, 1888-12-02

IL have seen the piece at least half u
dozen times. and he was In the theatre
every time, Men have told me the same
thing. 1t Is a kind Of MAMMA diseased
vRnity-I suppose. He likes to see him.
self on the stage-the central figure, the
oynosure of every eye"
The man they spoke OF approached and
passed toward the theatre. Tall, slim,
well dressed. with a light coat over
his evening suit, palcf with a liked look
about the eyes. a curious mobility about
tho mouth.
'He looks harasscd and Ill.,, saId tho
young man.
"Overwork, brain pressure" said the
elder. II SHOULD not DO surprised II |
were to near within tho next fow months
that Marc Avalon had gone off his head"
Cauler rose and followed the great
chemist into tho theatre. followed him to
tho door of his avant-sceno, and then went
round tho other side Of the house. and got
a stall from which he could observe tho
fnce in tho shadow Of the curtain us well
as the lowered lights would allow.
That idea of his prince of science being
OH tho verge Of lunacy had started q Gu.
riouH train ofsthought in the brain of tho
skilled detoctivo, He had some time since
made up his mind that the murders of tho
Rue Ste. Marguerite. the Rue do In Vieille
a"AAA ~ hAA nv AhAA' AANH htNtN mCIb LDO
work OF tho same hand. and that the hand
of q homicidal maniac: but 1t had mover
occurred TO him that these CHASTITY, mo
tivoless. Insane murders might DO tho re-
production OF something shown upon the
stage Of u Pnrlsian theatre. Tonight, for
the first time. he. tho busy w~orklngman,
whose hours were gold. saw the grisly
play which all the idlers OF Paris had been
gloating upon for tho last four or five
,t,ppthu D,,I Ia, ala, -ox- -. L.II...l ~
he saw, tho germ and suggestion Of those
strange and bloody assassinations which
had convulsod the city.
Such n play, acting upon the prepared
mind of an unrevealed ~lunntic, might In.
spire n sudden ~sanguinary impulse, an
Itching engerncss TO taste those sensations
and emotions depicted In nl their hidcous-
ness by tho actor, That which was APP
palltng and rovolting TO sano minds might
exercise "A morbid fascination upon tho
insane. The higher the education and
the greater tho refinement, the deeper
might be tho descent Into crime.
The detective hung about the vcstibule
TIL he saw Marc Avalon leave the theatre.
and was able to keep him In sight without
appearing to follow him. An elderly man,
who looked like u doctor. accosted the
savant as he went out, and the two mon
walked along the boulevard together In
$1,000 AAeHN 80 80 10 ANAAA -
whore they went In. Cnulor had followed
close enough to DO ablo to overhcar their
conversation, which was upon indifferent
subjects, The chemists friend remarked
upon his looking Ill aud wearied. aud
demonstrated with him for overengcrness
in his scientific experiments.
You are trying to get a quart OF water
into II pint bottle he said; nobody ever
succeeded In doing that yet. Take care
you don't burst the bottle. There are
very few mon of your age who have made
us great n mark upon the century as you
have, Can't you DO content to rest upon
your laurels2'
Il am not ovorworling my brain"
Avalon answered, doggedly. You talk
to me as If | were an incipient lunatic.
Do you see any signs of overwork about
meT'
Yes. several-hurrY, pallor. dry lips
and u tendency to laugh at things that
mako other men serious. | am talking to
you as your old friend. with perfect
frankness."
My dear Pignon. this is the common
cry when a man devotes himself to bis
profession and succeeds u little better
than his fellow workers. Overstrain,
brain work. incipient madnessl That is
what his friends say about him. Kindly
meant, no doubt, but arrant twaddlel"
They went into the cafe, came out again
in n quarter OF IN hour, when Avalon
hailed n cab.
The detective followed him In another.
The fly deposited him at his own house In
the Rue st. Guillaume. Cauler drove TO
the end of the street, dismissed his cab
and went back to Marc Avalon's doorway
on foot. The house in which the chemist
lived was a fino old mansion in a quad.
rangular court, dull. dignifed, respect
alba Il r,.a.1. .slA - IL
court yard was black as Erebus at this
hour, save for one lamp which burned
dimly over the porte cochere. There was
plenty of cover for the detective.
He saw the light of a lamp travel
slowly through two rooms upon the
second floor and finally settled in a third
room.
Tho rternal Venetian shutters were
closed, but there were no curtains drawn
within, and the lamplight shone betwixt I
the wooden bars.
embrasure of a doorway leading to the
offices, an obscure doorway In a corner of
the great, grave house, as II he meant to
stay there half the night. A curious
waste of power, one might suppose, this
watch In the Rue st. Guillaume,
but Of late Cauler had been wasting much
power in hunting will -o'-the-wisps across
Inc morhsS OF Paris, and one ignuS-fatuuS
Is as good as another. Tonight 1t was
Cauler's whim to watch the windows of
Marc Avalon.
The lamplight continued u~ndisturbed
for an hour and a half. The third quar-
ter after ! tolled heavily from the tower
of Notre Dame yonder, and other church
chimes repeated the solemn measure.
Suddenly those windows on the second
grew dark. This time the light did
not travel from room to room; 1t was ex-
tinguished on the spot.
The man of science has gone to bed"
said Cauler, with a touch of ~disappoint-
ment. 81 may 30 home and get my
supper"
lie waited some minutes notwithstand-
ing, and, looking up presently. he gave a
cry of triumphant surprise.
"Dieu de Dieul have hit 1t this time"
he muttered.
There was a light shining through the
Of those three upper windows-a
light more vivid than the shine of the
lamp, a fiery crimson glow, such
as he had seen In tho theatre three hours
ago, In tho famous laboratory scene. 1t
three or four minutes, and then
came darkness again.
b time Cauler had no idea of going
home to supper. He waited for the ex-
pected opening of door or window.
TN nopna rraaanN1-, n ,-I.Jo-. -, A..