The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-09-19
THE
TEETH OF THE TIGER
MAURICE LEBLANC
TRANSLATED By
ALEXANDER TEIXEIRA DE MATTOS
CHAPTER FIFTEEN, (continued.)

luSHy hAOibolCul IC L ItlCJ, ,NVu
may take it that | am the culprit /:
and you have only to arrest me.
This day, between 5 and 6 o'clock.
you will see before You, in this
room, the person who killed the
Mernington heirs. 1t is, humanity
speaking, impossible that this
should not be o Consequently,
the law will be satisfied in any
circumstances. He or I: the posi-
ton is quite simple"
M. Destinations was silent. He
gnawed his mustache thought
fully and walked round and
round the table within the narrow
circle formed by the others. 1t
was obvious that objections to the
suppositiop were s%pringing up in
his mind, Ia the end, he NUT
tered, IS though speaking to him.
self:
"No, no. For, after all, how
r we to explain that the man
should have waited until now to
claim his rlghtSf
can accident, perhaps, Mon
sieur lie Prefet. an obstacle of
some kind. Or else-one a
never tell-the perversc longing
Tor a more striking sensation. Aud
remember, Monsieur lie Prefet,
how infinitely and subtly the
uuh,ia b,,u;naoo uya ,ynrLal Eooh
event took place at the very mo-
ment fixed by Hippolyte Eau.
vile. Cannot We take it that his
accomplish Is pursuing his method
to the end and hat he will not
reveal himself until the last
minutef'
N. Desmalions exclaimed, with
o sort Of anger:
"No, no, and again no! 1t is not
possible. If q creature monstrous
enough to commit such a series of
murders exists, he will not be
such a fool as to deliver himself
into our hands.
"Mopsieur lie Prefet, he does
not know the danger that threat
ems him if he comes here, because
nc one has wen contemplated the
theory of his existence. Besides,
what risk does he run?"
"What riskf Why, if he has
really committed those muir
ders--'
IL
Gle has committed them, Mon
sieur lie Prefet. He has caused
them to be committed, which is a
different thing. And you now
sec where the mans unsupported
strength lies! He does not, act
In person. From the day when
the truth appeared to me, / have
succeeded in gradually discover
ing his means Of action, in laying
bare the machinery which he con
trolls, the tricks which he employs.
He does not act in person. There
you have his method. You will
find that it is the same through
out the series Of murders.
"Iu appearance, Cosmo Morn
ington died Of the results of a
oarelcssly administered injection.
In reality, it was this man who
caused the injection to prove
fatal. In appearance, Inspector
Verot was killed by Hippolyte
Fauville. Ia reality, it must have
beeu this man who contrived the
murder by pointing out the ncces-
sity TO Fatlville and. so to speak,
guiding his hand. And, in the
same way, in appearance, Eau
vile killed his son and committed
suicide; Marie F'auville commit
ted suicide; CASTOR Sauverand
committed suicide. Ia reality, it
was this man who wanted them
dead, who prompted them to COM
nit suicide, and who supplied
thcm with the means OF death.
There yoa have the method,
"a. there, Monsieur !" prnrat. r7u
have the mar. And, in a lower
voice that contained a-sort of APP
phensien, he added, Il confess
that never before. in the course Of
a lifc that has been full OF strange
meetings., have [ encountered a
more terrifying person, acting
with more devilish ability or
greater psychological insight"
HIS words created an ever-iH-
crcasing sensation among his
hearers. They really saw that in
visible being. He took shape in
their imaginations. They waited
for him to arrive. Twice Don Luis
had turned to the door and list
ened, And his ACTION did more
than anything else to conjure up
the inagiae Of the man who was
coming.
M. DcsinaiiOns said:
Whether he acted in person
= se-ceNsed- .othess-to act, theeiaw.
once it has hold of him, viii know