The Secret Of The Night(Fiscle Part 3) by Gaston Leroux (best business books of all time txt) 📖
- Author: Gaston Leroux
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Back And Lugged Him To His Chamber. In That Also She Refused Aid
From Anyone. The General Clung To His Wife's Neck During The Ascent
And Laughed Like A Child. Rouletabille Remained In The Hallway,
Watching The Garden Attentively. Ermolai Walked Out Of The Villa
And Crossed The Garden, Going To Meet A Personage In Uniform Whom
The Young Man Recognized Immediately As The Grand-Marshal Of The
Court, Who Had Introduced Him To The Tsar. Ermolai Informed Him
That Madame Matrena Was Engaged In Helping Her Husband Retire, And
The Marshal Remained At The End Of The Garden Where He Had Found
Michael And Boris Talking In The Kiosque. All Three Remained There
For Some Time In Conversation, Standing By A Table Where General
And Madame Trebassof Sometimes Dined When They Had No Guests. As
They Talked The Marshal Played With A Box Of White Cardboard Tied
Part 1 Chapter 5 (By Rouletabille's Order The General Promenades) Pg 60With A Pink String. At This Moment Matrena, Who Had Not Been Able
To Resist The Desire To Talk For A Moment With Rouletabille And
Tell Him How Happy She Was, Rejoined The Young Man.
"Little Domovoi," Said She, Laying Her Hand On His Shoulder, "You
Have Not Watched On This Side?"
She Pointed In Her Turn To The Dining-Room.
"No, No. You Have Seen It, Madame, And I Am Sufficiently Informed."
"Perfectly. There Is Nothing. No One Has Worked There! No One
Has Touched The Board. I Knew It. I Am Sure Of It. It Is Dreadful
What We Have Thought About It! Oh, You Do Not Know How Relieved And
Happy I Am. Ah, Natacha, Natacha, I Have Not Loved You In Vain.
(She Pronounced These Words In Accents Of Great Beauty And Tragic
Sincerity.) When I Saw Her Leave Us, My Dear, Ah, My Legs Sank
Under Me. When She Said, 'I Have Forgotten Something; I Must Hurry
Back,' I Felt I Had Not The Strength To Go A Single Step. But Now
I Certainly Am Happy, That Weight At Least Is Off My Heart, Off My
Heart, Dear Little Domovoi, Because Of You, Because Of You."
She Embraced Him, And Then Ran Away, Like One Possessed, To Resume
Her Post Near The General.
Notes In Rouletabille's Memorandum-Book: The Affair Of The Little
Cavity Under The Floor Not Having Been Touched Again Proves Nothing
For Or Against Natacha (Even Though That Excellent Matrena Petrovna
Thinks So). Natacha Could Very Well Have Been Warned By The Too
Great Care With Which Madame Matrena Watched The Floor. My Opinion,
Since I Saw Matrena Lift The Carpet The First Time Without Any Real
Precaution, Is That They Have Definitely Abandoned The Preparation
Of That Attack And Are Trying To Account For The Secret Becoming
Known. What Matrena Feels So Sure Of Is That The Trap I Laid By
The Promenade To The Point Was Against Natacha Particularly. I
Knew Beforehand That Natacha Would Absent Herself During The
Promenade. I'm Not Looking For Anything New From Natacha, But What
I Did Need Was To Be Sure That Matrena Didn't Detest Natacha, And
That She Had Not Faked The Preparations For An Attack Under The
Floor In Such A Way As To Throw Almost Certain Suspicion On Her
Step-Daughter. I Am Sure About That Now. Matrena Is Innocent Of
Such A Thing, The Poor Dear Soul. If Matrena Had Been A Monster
The Occasion Was Too Good. Natacha's Absence, Her Solitary
Presence For A Quarter Of An Hour In The Empty Villa, All Would
Have Urged Matrena, Whom I Sent Alone To Search Under The Carpet
In The Dining-Room, To Draw The Last Nails From The Board If She
Was Really Guilty Of Having Drawn The Others. Natacha Would Have
Been Lost Then! Matrena Returned Sincerely, Tragically Happy At
Not Having Found Anything New, And Now I Have The Material Proof
That I Needed. Morally And Physically Matrena Is Removed From It.
So I Am Going To Speak To Her About The Hat-Pin. I Believe That
The Matter Is Urgent On That Side Rather Than On The Side Of The
Nails In The Floor.
Part 1 Chapter 6 (The Mysterious Hand) Pg 61
After The Departure Of Matrena, Rouletabille Turned His Attention
To The Garden. Neither The Marshal Of The Court Nor The Officers
Were There Any Longer. The Three Men Had Disappeared. Rouletabille
Wished To Know At Once Where They Had Gone. He Went Rapidly To The
Gate, Named The Officers And The Marshal To Ermolai, And Ermolai
Made A Sign That They Had Passed Out. Even As He Spoke He Saw The
Marshal's Carriage Disappear Around A Corner Of The Road. As To
The Two Officers, They Were Nowhere On The Roadway. He Was
Surprised That The Marshal Should Have Gone Without Seeing Matrena
Or The General Or Himself, And, Above All, He Was Disquieted By The
Disappearance Of The Orderlies. He Gathered From The Gestures Of
Ermolai That They Had Passed Before The Lodge Only A Few Minutes
After The Marshal's Departure. They Had Gone Together. Rouletabille
Set Himself To Follow Them, Traced Their Steps In The Soft Earth Of
The Roadway And Soon They Crossed Onto The Grass. At This Point
The Tracks Through The Massed Ferns Became Very Difficult To Follow.
He Hurried Along, Bending Close To The Ground Over Such Traces As He
Could See, Which Continually Led Him Astray, But Which Conducted Him
Finally To The Thing That He Sought. A Noise Of Voices Made Him
Raise His Head And Then Throw Himself Behind A Tree. Not Twenty
Steps From Him Natacha And Boris Were Having An Animated
Conversation. The Young Officer Held Himself Erect Directly In
Front Of Her, Frowning And Impatient. Under The Uniform Cloak That
He Had Wrapped About Him Without Having Bothered To Use The Sleeves,
Which Were Tossed Up Over His Chest, Boris Had His Arms Crossed.
His Entire Attitude Indicated Hauteur, Coldness And Disdain For
What He Was Hearing. Natacha Never Appeared Calmer Or More Mistress
Of Herself. She Talked To Him Rapidly And Mostly In A Low Voice.
Sometimes A Word In Russian Sounded, And Then She Resumed Her Care
To Speak Low. Finally She Ceased, And Boris, After A Short Silence,
In Which He Had Seemed To Reflect Deeply, Pronounced Distinctly
These Words In French, Pronouncing Them Syllable By Syllable, As
Though To Give Them Additional Force:
"You Ask A Frightful Thing Of Me."
"It Is Necessary To Grant It To Me," Said The Young Girl With
Singular Energy. "You Understand, Boris Alexandrovitch! It Is
Necessary."
Part 1 Chapter 6 (The Mysterious Hand) Pg 62
Her Gaze, After She Had Glanced Penetratingly All Around Her And
Discovered Nothing Suspicious, Rested Tenderly On The Young
Officer, While She Murmured, "My Boris!" The Young Man Could Not
Resist Either The Sweetness Of That Voice, Nor The Captivating Charm
Of That Glance. He Took The Hand She Extended Toward Him And Kissed
It Passionately. His Eyes, Fixed On Natacha, Proclaimed That He
Granted Everything That She Wished And Admitted Himself Vanquished.
Then She Said, Always With That Adorable Gaze Upon Him, "This
Evening!" He Replied, "Yes, Yes. This Evening! This Evening!"
Upon Which Natacha Withdrew Her Hand And Made A Sign To The Officer
To Leave, Which He Promptly Obeyed. Natacha Remained There Still A
Long Time, Plunged In Thought. Rouletabille Had Already Taken The
Road Back To The Villa. Matrena Petrovna Was Watching For His
Return, Seated On The First Step Of The Landing On The Great
Staircase Which Ran Up From The Veranda. When She Saw Him She Ran
To Him. He Had Already Reached The Dining-Room.
"Anyone In The House?" He Asked.
"No One. Natacha Has Not Returned, And ..."
"Your Step-Daughter Is Coming In Now. Ask Her Where She Has Been,
If She Has Seen The Orderlies, And If They Said They Would Return
This Evening, In Case She Answers That She Has Seen Them."
"Very Well, Little Domovoi Doukh. The Orderlies Left Without My
Seeing When They Went."
"Ah," Interrupted Rouletabille, "Before She Arrives, Give Me All
Her Hat-Pins."
"What!"
"I Say, All Her Hat-Pins. Quickly!"
Matrena Ran To Natacha's Chamber And Returned With Three Enormous
Hat-Pins With Beautifully-Cut Stones In Them.
"These Are All?"
"They Are All I Have Found. I Know She Has Two Others. She Has
One On Her Head, Or Two, Perhaps; I Can't Find Them."
"Take These Back Where You Found Them," Said The Reporter, After
Glancing At Them.
Matrena Returned Immediately, Not Understanding What He Was Doing.
"And Now, Your Hat-Pins. Yes, Your Hat-Pins."
"Oh, I Have Only Two, And Here They Are," Said She, Drawing Them
From The Toque She Had Been Wearing And Had Thrown On The Sofa When
She Re-Entered The House.
Part 1 Chapter 6 (The Mysterious Hand) Pg 63
Rouletabille Gave Hers The Same Inspection.
"Thanks. Here Is Your Step-Daughter."
Natacha Entered, Flushed And Smiling.
"Ah, Well," Said She, Quite Breathless, "You May Boast That I Had
To Search For You. I Made The Entire Round, Clear Past The Barque.
Has The Promenade Done Papa Good?"
"Yes, He Is Asleep," Replied Matrena. "Have You Met Boris And
Michael?"
She Appeared To Hesitate A Second, Then Replied:
"Yes, For An Instant."
"Did They Say Whether They Would Return This Evening?"
"No," She Replied, Slightly Troubled. "Why All These Questions?"
She Flushed Still More.
"Because I Thought It Strange," Parried Matrena, "That They Went
Away As They Did, Without Saying Goodby, Without A Word, Without
Inquiring If The General Needed Them. There Is Something Stranger
Yet. Did You See Kaltsof With Them, The Grand-Marshal Of The Court?"
"No."
"Kaltsof Came For A Moment, Entered The Garden And Went Away Again
Without Seeing Us, Without Saying Even A Word To The General."
"Ah," Said Natacha.
With Apparent Indifference, She Raised Her Arms And Drew Out Her
Hat-Pins. Rouletabille Watched The Pin Without A Word. The Young
Girl Hardly Seemed Aware
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