The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1909-04-08

that Arthur Rance was accustomed 10
visit the chateau.
you say that N. Arthur Rance Is
accustomed to come to the chateau
When did he come here iast?"
Eve cant tell YOU exactly" replied
Nine. Bernicr I'VE couldn't know
while they were kcepisg us IN prison
Besides. az the gentleman comes to
the chateau without passing through
our gate he goes away By the way he
comes"
do you know when he came the
6rst time?"
"Oh. yes, monsieur, Nine years
ago"
"He was in France nine years ago.
then" said Rouletabiile. land since
that time. rs far as you know. how
many times has he been at the Clan.
dier?'
Three times"
when did he come the last time, rs
far as you know?"
"A week before the attempt in the
yellow room"
liou!etabilte put another question,
this time addressing himself particular
ly to the woman:
In the grove of the parguct+"
In the grove of the %parquct," She
replied.
"ThaAks.' said I;oulctabille. BE
ready for me this evening"
lie spoke the last words with n finger
on his lips as if to command silence
and discretion.
We left the park and took the way
to the Donjon inn.
"Ho you often eat hcreY
Sometimes"
"But you also take your meals at the
~chat,au:"
"lcs. Iarsan and | are sometimes
served IN one of our rooms"
Hasn't NJ. Stangerson ever invited
you to his W table?"
Never"
Does your presence at the chateau
diSplcaSe him.
II don't know; but. in any case. he
his way
doesn't he question your
Never. He is IN the same state of
mind as be was in at the door Of the
yellow room when his daughter was
being murdered and when he broke
open the door and did not find the
murderer. He is persuaded since he
could discover nothing that there's no
reason why we should be able to dis
cover more than he did. But he has
made ii bis duty since I.arSan OK
pressed his theory not to oppose us
Roulctabille buried himself in thought
again for some time. He aroused hin.
self later TO tel me of how he came To
set the two concicrgeS free.
II went lately TO see NJ. ~StangcrSon
and took viii me a piece OF paper on
which was written. i promise, what
ever others may say. to keep in my
service my two faithful servants. Bcr
uier and his wife | explained to him
that by signing that document he
would enable me to compel those tive
people TO speak out, and | declared
my own assurance Of their innocence
Of any part in the crime. That was
also his opinion. The examining mag
iStrate after it was signed presented
the document TO the Berniers. whG
Their did speak. They said what ] was
certain they would say as soon as they
were sure they would not lose their
places.
They confessed TO poaching on NJ
StangcrSou'S estates. and it was while
they were poaching, on the night Of
the crime. that they were found not far
from the pavilion at the moment when
the outrage was being committed
Some rabbits they caught in that WAY
were sold by them TO the landlord Of
the ponjon mn, who served them 10
his customers or sent them TO Paris
That was the truth. as ! had guessed
from the first. DO you remember what
said on entering the Donjon inn
We shah have 10 eat red meat now
I had heard the words on the same
morning when we arrived ut the park
gate You heard them also. but you
lid not attacb any importance to them
You recOl.ect when we reached the
park gate that we stopped to look ut II
man who was running by the side %
the wall. looking every minute at his
watch That was Larsan. Well. be
hind MS the landlord of the Donjon inn.
standing on his doorstep. said to some
one inside, We shall have to eat red
m~eat-nOw.'
Why that now? When you are. u
| am. in search Of some hidden secret.
you can't afford to have anything es
cape you. You've got to know the
meaning of everything. We had come
into a rather out Of the way part "
the country which had been turned
topsy turvy by a crime. and my reason
ed me 70 suspect every phrase that
could bear upon the event of the day
Now ! tooG 70 mean since he 0Ut
rage liz The course of my inquiry
therefore, I! sought to find a rclatip.
between that phrase and the tragcay
We went 20 the Donjon inn for break
fast. l re0calcd the phrase and saw
by the surprise and trouble on Dadlr
Nfotbia,'S f,.a thor I hal NOT aXorrnv