Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1909-01-16


Cock It." he said.
did as he directed
Then, moving toward the door Of his
room, he opened it with infinite pre-
caution; It made no sound. We were
in the "off turning gallery. Rouleta-
bile made another SIGN to me which
I understood to mean that I was to
take up my post IA the dark closet.
when / was some distance from him
be rejoined me and embraced me, and
then I saw him, with the same precau-
ton, return to his room. Astonished
By his embrace and somewhat disquiet-
ID by 1t, I arrived at the right gal
lery without difficulty, crossing the
landing place and reaching the dark
closet.
Before entering it I examined the
curtain cord Of the window and found
that I had only to release 1t from its
fastening with my fingers for the cur
tain to fall by it's own weight and
hide the square Of light from Roule-
tabille, the signal agreed upon. The
sound Of a footstep made me halt be-
fore Arthur RANGES door. He was not
yet in bed, thenl How was it that
being in the chateau, he had not dined
with NJ stangerson and his daughter?
/ had not seen him at table with them
at the moment when we looked in
I retired into the dark closet.
found myself perfectly situated.
could see along the whole length Of
the gallery Nothing, absolutely moth
ing, could pass there without my see
ing it,
waited about an hour and during
all that time l saw nothing unusual.
The rain, which had begun to come
down strongly toward . O'Clock, had
now ceased.
My friend had told me that prob
ably nothing would occur before mid
night or / o'clock in the morning. 1t
was not more than half past IL, how
ever, when / heard the door of Arthur
RANGES room open very slowly. The
door remained open for a minute,
which seemed to me a long time. AS
it opened into the gallery-that is to
say, outward-I could not see what
was passing in the room behind the
door.
At that moment l noticed a strange
sound, three times repeated coming
| from the park Ordinarily I should
not have attached any more impor-
lance to it than / would to the noise
| Of cats on the roof But the third
| time the NEW was so sharp and pene
| trating that / remembered what 1 had
heard about the cry of the Bette du Bon
Dieu. AS the cry had accompanied all
the events at the Chandler 1 could not
! refrain from shuddering at the thought.
Directly afterward 1 saw a man APP
pear on the outside of the door and
close it after him. At first / could not
recognize him, for his back was to-
| ward me, and he was bending over
rather bulky package. When he had
! closed the door and picked up the
| package, he turned toward the dark
closet, and then I saw who he was.
He was the forest keeper, the Green
Man He was wearing the same cos
| tune that he had worn when / first
saw him on the road in front of the
| DonjOn inn There was no doubt
about his being the keeper. as the
/ cry of the Bette du Bon Dieu came for
the third time he put down the pack
| age and went to the second window,
counting from the dark closet I dared
not risk making any movement fear
| ing might betray my presence.
Arrived at the window, he peered out
on to the park The night was now
light the moon showing at intervals.
The Green Man raised his arms twice,
making signs which I did not under
stand; then, leaving the window, he
again took up his package and moved
along the gallery toward the landing
place,
Rouletabille had instructed me to
undo the curtain cord when saw any
thing. Was Rouletabille expecting
this? 1t was not my business to ques-
ton. All had to do was obey instruc-
lions. l unfastened the window cord,
my heart beating the while as If it
would burst. The man reached the
landing place, but, to my utter sur
| prise-I had expected to see him con-
tinue TO pass along the gallery-I saw
him descend the stairs leading to the
vestibule
What was / to do? looked stupidity
at the heavy curtain which had shut
the light from the window The signal
had been given and did not see Roule-
tabile appear at the corner Of the "of
turning" gallery Nobody appeared. l
was exceedingly perplexed. Half an
hour passed, an age to me. What was
to do now, even if / saw something's
The signal once given, ! could not give
it a second time To venture into the
gallery might upset all Rouletabille's
plans After all, I had nothing to re-
proach myself with, and if something
had happened that my friend had not
expected he could only blame himself
Unable to be of any further assistance
to him by means Of a signal, left the
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