The Iola register., 1902-04-11
| ED:.S
E&aH

EEIfI had vanished He pulled his
hat over his eyes and hung his head,
as if looking for relief among the paw
ing stones. He slowly ascended the
| steps. pausing several times, at last
reaching the third floor, and stood be-
! fore a door decorated with the arms
of the famous detective-a cock, the
symbol of vigilance-and his heart fail
ed him so that he had scarcely the
courage to ring the bell. Janouille, NJ.
Lecoq's old servant, opened the door.
"Ah," she said, "you come in time
for once in your life. Your patron
awaits you.'
Upon this announcement Fanferlot
was seized with a violent desire to
beat a retreat. BY what chance could
Lecoq want anything of him? While
he thus hesltated Janouille seized him
by the arm and pulled him in, saying:
"Do you want to take root there?
Come along. Your patron is waiting
for you"
In the middle of large room curl
ously furnished. half library and half
greenroOm. was seated at desk the
same person with gold spectacles who
had said to Prosper at the police Of
fee, Courage" This was NJ. Lecoq
in his official character.
Upon Fanferlot's entrance as he ad-
vanced respectfully, bowling, NJ. Lecog
laid down his pen and said, looking
sharply at him:
"Ah, here you are, my man. We'll. 1t
seems you haven't made much prog
ress in the Bertomy case"
"Why," murmured Fanferlot, "you
know
81 know that you have mixed every
thing until you can't see your way out,
so that you are ready to give up"
But II was not p
NJ Lecoq arose and walked up and
down the room. Suddenly he confront
ed Fanferlot.
"What would you think, Master
Squirrel" he said ironically, "of man
who abuses the confidence of those
who employ him, who reveals just
enough to lead the prosecution on the
wrong scent. who sacrifices to his own
foolish vanity the cause of justice and
the liberty of an unfortunate man"
Fanferlot recoiled step.
81 should say" he stammered-T
should say
you think. Mr.. Squirrel, that this
man ought to be punished and dis
missed from his employment, and you
are right. The less a profession is
honored, the more honorable should
those be who belong to it. Neverthe-
less you have been false to yours All,
Mr.. Squirrel. we are ambitious. and
we try to make the police force serve
us. We let justice go her way and
we 90 ours"
"But | swear
"Silence! Do you pretend to say
that you did your duty in what you
told the Judge of instruction? While
others We're informing against the
cashier you undertook to inform
against the banker You spied upon
him. You became intimate with his
valet"
Was NJ. Lecoq really angry? Fan
ferlOt, who knew him well, was in
doubt. He did not know what to think
of this devil of Il man.
"If you We're only skillful," he con-
tinued. But, no; you wish to be a
master, and you are not fit to be a
journeyman"
you are right" said Fanferlot pite.
ously, seeing that it was useless to de-
ny anything But how get on with an
affair like this. where there was not
oven trace or sign to start from"
NJ. Lecoq shrugged his shoulders.
Poor fellow! Why, don't you know
that on the very day you We're sent fol-
with the commissary to verify the rob
berry you heidi do not say certainly
but very probably held-in your great
stupid hands the means of knowing
whether the key of the cashier or thu
banker had been used when the rob
berry was committedp
"What do you mean"
"You want to know2 / will tell you
Do you remember the scratch you dis
covered on the safe door? You wer,
so struck by it that you exclaimed a
seeing 1t. You carefully examined
and were convinced that it was
fresh scratch. You thought, and right
ly, too, that this scratch was made a
the time or the robbery. NOW, Wit
. what was 1t made? Evidently with
key. That being the case, you shoul'
have demanded the keys both of tn
banker and the cashier One of then
would have had some particles Of tn
, hard green paint sticking to it,"
Fanferlot listened with open moutl
to this explanation At the last word
he violently slapped his forehead wit
his hand and cried out:
, "Imbecilev
! ''You have spoken correctly" said NJ
Lecoq. "Imbecilel This proof is be
3 fore your eyes, and you do not see II
This scratch is the only clew. If
t find the guilty party, it will be b
means of this scratch, and am deter
= mined that will find him."
!. At a distance Fanferlot was yer