The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1915-03-05
III.
The watch.

The watch.
q HE went out to caution the serv-
ants to strict watch, armed to
- the teeth, before the gate all night
long, and she crossed the deserted gar
den. Under the veranda the schwitzar
was spreading a mattress for Ermolai.
She asked him IL he had seen the young
Frenchman anywhere, and after the an
swer could only say to herself, Where
Is he then?" Where had Rouletabille
gone? The General. whom she had
carried up to his room on her back.
without any help, and had helped into
bed without assistance, was disturbed
by this singular disappearance. Had
someone already carried off their"
Rouletabille? Their friends were gone
and the orderlies had taken leave with
out being able to say where this boy Of
q journalist had gone. But it would
be foolish to worry about the disap-
pearance Of a journalist, they had said.
That kind of man-these Journalistic
came, went, arrived when one least ex-
pected them, and quilted their COM
pany-even the highest society-with-
out formality. 1t was what they called
In France leaving English fashion" q"
However, 1t appeared 1t was not meant
to be impolite. Perhaps he had gone
to telegraph. A journalist had to keep
In touch with the telegraph at all
hours. Poor Matrena Petrovna roamed
the solitary garden in tumult of heart,
There was the light in the Generals
window on the first floor. There were
lights in the basement from the kit
chens. There was a light on the ground
floor near the sittingroom, from Nata-
cha's chamber window. All, the night
was hard to bear. And this night the
shadows weighed heavier than ever on
the valient breast of Matrena. As she
breathed she felt as though she lifted
all the weight Of the threatening night,
She examined verything-everythi
All was shut tight, was perfectly secure,
and there was no one within excepting
people she was absolutely sure of-but
whom, all the same, she did not allow
to go anywhere In the house excepting
where their work called them. Each
in his place. That made things surer.
She wished each one could remain fixed
like the porcelain statues of men out
on the lawn. Even as she thought it.,
here at her feet, right at her very feet,
= shadow Of one of the porcelain men
moved, stretched itself out, rose to its
knees grasped her skirt and spoke in
the voice of Rouletabille. All. good it
was Rouletabille Himself. dear mad
ame; himself"
why Is Ermolai in the veranda
Send him back to the kitchens and tell
the schwitzar to go to bed. The serv-
ants are enough for an ordinary guard
outside. Then you go in at once, shut
the door. and don't concern yourself
about me, dear madame. Goodnight"
Rouletabille had resumed. In the
shadows, among the other porcelain
figures, his pose Of porcelain man.
Matrena Petrovna did as she was
told, returned to the house, spoke to
the schwitzar,' who removed to the
lodge with Ermolai, and their mistress
closed the outside door She had closed
long before the door Of the kitchen
stair which allowed the domestics to
enter the villa from below. Down there
each night the devoted gniagnia and
the faithful Ermolai watched In turn.
Within the villa, now closed, there
were on the ground floor only Matrena
herself and her stepdaughter Natacha,
who slept in the chamber Of the sit
ting-room, and, above on the first floor
the General asleep, or who ought TO be
asleep II he had taken his potion.
Matrena remained in the darkness OF
the drawing room her dark-lantern in
her hand. All her nights passed thus,
gliding from door to door, from cham
ber' to chamber, watching over the
watch Of the police, not daring to stop
her stealthy promenade even to throw
herself on the mattress that she hat
placed across the doorway of her hus
bands chamber. Did she ever sleep? She
herself could hardly say. Who else
could. then? A tag Of sleep here and
there, over the arm of a chair, or lean
ing against the wall, walked always by
some noise that she heard or dreamed
some warning always, perhaps, that
she alone had heard And tonight, to-
night there Is Rouletabille's alert guard
to help her, and she feels a little less
the aching terror of watchfuness
until there surges back into her mind
the recollection that the police are nc
longer there Was he right, this young
man? Certainly she could not deny
that some way she feels more conf
dence now that the police are gone
She does not have to spend her time