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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Away. Under The Arch Of Aptiekarski-Pereoulok He Saw Once More
The Man Koupriane Had Placed There With The Order To Bring Him
Alexis's Message. The Man Looked At Him In Astonishment.
Rouletabille Crossed The Court And Entered The Dingy Old Room Once
More. Pere Alexis Was Not There, Naturally, Engaged As He Was
In His Laboratory. But A Person Whom He Did Not Recognize At First
Sight Attracted The Reporter's Attention. In The Half-Light Of The
Shop A Melancholy Shadow Leaned Over The Ikons On The Counter. It
Was Only When He Straightened Up, With A Deep Sigh, And A Little
Light, Deflected And Yellow From Passing Through Window-Panes That
Had Known No Touch Of Cleaning Since They Were Placed There, Fell
Faintly On The Face, That Rouletabille Ascertained He Was Face To
Face With Boris Mourazoff. It Was Indeed He, The Erstwhile
Brilliant Officer Whose Elegance And Charm The Reporter Had Admired
As He Saw Him At Beautiful Natacha's Feet In The Datcha At Eliaguine.
Now, No More In Uniform, He Had Thrown Over His Bowed Shoulders A
Wretched Coat, Whose Sleeves Swayed Listlessly At His Sides, In
Part 1 Chapter 12 (Pere Alexis) Pg 158Accord With His Mood Of Languid Desperation, A Felt Hat With The
Rim Turned Down Hid A Little The Misery In His Face In These Few
Days, These Not-Many Hours, How He Was Changed! But, Even As He
Was, He Still Concerned Rouletabille. What Was He Doing There?
Was He Not Going To Go Away, Perhaps? He Had Picked Up An Ikon
From The Counter And Carried It Over To The Window To Examine Its
Oxidized Silver, Giving Such Close Attention To It That The Reporter
Hoped He Might Reach The Door Of The Laboratory Without Being
Noticed. He Already Had His Hand On The Knob Of That Door, Which
Was Behind The Counter, When He Heard His Name Called.
"It Is You, Monsieur Rouletabille," Said The Low, Sad Voice Of
Boris. "What Has Brought You Here, Then?"
"Well, Well, Monsieur Boris Mourazoff, Unless I'm Mistaken? I
Certainly Didn't Expect To Find You Here In Pere Alexis's Place."
"Why Not, Monsieur Rouletabille? One Can Find Anything Here In
Pere Alexis's Stock. See; Here Are Two Old Ikons In Wood, Carved
With Sculptures, Which Came Direct From Athos, And Can't Be Equaled,
I Assure You, Either At Gastini-Dvor Nor Even At Stchoukine-Dvor"
"Yes, Yes, That Is Possible," Said Rouletabille, Impatiently. "Are
You An Amateur Of Such Things?" He Added, In Order To Say Something.
"Oh, Like Anybody Else. But I Was Going To Tell You, Monsieur
Rouletabille, I Have Resigned My Commission. I Have Resolved To
Retire From The World; I Am Going On A Long Voyage." (Rouletabille
Thought: 'Why Not Have Gone At Once?') "And Before Going, I Have
Come Here To Supply Myself With Some Little Gifts To Send Those Of
My Friends I Particularly Care For, Although Now, My Dear Monsieur
Rouletabille, I Don't Care Much For Anything."
"You Look Desolate Enough, Monsieur."
Boris Sighed Like A Child.
"How Could It Be Otherwise?" He Said. "I Loved And Believed Myself
Beloved. But It Proved To Be - Nothing, Alas!"
"Sometimes One Only Imagines Things," Said Rouletabille, Keeping
His Hand On The Door.
"Oh, Yes," Said The Other, Growing More And More Melancholy. "So
A Man Suffers. He Is His Own Tormentor; He Himself Makes The Wheel
On Which, Like His Own Executioner, He Binds Himself."
"It Is Not Necessary, Monsieur; It Is Not Necessary," Counseled The
Reporter.
"Listen," Implored Boris In A Voice That Showed Tears Were Not Far
Away. "You Are Still A Child, But Still You Can See Things. Do
You Believe Natacha Loves Me?"
Part 1 Chapter 12 (Pere Alexis) Pg 159
"I Am Sure Of It, Monsieur Boris; I Am Sure Of It."
"I Am Sure Of It, Too. But I Don't Know What To Think Now. She
Has Let Me Go, Without Trying To Detain Me, Without A Word Of Hope."
"And Where Are You Going Like That?"
"I Am Returning To The Orel Country, Where I First Saw Her."
"That Is Good, Very Good, Monsieur Boris. At Least There You Are
Sure To See Her Again. She Goes There Every Year With Her Parents
For A Few Weeks. It Is A Detail You Haven't Overlooked, Doubtless."
"Certainly I Haven't. I Will Tell You That That Prospect Decided
My Place Of Retreat."
"See!"
"God Gives Me Nothing, But He Opens His Treasures, And Each Takes
What He Can."
"Yes, Yes; And Mademoiselle Natacha, Does She Know It Is To Orel
You Have Decided To Retire?"
"I Have No Reason For Concealing It From Her, Monsieur Rouletabille."
"So Far So Good. You Needn't Feel So Desolate, My Dear Monsieur
Boris. All Is Not Lost. I Will Say Even That I See A Future For
You Full Of Hope."
"Ah, If You Are Able To Say That Truthfully, I Am Happy Indeed To
Have Met You. I Will Never Forget This Rope You Have Flung Me When
All The Waters Seemed Closing Over My Head. 'What Do You Advise,
Then?"
"I Advise You To Go To Orel, Monsieur, And As Quickly As Possible."
"Very Well. You Must Have Reasons For Saying That. I Obey You,
Monsieur, And Go."
As Boris Started Towards The Entrance-Arch, Rouletabille Slipped
Into The Laboratory. Old Alexis Was Bent Over His Retorts. A
Wretched Lamp Barely Lighted His Obscure Work. He Turned At The
Noise The Reporter Made.
"Ah!-You, Lad!"
"'Well?"
"Oh, Nothing So Quick. Still, I Have Already Analyzed The Two
Napkins, You Know."
"Yes? The Stains? Tell Me, For The Love Of God!"
Part 1 Chapter 12 (Pere Alexis) Pg 160
"Well, My Boy, It Is Arsenate Of Soda Again."
Rouletabille, Stricken To The Heart, Uttered A Low Cry And Everything
Seemed To Dance Around Him. Pere Alexis In The Midst Of All The
Strange Laboratory Instruments Seemed Satan Himself, And He Repulsed
The Kindly Arms Stretched Forth To Sustain Him; In The Gloom, Where
Danced Here And There The Little Blue Flames From The Crucibles,
Lively As Flickering Tongues, He Believed He Saw Michael
Nikolaievitch's Ghost Come To Cry, "The Arsenate Of Soda Continues,
And I Am Dead." He Fell Against The Door, Which Swung Open, And He
Rolled As Far As The Counter, And Struck His Face Against It. The
Shock, That Might Well Have Been Fatal, Brought Him Out Of His
Intense Nightmare And Made Him Instantly Himself Again. He Rose,
Jumped Over The Heap Of Boots And Fol-De-Rols, And Leaped To The
Court. There Boris Grabbed Him By His Coat. Rouletabille Turned,
Furious:
"What Do You Want? You Haven't Started For The Orel Yet?"
"Monsieur, I Am Going, But I Will Be Very Grateful If You Will Take
These Things Yourself To - To Natacha." He Showed Him, Still With
Despairing Mien, The Two Ikons From Mount Athos, And Rouletabille
Took Them From Him, Thrust Them In His Pocket, And Hurried On,
Crying, "I Understand."
Outside, Rouletabille Tried To Get Hold Of Himself, To Recover His
Coolness A Little. Was It Possible That He Had Made A Mortal Error?
Alas, Alas, How Could He Doubt It Now! The Arsenate Of Soda
Continued. He Made, A Superhuman Effort To Ward Off The Horror Of
That, Even Momentarily - The Death Of Innocent Michael Nikolaievitch
- And To Think Of Nothing Except The Immediate Consequences, Which
Must Be Carefully Considered If He Wished To Avoid Some New
Catastrophe. Ah, The Assassin Was Not Discouraged. And That Time,
What A Piece Of Work He Had Tried! What A Hecatomb If He Had
Succeeded! The General, Matrena Petrovna, Natacha And Rouletabille
Himself (Who Almost Regretted, So Far As He Was Concerned, That It
Had Not Succeeded) - And Koupriane! Koupriane, Who Should Have
Been There For Luncheon. What A Bag For The Nihilists! That Was
It, That Was It. Rouletabille Understood Now Why They Had Not
Hesitated To Poison Everybody At Once: Koupriane Was Among Them.
Michael Nikolaievitch Would Have Been Avenged!
The Attempt Had Failed This Time, But What Might They Not Expect
Now! From The Moment He Believed Michael Nikolaievitch No Longer
Guilty, As He Had Imagined, Rouletabille Fell Into A Bottomless
Abyss.
Where Should He Go? After A Few Moments He Made The Circuit Of The
Rotunda, Which Serves As The Market For This Quarter And Is The
Finest Ornament Of Aptiekarski-Pereoulok. He Made The Circuit
Without Knowing It, Without Stopping For Anything, Without Seeing
Or Understanding Anything. As A Broken-Winded Horse Makes Its Way
In The Treadmill, So He Walked Around With The Thought That He
Part 1 Chapter 12 (Pere Alexis) Pg 161Also Was Lost In A Treadmill That Led Him Nowhere. Rouletabille
Was No Longer Rouletabille.
Part 1 Chapter 13 (The Living Bombs) Pg 162
At Random - Because Now He Could Only Act At Random - He Returned
To The Datcha. Great Disorder Reigned There. The Guard Had Been
Doubled. The General's Friends, Summoned By Trebassof, Surrounded
The Two Poisoned Sufferers And Filled The House With Their Bustling
Devotion And Their Protestations Of Affection. However,
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