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

Follow Your Slavish Task.  And My Friends,  My Other Friends,  The

Poor Comrades Of My Artist Life,  The Inoffensive Young Men Who Have

Not Committed Any Other Crime Than To Come To See Me Too Often When

I Was Lively,  And Who Believed They Could Talk Freely In My

Dressing-Room - Where Are They?  Why Have They Left Me,  One By One?

Why Have They Disappeared?   It Is You,  Wretch,  Who Watched Them,

Who Spied On Them,  Making Me,  I Haven't Any Doubt,  Your Horrible

Accomplice,  Mixing Me Up In Your Beastly Work,  You Dog!  You Knew

What They Call Me.  You Have Known It For A Long Time,  And You May

Well Laugh Over It.   But I,  I Never Knew Until This Evening; I

Never Learned Until This Evening All I Owe To You.  'Stool Pigeon!

Stool Pigeon!'  I!  Horror!   Ah,  You Dog,  You Dog!  Your Mother,

When You Were Brought Into The World,  Your Mother ..."  Here She

Hurled At Him The Most Offensive Insult That A Russian Can Offer A

Man Of That Race.

She Trembled And Sobbed With Rage,  Spat In Fury,  And Stood Up Ready

To Go,  Wrapped In Her Mantle Like A Great Red Flag.  She Was The

Statue Of Hate And Vengeance.  She Was Horrible And Terrible.  She

Was Beautiful.  At The Final Supreme Insult,  Gounsovski Started

And Rose To His Feet As Though He Had Received An Actual Blow In

The Face.  He Did Not Look At Annouchka,  But Fixed His Eyes On

Prince Galitch.  His Finger Pointed Him Out:

"There Is The Man," He Hissed,  "Who Has Told You All These Fine

Things."

"Yes,  It Is I," Said The Prince,  Tranquilly.

"Caracho!" Barked Gounsovski,  Instantaneously Regaining His Coolness.

"Ah,  Yes,  But You'll Not Touch Him," Clamored The Spirited Girl Of

The Black Land; "You Are Not Strong Enough For That."

"I Know That Monsieur Has Many Friends At Court," Agreed The Chief

Of The Secret Service With An Ominous Calm.  "I 'Don't Wish Ill To

Monsieur.  You Speak,  Madame,  Of The Way Some Of Your Friends Have

Had To Be Sacrificed.  I Hope That Some Day You Will Be Better

Informed,  And That You Will Understand I Saved All Of Them I Could."

"Let Us Go," Muttered Annouchka.  "I Shall Spit In His Face."

"Yes,  All I Could," Replied The Other,  With His Habitual Gesture Of

Hanging On To His Glasses.  "And I Shall Continue To Do So.  I

Promise You Not To Say Anything More Disagreeable To The Prince

Than As Regards His Little Friend The Bohemian Katharina,  Whom He

Has Treated So Generously Just Now,  Doubtless Because Boris

Mourazoff Pays Her Too Little For The Errands She Runs Each Morning

To The Villa Of Krestowsky Ostrow."

At These Words The Prince And Annouchka Both Changed Countenance.

Their Anger Rose.  Annouchka Turned Her Head As Though To Arrange

The Folds Of Her Cloak.  Galitch Contented Himself With Shrugging

His Shoulders Impatiently And Murmuring:

"Still Some Other Abomination That You Are Concocting,  Monsieur,

And That We Don't Know How To Reply To."

After Which He Bowed To The Supper-Party,  Took Annouchka's Arm And

Had Her Move Before Him.  Gounsovski Bowed,  Almost Bent In Two.

When He Rose He Saw Before Him The Three Astounded And Horrified

Figures Of Thaddeus Tchitchnikoff,  Ivan Petrovitch And Athanase

Georgevitch.

"Messieurs," He Said To Them,  In A Colorless Voice Which Seemed Not

To Belong To Him,  "The Time Has Come For Us To Part.  I Need Not

Say That We Have Supped As Friends And That,  If You Wish It To Be

So,  We Can Forget Everything That Has Been Said Here."

The Three Others,  Frightened,  At Once Protested Their Discretion.

He Added,  Roughly This Time,  "Service Of The Tsar," And The Three

Stammered,  "God Save The Tsar!"  After Which He Saw Them To The

Door.  When The Door Had Closed After Them,  He Said,  "My Little

Annouchka,  You Mustn't Reckon Without Me."  He Hurried Toward The

Sofa,  Where Rouletabille Was Lying Forgotten,  And Gave Him A Tap

On The Shoulder.

"Come,  Get Up.  Don't Act As Though You Were Asleep.  Not An Instant

To Lose.  They Are Going To Carry Through The Trebassof Affair This

Evening."

Rouletabille Was Already On His Legs.

"Oh,  Monsieur," Said He,  "I Didn't Want You To Tell Me That.  Thanks

All The Same,  And Good Evening."

He Went Out.

Gounsovski Rang.  A Servant Appeared.

"Tell Them They May Now Open All The Rooms On This Corridor; I'll

Not Hold Them Any Longer."  Thus Had Gounsovski Kept Himself

Protected.

Left Alone,  The Head Of The Secret Service Wiped His Brow And Drank

A Great Glass Of Iced Water Which He Emptied At A Draught.  Then He

Said:

"Koupriane Will Have His Work Cut Out For Him This Evening; I Wish

Him Good Luck.  As To Them,  Whatever Happens,  I Wash My Hands Of

Them."

And He Rubbed His Hands.

At The Door Of The Krestowsky Rouletabille,  Who Was In A Hurry For

A Conveyance,  Jumped Into An Open Carriage Where La Belle Onoto Was

Already Seated.  The Dancer Caught Him On Her Knees.

"To Eliaguine,  Fast As You Can," Cried The Reporter For All

Explanation.

"Scan!  Scan!  (Quickly,  Quickly)" Repeated Onoto.

She Was Accompanied By A Vague Sort Of Person To Whom Neither Of

Them Paid The Least Attention.

"What A Supper!  You Waked Up At Last,  Did You?" Quizzed The Actress.

But Rouletabille,  Standing Up Behind The Enormous Coachman,  Urged

The Horses And Directed The Route Of The Carriage.  They Bolted

Along Through The Night At A Dizzy Pace.  At The Corner Of A Bridge

He Ordered The Horses Stopped,  Thanked His Companions And

Disappeared.

"What A Country!  What A Country!  Caramba!" Said The Spanish Artist.

The Carriage Waited A Few Minutes,  Then Turned Back Toward The City.

Rouletabille Got Down The Embankment And Slowly,  Taking Infinite

Precautions Not To Reveal His Presence By Making The Least Noise,

Made His Way To Where The River Is Widest.  Seen Through The

Blackness Of The Night The Blacker Mass Of The Trebassof Villa

Loomed Like An Enormous Blot,  He Stopped.  Then He Glided Like A

Snake Through The Reeds,  The Grass,  The Ferns.  He Was At The Back

Of The Villa,  Near The River,  Not Far From The Little Path Where

He Had Discovered The Passage Of The Assassin,  Thanks To The Broken

Cobwebs.  At That Moment The Moon Rose And The Birch-Trees,  Which

Just Before Had Been Like Great Black Staffs,  Now Became White

Tapers Which Seemed To Brighten That Sinister Solitude.

The Reporter Wished To Profit At Once By The Sudden Luminance To

Learn If His Movements Had Been Noticed And If The Approaches To

The Villa On That Side Were Guarded.  He Picked Up A Small Pebble

And Threw It Some Distance From Him Along The Path.  At The

Unexpected Noise Three Or Four Shadowy Heads Were Outlined Suddenly

In The White Light Of The Moon,  But Disappeared At Once,  Lost Again

In The Dark Tufts Of Grass.

He Had Gained His Information.

The Reporter's Acute Ear Caught A Gliding In His Direction,  A Slight

Swish Of Twigs; Then All At Once A Shadow Grew By His Side And He

Felt The Cold Of A Revolver Barrel On His Temple.  He Said

"Koupriane," And At Once A Hand Seized His And Pressed It.

The Night Had Become Black Again.  He Murmured: "How Is It You Are

Here In Person?"

The Prefect Of Police Whispered In His Ear:

"I Have Been Informed That Something Will Happen To-Night.  Natacha

Went To Krestowsky And Exchanged Some Words With Annouchka There.

Prince Galitch Is Involved,  And It Is An Affair Of State."

"Natacha Has Returned?" Inquired Rouletabille.

"Yes,  A Long Time Ago.  She Ought To Be In Bed. In Any Case She Is

Pretending To Be Abed.  The Light From Her Chamber,  In The Window

Over The Garden,  Has Been Put Out."

"Have You Warned Matrena Petrovna?"

"Yes,  I Have Let Her Know That She Must Keep On The Sharp Look-Out

To-Night."

"That's A Mistake.  I Shouldn't Have Told Her Anything.  She Will

Take Such Extra Precautions That The Others Will Be Instantly

Warned."

"I Have Told Her She Should Not Go To The Ground-Floor At All This

Night,  And That She Must Not Leave The General's Chamber."

"That Is Perfect,  If She Will Obey You."

"You See I Have Profited By All Your Information.  I Have Followed

Your Instructions.  The Road From The Krestowsky Is Under

Surveillance."

"Perhaps Too Much.  How Are You Planning?"

"We Will Let Them Enter.  I Don't Know Whom I Have To Deal With.

I Want To Strike A Sure Blow.  I Shall Take Him In The Act.  No More

Doubt After This,  You Trust Me."

"Adieu."

"Where Are You Going?"

"To Bed.  I Have Paid My Debt To My Host.