Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-11-23
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! should choose to do so, see everything
that went on inside Lenoir's room.
Although he made point of coming
home at midnight, or soon after, Lenor
rarely retired to bed till couple of hours
later. Listening in the silence and dark
ness, could hear him at intervals moving
about his room long after erybody was
in bed, and all the lights In Winckworlh
street but his own were extinguished
The question was. in what way did Pierre
Lenoir occupy himself during those two
hours What did he find to do at that time
in the mornings This was the problem
set myself to solve, and the examination
of Lenoir's room was but preliminary
step toward that end.
The first thing did, the day after my
visit to the Frenchman room. was to send
Tim out to buy step-ladder of certain
height. This was readily obtained, and
when Tim brought it / found that, as !
stood on the second step from the tor, my
head nearly touched the ceiling of my
room. now proceeded to mark out. on the
surface of the wall that divided my room
from Lenoir's, space measuring twelve
inches in straight line from the ceiling
downward, and tweniy-four inches across
the base.
As soon as Lenoir had gone ont for the
day instructed Tim, in the first place. to
strip the paper off the space thus marked
out, and, in the second place, to carefully
remove couple of feet of the elaborate
foliated cornice, which, as already stated,
ran round the top of the room, and ex-
tended to a depth of six inches down the
walls. This done, Tins next job was to
pick away the plaster from off the marked
space Till the bare bricks were exposed to
view. The next thing was to remove the
two top tiers OF bricks for a space of
twelve inches out of the twenty -four, and
vet leave intact and unbroken the cornce
and plaster work on Lenoir's side the wall
This proved more easy of accomplishment
than had dared to hope. The mortar
with which the bricks has been laid was
rotten with age, crumbing almost at a
touch. and was easily prodded out of the
interstices between the bricks by means of
the iron skewer which Tim made use OF
for that purpose. When this was done a
little careful manipulation enabled me to
remove the bricks one by one, Till half a
dozen of them were taken out and laid on
the floor. The plaster on the opposite
side of the wall could now be seen, and
the most difficult part of our task was yet
before US.
Next afternoon, when Lenoir had gone
out for the day and hardly any one was
left in the house, Tim, having unlocked
the door by means OF my duplicate key,
took the step-ladder and boldly planted
it and himself in the Frenchman's room,
while took up my position close to the
opening in the wall of my room.
Taking an instrument which | had
made for the purpose. Tim inserted the
point of ii between two of the leaves OF
the cornice. and pressed it forward till it
pierced clean through the plaster behind,
SO that its point became visible to me on
the other side. The tiny hole thus made
was carefully enlarged by scraping with
the knife al the plaster till an rregularly-
shaped orifice about two inches in dame
ter was cut out. A second hole was cut
a few inches farther on in the same way.
The result was that from my side of the
wall, through the opening just made,
had a clear view over about two-thirds OF
the Frenchman's room, while it was next
to impossible for him 10 detect the open
ings from his side, they being cut cut
behind the foliated work of the cornce,
and consequently all but invisible from
below. 1t was, in fact, as though | were
looking out from behind a screen of leaves,
only the leaves in this case were made OF
plaster of paris.
As soon as l was satisfied that there
was nothing more 10 be done, l plugged
up the holes with cottonwood for the
time being. Tim brought back the ladder
and carefully swept up every speck of
plaster that had fallen on the floor OF Lee
noir's room. Then we relocked The door
and waited for midnight.
As soon as twelve o'clock had struck !
took up my position on the ladder and
removed the plugs of cotton wool. The
lamp in our room was then extinguished,
and Tim coi.ed. himself up in an easy
chair, waiting till he might be wanted.
We had already provided ourselves with
slippers made OF felt, so that our move
ments might not be heard. By and by
Lenolr came home. On entering his room
he locked the door behind him, as he
always did. Then he struck match and
lighted bis lamp. Then he flung off his
coat. and sitting down with the air of a
man thoroughly tired out. he began to
smoke. After time he produced a bun
die OF letters from his pocket, and read
them through one after another. All this
was visible TO me from my eyrie close to
the ceiling. Not only could | see his
every movement, but the varying express
sions that crossed his face were plainly to
be seen. At halt-past one he went to
bed.
Two more evenings passed without
anything of consequence taking place
On both occasions Lenoir amused himself
with pack OF cards, shutting and cutting
them time after time, his object appar-
emily being to ascertain how often out of
given number Of times he could sue
coed in turning up an ace. But on the
fourth evening my patience was rewarded
He got home rather earlier than usual
and apparently in high good humor with
himself, judging from the way he kept
whistllng and singing under his breath
Coat and vest having been flung aside as
usual. and the inevitable cigarette lighted,
he went to the window and satisfied
himself that the venetians were so ar
ranged that nothing which went on inside
the room could be seen from over the
L. Il