The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-04-11
CHAPTER FIVE. (Continued.)


to his study, pushed open one of
the windows and raised his head.
Above him was a slanting mirror;
and this mirror reflected, beyond
the courtyard and its surrounding
wall, one whole side OF the Place
du Palais-B Bourbon.
Bother" he said. "Those con-
founded detectives are still there.
And this has been going on for a
fortnight" Pm getting tired OF
this spying
He sat down, in q bad temper,
to look through his letters, tearing
up, after he had read them, those
which concerned him personally
and making notes on the others,
such as applications for assistance
and requests for interviews. When
be had finished, he rang the bell.
ASK Mile. Levasseur to bring
me the newspapers"
She had been the Hungarian
counts reader as well as his Sec
rotary; and Perenna had trained
her to pick out in the newspapers
anything that referred to him, and
TO give him each morning an exact
account of the proceedings that
were being taken against Nine.
Fauville.
Always dressed in black, with
a very elegant and graceful figure,
she had attracted him from the
first. She had an air Of great dig
nifty and a grave and thoughtful
face which made it impossible to
penetrate the secret of her soul,
and which would have seemed
austere had it not been framed in
a cloud of fair curls, resisting all
attempts at discipline and setting
a halo of light and gayety around
her.
Her voice had a soft and musical
tone which Perenna loved to hear;
and, himself a little perpleXcd by
Mile. Levasseur's attitude of re-
serve, he wondered what she could
think of him, Of his mode Of life,
and Of all that the newspaper had
to tell Of his mysterious past.
Nothing new2" he asked, as he
glanced at the headings of the
articles.
She read the reports relating to
Nine. Fauville; and Don Luis
could see the police Investigations
were making no Roadway. Marie
Fauville still kept to her first
method, that of weeping, making
a show Of indignation, and assum-
ing entire ignorance of the facts
upon which she was being exam
ined.
cts ridiculous, he said, aloud.
81 have never seen any n de-
fend herself SO clumsily."
"Still, if she S Innocent"
1t was the first time that Mile.
Levasseur had uttered an opinion
or rather a remark upon the case.
Don Luis looked at her in great
surprise.
$50 you think her innocent,
mademoiselle?"
She seemed ready to reply and
to explain the meaning of her in
terruption. 1t was as though she
were removing her impassive mask
and about to allow her face to
adopt a more animated expression
under the impulse Of her inner
feelings. But she restrained her,
self with a visible effort, and muir
mured:
II don't know. l have no
views"
Possibly" Ne said, watching
her with curiosity, "but you nave
n doubt a doubt which would be
permissible if it were not for the
marks left by Nine. Fauville's own
teeth. Those marks, you sec, are
something more than a signature,
more than a confession of guilt
And, as long as she is unable to
give a satisfactory explanation OF
this point"
But Marie E'auville vouchsafed
not the slightest explanation OF
this or anything else. She re,
remained impenetrable. On the
other hand, the police failed to dis.
cover her accompiice or accom-.
plices, or the man with the ebony
walking stick and the tortoise
shell glasses whom the waiter al
'he Cafe du Pont-Neuf had dc.
scribed 20 MaZcrouN and who
seemed to have played a singulariy
suspicious part. In short, there
was not a ray OF light thrown up
on the subject.
Equally vain was all search FOL
the traces OF Victor, the Rousse
sisters first cousin. who woult
have inherited the Mornington be