The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-04-25

for our man outdistanced us at
once"
"But what about my cart"
"You see, Monsieur lie Prefet, by
the time it was started"
"Was the motor that picked him
up a.hircd onc9"
Eyes, a taxi"
"Then we shall find it. The
driver will come of his own accord
when he has seen the newspapers"
Weber shook his head.
"Unlcss the driver~is himself a
confederate, Monsieur lie Prefet.
Besides, even if we find the cab,
aren't we bound to suppose that
CASTOR Sauverand will know how
to front the scentY We shall have
trouble, Monsieur lie P~refet."
YES whispered Don Luis,
who had been present at the first
investigation and who was left
alone for a moment with Maze
roux. eyes, you will have trou-
BILE, especially if you let the people
you capture take to their heels.
Eth, Mazeroux, what did / tell you
last night But, still, what a
scoundrel! And he's not alone,
Alexandra. I'll answer for it that
he has accomplices--and not 100
yards from my house-do you un-
derstand9 From my house."
After questioning Mazeroux up
on Sauverand's attitude and the
other incidents Of the arrest, Don
Luis went back to the Place du Pa
lais- Bourbon.
The inquiry which he had to
make related to events that were
certainly quite as strange as those
which he had just witnessed; and
while the part played by CASTOR
Sauverand in the pursuit Of the
Mornington inheritance deserved
all his attention, the behavior of
Mile. Levasseur puzzled him no
less.
He could not forget the cry Of
terror that escaped the girl while
he was telephoning to Mazeroux,
nor the scared expression Of her
face. Now it was impossible to at
tribute that cry and that express
sion to anything other than the
words which he had uttered in re-
ply to Mazeroux:
"What! Nine. Fauville tried to
commit suicidel"
The fact was certain; and the
connection between the announce
ment of the attempt and Mile.
Levasseur's extreme emotion was
too obvious for Perenna not to try
to draw conclusions.
He went straight to his study
and at once examined the arch
leading to the telephone box. This
arch, which was about six feet
wide and very low. had no door,
but merely a velvet hanging,
which was nearly always drawn
up, leaving the arch uncovered.
Under the hanging, among the
holdings of the cornice, was a but
ton that had only to be pressed to
bring down the iron curtain
which he had thrown himself two
hours before.
He worked the catch two or
three times over, and his expert
ments proved to him in the most
explicit fashion that the mechan-
ism was in perfect order and un-
able to act without outside inter
vention. Was he then to conclude
that the girl had wanted to kill
him? But what could be her mo-
tive?
He was Oh the point of ringing
and sending for her, SO as to re-
ceive the explanation which he
was resolved to demand from her.
However, the minutes passed and
he did not ring. He saw her
through the window as she walked
slowly across the yard, her body
swinging gracefully from her hips.
A ray of sunshine Lit up the gold
of her hair.
All the rest of the morning he
lay on a sofa, smoking cigars. He
was i'll at ease, dissatisfied with
himself and with the course Of
events, not n of which brought
him the least glimmer of truth in
fact, all of them seemed to deepen
the darkness in which he was bat
Ting. Eager to act, the moment
he did so he encountered fresh OBJ
stacles that paralyzed his powers
of action and left him in utter ig-
norance of the nature of his adver-
saries.
But at II o'clock, just as he had
rung for lunch, his butler entered
the study with a tray in his hand
and exclaimed, with an agitation
which showed that the household
was aware of Don Louis ambigu-