The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1909-05-01
CHAPTER XVII.
In Which Il Is Proved That One
Does Not Always Think of Every
thing.
= TREAT excitement prevailed d
when Rouletabille had finished.

suppressed applause. Maitre Henri
Robert called for an adjournment of
the trial and was supported in his mo-
tion by the public prosecutor himself.
The case was adjourned. The next
day M. Robert DarZac was released on
bail, while Daddy Jacques received
the immediate benefit of "a no cause
for action" Search was everywhere
made for Frederic Larsan, but in vain.
N. Darzac finally escaped the awful
calamity which at one time had threat
ened him. After a visit to Mile. STAN
Zerson he was led to hope that she
might by careful nursing one day re-
cover her reason.
Rouletabille and left Versailles to-
gether. after having dined at The
Dog That Smokes. In the train put
4 number of questions to him.
My friend" said, II am still In
the dark as to your reason for going
to America. When you left the Clan
dier you had found out. If rightly un-
derstand, all about Frederic Larsan.
You had discovered the exact way he
had attempted the murder?"
''Quite SO. And you," he said, turn
ing the conversation. did you suspect
nothing?"
II don't see how l could have sus-
pected anything. You took great pains
to conceal your thoughts from me.
Had you already suspected Larsan
when you sent for me to bring the re-
volvers"
"Yes! I had come to that conclusion
through the incident OF the fnexplica-
BILE gallery Larsan's return to Mile.
Stangerson's room, however. had not
then been cleared up by the eyeglasses.
My suspicious were the outcome Of my
reasoning ,ply, and the idea of Larsan
being the murderer seemed SO extraor-
dinary that I resolved to wait for
actual evidence before venturing to
act. Nevertheless the suspicion wor-
ried me, and l sometimes spoke to the
detective in a way that ought to have
opened your eyes. spoke disparag-
ingiy of his methods. But until !.
found the eyeglasses / could but look
upon my suspicion of him in the light
of an absurd hypothesis only. You
can imagine my eiation after had ex-
planned Larsan's movements. ! re-
member well rushing into my room
IKE 4 madman and crying to you: III
get the better Of the great Fred! II
get the better of him In a way thai
will make a sensation!
"But one important point escaped us
both. 1t was one which ought to have
opened our eyes to Larsan. Do you re
member the bamboo cane? was sur
prised to fnd Larsan had made no use
Of that evidence against Robert Dar
zac. Had 1t not been purchased by 6
man whose description Tailed exactly
with that of Darzac? Well, just be
fore / saw him Off at the train aftel
the recess during the trial i asked hin
why he hadn't used the cane evidence
He told me he had never bad any in
tention of doing so; that our discov
cry of II In the little inn at Episay
had much embarrassed him. If yot
will remember, be told us then tina
the cane had been given him In Lon
don. Why did we not immediatel.
say to ourselves: Fred is lying; h,
could not have had this cane In Lon
don; he was not I'm London; he bough
it in Parish Then you found out ol
inquiry at Cassette's that the cane ha,
been bought by a person dressed yer.
like Robert Darzac, though, as W
learned later from Darzac himself,
was not he who had made the pur
chase. Couple this with the fact W
already knew from the letter at tn
poste restante that there was actuall
a man In Paris who was passing a
Robert Darzac. Why did we not i'm
mediately fix on Fred himself?
'Of course his position was agains
MS, but when we saw the eviden
eagerness on his part to find convict
ing evidence against Darzac-nay. eve
the passion he displayed in his pul
suit Of the man-the lie about the can
should have had a new meaning 10
rs. II you ask why Larsan bought th
cane IL he had no intention Of mant
featuring evidence against Darzac b
means Of It, the answer is quite sin
pie. He had been wounded In th
hand by Mile. Stangerson, so that th
cane was useful to enable him to clos
his hand In carrying it. You remen
Der / noticed that he always ca
ried II.
"Ali these details came back to m
mind when I had once fixed on Larsa
as the criminal. But they were tc
late then to be Of any use to me. O
the evening when he pretended to
drugged looked at his hand and sa
a thin silk bandage covering the sigr
OF slight healing wound. Had v
taken a quicker Initiative at the tin
Larsan told us that lie about the can
am certain he would have gone Q
to avoid suspicion. All the same, v
worried Larsan. or Ballmeyer, witho'
our knowing It."