The evening world., 1910-12-22

t8@f
let on her right arm. Evidently. there
fore, Monsieur 10 Comte. this Is tho
body OF your poor niece. which theS
sea must ave washed to that dis
lance. What do you think. Bcautreletr
"Nothing-nothing-or. rather. .yse--
everything IL connected, as you see>s4
anG there is no link missing IN m1{
argument. All the facts. one AFTER the
other. however contradictory. OWE
dlsconcertlng they may appeal . -
supporting the superstition which ] -
agined from the frst."
But II seems to me- 4
"a little patience. Monsieur 10 -
obstruction. SO far. you have -
no cause to complain Of me. II
hne day. Go for a walk. lunch 81 IN
chateau. smoke your pipe. ! shall - !
back by 4 o'clock. AS for my sooooi.
we'll. | don't care. 1 shall take ene
night rain"
They had reached the outhousss ct
tho back OF the chateau. Beautre1ot
jumped on his bicycle and rode away.
At Dieppe no stopped at the omoo q
the local paper. the vigie. and exAmineo
the file for the last fortnight. Then ~
went on to tho market town OF Dnvese
meu. six or seven miles further. A.
Envermcu he talked to the mayor. 2
rector and the local policeman. TINT
church clock struck three. I4s inquiry
was finished. III
lie returned singing for Joy. He
pressed upon the two pedals turn BY u
turn with an equal n powerful
rhythm: his chest opened wide to take
In the keen air that blew from the Sea-
And. from time to time. he forgot him
self to the extent OF uttcrins shouts o.
triumph to tho sky when he thought Of
the aim which he was pursuing and Of
the success that was browning his o9-
forts.
Ambrumesy appeared In sight. He
ccasted at full speed down the saopo
leading to the chateau. The top rows
of venerable trees that line the road
seemed to run to meet him and 10
vanish behind him forthwith. And all
at once he uttered a cry. In Q sudden
vision he had seen a rope stretched
from one tree TO another across the
road.
His machine gave a Jolt and stopped
short. Bcautrelet was iung three yards
forward with Immense violence. n 70
seemed to him that only chance. q
miraculous chance. caused him to escape
a heap Of pebbles on which. logicallys
he ought to nave broker his head.
He lay for q few seconds stunned.
Then. all covered with bruises. with the
skin fayed from his knees. he sx-,
amined tho spot. On the right lay q
small wood. by which his aggressor had
nv uoupt Htds btAutTeiot uutiou tu0
rope. To the tree on the left around
which It was fastened a small piece OF
paper was fxed with string. Beautrelse
unfolded 1t and read:
The third and last warning" {"
He won't on TO the chateau. put q few
questions to the servants and Joined the
: examining magistrate In a room on the
. ground floor. at the end Of the RICH.
wing. where NJ. Filleul uesd to sit In
. the course OF his operations. n. Ftlleul
was writing. with his clerk seated op-
. poslte to him.. At a sign from him. the
Q clerk left tho room. and the magist-ats
q exclaimed:
I why. what have you been doing to
yourself. NJ. Beautreietf Your hands
q are covered with blood"
its nothing. It's nothing" said thu
= young man. Just q fall occasioned BY
I, this rope. which was stretched In from:
] OF my bicycle. I will only ask you to
8 observe that the rope comes from h
a chateau. Not longer than twenty
minutes ago 1t was being used to dry
linen on. outside the laundry" -
You don't mean TO say soG'
Monsieur 10 JUICE d'Instruction. I am
being watched here. by some one In the
= very heart of the place. who can see
me. who can hear me and who, minute
: by minute. observes my actions and
knows my intentions" ID
do you think so?"
Il am sure of 1t. 1t IL for you to dis.
9 cover him and you will ave no dim
I Guilty In that. As for myself. l want to
have finished and to give you the prom-
iscd explanations. l "a made faster
progress than our adversaries expected
o and l am convinced that they mean to
take vigorous measures on their side.
The circle is closing around me. Tbs
0 danger Is approaching. I feel It." q
sNpnganap- RaautralSf'- -
"You wait and sect, For the moment
let us lose no time. And. first. a Quos-
o ton on a point which I want TO have
lone with at once. Have you spoken
o to anybody of that document whica
h sergt. oueviilon picked up and handed
= you IN my presence?" 81
y mo, indeed: not TO n soul. But do
$ you attach any value"- :.
n 1.-THE greatest value. It's an idea OF
mine. an idea. | confess, which does NOT
rest upon a proof of any kind. for up 70
the present time | have not succeeded
Q In ~deciphering the document. And.
6 therefore,. / am mentioning Il. % that
We need not come back to H."
Beautrelet pressed his hand on ~.
Filleul's and whispered;
Don't sp~eAk-there's some one listen.
ing-outside"--
The gravel creaked. Beautrelst ran
to the window and leaned out;
There's no one tneres Uut tne Ooruer
has been trodden down. We can easily
Identity the footprints"--
lie closed the window and sat dowa
= again:
You see. Monsieur le Juge d'Instruc-
ton. the enemy has even ceased to taks
u tho most ordinary precautions; he has
no time left. lie. too. feels that tnJ
hour Is urgent. Let us be quick. there
g fore, ard speak. since they do not wish
w to speak"
! lie laid the document on the tabls
. and held II In position, unfolded:
10 "One observation. Monsieur 10 Jugs
= obstruction. to oegin with. The paper
consists almost enlrely of dots and
figures. And In the first three lines and
the nfth-the only ones with which we
nave to do at present. for the fourth
seems to present an entirely different
, character-not one OF those figures 4
higher than the figure 8. There IN
N therefore, Il great chance that each o.
' these figures represents one of the avs
yowels, taken In alphabetical order. Lal
us nut down the result"
!, He wrvto IN a separats piece oil
" paper:
-. CO.. a 80. q
a 49,. . o. . . " .