The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-07-04
CHAPTER TEN. (Continued.)

HAL cduluS u SOlltdty lllc, uuI
also an ardent lover. l would
have spent all my life in work,
asking no more from fate than to
see Marie at her window from
time to time at night. But, once
she was being prosecuted, another
man arose within me, a man of
action, bungling, certainly, and
inexperienced, but a man who was
ready to stick at nothing, and
who, not knowing how to save
Marie Vauville, had nc other OBJ
ject before him than to do away
with that enemy Of Marie's to
whom he was entitled to ascribe
all the misfortunes that had be-
fallen the woman he loved. i. .
This started the series of my at
tempts upon your life. Brought
into your house, concealed in
Forence's own rooms, l tried
unknown to her: that l swear
to poison YOU"
lie paused for an instant to
mark the effect of his words, then
went on:
"Hcr reproaches, her adherence
of such an act, would perhaps
have moved me, but, / repeat,
was mad, quite mad and your
death seemed to me to imply Ma
rie's safety. And, one morning,
on the Boulevard Suchet, where
I had followed you, l fred a re-
volver at you.
"The same evening your motor
car, tempered with by myself
remember, Florence's rooms are
close to the garage-carried you,
I hoped, to your death, together
with Sergeant Mazerouz, your
confederate. That time again
you escaped my vengeance. But
on innocent man, the chauffeur
who drove you, paid for you with
his life; and Florence's despair
was such that I had to yield to
her entreatics and lay down my
arms.
81 myself, terrified by. what l
had done, shattered by the re-
membrance Of my two victims,
changed my plans and thought
only Of saving Marie by contriv-
ing her escape from prison. 49,.
~ am q rich man. l lavished
money upon Marie's warders,
without, however, revealing my
intentions. | entered into rela-
tons with the prison tradesmen
and the staff of the infirmary
And every day, having procured
q card Of admission as a law re-
porter, I went to the law courts,
to the examining magistrates
corridor, where | hoped to meet
Marie, to encourage her with a
look, a gesture, perhaps to slip a
few words Of comfort into her
hand. =.
Sauverand moved closer to Dor
Luis.
"Her martyrdom continued
You struck her a most terrible
blow with that mysterious bust
ness Of Hippolyte Fauville's let.
ters. What did those letters
meant? Where did they come
from7 Were we not entitled to
attribute the whole plot to you
to you who introduced them into
the horrible struggles
FLORENCE watched you, | may
say, night and day. We sought
for a clue, a glimmer of light in
the darkness. Well, yester,
day morning, Florence saw Ser.
geant Mazeroux arrive. She
could not overhear what he said
to you, but she caught the name
of a certain Langernault and the
name Of Damigni, the village
where Langernault lived. She
remembered that old friend Of
Hippolyte Fauville's Were the
letters not addressed to him anG
was it not in search Of him thai
you were going off in the motor
with Sergeant M%azerouxF -.
"Half an hour later we were il
the train for Alencon. A carriage
took us from the station, to JUS
outside Damigni, where we made
our inquiries with every possible
precaution. On learning what yo,
must also know, that L%angernaul
was dead, we resolved to visit hi
place, and we had succeeded il
~effecting an entrance when Flor
ence saw you in the grounds
Wishing at all costs to avoid +,
meeting between you and myself
she dragged INC across the lawl
and behind the bushes. You fol
lowed US, however, and when
barn appeared in sight she pushed
Gle of the doors which hal