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第33章

the mystery of the yellow room-第33章

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〃She is there; shedding about her the perfume of the lady in black。
At last; I see her; in the silence of her chamber。  Since the fatal
hour of the mystery of The Yellow Room; we have hung about this
invisible and silent woman to learn what she knows。  Our desires;
our wish to know must be a torment to her。  Who can tell that; should
we learn the secret of her mystery; it would not precipitate a
ragedy more terrible than that which had already been enacted here?
Who can tell if it might not mean her death?  Yet it had brought her
close to death; … and we still knew nothing。  Or; rather; there are
some of us who know nothing。  But I … if I knew who; I should know
all。  Who? … Who? … Not knowing who; I must remain silent; out of
pity for her。  For there is no doubt that she knows how he escaped
from The Yellow Room; and yet she keeps the secret。  When I know
who; I will speak to him … to him!〃

〃She looked at us now … with a far…away look in her eyes … as if we
were not in the chamber。  Monsieur Stangerson broke the silence。
He declared that; henceforth; he would no more absent himself from
his daughter's apartments。  She tried to oppose him in vain。  He
adhered firmly to his purpose。  He would install himself there this
very night; he said。  Solely concerned for the health of his
daughter; he reproached her for having left her bed。  Then he
suddenly began talking to her as if she were a little child。  He
smiled at her and seemed not to know either what he said or what he
did。  The illustrious professor had lost his head。  Mademoiselle
Stangerson in a tone of tender distress said: 'Father! … father!'
Daddy Jacques blows his nose; and Frederic Larsan himself is obliged
to turn away to hide his emotion。  For myself; I am able neither to
think or feel。  I felt an infinite contempt for myself。

〃It was the first time that Frederic Larsan; like myself; found
himself face to face with Mademoiselle Stangerson since the attack
in The Yellow Room。  Like me; he had insisted on being allowed to
question the unhappy lady; but he had not; any more than had I; been
permitted。  To him; as to me; the same answer had always been given:
Mademoiselle Stangerson was too weak to receive us。  The questionings
of the examining magistrate had over…fatigued her。  It was evidently
intended not to give us any assistance in our researches。  I was not
surprised; but Frederic Larsan had always resented this conduct。  It
is true that he and I had a totally different theory of the crime。

〃I still catch myself repeating from the depths of my heart: 'Save
her! … save her without his speaking!'  Who is he … the murderer?
Take him and shut his mouth。  But Monsieur Darzac made it clear that
in order to shut his mouth he must be killed。  Have I the right to
kill Mademoiselle Stangerson's murderer?  No; I had not。  But let
him only give me the chance!  Let me find out whether he is really
a creature of flesh and blood! … Let me see his dead body; since
it cannot be taken alive。

〃If I could but make this woman; who does not even look at us;
understand!  She is absorbed by her fears and by her father's
distress of mind。  And I can do nothing to save her。  Yes; I will
go to work once more and accomplish wonders。

〃I move towards her。  I would speak to her。  I would entreat her
to have confidence in me。  I would; in a word; make her understand
… she alone … that I know how the murderer escaped from The Yellow
Room … that I have guessed the motives for her secrecy … and that I
pity her with all my heart。  But by her gestures she begged us to
leave her alone; expressing weariness and the need for immediate
rest。  Monsieur Stangerson asked us to go back to our rooms and
thanked us。  Frederic Larsan and I bowed to him and; followed by
Daddy Jacques; we regained the gallery。  I heard Larsan murmur:
'Strange!  strange!' He made a sign to me to go with him into his
room。  On the threshold he turned towards Daddy Jacques。

〃'Did you see him distinctly?' he asked。

〃'Who?'

〃'The man?'

〃'Saw him! … why; he had a big red beard and red hair。'

〃'That's how he appeared to me;' I said。

〃'And to me;' said Larsan。

〃The great Fred and I were alone in his chamber; now; to talk over
this thing。  We talked for an hour; turning the matter over and
viewing it from every side。  From the questions put by him; from
the explanation which he gives me; it is clear to me that … in spite
of all our senses … he is persuaded the man disappeared by some
secret passage in the chateau known to him alone。

〃'He knows the chateau;' he said to me; 'he knows it well。'

〃'He is a rather tall man … well…built;' I suggested。

〃'He is as tall as he wants to be;' murmured Fred。

〃'I understand;' I said; 'but how do you account for his red hair
and beard?'

〃'Too much beard … too much hair … false;' says Fred。

〃'That's easily said。  You are always thinking of Robert Darzac。
You can't get rid of that idea?  I am certain that he is innocent。'

〃'So much the better。  I hope so; but everything condemns him。  Did
you notice the marks on the carpet? … Come and look at them。'

〃'I have seen them; they are the marks of the neat boots; the same
as those we saw on the border of the lake。'

〃'Can you deny that they belong to Robert Darzac?'

〃'Of course; one may be mistaken。'

〃'Have you noticed that those footprints only go in one direction?
… that there are no return marks?  When the man came from the
chamber; pursued by all of us; his footsteps left no traces behind
them。'

〃'He had; perhaps; been in the chamber for hours。  The mud from his
boots had dried; and he moved with such rapidity on the points of
his toes … We saw him running; but we did not hear his steps。'

〃I suddenly put an end to this idle chatter … void of any logic; and
made a sign to Larsan to listen。

〃'There … below; some one is shutting a door。'

〃I rise; Larsan follows me; we descend to the ground…floor of the
chateau。  I lead him to the little semi…circular room under the
terrace beneath the window of the 'off…turning' gallery。  I point
to the door; now closed; open a short time before; under which a
shaft of light is visible。

〃'The forest…keeper!' says Fred。

〃'Come on!' I whisper。

〃Prepared … I know not why … to believe that the keeper is the
guilty man … I go to the door and rap smartly on it。  〃Some might
think that we were rather late in thinking of the keeper; since our
first business; after having found that the murderer had escaped us
in the gallery; ought to have been to search everywhere else;
… around the chateau; … in the park …

〃Had this criticism been made at the time; we could only have
answered that the assassin had disappeared from the gallery in such
a way that we thought he was no longer anywhere!  He had eluded us
when we all had our hands stretched out ready to seize him … when
we were almost touching him。  We had no longer any ground for hoping
that we could clear up the mystery of that night。

〃As soon as I rapped at the door it was opened; and the keeper
asked us quietly what we wanted。  He was undressed and preparing
to go to bed。  The bed had not yet been disturbed。

〃We entered and I affected surprise。

〃'Not gone to bed yet?'

〃'No;' he replied roughly。  'I have been making a round of the park
and in the woods。  I am only just back … and sleepy。  Good…night!'

〃'Listen;' I said。  'An hour or so ago; there was a ladder close by
your window。'

〃'What ladder? … I did not see any ladder。  Good…night!'

〃And he simply put us out of the room。  When we were outside I
looked at Larsan。  His face was impenetrable。

'Well?' I said。

〃'Well?' he repeated。

〃'Does that open out any new view to you?'

〃There was no mistaking Larsan's bad temper。  On re…entering the
chateau; I heard him mutter:

〃'It would be strange … very strange … if I had deceived myself on
that point!'

〃He seemed to be talking to me rather than to himself。  He added:
〃'In any case; we shall soon know what to think。  The morning will
bring light with it。'〃





CHAPTER XVIII

Rouletabille Has Drawn a Circle Between the Two Bumps on His Forehead


(EXTRACT FROM THE NOTE…BOOK

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