The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1902-03-14

let 1 udu every reason 10 DelleNe uiu
attached to my niece Madeleine"
"Then you can see no motive for
your cashiers conductY'
The banker paused to reflect.
at is impossible for me to account
for it. l have. however, always sup
posed that Prosper was led astray by a
young man whom he met at my house
about this time, NJ. Raoul de Layers"
"Ah! And who is this young man"
"a relative of my wife. a charming
fellow, but somewhat wild. though
rich enough to pay his way"
The judge listened attentively to
this, then wrote the name Layers at
the bottom of an already long list of
his memoranda.
"Now," he said, "we are coming to
the point. You are sure that the rob-
berry was not committed by any in
your house?"
"Quite sure, monsieur"
"You always kept your keyw
Usually / carried it about on my
person, and whenever l left it at home
I put it in the secretary drawer in my
bed chamber"
"Where was it the evening of the
robbery?'
"In my secretary"
"But them
pardon me for interrupting you,"
said M. Fauvel, "and permit me to tell
you that to a safe like mine the key
is of no Importance. In the first place,
lynnyu tho xuorl ial,
the five movable buttons turn. With
the word one can open it without the
key, but without the word"-
"And this word you never told to any
one"
'To no one in the world, monsieur,
and sometimes l would have been puz-
zled to know myself with what word
the safe had been shut"
Had you forgotten it on the day of
the theft?"
"No; the word had been changed the
day before, and it's popularity struck
me-"
"What was it?"
"Gipsy-G-i-p-s-y," said the banker,
spelling the name.
Nh. LlllSChI WIotC oOWh Tic
"One more question, monsieur. Were
you at home the evening before the
robberyY'
"No; dined and spent the evening
with a friend. When 1 returned home
about 1 o'clock, my wife was in bed.
and went to bed Immediately"
"And you were ignorant of what
sum there was in the safe?"
Absolutely. After my positive or
ders could only suppose that small
sum had been left there over night. l
stated this fact to the commissary in
NJ. Bertomy's presence, and he &C.
knowledged it to be the case"
'"That will do, monsieur
M. Patrigent was we'll informed Of
the high standing of the banker and
knew almost as much Of his affairs as
did M. Fauvel himself.
He asked him to sign his testimony
and then escorted him to the door of
his Office, a rare favor on his part.
Five o'clock struck before the list of
witnesses summoned for the day was
| exhausted, but the task of NJ. Patri-
gent was not yet finished. He rang
for his bailitf, who instantly appeared,
and said to him:
go at once and bring Fanferlot
here"
1t was some time before the detec-
| tive answered the summons. Having
met a colleague on the gallery, he
thought it his duty to treat him to
drink, and the bailiff had found it nee
essary to bring him from the little inn
at the corner.
"How is it that you keep people
waitingY said the judge.
Fanferlot bowed almost to the floor.
Despite his smiling face, he was very
uneasy. To follow the Bertomy case
alone 1t required a double play that
might be discovered at any moment.
To manage at once the cause of JUS
tice and his own ambition he took
great risks, the least of which was the
losing his place.
II have had a great deal to do" he
said to excuse himself, 'and have not
lost any time"
And he began to give a detailed &C.
| count of his movements. He was en-
barrassed, for he spoke with all sorts
of restrictions, picking out what was
to be said and avoiding what was to be
left unsaid. Thus he gave the history
of Cavaillon's letter, which he handed
to the judge, but he did not breathe
word of Madeleine. On the other hand,
he gave biographical details, very mi
mute indeed, of Prosper and Mme Clip
sy, which he had collected from vari-
GUS quarters. AS he heard the story NJ.
Patrigents convictions were strength
ened.
"The young man is evidently guilty."
| he said.
Fanferlot did not reply. His opinion
was different, but he was delighted
that the judge was on the wrong track,
thinking that his own glory would
thereby be the greater when he discov-
cred the real culprit. The fact was
that this grand discovery was as far
off as it had ever been.
After hearing all he had to tell, the
! judge dismissed Fanferlot, telling him
| to return in the morning.
above all" he said as Fapferlot left