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

Knife And Fork.  But,  In Justice To Them,  That Was The First

Instantaneous Effect.  No One Could Learn Like That,  All Of A

Sudden,  That They Were About To Die In An Indiscriminate Slaughter

Without The Heart Being Stopped For A Little.  Ermolai's Words Had

Turned These Amiable Loafers Into Waxen Statues,  But,  Little By

Little,  Their Hearts Commenced To Beat Again And Each Suggested

Some Way Of Preventing The Disaster - All Of Them Sufficiently

Incoherent - While Matrena Petrovna Invoked The Virgin And At The

Same Time Helped Feodor Feodorovitch Adjust His Sword And Buckle

His Belt; For The General Wished To Die In Uniform.

Athanase Georgevitch,  His Eyes Sticking Out Of His Head And His Body

Bent As Though He Feared The Nihlists Just Below Him Might Perceive

His Tall Form - Through The Floor,  No Doubt - Proposed That They

Should Throw Themselves Out Of The Window,  Even At The Cost Of

Broken Legs.  The Saddened Councilor Of Empire Declared That Project

Simply Idiotic,  For As They Fell They Would Be Absolutely At The

Disposal Of The Nihilists,  Who Would Be Attracted By The Noise And

Would Make A Handful Of Dust Of Them With A Single Gesture Through

The Window.  Thaddeus Tchitchnikoff,  Who Couldn't Think Of Anything

At All,  Blamed Koupriane And The Rest Of The Police For Not Having

Devised Something.  Why Hadn't They Already Got Rid Of These

Nihilists?  After The Frightened Silence They Had Kept At First,

Now They All Spoke At Once,  In Low Voices,  Hoarse And Rapid,  With

Shortened Breath,  Making Wild Movements Of The Arms And Head,  And

Walked Here And There In The Chamber Quite Without Motive,  But Very

Softly On Tiptoe,  Going To The Windows,  Returning,  Listening At The

Doors,  Peering Through The Key-Holes,  Exchanging Absurd Suggestions,

Full Of The Wildest Imaginings.  "If We Should ... If ... If,"

- Everybody Speaking And Everybody Making Signs For The Others To

Be Quiet.  "Lower!  If They Hear Us,  We Are Lost."  And Koupriane,

Who Did Not Come,  And His Police,  Who Themselves Had Brought Two

Assassins Into The House,  And Were Not Able Now To Make Them Leave

Without Having Everybody Jump!  They Were Certainly Lost.  There

Was Nothing Left But To Say Their Prayers.  They Turned To The

General And Matrena Petrovna,  Who Were Wrapped In A Close Embrace.

Feodor Had Taken The Poor Disheveled Head Of The Good Matrena

Between His Hands And Pressed It Upon His Shoulders As He Embraced

Her.  He Said,  "Rest Quietly Against My Heart,  Matrena Petrovna.

Nothing Can Happen To Us Except What God Wills."

At That Sight And That Remark The Others Grew Ashamed Of Their

Confusion.  The Harmony Of That Couple Embracing In The Presence

Of Death Restored Them To Themselves,  To Their Courage,  And Their

"Nitchevo."  Athanase Georgevitch,  Ivan Petrovitch And Thaddeus

Tchitchnikoff Repeated After Matrena Petrovna,  "As God Wills."

And Then They Said "Nitchevo!  Nitchevo!*  We Will All Die With

You,  Feodor Feodorovitch."  And They All Kissed One Another And

Clasped One Another In Their Arms,  Their Eyes Dim With Love One For

Another,  As At The End Of A Great Banquet When They Had Eaten And

Drunk Heavily In Honor Of One Another.

___________________________________________________________________

 *"What Does It Matter!"

___________________________________________________________________

"Listen.  Someone Is Coming Up The Stairs," Whispered Matrena,  With

Her Keen Ear,  And She Slipped From The Restraint Of Her Husband.

Breathless,  They All Hurried To The Door Opening On The Landing,

But With Steps As Light "As Though They Walked On Eggs."  All Four

Of Them Were Leaning Over There Close By The Door,  Hardly Daring

To Breathe.  They Heard Two Men On The Stairs.  Were They Koupriane

And Rouletabille,  Or Were They The Others?  They Had Revolvers In

Their Hands And Drew Back A Little When The Footsteps Sounded Near

The Door.  Behind Them Trebassof Was Quietly Seated In His Chair.

The Door Was Opened And Koupriane And Rouletabille Perceived These

Death-Like Figures,  Motionless And Mute.  No One Dared To Speak Or

Make A Movement Until The Door Had Been Closed.  But Then:

"Well?  Well?  Save Us!  Where Are They?  Ah,  My Dear Little

Domovoi-Doukh,  Save The General,  For The Love Of The Virgin!"

"Tsst!  Tsst!  Silence."

Rouletabille,  Very Pale,  But Calm,  Spoke:

"The Plan Is Simple.  They Are Between The Two Staircases,  Watching

The One And The Other.  I Will Go And Find Them And Make Them Mount

The One While You Descend By The Other."

"Caracho!  That Is Simple Enough.  Why Didn't We Think Of It Sooner?

Because Everybody Lost His Head Except The Dear Little Domovoi-Doukh!"

But Here Something Happened Rouletabille Had Not Counted On.  The

General Rose And Said,  "You Have Forgotten One Thing,  My Young

Friend; That Is That General Trebassof Will Not Descend By The

Servants' Stairway."

His Friends Looked At Him In Stupefaction,  And Asked If He Had Gone

Mad.

"What Is This You Say,  Feodor?" Implored Matrena.

"I Say," Insisted The General,  "That I Have Had Enough Of This

Comedy,  And That Since Monsieur Koupriane Has Not Been Able To

Arrest These Men,  And Since,  On Their Side,  They Don't Seem To

Decide To Do Their Duty,  I Shall Go Myself And Put Them Out Of My

House."

He Started A Few Steps,  But Had Not His Cane And Suddenly He

Tottered.  Matrena Petrovna Jumped To Him And Lifted Him In Her

Arms As Though He Were A Feather.

"Not By The Servants' Stairway,  Not By The Servants' Stairway,"

Growled The Obstinate General.

"You Will Go," Matrena Replied To Him,  "By The Way I Take You."

And She Carried Him Back Into The Apartment While She Said Quickly

To Rouletabille:

"Go,  Little Domovoi!  And God Protect Us!"

Rouletabille Disappeared At Once Through The Door To The Main

Staircase,  And The Group Attended By Koupriane,  Passed Through The

Dressing-Room And The General's Chamber,  Matrena Petrovna In The

Lead With Her Precious Burden.  Ivan Petrovitch Had His Hand

Already On The Famous Bolt Which Locked The Door To The Servants'

Staircase When They All Turned At The Sound Of A Quick Step Behind

Them.  Rouletabille Had Returned.

"They Are No Longer In The Drawing-Room."

"Not In The Drawing-Room!  Where Are They,  Then?"

Rouletabille Pointed To The Door They Were About To Open.

"Perhaps Behind That Door.  Take Care!"

All Drew Back.

"But Ermolai Ought To Know Where They Are," Exclaimed Koupriane.

"Perhaps They Have Gone,  Finding Out They Were Discovered."

"They Have Assassinated Ermolai."

"Assassinated Ermolai!"

"I Have Seen His Body Lying In The Middle Of The Drawing-Room As I

Leaned Over The Top Of The Banister.  But They Were Not In The Room,

And I Was Afraid You Would Run Into Them,  For They May Well Be Hidden

In The Servants' Stairway."

"Then Open The Window,  Koupriane,  And Call Your Men To Deliver Us."

"I Am Quite Willing," Replied Koupriane Coldly,  "But It Is The

Signal For Our Deaths."

"Well,  Why Do They Wait So To Make Us Die?" Muttered Feodor

Feodorovitch.  "I Find Them Very Tedious About It,  For Myself.

What Are You Doing,  Ivan Petrovitch?"

The Spectral Figure Of Ivan Petrovitch,  Bent Beside The Door Of The

Stairway,  Seemed To Be Hearing Things The Others Could Not Catch,

But Which Frightened Them So That They Fled From The General's

Chamber In Disorder.  Ivan Petrovitch Was Close On Them,  His Eyes

Almost Sticking From His Head,  His Mouth Babbling:

"They Are There!  They Are There!"

Athanase Georgevitch Open A Window Wildly And Said:

"I Am Going To Jump."

But Thaddeus Tchitchnikofl' Stopped Him With A Word.  "For Me,  I

Shall Not Leave Feodor Feodorovitch."

Athanase And Ivan Both Felt Ashamed,  And Trembling,  But Brave,  They

Gathered Round The General And Said,  "We Will Die Together,  We Will

Die Together.  We Have Lived With Feodor Feodorovitch,  And We Will

Die With Him."

"What Are They Waiting For?   What Are They Waiting For?" Grumbled

The General.

Matrena Petrovna's Teeth Chattered.  "They Are Waiting For Us To

Go Down," Said Koupraine.

"Very Well,  Let Us Do It.  This Thing Must End," Said Feodor.

"Yes,  Yes," They All Said,  For The Situation Was Becoming

Intolerable; "Enough Of This.  Go On Down. Go On Down.  God,  The

Virgin And Saints Peter And Paul Protect Us.  Let Us Go."

The Whole Group,  Therefore,  Went To The Main Staircase,  With The

Movements Of Drunken Men,  Fantastic Waving Of The Arms,  Mouths

Speaking All Together,  Saying Things No One But Themselves

Understood.  Rouletabille Had Already Hurriedly Preceded Them,  Was

Down The Staircase,  Had Time To Throw A Glance Into The Drawing-Room,

Stepped Over Ermolai's Huge Corpse,  Entered Natacha's Sitting-Room

And Her Chamber,  Found All These Places Deserted And Bounded Back

Into The Veranda At The Moment The Others Commenced To Descend

The Steps Around Feodor Feodorovitch.  The Reporter's Eyes Searched

All The Dark Corners And Had Perceived Nothing Suspicious When,  In

The Veranda,  He Moved A Chair.  A Shadow Detached Itself From It

And Glided Under The Staircase.  Rouletabille Cried To The Group

On The Stairs.

"They Are Under The Staircase!"

Then Rouletabille Confronted A Sight That He Could Never Forget All

His Life.

At This Cry,  They All Stopped,  After An Instinctive Move To Go Back.

Feodor Feodorovitch,  Who Was Still In Matrena Petrovna's Arms,  Cried:

"Vive Le Tsar!"

And Then,  Those Whom The Reporter Half Expected To See Flee,

Distracted,  One Way And Another,  Or To Throw Themselves Madly From

The Height Of The Steps,  Abandoning Feodor And Matrena,  Gathered

Themselves Instead By A Spontaneous Movement Around The General,

Like A Guard Of Honor,  In Battle,  Around The Flag.  Koupriane

Marched Ahead.   And They Insisted Also Upon Descending The Terrible

Steps Slowly,  And Sang The Bodje Tsara Krani,  The National Anthem!

With An Overwhelming Roar,  Which Shocked Earth And Sky And The Ears

Of Rouletabille,  The Entire House Seemed