The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1910-08-12


and despalr1ng and was followed BY {
burst OF such nervous laughter that
think her words viii never cease tC
sound IN my ears. But another phrass
was uttered by NJ. Robert Darzae
Must / commit a crime. then, 20 win
your He was In an extraordinarily
agitated state. He took the hand Of
Mile. Stangerson aud held It for q
long time to his lips. and thought
from the movement Of his shoulders
that be was crying. Then they went
away.
Wuen 4 returned 20 rne- great Em-
tsry," continued Rouletabille, Il saw
no more Of NJ Robert Darzac, and /
was not to see him again until after
the tragedy at the Chandler. Made
moiselIe was near Mr.. Rance. who was
talking with much animation. his eyes
during the conversation glowing with
Q singular brightness Mile Stranger
con. thought, was not even listening
% what he was saying, her face ex-
Hessing perfect indifference. His
nee was the red face OF a drunkard.
When II. and Mile. Stangerson left be
went to the bar and remained there. /
Joined him and rendered him some lit
de service in the midst Of the press
ing crowd He thanked me and told
me he was returning to America three
days later-that is to say, on the 18th,
the day after the crime. talked with
him about Philadelphia. He told me
he had lived there for five and TWEEN
ty years aud that it was there be had
met the illustrious Professor Stranger
son and bis daughter. He drank
great deal of champagne, and when /
left him he was very nearly drunk.
"such were my experiences on that
evening, and leave you to imagine
what effect the news Of the attempted
murder of Mile. Stangerson produced
on me-with what force those words
pronounced by NJ. Robert DarZac,
Must commit crime. then, TO win
your required to me. 1t was not this
phrase, however, that l repeated to
him when we met here at Chandler
The sentence of the presbytery and the
bright garden sufficed to open the gate
Of the chateau. If you ask me II be-
lteve now that NJ. Darzac Is the muF-
derer / must say l do not do not
think ever quite thought that. AZ TIE
time could not really think seriously
Of anything, had so little evidence to
go on, but / needed to have at once the |
proof that he had not been wounded in
the hand.
when we were alone together told
him how had CHANGED to overhear |
part Of his conversation with Mile.
in the garden of the Elysee,
and when repeated to him the words,
Must commit crime, then, to win
your he was greatly troubled, though /
much less so than he had been by hear
,resbytery. What threw him into a
state of real CONSERVATION was to
earn from me that the day on which
lie had gone to meet Mile. Stangerson
t the EIysee was the very day on /
which she had gone to the p0stoftice )
or the letter It was that letter per-
APPS which ended with the words, [
The presbytery has lost nothing of It's
harm nor the garden Its brightness (
~ surmise was confirmed by my find /
az, If you remember. In the ashes OF
be laboratory the fragment of paper l
ated Oct. %. The letter had been 4
yritten and withdrawn from the post {
flee on the same day. '
"There can be no doubt that on re- q
lrning from the Elysee that night Z
Tile. Stangerson had tried to destroy
lat compromising paper. 1t was In
ain that NJ. Darzac denied that that g
tier had anything whatever to do a
18th the crime. | told him that In an 8
fair so filled with mystery as this he o
i'd no right to hide this letter; that I,
as persuaded it was Of considerable q
nportance that the desperate tone In f
hich Mile. Stangerson had pronounc- G.
the phrase; that his own tears and o
e threat Of crime which he had n
-ofessed after the letter was read O.
these facts tended to leave no room N
r me to doubt. M. Darzac became a,
ore and more agitated, and deter n
ined to take advantage of the effect D,
had produced on him. You were on ii
9 point of being married, monsieur /
said negligently and without looking 81
him, and suddenly your marriage b;
comes impossible because of the at
liter Of that letter-because as soon hi
his letter was read you spoke OF the of
cessity for crime to win Mile. 70
angerson. Therefore there IL some 40
e between you and her-some one
10 is preventing your marriage ~
th her; some one who has at =,
npted to kill her so that she -,
ould not be able to marry And -
concluded with these words: Now, !. 10
nsieur, you have only to tell me in -,
lfidence the name of the murderer -
e words I had uttered must have .e'
uck him ominously. for when / -
ned my eyes on him saw that his ~
,e was haggard> the perspiration De'
nding on his forehead and terror 'ns
wing in his eyes. -. -.
Monsieur, he said to me, i am ~