Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-11
Synopsis of Preceding Chapters End of This
CHAPTER ~.
Maurice
CHAPTER ~.
Maurice

CHAPTER ~.
Maurice
EMILE gazed at the prone figure for an in
IL slant only, and then without further exam
nation of any kind away fast toward
the house. He was Frenchnan, and though
Frenchman have thousand fine qualities, the
quality of presence OF mind in the first moments of
a crisis is not one of them. And this was a crissl
After seven minutes of hard running, he arrived
at the house, which he had quilted by the great
glass doors the terrace. He reentered it. breath
less, by the doors, and stood, paralyzed for
lew seconds by excitement and alarm, in the vast
hall. 1t was the hour of deepest sleep He listened
lntently. Not sound reached him in the enormous
mansion. He looked through the door, The inn
1nense expanses of garden and lake utterly
deserted Suddenly nerving himself, Emile bur
red to the elevator. 1t was up at the second floor
where Carl Courlander had left it four hours ago.
b pushing button be might have brought it
down. but he ran up the wide velvet foored stair
case, and VIC emily invaded the room of Maurice.
Maurice was lying wide awake his back, his
hands e1asped under his head He started nervousy
d sn bas lifting his head with his h hands Then
coolly Anybody III
No! Yes! It's your father At the statue!'
" At the statue? How at the statue?" he looked
at the clock. Hasn't he been to bed!''
Emile shook his head You must come! Now"
Il will said Maurice, sitting up. Did he tell
YOU to bring me?'
Maurice asked no more questions He put two
garments over his pajamas, pushed his feet into
PAIR OF slippers, and seized cap. 1t was done in
I'm ready he said cod1y.
Englishmen were amazing creatures Emile
thought When You expected them to be calm,
they lost control of themselves and when you
pected them to display emotional disturbance, they
displayed nothing but the most astounding phlegm
Maurice stopped at the door of the bed room
What were you doing out there eary?" he
asked.
Il couldn't Sleep, said Emile; 80 went OUT
Il mi was Maurice's cold comment. Il couldn't
sleep either
They rushed forth. There was no other con-
versation. Emile feared to tell what he had seen
and Maurice most singularly, did not inquire
They trotted side by side down the gardens and
at last were within the shadow of the statue.
And on the great granite plinth, itself square of
fifty feet reposed the insignificant, trfling twisted
human figure whose will had caused the creation
Of the statue.
Maurice sprang up the steps of the plinth, ran
toward the body then halted few feet away from it.
He's dead!' he cried to Emile instantly Look
at the jaw-how it's fallen'
He continued to stare fxedly at the corpse with
its tragcay ridiculous attire of ceremony. A gray
wideawake, which Carl Courlander often wore at
night when taking the air, lay close at hand
"Dead?" murmured Emile
Cant you he's been murdered?' Maurice
almost shouted. He knelt suddenly by the corpse
touched the forehead, and drew away with shud-
der, without, however, rising from his knees
Stabbed" said Emile.
My God!' Maurice cried. A single terrible sob
shook him.
Shall telephone for doctor?' Emile asked
Maurice turned on him savagely, his dark I'M
brushed hair falling his forehead into his eyes,
What's the good of doctori" he demanded with
the intense irritation of wrought nerves. "Tele-
phone for the police, more like!'
Then he sighed, glanced at Emile appealinelv
and stood up, retreating to the edge of the plnth
Emile looked about, utterly perplexed and en-
barrassed, made futile and helpless by the event
Except the corpse itself there not the slightest
sign OF the unusual. No footmarks! No trace of
kind! He watched Maurice who had knet