike Committee Had Ordered To Take Out A Train As The

Only Means Of Escape For The Leaders Of The Revolutionary Troops

When Trebassof's Soldiers,  Aided By The Semenowsky Regiment,  Had

Become Masters Of The City.  The Last Resistance Took Place At The

Station.  It Was Necessary To Get Started.  All The Ways Were

Guarded By The Military.  There Were Soldiers Everywhere!  Vlassof

Said To His Comrades,  'I Will Save You;' And His Comrades Saw Him

Mount The Engine With A Woman.  That Woman Was - Well,  There She

Sits.  Vlassof's Fireman Had Been Killed The Evening Before,  On A

Barricade; It Was Annouchka Who Took His Place.  They Busied

Themselves And The Train Started Like A Shot.  On That Curved Line,

Discovered At Once,  Easy To Attack,  Under A Shower Of Bullets,

Vlassof Developed A Speed Of Ninety Versts An Hour.  He Ran The

Indicator Up To The Explosion Point.  The Lady Over There Continued

To Pile Coal Into The Furnace.  The Danger Came To Be Less From The

Military And More From An Explosion At Any Moment.  In The Midst Of

The Balls Vlassof Kept His Usual Coolness.  He Sped Not Only With

The Firebox Open But With The Forced Draught.  It Was A Miracle

That The Engine Was Not Smashed Against The Curve Of The Embankment.

But They Got Past.  Not A Man Was Hurt.  Only A Woman Was Wounded.

She Got A Ball In The Chest."

"There!" Cried Annouchka.

With A Magnificent Gesture She Flung Open Her White And Heaving

Chest,  And Put Her Finger On A Scar That Gounsovski,  Whose Fat Began

To Melt In Heavy Drops Of Sweat About His Temples,  Dared Not Look At.

"Fifteen Days Later," Continued The Prince,  "Vlassof Entered An Inn

At Lubetszy.  He Didn't Know It Was Full Of Soldiers.  His Face

Never Altered.  They Searched Him.  They Found A Revolver And Papers

On Him.  They Knew Whom They Had To Do With.  He Was A Good Prize.

Vlassof Was Taken To Moscow And Condemned To Be Shot.  His Sister,

Wounded As She Was,  Learned Of His Arrest And Joined Him.  'I Do

Not Wish,' She Said To Him,  'To Leave You To Die Alone.'  She Also

Was Condemned.  Before The Execution The Soldiers Offered To Bandage

Their Eyes,  But Both Refused,  Saying They Preferred To Meet Death

Face To Face.  The Orders Were To Shoot All The Other Condemned

Revolutionaries First,  Then Vlassof,  Then His Sister.  It Was In

Vain That Vlassof Asked To Die Last.  Their Comrades In Execution

Sank To Their Knees,  Bleeding From Their Death Wounds.  Vlassof

Embraced His Sister And Walked To The Place Of Death.  There He

Addressed The Soldiers: 'Now You Have To Carry Out Your Duty

According To The Oath You Have Taken.  Fulfill It Honestly As I

Have Fulfilled Mine.  Captain,  Give The Order.' The Volley

Sounded.  Vlassof Remained Erect,  His Arms Crossed On His Breast,

Safe And Sound.  Not A Ball Had Touched Him.  The Soldiers Did Not

Wish To Fire At Him.  He Had To Summon Them Again To Fulfill Their

Duty,  And Obey Their Chief.  Then They Fired Again,  And He Fell.

He Looked At His Sister With His Eyes Full Of Horrible Suffering.

Seeing That He Lived,  And Wishing To Appear Charitable,  The Captain,

Upon Annouchka's Prayers,  Approached And Cut Short His Sufferings

By Firing A Revolver Into His Ear.  Now It Was Annouchka's Turn.

She Knelt By The Body Of Her Brother,  Kissed His Bloody Lips,  Rose

And Said,  'I Am Ready.'  As The Guns Were Raised,  An Officer Came

Running,  Bearing The Pardon Of The Tsar.  She Did Not Wish It,  And

She Whom They Had Not Bound When She Was To Die Had To Be Restrained

When She Learned She Was To Live."

Prince Galitch,  Amid The Anguished Silence Of All There,  Started To

Add Some Words Of Comment To His Sinister Recital,  But Annouchka

Interrupted:

"The Story Is Ended," Said She.  "Not A Word,  Prince.  If I Asked

You To Tell It In All Its Horror,  If I Wished You To Bring Back To

Us The Atrocious Moment Of My Brother's Death,  It Is So That

Monsieur" (Her Fingers Pointed To Gounsovski) "Shall Know Well,

Once For All,  That If I Have Submitted For Some Hours Now To This

Promiscuous Company That Has Been Imposed Upon Me,  Now That I Have

Paid The Debt By Accepting This Abominable Supper,  I Have Nothing

More To Do With This Purveyor Of Bagnios And Of Hangman's Ropes Who

Is Here."

"She Is Mad," He Muttered.  "She Is Mad.  What Has Come Over Her?

What Has Happened?  Only To-Day She Was So,  So Amiable."

And He Stuttered,  Desolately,  With An Embarrassed Laugh:

"Ah,  The Women,  The Women!  Now What Have I Done To Her?"

"What Have You Done To Me,  Wretch?  Where Are Belachof,  Bartowsky

And Strassof?  And Pierre Slutch?  All The Comrades Who Swore With

Me To Revenge My Brother?  Where Are They?  On What Gallows Did You

Have Them Hung?  What