The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1909-03-06
The Mystery of
The 7 elbow Room
By GASTON LEROUX cAc COPYRIGHT BY DSs SsEnrANos
BY GASTON LEROUX

Rouletabille very slowly filed his
pipe and lit it. That meant an interest
ing story. At that moment we heard
some one walking in the gallery and
passing before our door. Rouletabille
listened. The sound Of the footstep
died away in the distance.
SIS Frederic Larsan in his roomT
asked. pointing to the partition.
mo" my friend answered. "He went
to Paris this morning. still on the scent
of Darzac who also left for Paris,
That matter will turn out badly. ey-
pect that NJ. Darzac will be arrested in
the course Of the next week. The worst
Of 1t is that everything seems to be
In league against him-circumstances
things, people. Not an hour passes
without bringing some new evidence
against him. The examining magt-
trate is overwhelmed by it and blind"
"Frederic Larsan, however, is not a
novice" said.
81 thought so," said Rouletabille,
with slightly contemptuous turn of
his lips. ~ fancied he was much
ADLER man. l had, indeed, a great ad,
miration for him before l got to know
his method of working. It's deplorable.
He owes his reputation solely to his
ability, but he lacks reasoning power.
The mathematics of his ideas are very
poor"
looked closely at Rouletabille and
could not help smiling on hearing this
boy Of eighteen talking Of man who
has proved to the world that he was
the finest police sleuth hound in Eu
rope.
"You SMILE" he said. "You are
wrong. l swear l will outwit him anc
In striking way. But l must make
haste about it, for he has an enormous
start of me, given him by NJ. Rober
Darzac, who is this evening going Il
increase it still more. Think of 1t
every time the murderer comes to th'
chateau NJ. Darzac by strange fatal
ity absents himself and refuses to Civ
any account of how he employs hi
time"
EVERY time the assassin comes t.
the chateauv l cried. HAS he re
turned, then|
"Yes, during that famous night whel
the strange phenomenon occurred"
| was now going to learn about the as
tonishing phenomenon to which Roult
tabille had made allusion half an hou
earlier without giving me any explanf
tion of it. At last. in short rapi
phrases he acquainted me with thing
which plunged me into a state bordel
ing on complete bewilderment. Indeed
the results of that still unknown sc
ence known as hypnotism for exam
pie, were not more inexplicable tina
the disappearance of the matter OF tt
murderer at the moment when fol
persons were within touch of him.
speak Of hypnotism as would OF ele
tricity, for of the nature OF both W
are ignorant, and we know little
their laws. l cite these examples b
cause at the time the case appeared
me to be only explicable by the Inc
plicable-that is to say, by an evel
outside of known natural laws. Al
vet If had had Rouletabille's brain
should. like him, have had present
ment of the natural explanation, 4
the most curious thing about all Il
mysteries of the Chandler case was Il
natural manner in which he explain,
them.
have among the papers that we
sent me by the young man after t
affair was over notebook OF his.
which a complete account is given
the phenomenon Of the disappearan
of the matter Of the assassin a
the thoughts to which 1t gave rise
the mind Of my young friend. 1t
preferable. think, to give the read
this account rather than to continue
reproduce my conversation with Rou
tabil,e.