, 1922-12-08
Go ON with the Story.
III.

CHAPTER III
YT Is a c~onceivable theory" 70
marked Monsieur Jonqueile.
that Dernburg Pasha was
struck down by n hand that
VIC can no longer consider
TO DO living.
But II you please. we Will take up
these theories in their order. Did I
murder Dernburg Pashh7 It Is an
interesting hypothesis. and I should
be glad to consider Il Mt some length.
But Il seems 10 require no extended
deductions 10 conclude II. We have
shown that the mysterious visitor
who called on Dernburg last night
was not his ASSASSIN, because tho
evidences which seem so to indicate
were laid down by design and did
not come about by accident. They
were laid down by the intention OF
some person. some person who wished
20 establish that his visitor was the
assassin But the visitor himself
could not have wished TO establish
that he was the ASSASSIN; consequently
he could not have made these indica-
tory evidences. and therefore he was
not the assassin Of Dernburg Pashn. 4"
He paused.
And now. monsieur, as I was the
visitor who called on Dernburg Pasha
last night. It must be clear that 1
was MOI the assassin that struck him
down. These conclusions may seem
TO interlock with a slight %obscurlty.
But II you reflect upon them. mon
sleur. you win observe hat they arc
sound and convincing"
There was n moments silence.
The Oriental did not speak. and the
Project OF Police continued:
Now. monsieur. we approach the
second hypothesis: did you murder
Dernburg Pasha?
Here. racnsieur, one finds himself
confronted with certain difficulties.
You took charge of his house the
moment st was nscsrtained that the
man was dead
The Envoy interrupted:
Il did, monsieur. As n represen-
tative Of the Turkish Government. II
was my duty to take charge at once
OF the property of one of it's muir
dered citizens. I came at once and
took charge Of It."
THAT IS true. monsieur" continued
the Project Of Police. You came as
you had the right TO do. and you
took over this house as 1t was your
duty to do. And from this base We
may go forward with the hypothesis
in its first inquiry-namely. did !
create these false evidences on the
floor c: this drawing room. or did
you. or did the agency o now living
undertake It"
Now. monsieur. let us consider
these suggestions IN n reverse order
II Dernburg Pasha was struck down
by a hand not moving alive in this
world after he died on the floor OF
the library yonder, then such n hand
could not have gone forward with
the manufacture of these false evi-
dences Of his assassination, and we
may dismiss IL. 1 cannot have man
ufRctured them. monsieur. because
il is not conceivable that one under,
taking the assassination would con.
struct evidence Of his crime TO con.
vict himself, Therefore. monsieur. by
elimination. We seem 10 arrive at the
conclusion that it was o who manu-
featured them"
The Enjoys face seemed 10 form
itself into a sort of plastic mask.
Now" Jonquelle went on, IF you
manufactured them. monsieur. it was
with n deliberate object. That object
would be TO fasten the crime upon
another. But one does not undertake
TO fasten a crime upon another with.
out an adequate reason in himself.
Now. what reason. monsieur. could
you AVE had for wishing to estab.
lish that I. who called upon Dern
burg late last night. had accomplished
his murder and fled, carefully drop
ping splotches of blood on the white
squares OF tho floor of this drawing
room. n escaping over a wall GOV
cred with a coating OF dust which
did not remover What could have
been your object in undertaking tc
establish these facts. If you were
yourself guiltless Of his death7'
The mans reply was quite simple
and without emotion.
why. monsieur, should I wish &c
assassinate Dernburg Fasha7"
Did you not wish to take over
this house?" replied the Project OF
Police. And II you took It over. you
would take 1t over with what It con.
tains. Let me show you. monsieur.
the treasure that it contains!'
He stopped over. slipped the poin;
of a knife-blade under one Of the large
white marble squares in the drawing
room floor and lifted it up.
These squares had been laid down
on wooden stills. nailed together, and
floored over underneath. Zach square
had, therefore. a sort of wooden
pocket beneath it. This wooden
pocket under the white square that
Monsieur Jonquelle removed. was
filled with gold-pieces.
The Oriental. bending over. mad
a profound exclamation of surprise
He remained immovable in an over
whelming wonder That the man wa.
amazed at something of which. up Il
that moment, he had not had tn,
slightest conception. was clearly evi
dent.
Monsieur JonquelIe permitted tn,
marble square TO go back into Il
place. and he ~returned to his chair
H. n-lnna.a