Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1915-07-21
CHAPTER vi.
Iussses at the Riddle.


case" and Godfrey checked
them off on his fingers.
THE cabinet contains a Sc
cret drawer This is inevitable if it
really belonged to Nine de Montespan.
Any cabinet made for her would be
certain to have a secret drawer. That
drawer must be adequately guarded.
and therefore a mechanism was de,
vised TO stab the person attempting to
open it and to inject into the wound a
poison so powerful as to cause instant
death. Am right so far?''
Wonderfully right" l nodded. "I
had not put it so clearly even to my
self. Go ahead"
1--WE come TO the conclusion. then"
continued Godfrey. ''that the business
OF this unknown Frenchman with Van
tine in some way concerned this cabi-
net"
'Vantine himself thought So" broke
in. He told me afterward that it was
because he thought so he consented to
see him."
"GoodI That would seem 10 Tnm-
cate that we are on the right track.
The Frenchman's business, then, had
something to do with this cabinet and
with this secret drawer. Left to him.
self, he discovered the cabinet in the
room adjoining the anteroom, attempt
ed to open the drawer and was killed"
Yes agreed. ''And now how aDOnt
Vantine?"
"Vantine's death isn't so simply ex-
planned. Presumably the unknown wO-
mar also called on business relating to
the cabinet. She, also wanted to open
the secret drawer, in order to secure
its contents. That seems fairly GER
tain from her connection with the first
caller"
t'You still think it was her photo
graph he carried in his watch?'
Il am sure of it. But how did it
happen that it was Vantine who was
killed? Did the woman, warned by
the fate of the man. deliberately set
Vantine to open the drawer in order
that she might run no risk? Or was
she also ignorant of the mechanism?
Above all, did she succeed in getting
away with the contents of the
drawer?"
what was in the drawer?"
S'Ah, if we only knew"
s'Perhaps the woman had nothing TO
do with it. Vantine himself told me
that he was going to make a careful
examination of the cabinet. No doubt
that is exactly what he was doing
when the woman's arrival interrupted
him. He might have let her out Of the
house himself. and then, returning to
the cabinet. stumbled upon the secret
drawer after she had gone"
''Yes; that is quite possible too. But
there are objections, and rather
weighty ones. In the first place, il
che Frenchman got the drawer open,
who closed it?"
Perhaps it closed itself when he let
go OF it."
"And closed again after vantine
opened it?'
Eyes"
Its possible We must remember
that the prisoners Of those days were
very ingenious. But there is one thing
that isn't possible. and that is that
poison which. if it is administered as
we think it is, must be a liquid. could
remain in that cabinet fresh and ready
for use for more than 300 years. 1t
would have dried up centuries ago.
Nor would the mechanism stay in or
der 50 long. 1t must be both compli-
Gated ana delicate Therefore it would
have TO be oiled and overhauled from
tine 10 time. If it is worked by a
spring-and don't see how else it can
be worked-the spring would have TO
be renewed and wound up"
''Well?' asked as he paused.
"Well, it is evident that the drawer
contains something more recent than
the love letters of Louis XIV. 1t must
have been put in working order quite
recently. But by whom and for what
purpose? That is the mystery we
have TO solve. and it is a mighty pref
ty one. And here's another objection"
he added. THAT Frenchman knew
about the secret drawer. because, ac-
cording to our theory. he opened it and
got killed. Why didn't he also know
about the pOisOnY
That was an objection, truly. and
the more / thought Of it the more seri-
Gus it seemed.
"Tt may be-" said Godfrey at last,
s.tbat D'AurelIe was going 1t alone
4bo+ no had broken with the gang