Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-01-13


 the terrace, then you could get into the chateau by the same means.
 ''The murderer was still in the cha teau, for here were marks as of return ing footsteps. He had entered by the open window at the extremity of the 'off turning gallery; he had passed Frederic Larsan's door and mine. had turned to the right and had entered Mile Stangerson's room. l am before the door of her anteroom. It Is open. push 1t without making the least noise. Under the door of the room it. self see streak of light. I listen. No sound. not even of breathing. An, if I only knew what was passing h the silence that is behind that door! find the door locked and the key turn ed on the inner side. And the mur- derer is there perhaps. He must be there. Will he escape this time? All depends on me. I must be calm. and above all must make no false steps. must see into that room. l can enter it by Mile Stangerson's drawing room. But to do that should have to cross her boudoir. and while am there the murderer may escape by the gallery door, the door In front of which l am now standing.
 "I am sure that no other crime Is be- ing committed on this night. for there Is complete silence in the boudoir. where two nurses are taking care of Mile. Stangerson until she is restored to health.
 "As I am almost sure that the mur- derer is there, why do 1 not at once give the alarm? The murderer may perhaps escape. but perhaps l may be able to save Mile. Stangerson's life. Suppose the murderer on this occasion is not here to murderl The door has been opened to allow him to enter-by whomY Aud it has been refastened- by whom? Mile. Stangerson shuts her self up in her apartment with her nurses every night. Who turned the key of that chamber to allow the mur- derer to enter? The nurses. two faith ful domestics? The old chambermaid, Syivial It is very improbable. Be sides, they slept in the boudoir, and Mile Stangerson, very nervous and careful, NJ. Robert Darzac told me, sees to her own safety since she has been we'll enough to move about in her room, which have not yet seen her leave. This nervousness and sudden care on her part, which had struck Nj. Dssxae. had given me also food for thought. At the time of the crime in the yellow room there can be no doubt that she expected the murderer. Was he expected this night? Was it she herself who had opened her door to him? Had she some reason for do- ing so: Was she obliged to do it? Was 1t meeting for purposes of crime? Certainly it was not lovers meeting. for l believe Mile. Stanger- son adores M. Darzac.
 Tt is possible that there was some reason for the awful silence. My in- tervention might do more harm than good. How could l tellf How could I know might not any moment cause Il and know without breaking that si- fence.
 Fl left the abteroom and descended the central stairs to the vestibule and as silently as possible made my way to the little room on the ground floor where Daddy Jacques had been sleep ing since the attack made al the pa yllion.
 ''I found him dressed, his eyes wide open. almost haggard. He did not seem surprised to see me. He told me that he had got up because he had heard the cry of the Bete du Bon Dieu and because he had heard footsteps in the park close to his window, out of which he had looked and just then had seen black shadow pass by. I asked him whether he had q firearm of any kind. No, he no longer kept one since the examining magistrate had taken his revolver from him. We went out together by little back chateau to the point which is just be low Mile. StangcrSon's window.
 '1 placed Daddy Jacques against the wall, ordering him not to stir from the spot. while l. taking advan- tage of a moment when the moon was hidden by cloud, moved to the front of the window out of the patch of l light which came from 1t, for the win dow was half open. If l could only know what was passing fin that silent chamber. 1 returned to Daddy Jacques and whispered the word ladder in his ear. At first l had thought of the tree which week ago served me for an observatory, but l immediately saw that from the way the window was half opened should not be able to see from that point of view anything that was passing in the room, and l want ed not only to see, but to bear. and to l act.
 Greatly agitated, almost trembling, Daddy Jacques disappeared for a mo- ! ment and returned without the ladder, but making signs to me with his arms II -N. uz. k1 =