The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1921-05-05


engagement was announced to the
old Count de Clameran. The rea
son for this was that Madeleine,
by chance, overheard a conversa-
ton between the count and her
aunt. The old count threatened to tell
of the family skeleton if she did not
consent to the marriage. Madeleine
appeared and said she would marry
him to keep the secret and the honor
of the family name. On learning OF
Madeleine'S engagement, Prosper, who
really had always loved her, became
very angry, and thinking there must
be q sinister motive for Nine. Fauvers
allowing it, wrote an anonymous letter
to NJ. Fauvel, telling him to watch his
wife.
LecoG noticed that the good-looking
Raoul still continued his frequent Wis
IFS TO tie house. Did it mean that he
was perhaps not the nephew, but the
lover of Nine. Fauvel? Disguised, the
great detective attended masquerade
ball and made insinuating remarks to
Nine. Fauvel concerning RaGui which
caused her to faint, and when he spoke
Of money matters, Count Louis turned
pale. Returning home that night the
detective was followed by two men
and stabbed, but, fortunately, not
killed. Lecoq, thinking he recognized
the count and Raoul, decided that
they realized that the police suspected |
them of robbing the bank, and also /
that there must be an even greater !
mystery to unrayel that had caused
them to become would-be assassins. |
Records were looked up and an amaz- !
ing story came to light.
Lecoq discovered that years agc
Nine. Fauvel, then Valentine de Yer |
berie, had been engaged to the counts |
brother, CASTOR. In defending her
name at a country inn, Castor had
killed a man and fled to America, al
though he was thought to have been
drowned while escaping. A son was
born to Valentine and given away by
her mother. Later she had marrted
Fauvel, who was told nothing.
The story was never unearthed un-
til Count Louis had squandered the |
family money and by mere chance had
heard of the child's existence from an
old nurse. He made inquiries. Not
long after this, the count introduced a
young man to Nine. Fauvel as her son
to serve his own ends and to extract
hush-money. This young man was
called her nephew and proved to b'
RaOul Layers.
The situation became even more
complicated. CASTOR returned from
America immensely rich, not knowing
of the existence of his son, but deter
mined to see his old love Valentine
once more Louis, however, realized
that for his own ends, CASTOR anC
Nine Fauvel must never meet. He
joined CASTOR in the south of France |
and got into his good graceS. CASTOR
made a will, leaving everything to
Louis; then poor CASTOR became
mysteriously ill and died. Louis re-
turned to Paris rich.
Madeleine seemed to wish to delay
her marriage. The count feared she
still loved Prosper, so he promised
Raoul a large sum if he would in some
way ruin the cashiers reputation,
thinking thus to hasten his own mar
riage, as he really was in love with
Madeleine, The moment came when
Raoul overheard Prosper telling Gypsy
he constantly thought of her at the
bank. He then went to his mother
and said he would shoot himself If he
did not have large sum of money
that very night to pay a gambling
debt. She got for him the key to the
safe. The poor lady had already given
him all her money and jewels and had
nothing left to bestow. At the last
moment she tried to stop him, hence
the scratch that was discovered later.
When she inquired how he knew the
word that made up the combination.
Raoul said that Prosper had given II
to him and they were to divide the
money between themselves.
Owing to the anonymous letter, NJ
Fauvel intercepted his wife'S mail, and
one day found letter from Raoul ask
ing her to go to his villa. NJ. Fauvel
followed, and on entering and seeing
his wife in the arms of the young man,
pulled out his pistol to shoot, but for
tunately it did not go off, as Gypsy,
who had become Madeleine's maid, I'M
der LecOq's instructions in order to
watch the house, had taken out the
bullets. At this point the great detec-
tive appeared and told the banker the
whole story. He then demanded the
100000 francs which had been stolen
and Raoul returned the money; and
what was more remarkable still, LecOq
showed them papers that proved
Raoul was not Nine. Fauve's son
after alI-hnr son had dipd-and the