The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-12-14

As bernier nau Deen keeping constant guard before the door of the room, as he had kept the key in his pocket and as we had proved by our investigation that the place was empty when we had left it we had established the fact that when Darzae entered his roex1 there could be no one else there And this is the truth.
 At the moment that we saw Darzac go 70 his room we heard a clock strike 5.
 Rouletabille and I remained chatting upon the platform of the tower B for another hour. Suddenly my friend struck me a little tap on the shoul- der and exclaimed, For my part I think And then, without complet- ing the sentence, he started for the square tower. I followed him.
 He thought of Mere Bernier's bag of potatoes which he emptied out on the white floor of the room to the great nmazenent of the good woman; then, shtisfed with this act, which evidently corresponded to the state of his mind, he returned with me, while behind us we could hear Pere Bernier laughing as he picked up the potatoes.
 
 face of Mme. Darzac> appearing for a moment at the window of the room oc- cupied by her father on the first story of Ia Louve.
 The heat had become insupportable. We were threatened with a violent storm, and we believed that it would begin to Tighten Immediately and re- lieve us.
 A few drops of water had begun to fan.
 We turned to the door of M. Darzac'S room. Bernier was smoking his pipe in the corridor, sitting astride chair.
 'Ts M. Darzac stin there?' asked Rouletabille.
 He hasn't stirred since he went in,y Bernier replied.
 We knocked. We heard the heavy bolt drawn from the inside. These bolts can only be used by the person within the room-D
 Darzzc was writing letters when we entered He had been seated beside a little reading table facing the door.
 Now mark well all our movements. RouletabfIie complained that the let ter which he held in his hand con firmed the telegram which he had re- ceived in the morning and pressed him to return to Paris. His paper insisted upon his proceeding at once to Russia.
 Darxac read indiferently the two or three letters which we had brought him and put them in his pocket. now held out to Rouletabille a letter which had received. It was from my friend in Paris, who. after having given me some important details re- gardine the departure of Brignolles. informed me that the latter had left his address for mail to be forwarded to Sospel, the Hotel des Alps. This and Rouletabiile were greatly excited over it. We decided to go to Sospel as soon as it could be arranged. and we went out of the room. The door of Mime. Darzac's sleeping room was not closed.
 I have mentioned that Mime. Darzac was not in her own room
 Then the three of us went out of the square tower, leaving Pere Bernier in his corridor like the good watchdog that he never ceased to be until the last day of his life.
 1t was about half past 6 o'clock when. in emerging from the square tower, we went to pay a visit to Old Bob in the round tower, Rouletabille. Darzac and I. As soon as we entered the low basement Darzac uttered an exclamation of surprise at seeing the destruction which had been wrought upon wash drawing upon which he had been working and which repre- sented the plan for . great sealing ladder for the Fort of Hercules of the kind which had existed in the fifteenth century. This drawing had been gash- ed with a knife and paint had been smeared over 1t. He endeavored in vain to obtain some explanation from Old Bob.
 As Old Bob seemed to be in a churl- ish humor. we left him-that is, Roule- tabilie and myself did. Nj. Darzac re- mained gazing at his spoiled drawing, but thinking, doubtless: of altogether different things.
 As we went out we raised our eyes to the sky. which was rapidly becom- Ing covered with great black clouds. The tempest was near at hand.
 'T am going to lie down in my room," I said. T can't stand any more Of this. Perhaps it may be cooler there with all the windows open"
 Rouletabille followed me into the new castle. Suddenly, as we reached the first landing of our winding stair ease. he stonrrd me;
 To be Continued.) >rrrar1r rV-rcr->- >rk>-