The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1909-01-30

door had certainly been burst open
from the outside, and, further. that
the key had been found in the lock on
the inside of the chamber. He finally
satisfied himself that with the key in
the lock the door could not possibly
be opened from without with another
key. Having made sure of all these
details, he let fall these words, THAT'S
betterv' Then, sitting down on the
ground, he hastily took off his boots
and in his socks went into the room.
The first thing he did was to exam
inc minutely the overturned furniture.
We watched him in silence.
young fellow, you are giving your
self great deal of trouble" said Dad
dy Jacques ironically.
Rouletabille raised his head and
said:
you have spoken the simple truth,
Daddy Jacques. Your mistress did
not have her hair in bands that even
ing. | was a donkey to have believed
she did"
Then, with the suppleness Of ser
pent, he slipped under the bed. Pres
emily we heard him ask:
"At what time, NJ. Jacques, did NJ.
and Mile. Stangerson arrive at the
laboratory"
"At 6 O'clock"
The voice of Rouletabille continued:
Eyes, he's been under here, that's
certain. In fact, there was nowhere
also u,bara ba could bova hiddap him
self. Here, too, are the marks of his
hobnails. When you entered, all four
of you, did you look under the bed"
"At once. We drew 1t right out Of its
place."
"And between the mattressesr
"There was only one on the bed, and
on that mademoiselle was placed, and
NJ. Stangerson and the concierge i'm
mediately carried 1t into the labora-
tory. Under the mattress there was
nothing but the metal netting which
could not conceal anything or any
body. Remember. monsieur, that there
were four Of us, and we couldn't fail
to see everything, the chamber is 80
small and scantily furnished, and all
was locked behind in the pavilion"
ventured on a hypothesis:
perhaps he got away with the mat
tress-in the mattress! Anything Is
possible in the face Of such mystery.
In their distress of mind NJ. Stanger-
son and the concierge may not have
noticed they were bearing q double
weight, especially If the concierge
were an accomplice. I throw out this
hypothesis for what 1t is worth, but 1t
explains many things and particularly
the fact that neither the laboratory
nor the vestibule bears any traces Of
the footmarks found in the room. If
in carrying mademoiselle on the mat
tress from the laboratory they rested
for moment there might have been
an opportunity for the man In 1t to
escape"
"And then?" asked Rouletabille, de-
liberately laughing under the bed.
felt rather veXed and replied:
81 don't know. but anything appears
possible"
"rhe examining magistrate had the
same idea, monsieur" said Daddy
jacques. 'and he carefully examined
the mattress. He was obliged to laugh
It the idea, monsieur as your frie'u
d doing now, for whoever heard OF
mattress having q double bottom"
My friend alone seemed able to talk
iltelligently. He called out from un-
l,r the bed:
| hoc pt,f
,f place. Who did it,"
we did, monsieur" explained Dad
dy Jacques. when we could not find
the assassin we asked ourselves
whether there was not some hole in
the floor"
''There is not" replied Rouletabille.
"Is there cellar?"
"No, there's no cellar. But that has
not stopped our searching and has not
prevented the examining magistrate
) and his registrar from studying the
floor plank by plank, as If there had
been cellar under it."
The reporter then reappeared. His
eyes were sparkling and his nostrils
quivered. He remained on his hands
and knees. Thus he made his way to
the four corners of the room, so to
speak, shifting and going around ev
erything- everything that we could
J see, which was not much, and every
. thing that we could not see, which
must have been infinite.
The toilet table was a simple table
standing on four legs. There was
! nothing about it by which 1t could
possibly be changed into temporary
! hiding place. There was not closet
or cupboard. Mile. Stangerson KEEP
! her wardrobe at the chateau.
Rouletabille literally passed his nost
] and hands along the walls. constructed
3 of solid brickwork. When he hat
] finished with the walls and passed hi.
J agile fingers over every portion of thu
t yellow paper covering them he reached
to the ceiling, which he was able t,
touch by mounting on chair placet
3 on the toilet table, and by moving
this ingeniously constructed stag
from place to place he examined ev
3 cry foot of it. When he had finishe,
his scrutiny of the ceiling, where h.
4 | oa rafullv ayaminpd fha hole made h