Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-03-04

derpr. The anteTOom uoor WIS Upcn,
and when he entered lie found Mile.
stangerson lying partly thrown over
the desk. Her dressing gown was
dyed with the blood flowing from her
bosom. fstill under the influence Of
the drug. nc felt he was walking in a
horrible nightmare.
He went back to the gallery auto.
matically, opened window. shouted
hi, order to FIRE and then returned to
tho room. He crossed the deserted
boudoir. entered the drawing room and
tried TO rouse NJ. Stangerson. who was
lying on a sofa. NJ. Stangerson rose
stupidly and lot himself be drawn by
Rouletabille into the room. where. on
seeing his daughters body, he uttered
a heartrendlng cry. Both united their
feeble strength and carried her to her
bed.
On his way to rejoin us Rouletabille
passed by tho desk. On the floor, near
it. he saw q large packet. He knelt
down, and. finding the wrapper loose,
he examined It and made out an enor-
nous quantity Of papers and photo
graphs. On one Of the papers he read;
New differential electroscopic con-
dcnser. Fundamental properties OF sub.
stance intermediary between ponder.
able matter and imponderable ether"
Strange irony Of fate that the profess
or's precious papers should be restored
to him ut the very time when an at
tempt was being made to deprive him
of his daughters life! What are pa
pers worth to him now?
The morning following that awful
night saw NJ. de Marquet once more at
the chateau with his registrar ard gen.
darmes. or course we were all ques-
toned. Roulctabille and ! had already
agreed on what to say. | kept back
any Information rs to my being In the
dark closet and said nothing about the
drugging. We did not wish 10 suggest
in any way that Mile. Stangerson had
been expecting her nocturnal visitor.
Arthur Rance told everybody in n
manner so natural that It astonished
me that he had last seen the keeper
toward II o'clock Of that fatal night
| He had come for his vCliSe, be said
| which he was to take for him carly
next morning to the st. Michel station
and had been kept out late running
after poacbers. Arthur Rance had. in
deed, intended to leave the chateau
and. according to his habit, to walk tC
| the station.
NJ. Stangerson confirmed what Rance
had said, adding that he had not asked
Rance to dine with him because hi.
friend had taken his final leave Of
them both earlier In the evening. NJ
Rance had had tea served him in hi!
room because he had complained Of {
slight indisposition.
Bernier testified. instructed by Eoule
tabille. that the keeper had ordered
him to meet him at spot near the oal
grove for the purpose Of looking on
for poachers. Finding that the kcepe
did not keep his appointment. he, Fer
rier. had gone In search of him. IL
had almost arrived Mt the don1on whel
he saw figure running swiftly In
direction opposite to him. toward tn
right wing Of the chateau. He hcart
revolver shots from behind the tigur
ash saw ROuletabillc at one Of the gal
lery windows. He heard Rouletabill
call out to him to fire, and he had fired
He believed he had killed the man I'm
til he learned, after R0ulctahllle ha'
uncovered the body hat the man ha
died from a knife thrust Who ha'
= ~
could have been near the spot withou
my seeing him" When the examlnin
magistrate reminded him that the spo
, where the body was found was yer
dark and that he himself had not bee
able to recognize the keeper hefor
!, firing. Daddy Rernicy replied that ne
Their had they seen the other body. no
had they found II. In the narroy
court. where FIVE people were standing
1t would have been strange 81 tn
other body, had It been there. coul
have escaped. The only door tina
opened into the court was that Of tn
Keepers room. and that door was clo'
cd. and the key of it was found in til
Keepers pocket.
, However that might be, the examr
t ing magistrate did not pursue his II
2 quiry further in this direction. II
r was evidently convinced that we IN
;. missed the man we were chasing an
@ we had come upon the keepers bod
3 in our chase. This matter OF the keel
9 or was another matter entirely. II
e wanted to satisfy himself about tina
= without any further delay. Probab
: II chimed In with the conclusions
r had already arrived at as to the kccp'
t and his intrigues with the wife
t Matthew. the landlord Of the Donjc
+ Inn. This Matthew later In the afte
G noon was arrested ana aiken to Co
e bell in spite OF bis rheumatism l.
j. had been heard to threaten the kcepc
md, though no evidence against hi
II had been found ut his inn, the ey
= dence of carriers. who had heard Il
Il threats, was enough to justify his r
i tention.
: The examination had proceeded tn
= far when, to our surprise. Freder
y Larsan returned to the chateau. I
was accompanied by one OF the ell
ployees of the railway. At that IN
ment Rance and We're In the yes
i, - bule discussing Matthew's guilt or
nocence, while Rouletabille stot
apart, buried apparently In though
The examining magistrate and his re
istrar were In the little green drawi!
IA. 4 ~ IL