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

Of A Carriage Break.

The Repair Was Difficult And Crude,  With Bits Of Rope.  And From

Then On The Journey Was Slow And Cautious After The Frenzied Speed.

In Vain Rouletabille Reasoned With Himself.  "You Will Arrive

Anyway Before Morning.  You Cannot Wake The Emperor In The Dead Of

Night."  His Impatience Knew No Reason.  "What A Country!  What A

Country!"

After Some Other Petty Adventures (They Ran Into A Ravine And Had

Tremendous Difficulty Rescuing The Trunk) They Arrived At

Tsarskoie-Coelo At A Quarter Of Seven.

Even Here The Country Was Not Pleasant.  Rouletabille Recalled The

Bright Awakening Of French Country.  Here It Seemed There Was

Something More Dead Than Death: It Was This Little City With Its

Streets Where No One Passed,  Not A Soul,  Not A Phantom,  With Its

Houses So Impenetrable,  The Windows Even Of Glazed Glass And Further

Blinded By The Morning Hoar-Frost Shutting Out Light More Thoroughly

Than Closed Eyelids.  Behind Them He Pictured To Himself A World

Unknown,  A World Which Neither Spoke Nor Wept,  Nor Laughed,  A World

In Which No Living Chord Resounded.  "What A Country!  'Where Is

The Chateau?   I Do Not Know; I Have Been Here Only Once,  In The

Marshal's Carriage.  I Do Not Know The Way.  Not The Great Palace!

The Idiot Of A Driver Has Brought Me To This Great Palace In Order

To See It,  I Haven't A Doubt.  Does Rouletabille Look Like A Tourist?

Dourak!  The Home Of The Tsar,  I Tell You.  The Tsar's Residence.

The Place Where The Little Father Lives.  Chez Batouchka!"

The Driver Lashed His Ponies.  He Drove Past All The Streets.

"Stoi!  (Stop!)" Cried Rouletabille.  A Gate,  A Soldier,  Musket At

Shoulder,  Bayonet In Play; Another Gate,  Another Soldier,  Another

Bayonet; A Park With Walls Around It,  And Around The Walls More

Soldiers.

"No Mistake; Here Is The Place," Thought Rouletabille.  There Was

Only One Prisoner For Whom Such Pains Would Be Taken.  He Advanced

Towards The Gate.  Ah!  They Crossed Bayonets Under His Nose.  Halt!

No Fooling,  Joseph Rouletabille,  Of "L'epoque.  "A Subaltern Came

From A Guard-House And Advanced Toward Him.  Explanation Evidently

Was Going To Be Difficult.  The Young Man Saw That If He Demanded

To See The Tsar,  They Would Think Him Crazed And That Would Further

Complicate Matters.  He Asked For The Grand-Marshal Of The Court.

They Replied That He Could Get The Marshal's Address In Tsarskoie.

But The Subaltern Turned His Head.  He Saw Someone Advancing.  It

Was The Grand-Marshal Himself.  Some Exceptional Service Called Him,

Without Doubt,  Very Early To The Court.

"Why,  What Are You Doing Here?  You Are Not Yet Gone Then,  Monsieur

Roidetabille?"

"Politeness Before Everything,  Monsieur Le Grand-Marechal!  I Would

Not Go Before Saying 'Au Revoir' To The Emperor.  Be So Good,  Since

You Are Going To Him And He Has Risen (You Yourself Have Told Me He

Rises At Seven),  Be So Good As To Say To Him That I Wish To Pay My

Respects Before Leaving."

"Your Scheme,  Doubtless,  Is To Speak To Him Once More Regarding

Natacha Feodorovna?"

"Not At All.  Tell Him,  Excellency,  That I Am Come To Explain The

Mystery Of The Eider Downs."

"Ah,  Ah,  The Eider Downs!  You Know Something?"

"I Know All."

The Grand Marshal Saw That The Young Man Did Not Pretend.  He Asked

Him To Wait A Few Minutes,  And Vanished Into The Park.

A Quarter Of An Hour Later,  Joseph Rouletabille,  Of The Journal

"L'epoque," Was Admitted Into The Cabinet That He Knew Well From

The First Interview He Had Had There With His Majesty.  The Simple

Work-Room Of A Country-House: A Few Pictures On The Walls,  Portraits

Of The Tsarina And The Imperial Children On The Table; Oriental

Cigarettes In The Tiny Gold Cups.  Rouletabille Was Far From Feeling

Any Assurance,  For The Grand-Marshal Had Said To Him:

"Be Cautious.  The Emperor Is In A Terrible Humor About You."

A Door Opened And Closed.  The Tsar Made A Sign To The Marshal,  Who

Disappeared.  Rouletabille Bowed Low,  Then Watched The Emperor

Closely.

Quite Apparently His Majesty Was Displeased.  The Face Of The Tsar,

Ordinarily So Calm,  So Pleasant,  And Smiling,  Was Severe,  And His

Eyes Had An Angry Light.  He Seated Himself And Lighted A Cigarette.

"Monsieur," He Commenced,  "I Am Not Otherwise Sorry To See You

Before Your Departure In Order To Say To You Myself That I Am Not

At All Pleased With You.  If You Were One Of My Subjects I Would

Have Already Started You On The Road To The Ural Mountains."

"I Remove Myself Farther,  Sire."

"Monsieur,  I Pray You Not To Interrupt Me And Not To Speak Unless

I Ask You A Question."

"Oh,  Pardon,  Sire,  Pardon."

"I Am Not Duped By The Pretext You Have Offered Monsieur Le

Grand-Marechal In Order To Penetrate Here."

"It Is Not A Pretext,  Sire."

"Again!"

"Oh,  Pardon,  Sire,  Pardon."

"I Say To You That,  Called Here To Aid Me Against My Enemies,  They

Themselves Have Not Found A Stronger Or More Criminal Support Than

In You."

"Of What Am I Accused,  Sire?"

"Koupriane - "

"Ah!  Ah!  ...  Pardon!"

"My Chief Of Police Justly Complains That You Have Traversed All

His Designs And That You Have Taken It Upon Yourself To Ruin Them.

First,  You Removed His Agents,  Who Inconvenienced You,  It Seems;

Then,  The Moment That He Had The Proof In Hand Of The Abominable

Alliance Of Natacha Feodorovna With The Nihilists Who Attempt The

Assassination Of Her Father Your Intervention Has Permitted That

Proof To Escape Him.  And You Have Boasted Of The Feat,  Monsieur,

So That We Can Only Consider You Responsible For The Attempts

That Followed.

"Without You,  Natacha Would Not Have Attempted To Poison Her Father.

Without You,  They Would Not Have Sent To Find Physicians Who Could

Blow Up The Datcha Des Iles.  Finally,  No Later Than Yesterday,

When This Faithful Servant Of Mine Had Set A Trap They Could Not

Have Escaped From,  You Have Had The Audacity,  You,  To Warn Them Of

It.  They Owe Their Escape To You.  Monsieur,  Those Are Attempts

Against The Security Of The State Which Deserves The Heaviest

Punishment.  Why,  You Went Out One Day From Here Promising Me To

Save General Trebassof From All The Plotting Assassins Who Lurked

About Him.  And Then You Play The Game Of The Assassins!  Your

Conduct Is As Miserable As That Of Natacha Feodorovna Is Monstrous!"

The Emperor Ceased,  And Looked At Rouletabille,  Who Had Not Lowered

His Eyes.

"What Can You Say For Yourself?  Speak - Now."

"I Can Only Say To Your Majesty That I Come To Take Leave Of You

Because My Task Here Is Finished.  I Have Promised You The Life Of

General Trebassof,  And I Bring It To You.  He Runs No Danger Any

More!  I Say Further To Your Majesty That There Exists Nowhere In

The World A Daughter More Devoted To Her Father,  Even To The Death,

A Daughter More Sublime Than Natacha Feodorovna,  Nor More Innocent."

"Be Careful,  Monsieur.  I Inform You That I Have Studied This Affair

Personally And Very Closely.  You Have The Proofs Of These

Statements You Advance?"

Yes,  Sire."

"And I,  I Have The Proofs That Natacha Feodorovna Is A Renegade."

At This Contradiction,  Uttered In A Firm Voice,  The Emperor Stirred,

A Flush Of Anger And Of Outraged Majesty In His Face.  But,  After

This First Movement,  He Succeeded In Controlling Himself,  Opened A

Drawer Brusquely,  Took Out Some Papers And Threw Them On The Table.

"Here They Are."

Rouletabille Reached For The Papers.

"You Do Not Read Russian,  Monsieur.  I Will Translate Their Purport

For You.  Know,  Then,  That There Has Been A Mysterious Exchange Of

Letters Between Natacha Feodorovna And The Central Revolutionary

Committee,  And That These Letters Show The Daughter Of General

Trebassof To Be In Perfect Accord With The Assassins Of Her Father

For The Execution Of Their Abominable Project."

"The Death Of The General?"

"I Declare To Your Majesty That That Is Not Possible."

"Obstinate Man!  I Will Read -"

"Useless,  Sire.  It Is Impossible.  There May Be In Them The

Question Of A Project,  But I Am Greatly Surprised If These

Conspirators Have Been Sufficiently Imprudent To Write In Those

Letters That They Count On Natacha To Poison Her Father."

"That,  As A Matter Of Fact,  Is Not Written,  And You Yourself Are

Responsible For It Not Being There.  It Does Not Follow Any The

Less That Natacha Feodorovna Had An Understanding With The Nihilists."

"That Is Correct,  Sire."

"Ah,  You Confess That?"

"I Do Not Confess; I Simply Affirm That Natacha Had An Understanding

With The Nihilists."

"Who Plotted Their Abominable Attacks Against The Ex-Governor Of

Moscow."

"Sire,  Since Natacha Had An Understanding With The Nihilists,  It

Was Not To Kill Her Father,  But To Save Him.  And The Project Of

Which You Hold Here The Proofs,  But Of Whose Character You Are

Unaware,  Is To End The Attacks Of Which You Speak,  Instantly."

"You Say That."

"I Speak The Truth,  Sire."

"Where Are The Proofs?  Show Me Your Papers."

"I Have None.  I Have Only My Word."

"That Is Not Sufficient."

"It Will Be Sufficient,  Once You Have Heard Me."

"I Listen."

"Sire,  Before Revealing To You A Secret On Which Depends The Life

Of General Trebassof,  You Must Permit Me Some Questions.  Your

Majesty Holds The Life Of The General Very Dear?"

"What Has That To Do With It?"

"Pardon.  I Desire That Your Majesty Assure Me On That Point."

"The General Has Protected My Throne.  He Has Saved The Empire From

One Of The Greatest Dangers That It Has Ever Run.  If The Servant

Who Has Done Such A Service Should He Rewarded By Death,  By The

Punishment That The Enemies Of My People Prepare For Him In The

Darkness,  I Should