Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-01-19

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manner of living, his means of exist
enceI What were the passions, the vices
OF the man standing there with the aus
tere mien of Huguenot in front Of
! The open crave?
Bernardet saw that despite his strong
Will and his wish to stand there impas.
sivc jacques Dantin was troubled when,
with u heavy sound. the casket glided
over the cords down into the grave. He
bit the ends of his mustache and his
glovcd hand made several Irresistible
nervous movements. And the look cast
into that grave! The look cast at that
casket lying in the bottom of that
grave! On that casket was plate bear
ing the inscription, Louis Pierre Ro.
we're. That mute look, rapid and grief
stricken, was cast upon that open cas-
ket, which contained the body-the
cash across its throat, dissccted, mutt
lated the face with those dreadful eyes,
| which had been taken from their orbits
and, after delivering up their secret, re-
placed.
They now defilcd past the grave, and
Dantin, the first with hand which
trembled, sprinklcd upon the casket
those drops of water which arc for our
dead the last tears. All, but he was
pale, almost livid, and how he trem-
blcd-this man with stern facet Ber-
nardot noticed the slightest trace of
emotion. He approached in his turn
and took the holy water sprinkler Then
as he turned away, DESTROYS of catching
up with NJ. Dantin, heard his namo
called. and turning dw Paul Rodier,
whose face was all smiles.
"Well NJ Bernardet, what news?"
he asked The tall young man had a
charming air.
Nothing new," said the agent.
"Iou know that this murder has
aroused a great deal of INTEREST,""
Il do not doubt it. F"
Leon Luzarche is enchanted Yes,
Luzarchc, the novelist. He had begun
novel, of which the first installment
was published in the same paper which
brought out the first news Of the crime
of the Boulevard de Clichy, and as the
G'ICA hti0 SbiNti SbINi, EDi'i ilt lHlHhS lluU
it is his story which has caused the i'm
mcnsc and increased sales. No one is
reading 'L'Ange Gnome, but the muir
der. All novelists ought to try to have
fine assassination published at the
Same time as their serials, so as to in
crease the sales of the paper. What a
fine collaboration, monsieurl Pleasan-
try, monsieur! Have you any unpublish-
ed facts?"
mo"
"Not one? Not traco?'
Nothing" Bernardet replied
"Oh, well! II have some, monsieur
but it will surprise you. Read my
paper Make the papers sell. y"
But began the officer.
"See here! Professional secret! Only
have you thought of the woman in
black who came occasionally to see the
eX-cOnsul:''
Certainly"
"Well, she must be made to come back
that woman in black. 1t is not an
easy thing to do, but I believe that I
have ferreted her out. Yes in one of
tue PROVINCES.
"Whore?'
Professional secret" repeated the
reporter, laughing.
And if NJ. Ginory asks for your pro-
fessional secret"
81 will answer him as l answer you.
Read my paper. Read Lutece."
But the judge--to him
Professional secret" said Paul Ro-
der for the third time. But what
romance it would make! Tho woman
in black"
While listening Bernardct had not
lost sight of NJ. Dantin, who, in the
center of one of the avenues, stood look.
ing at tho slowly moving crowd of Gu
riosity seekers. He seemed to be vainly
searching for a familiar face. He looked
haggard. Whether it was grief or re-
morse, he certainly showed violent emo
ton. The police officer OWNED that
sharp struggle was taking place within
that man $ heart, and the sadness was
great with which he watched that
crowd in order to discover some familiar
face, but he behold only those of the
curious, What Bernardet considered of
the greatest Importance was not to lose
sight OF this person of whose exist
ence he was ignorant an hour before,
and who, to him, was the perpetrator