The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1909-03-18

proof that he had not been wounded ~
the hand
when we were alone together | told
him how / had CHANGED To overhear q
part of his conversation with Mile.
Stangerson in the garden OF the Elysee,
and when ! repeated to him the words,
Must ] commit a crime, then, TO win
YOUR he was greatly troubled, though
much less so than he had been by hear
Ing me repeat the phrase about the
presbytery. What threw him into a
state OF real CONSERVATION was TO
learn from me that the day on which
he had gone to meet Mile. StangcrSol
at the Elysce was the very day on
which she had gone to the postofficc
for the letter. 1t was that letter per
haps which ended with the words,
The presbytery has lost nothing Of its
charm nor the garden It's brightness.
My surmisc was confirmed by my find
ing, IL you remember, in the ashes Of
the laboratory the fragment Of paper
dated oct. %. The letter had been
written ana withdrawn from the post
Office on the same day.
There can be no doubt that Oh re-
turning from the ElySec that night
Mile. Stangerson had tried to destroy
that compromising paper. 1t was in
vain that NJ. DarZac denied that that
letter had anything whatever to do
with the crime. | told him that in an
affair so filled with mystery as this he
had no right to hide this letter; that
was persuaded it was Of considerable
Importance hat the desperate tone In
which Mile. Stangerson had %pronounc-
ed the phrase; that his own tears and
the threat Of a crime which he had
professed after the letter was read
all these facts tended to leave NJ room
for me to doubt. NJ DarZac became
more and more agitatcd, and I deter
mined To take advantage OF the effect
! had produced on him. 'You were on
the point OF being married. monsieur
| said n~egligently and without looking
at him. and suddenly your marriage
becomes impossible because of the
writer Of that letter-because as soon
as his letter was read you spoke OF the
necessity for a crime to win Mile
Stangerson. Therefore there Is some
one between you and her-some one
who is preventing your marriage
with her; some Il who has at
tempted to kill her SO that she
should not be able to marry And
| concluded with these words: Now,
monsieur, you have only to tell me in
confidence the name Of the murderer
The words | had uttered must have
struck him ominously, for when |
turned my eyes on him | saw that his
face was haggard, the perspiration
standing on his forehead aud terror
showing in his eyes.
Monsieur he said to me, 4 am
going to ask of YOU something which
may appear insane. but in exchange
for which | place my life in your
hands. You must not tell the magiS-
tratcs Of what you saw and heard in
the garden Of the Elysee; neither to
them nor to anybody. ] swear to You
that | am Innocent, and ] know. | feel,
| that YOU believe me, but | would rath-
rr be taken for the guilty man than
see justice go astray on that phrase,
The presbytery has lost nothing of
Its charm nor the garden Its bright
ness" The judges must know moth.
ing about that phrase. All this mat
ter is In your hands. Monsieur, !
leave 1t there. but forget the evening
ut the Elysee. A hundred other roads
ava nnAn IA vn.Y In rnpr Coorrh far
the criminal. 1 will open them for
you myself, will help you. viii
you take up your quarters here? You
may remain here to do as you please,
Eat, sleep here, watch my actions. the
, actions of all here. You shall be mas
ter Of the Chandler, monsieur. but for
get the evening at the Elysee.'"
Roufetabille here paused to take
breath, | now understood what had
appeared SO unexplainable In the de
meanor OF NJ. Robert DarZac toward
my friend aud the facility with which
the young reporter had been able t.
install himself on the scene Of the
crime.
Everything seems to be pointing
against him." continued my friend
land the situation is becoming ex
ceedingly grave. NJ. DarZac appears
not to mind it much. but In that he is
wrong. | vas interested only in the
health Of Mile. ~Stangerson, which was
daily Improving. when something &C,
Cured that Is even more mysterious
than-than the mystery Of the yellow
room"
"Impossible!" | cried. what could
be more mysterious than that?"
let us first go back to NJ. Robert
Darzac." said Rouletabille, calming
me. II have said that everything
seems to be pointing against him. The
marks Of the nea boots found by
Frederic Larsan appear to be really
the footprints Of Mile. S~tangerson'i
nance. The marks made by the bicycl.
may have been made by his bicycle
He had usually left 1t at the chateau
Why did he take II to Paris on thai
particular occasiony Was It because
he was not going to return again to the
chateauf Was II because, owing to the
breaking OF Of his marriage, his rela.
flnnS Nth TIA HtovUarcocs N a.