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

OF IOOtprlntS maze at tue same time
last night. They were made by two
persons walking side by side fol-
lowed them from the court toward the
oak grove. Larsan Joined me. They
were the same kind Of footprints as
were made at the time Of the assault
in the yellow room. One set was
from clumsy boots and the other was
made by neat ones, except that the
big toe Of one Of the sets was of a
different size from the one measured
in the yellow room incident.
"Still following the tracks Of the
prints. Larsan and passed out Of tho
oak grove and reached the border Of
the lake. There they turned of to
little path leading to the highroad ~
Epinay. where we lost the traces in
the newly macadamized highway.
1--WE went back to the chateau and
parted ut the courtyard. We met
again, however, in Daddy jacques
room. to which our separate trains of
thinking had led us both. We found
the old servant in bed. His clothes on
the chair were wet through and his
boots very muddy. He certainly did
not get into that state in helping us
to carry the body of the keeper. II
was not raining then. Then his face
showed extreme fatigue and lie looked
at us out of terror stricken eyes.
"On pressing him he confessed TINT
he had been away from the chateau
He explained his absence by saying
L. 4 4,
into the fresh air, but had gone nc
farther than the oak grove. When we
then described to him the whole route
he had followed he sat up in bed trem
bling.
"'And you were not alone" cried
Iarsnn.
"'Did you see 1t, then?' gasped Dad
/, dy Jacques.
What?' asked.
"'Thc phantom-the black phantom"
"Then he told us that for severa
nights he had seen what he called the
black phantom. 1t came into the parl
at the stroke OF midnight and glidet
stealthily through the trees. 1t ap
pcared to him to pass through thu
it from his window by he light of tht
!, moon and had risen and followed th'
strange apparton. Tho night before
. last he had almost overtaken it. bu
1t had vanished at the corner OF thu
donjon. Last night. however. he hat
not left the chateau. his mind ben.
disturbed by presentiment that SOM
= .,1 I'D
denly he saw the black phantom rusl
ont from somewhere in the middle o
the court. He followed it to the LAX
and TO the highroad to Erinny. wher
tho phantom suddenly disappeared.
] "'Did you see his face" demande'
Larsan.
E "'No. saw nothing but black wells
: Ibid you 60 out after what passe
: on the gallery?
"I could not. was terrified
, "'Daddy jacques said in q threat
i crinC voice. Won did not follow 1t. Yo
g and the phantom walked to Epinay tc
: gether. arm in arm
!, Ono he cried, turning his eye
@ away; Il did not. 1t came on to pou
n and turned back. I don't know wha
@ became of the black phantom
u 1--WE left him, and when we wer
e outside I turned to Larsan. looRin
him full in the face. and put my que!
n ton suddenly to take him off his gunrt
Il "'An accomplice?
|. allow can tell?' he replied and lei
@ me. saying he was of to Epinny."
O "Well, what do you make Of it,"
n asked Roulctabille after he had ende
Il his recital. "Fersonally am utterly
n the dark. I can't max" anything out c
d 1t. What do You gather"
@ "Evcrythin-. everything" he q,
claimed. Put" he said abruptly, 'Het
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