Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-04-27
CHAPTER XIV.
"BarreIsI 5arreIsl Any Barrels to
SelI7"


SELF"
The Persisn's Narrative Continued.
/ have said that the room in which
NJ lie Vicomte de Chagny and ] we're
Imprisoned was regular hexagon,
lined entirely with mirrors. Plenty
OF these rooms have been seen since.
mainly at exhibitions; they are called
palaces OF Illusion" or some such
name. But tho invention belongs en-
nrely to Erik, who built the first room
OF this kind under my eyes, at the
time OF the rosy hours OF Mazenderan.
A decorative object, such as a column,
for instance, was placed in one OF
the corners and Immediately produced
a hall OF a thousand columns; for.
thanks to the mirrors, tie real room
was multiplied by six heXagonal
rooms. each o. which, 10 its turn. was
multiplied Indefinitely. Hut the little
sultana soon tired Of this MANTLE
. Illusion, whereupon Erik altered his
. invention into a 'torture-chamber
For the architectural motive placed
. in one corner he substituted an iron
. tree. This troe. with its painted
! leaves, was absolutely true to life
and was made Of iron so as TO resist
all the attacks of the patient" who
was locked into the torture-chamber.
We shall see how the scene thus OBJ
tanned was twice altered instantane-
ously into two successive other
scenes. by means Of the automatic TO
tatlon OF the drums or rollers in the
three sections, fitting into the angles
Of the mirrors and each supporting q
decorative scheme that came into
sight as the roller revolved upon its
axis.
The walls OF this strange room gave
: the patient nothing to lay hold Of be-
{ cause. apart from the solid decorative
: object, they were simply furnished
: with mirrors, thick enough to with
: stand any onslaught OF the victim,
who was flung into the chamber
empty-handed and barefoot
There was no furniture. The cell.
ing was capable OF being lit up An
ingenious system Of electric heating.
which has since been initiated, al
lowed the temperature Of the walls
and room to be increased at will.
| am giving all these details OF
perfectly natural invention. producing.
with few painted branches, the SUI
pernatural illusion OF an equatorial
. forest blazing under the tropical sun.
: so that no one may doubt the present
balance of my brain OF feel entitled
:. to say that | am mad or lying or that
: take him for q fool
l now return 20 the facts where 1
= left them. When the ceiling liz up
and the forest became visible around
us, the yisCounts stupefaction was
immense. That inpenetrable forest.
with its innumerable trunks and
branches, threw him into a terrible
state OF CONSERVATION. lie passed his
hands over his forehead, as though to
drive away dream; his eyes
blinked; and. for q moment, he for
got to listen.
l have already said that the sight
OF the forest did not surprise me at
all; and therefore | listened for the
two OF us TO what was happening
next door. Lastly, my attention was
especially attracted, not so much 10
the scene, as to the mirrors that pro.
duced IT. These mirrors were broken
IN parts. Yes. they were marked and
scratched; they had been starred, {"
In spite OF their solidity: and this
proved to me that the torture-cham.
Der in which We now were had al
ready served a purpose.
Yes. some wretch, whose feet wer.
not bare like those OF the victims Q,
the rosy hours OF MRzenderan. had
certainly fallen into this mortal FLU
sion" and. mad with rage. had kicked
against those mirrors which. never,
theless, continued TO reflect his ag
ony. And the branch OF the tree on
which he had put an end 10 his OWL
sunerings was arranged in such 9
way that, before dying, he had seen
for his last consolation. a thousand
men writhing in his company.
Yes, Joseph BuQuet had undoubted
ly been through all this! Were we
TO die as he had done? | did no,
think so. for knew that we had q
few hours before US and that | could
employ them TO better purpose thar
Joseph Buquet was able to do. Ate,
all, l was thoroughly acquainted with
most OF Erik's tricks; and now OF
never was the time TO turn my knowL
edge to account.
To begin with. gave up every ides
OF returning 10 the passage that had
brought US to that sccursed chamber
did not trouble about the possibility
OF working the inside stone tha,
closed the passage; and this for the
simple reason that to do so was Out
OF the question. We had dropped
from too great a height into the tor
ture-chamber; there was no furniture
70 help US reach that passage: moi
even the branch Of the iron tree. moi
even each others shoulders were Of
any avail
There was only one possible outlet
that opening into the Louis-PhiIipp,
room in which Erik and Chrtsttn.
Daae were. But, though this Quite
looked like an ordinary door on Chris
tines side, it was absolutely inyisibl.