I
On the Top of the Tower
Hortense Daniel pushed her window ajar and whispered:
тАЬAre you there, Rossigny?тАЭ
тАЬI am here,тАЭ replied a voice from the shrubbery at the front of the house.
Leaning forward, she saw a rather fat man looking up at her out of a gross red face with its cheeks and chin set in unpleasantly fair whiskers.
тАЬWell?тАЭ he asked.
тАЬWell, I had a great argument with my uncle and aunt last night. They absolutely refuse to sign the document of which my lawyer sent them the draft, or to restore the dowry squandered by my husband.тАЭ
тАЬBut your uncle is responsible by the terms of the marriage-settlement.тАЭ
тАЬNo matter. He refuses.тАЭ
тАЬWell, what do you propose to do?тАЭ
тАЬAre you still determined to run away with me?тАЭ she asked, with a laugh.
тАЬMore so than ever.тАЭ
тАЬYour intentions are strictly honourable, remember!тАЭ
тАЬJust as you please. You know that I am madly in love with you.тАЭ
тАЬUnfortunately I am not madly in love with you!тАЭ
тАЬThen what made you choose me?тАЭ
тАЬChance. I was bored. I was growing tired of my humdrum existence. So IтАЩm ready to run risks.тБатАКтБатАж HereтАЩs my luggage: catch!тАЭ
She let down from the window a couple of large leather kit-bags. Rossigny caught them in his arms.
тАЬThe die is cast,тАЭ she whispered. тАЬGo and wait for me with your car at the If crossroads. I shall come on horseback.тАЭ
тАЬHang it, I canтАЩt run off with your horse!тАЭ
тАЬHe will go home by himself.тАЭ
тАЬCapital!тБатАКтБатАж Oh, by the way.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ
тАЬWhat is it?тАЭ
тАЬWho is this Prince R├йnine, whoтАЩs been here the last three days and whom nobody seems to know?тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt know much about him. My uncle met him at a friendтАЩs shoot and asked him here to stay.тАЭ
тАЬYou seem to have made a great impression on him. You went for a long ride with him yesterday. HeтАЩs a man I donтАЩt care for.тАЭ
тАЬIn two hours I shall have left the house in your company. The scandal will cool him off.тБатАКтБатАж Well, weтАЩve talked long enough. We have no time to lose.тАЭ
For a few minutes she stood watching the fat man bending under the weight of her traps as he moved away in the shelter of an empty avenue. Then she closed the window.
Outside, in the park, the huntsmenтАЩs horns were sounding the reveille. The hounds burst into frantic baying. It was the opening day of the hunt that morning at the Ch├вteau de la Mar├иze, where, every year, in the first week in September, the Comte dтАЩAigleroche, a mighty hunter before the Lord, and his countess were accustomed to invite a few personal friends and the neighbouring landowners.
Hortense slowly finished dressing, put on a riding-habit, which revealed the lines of her supple figure, and a wide-brimmed felt hat, which encircled her lovely face and auburn hair, and sat down to her writing-desk, at which she wrote to her uncle, M. dтАЩAigleroche, a farewell letter to be delivered to him that evening. It was a difficult letter to word; and, after beginning it several times, she ended by giving up the idea.
тАЬI will write to him later,тАЭ she said to herself, тАЬwhen his anger has cooled down.тАЭ
And she went downstairs to the dining-room.
Enormous logs were blazing in the hearth of the lofty room. The walls were hung with trophies of rifles and shotguns. The guests were flocking in from every side, shaking hands with the Comte dтАЩAigleroche, one of those typical country squires, heavily and powerfully built, who lives only for hunting and shooting. He was standing before the fire, with a large glass of old brandy in his hand, drinking the health of each new arrival.
Hortense kissed him absently:
тАЬWhat, uncle! You who are usually so sober!тАЭ
тАЬPooh!тАЭ he said. тАЬA man may surely indulge himself a little once a year!тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ
тАЬAunt will give you a scolding!тАЭ
тАЬYour aunt has one of her sick headaches and is not coming down. Besides,тАЭ he added, gruffly, тАЬit is not her businessтБатАКтБатАж and still less is it yours, my dear child.тАЭ
Prince R├йnine came up to Hortense. He was a young man, very smartly dressed, with a narrow and rather pale face, whose eyes held by turns the gentlest and the harshest, the most friendly and the most satirical expression. He bowed to her, kissed her hand and said:
тАЬMay I remind you of your kind promise, dear madame?тАЭ
тАЬMy promise?тАЭ
тАЬYes, we agreed that we should repeat our delightful excursion of yesterday and try to go over that old boarded-up place the look of which made us so curious. It seems to be known as the Domaine de Halingre.тАЭ
She answered a little curtly:
тАЬIтАЩm extremely sorry, monsieur, but it would be rather far and IтАЩm feeling a little done up. I shall go for a canter in the park and come indoors again.тАЭ
There was a pause. Then Serge R├йnine said, smiling, with his eyes fixed on hers and in a voice which she alone could hear:
тАЬI am sure that youтАЩll keep your promise and that youтАЩll let me come with you. It would be better.тАЭ
тАЬFor whom? For you, you mean?тАЭ
тАЬFor you, too, I assure you.тАЭ
She coloured slightly, but did not reply, shook hands with a few people around her and left the room.
A groom was holding the horse at the foot of the steps. She mounted and set off towards the woods beyond the park.
It was a cool, still morning. Through the leaves, which barely quivered, the sky showed crystalline blue. Hortense rode at a walk down winding avenues which in half an hour brought her to a countryside of ravines and bluffs intersected by the high road.
She stopped. There was not a sound. Rossigny must have stopped his engine and concealed the car in the thickets around the If crossroads.
She was five hundred yards at most from that circular space. After hesitating for a few seconds, she dismounted, tied her horse carelessly, so that he could release himself by the least effort and return to the house, shrouded her face in the long brown veil that hung over her shoulders and walked on.
As she expected, she saw Rossigny directly she reached the first turn in the road. He ran up to her and drew her into the coppice!
тАЬQuick, quick! Oh, I was so afraid that you would be lateтБатАКтБатАж or even change your mind! And here you are! It seems too good to be true!тАЭ
She smiled:
тАЬYou appear to be quite happy to do an idiotic thing!тАЭ
тАЬI should think I am happy! And so will you be, I swear you will! Your life will be one long fairytale. You shall have every luxury, and all the money you can wish for.тАЭ
тАЬI want neither money nor luxuries.тАЭ
тАЬWhat then?тАЭ
тАЬHappiness.тАЭ
тАЬYou can safely leave your happiness to me.тАЭ
She replied, jestingly:
тАЬI rather doubt the quality of the happiness which you would give me.тАЭ
тАЬWait! YouтАЩll see! YouтАЩll see!тАЭ
They had reached the motor. Rossigny, still stammering expressions of delight, started the engine. Hortense stepped in and wrapped herself in a wide cloak. The car followed the narrow, grassy path which led back to the crossroads and Rossigny was accelerating the speed, when he was suddenly forced to pull up. A shot had rung out from the neighbouring wood, on the right. The car was swerving from side to side.
тАЬA front tire burst,тАЭ shouted Rossigny, leaping to the ground.
тАЬNot a bit of it!тАЭ cried Hortense. тАЬSomebody fired!тАЭ
тАЬImpossible, my dear! DonтАЩt be so absurd!тАЭ
At that moment, two slight shocks were felt and two more reports were heard, one after the other, some way off and still in the wood.
Rossigny snarled:
тАЬThe back tires burst nowтБатАКтБатАж both of them.тБатАКтБатАж But who, in the devilтАЩs name, can the ruffian be?тБатАКтБатАж Just let me get hold of him, thatтАЩs all!тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ
He clambered up the roadside slope. There was no one there. Moreover, the leaves of the coppice blocked the view.
тАЬDamn it! Damn it!тАЭ he swore. тАЬYou were right: somebody was firing at the car! Oh, this is a bit thick! We shall be held up for hours! Three tires to mend!тБатАКтБатАж But what are you doing, dear girl?тАЭ
Hortense herself had alighted from the car. She ran to him, greatly excited:
тАЬIтАЩm going.тАЭ
тАЬBut why?тАЭ
тАЬI want to know. Someone fired. I want to know who it was.тАЭ
тАЬDonтАЩt let us separate, please!тАЭ
тАЬDo you think IтАЩm going to wait here for you for hours?тАЭ
тАЬWhat about your running away?тБатАКтБатАж All our plansтБатАКтБатАжтАК?тАЭ
тАЬWeтАЩll discuss that tomorrow. Go back to the house. Take back my things with you.тБатАКтБатАж And goodbye for the present.тАЭ
She hurried, left him, had the good luck to find her horse and set off at a gallop in a direction leading away from La Mar├иze.
There was not the least doubt in her mind that the three shots had been fired by Prince R├йnine.
тАЬIt was he,тАЭ she muttered, angrily, тАЬit was he. No one else would be capable of such behaviour.тАЭ
Besides, he had warned her, in his smiling, masterful way, that he would expect her.
She was weeping with rage and humiliation. At that moment, had she found herself face to face with Prince R├йnine, she could have struck him with her riding-whip.
Before her was the rugged and picturesque stretch of country which lies between the Orne and the Sarthe, above Alen├зon, and which is known as Little Switzerland. Steep hills compelled her frequently to moderate her pace, the more so as she had to cover some six miles before reaching her destination. But, though the speed at which she rode became less headlong, though her physical effort gradually slackened, she nevertheless persisted in her indignation against Prince R├йnine. She bore him a grudge not only for the unspeakable action of which he had been guilty, but also for his behaviour to her during the last three days, his persistent attentions, his assurance, his air of excessive politeness.
She was nearly there. In the bottom of a valley, an old park-wall, full of cracks and covered with moss and weeds, revealed the ball-turret of a ch├вteau and a few windows with closed shutters. This was the Domaine de Halingre. She followed the wall and turned a corner. In the middle of the crescent-shaped space before which lay the entrance-gates, Serge R├йnine stood waiting beside his horse.
She sprang to the ground, and, as he stepped forward, hat in hand, thanking her for coming, she cried:
тАЬOne word, monsieur, to begin with. Something quite inexplicable happened just now. Three shots were fired at a motorcar in which I was sitting. Did you fire those shots?тАЭ
тАЬYes.тАЭ
She seemed dumbfounded:
тАЬThen you confess it?тАЭ
тАЬYou have asked a question, madame, and I have answered it.тАЭ
тАЬBut how dared you? What gave you the right?тАЭ
тАЬI was not exercising a right, madame; I was performing a duty!тАЭ
тАЬIndeed! And what duty, pray?тАЭ
тАЬThe duty of protecting you against a man who is trying to profit by your troubles.тАЭ
тАЬI forbid you to speak like that. I am responsible for my own actions, and I decided upon them in perfect liberty.тАЭ
тАЬMadame, I overheard your conversation with M. Rossigny this morning and it did not appear to me that you were accompanying him with a light heart. I admit the ruthlessness and bad taste of my interference and I apologise for it humbly; but I risked being taken for a ruffian in order to give you a few hours for reflection.тАЭ
тАЬI have reflected fully, monsieur. When I have once made up my mind to a thing, I do not change it.тАЭ
тАЬYes, madame, you do, sometimes. If not, why are you here instead of there?тАЭ
Hortense was confused for a moment. All her anger had subsided. She looked at R├йnine with the surprise which one experiences when confronted with certain persons who are unlike their fellows, more capable of performing unusual actions, more generous and disinterested. She realised perfectly that he was acting without any ulterior motive or calculation, that he was, as he had said, merely fulfilling his duty as a gentleman to a woman who has taken the wrong turning.
Speaking very gently, he said:
тАЬI know very little about you, madame, but enough to make me wish to be of use to you. You are twenty-six years old and have lost both your parents. Seven years ago, you became the wife of the Comte dтАЩAiglerocheтАЩs nephew by marriage, who proved to be of unsound mind, half insane indeed, and had to be confined. This made it impossible for you to obtain a divorce and compelled you, since your dowry had been squandered, to live with your uncle and at his expense. ItтАЩs a depressing environment. The count and countess do not agree. Years ago, the count was deserted by his first wife, who ran away with the countessтАЩ first husband. The abandoned husband and wife decided out of spite to unite their fortunes, but found nothing but disappointment and ill-will in this second marriage. And you suffer the consequences. They lead a monotonous, narrow, lonely life for eleven months or more out of the year. One day, you met M. Rossigny, who fell in love with you and suggested an elopement. You did not care for him. But you were bored, your youth was being wasted, you longed for the unexpected, for adventureтБатАКтБатАж in a word, you accepted with the very definite intention of keeping your admirer at armтАЩs length, but also with the rather ingenuous hope that the scandal would force your uncleтАЩs hand and make him account for his trusteeship and assure you of an independent existence. That is how you stand. At present you have to choose between placing yourself in M. RossignyтАЩs handsтБатАКтБатАж or trusting yourself to me.тАЭ
She raised her eyes to his. What did he mean? What was the purport of this offer which he made so seriously, like a friend who asks nothing but to prove his devotion?
After a momentтАЩs silence, he took the two horses by the bridle and tied them up. Then he examined the heavy gates, each of which was strengthened by two planks nailed crosswise. An electoral poster, dated twenty years earlier, showed that no one had entered the domain since that time.
R├йnine tore up one of the iron posts which supported a railing that ran round the crescent and used it as a lever. The rotten planks gave way. One of them uncovered the lock, which he attacked with a big knife, containing a number of blades and implements. A minute later, the gate opened on a waste of bracken which led up to a long, dilapidated building, with a turret at each corner and a sort of a belvedere, built on a taller tower, in the middle.
The Prince turned to Hortense:
тАЬYou are in no hurry,тАЭ he said. тАЬYou will form your decision this evening; and, if M. Rossigny succeeds in persuading you for the second time, I give you my word of honour that I shall not cross your path. Until then, grant me the privilege of your company. We made up our minds yesterday to inspect the ch├вteau. Let us do so. Will you? It is as good a way as any of passing the time and I have a notion that it will not be uninteresting.тАЭ
He had a way of talking which compelled obedience. He seemed to be commanding and entreating at the same time. Hortense did not even seek to shake off the enervation into which her will was slowly sinking. She followed him to a half-demolished flight of steps at the top of which was a door likewise strengthened by planks nailed in the form of a cross.
R├йnine went to work in the same way as before. They entered a spacious hall paved with white and black flagstones, furnished with old sideboards and choir-stalls and adorned with a carved escutcheon which displayed the remains of armorial bearings, representing an eagle standing on a block of stone, all half-hidden behind a veil of cobwebs which hung down over a pair of folding-doors.
тАЬThe door of the drawing-room, evidently,тАЭ said R├йnine.
He found this more difficult to open; and it was only by repeatedly charging it with his shoulder that he was able to move one of the doors.
Hortense had not spoken a word. She watched not without surprise this series of forcible entries, which were accomplished with a really masterly skill. He guessed her thoughts and, turning round, said in a serious voice:
тАЬItтАЩs childтАЩs-play to me. I was a locksmith once.тАЭ
She seized his arm and whispered:
тАЬListen!тАЭ
тАЬTo what?тАЭ he asked.
She increased the pressure of her hand, to demand silence. The next moment, he murmured:
тАЬItтАЩs really very strange.тАЭ
тАЬListen, listen!тАЭ Hortense repeated, in bewilderment. тАЬCan it be possible?тАЭ
They heard, not far from where they were standing, a sharp sound, the sound of a light tap recurring at regular intervals; and they had only to listen attentively to recognise the ticking of a clock. Yes, it was this and nothing else that broke the profound silence of the dark room; it was indeed the deliberate ticking, rhythmical as the beat of a metronome, produced by a heavy brass pendulum. That was it! And nothing could be more impressive than the measured pulsation of this trivial mechanism, which by some miracle, some inexplicable phenomenon, had continued to live in the heart of the dead ch├вteau.
тАЬAnd yet,тАЭ stammered Hortense, without daring to raise her voice, тАЬno one has entered the house?тАЭ
тАЬNo one.тАЭ
тАЬAnd it is quite impossible for that clock to have kept going for twenty years without being wound up?тАЭ
тАЬQuite impossible.тАЭ
тАЬThenтБатАКтБатАжтАК?тАЭ
Serge R├йnine opened the three windows and threw back the shutters.
He and Hortense were in a drawing-room, as he had thought; and the room showed not the least sign of disorder. The chairs were in their places. Not a piece of furniture was missing. The people who had lived there and who had made it the most individual room in their house had gone away leaving everything just as it was, the books which they used to read, the knickknacks on the tables and consoles.
R├йnine examined the old grandfatherтАЩs clock, contained in its tall carved case which showed the disk of the pendulum through an oval pane of glass. He opened the door of the clock. The weights hanging from the cords were at their lowest point.
At that moment there was a click. The clock struck eight with a serious note which Hortense was never to forget.
тАЬHow extraordinary!тАЭ she said.
тАЬExtraordinary indeed,тАЭ said he, тАЬfor the works are exceedingly simple and would hardly keep going for a week.тАЭ
тАЬAnd do you see nothing out of the common?тАЭ
тАЬNo, nothingтБатАКтБатАж or, at least.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ
He stooped and, from the back of the case, drew a metal tube which was concealed by the weights. Holding it up to the light:
тАЬA telescope,тАЭ he said, thoughtfully. тАЬWhy did they hide it?тБатАКтБатАж And they left it drawn out to its full length.тБатАКтБатАж ThatтАЩs odd.тБатАКтБатАж What does it mean?тАЭ
The clock, as is sometimes usual, began to strike a second time, sounding eight strokes. R├йnine closed the case and continued his inspection without putting his telescope down. A wide arch led from the drawing-room to a smaller apartment, a sort of smoking-room. This also was furnished, but contained a glass case for guns of which the rack was empty. Hanging on a panel near by was a calendar with the date of the 5th of September.
тАЬOh,тАЭ cried Hortense, in astonishment, тАЬthe same date as today!тБатАКтБатАж They tore off the leaves until the 5th of September.тБатАКтБатАж And this is the anniversary! What an astonishing coincidence!тАЭ
тАЬAstonishing,тАЭ he echoed. тАЬItтАЩs the anniversary of their departureтБатАКтБатАж twenty years ago today.тАЭ
тАЬYou must admit,тАЭ she said, тАЬthat all this is incomprehensible.тАЭ
тАЬYes, of courseтБатАКтБатАж but, all the sameтБатАКтБатАж perhaps not.тАЭ
тАЬHave you any idea?тАЭ
He waited a few seconds before replying:
тАЬWhat puzzles me is this telescope hidden, dropped in that corner, at the last moment. I wonder what it was used for.тБатАКтБатАж From the ground-floor windows you see nothing but the trees in the gardenтБатАКтБатАж and the same, I expect, from all the windows.тБатАКтБатАж We are in a valley, without the least open horizon.тБатАКтБатАж To use the telescope, one would have to go up to the top of the house.тБатАКтБатАж Shall we go up?тАЭ
She did not hesitate. The mystery surrounding the whole adventure excited her curiosity so keenly that she could think of nothing but accompanying R├йnine and assisting him in his investigations.
They went upstairs accordingly, and, on the second floor, came to a landing where they found the spiral staircase leading to the belvedere.
At the top of this was a platform in the open air, but surrounded by a parapet over six feet high.
тАЬThere must have been battlements which have been filled in since,тАЭ observed Prince R├йnine. тАЬLook here, there were loopholes at one time. They may have been blocked.тАЭ
тАЬIn any case,тАЭ she said, тАЬthe telescope was of no use up here either and we may as well go down again.тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt agree,тАЭ he said. тАЬLogic tells us that there must have been some gap through which the country could be seen and this was the spot where the telescope was used.тАЭ
He hoisted himself by his wrists to the top of the parapet and then saw that this point of vantage commanded the whole of the valley, including the park, with its tall trees marking the horizon; and, beyond, a depression in a wood surmounting a hill, at a distance of some seven or eight hundred yards, stood another tower, squat and in ruins, covered with ivy from top to bottom.
R├йnine resumed his inspection. He seemed to consider that the key to the problem lay in the use to which the telescope was put and that the problem would be solved if only they could discover this use.
He studied the loopholes one after the other. One of them, or rather the place which it had occupied, attracted his attention above the rest. In the middle of the layer of plaster, which had served to block it, there was a hollow filled with earth in which plants had grown. He pulled out the plants and removed the earth, thus clearing the mouth of a hole some five inches in diameter, which completely penetrated the wall. On bending forward, R├йnine perceived that this deep and narrow opening inevitably carried the eye, above the dense tops of the trees and through the depression in the hill, to the ivy-clad tower.
At the bottom of this channel, in a sort of groove which ran through it like a gutter, the telescope fitted so exactly that it was quite impossible to shift it, however little, either to the right or to the left.
R├йnine, after wiping the outside of the lenses, while taking care not to disturb the lie of the instrument by a hairтАЩs breadth, put his eye to the small end.
He remained for thirty or forty seconds, gazing attentively and silently. Then he drew himself up and said, in a husky voice:
тАЬItтАЩs terribleтБатАКтБатАж itтАЩs really terrible.тАЭ
тАЬWhat is?тАЭ she asked, anxiously.
тАЬLook.тАЭ
She bent down but the image was not clear to her and the telescope had to be focused to suit her sight. The next moment she shuddered and said:
тАЬItтАЩs two scarecrows, isnтАЩt it, both stuck up on the top? But why?тАЭ
тАЬLook again,тАЭ he said. тАЬLook more carefully under the hatsтБатАКтБатАж the faces.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ
тАЬOh!тАЭ she cried, turning faint with horror, тАЬhow awful!тАЭ
The field of the telescope, like the circular picture shown by a magic lantern, presented this spectacle: the platform of a broken tower, the walls of which were higher in the more distant part and formed as it were a backdrop, over which surged waves of ivy. In front, amid a cluster of bushes, were two human beings, a man and a woman, leaning back against a heap of fallen stones.
But the words man and woman could hardly be applied to these two forms, these two sinister puppets, which, it is true, wore clothes and hatsтБатАФor rather shreds of clothes and remnants of hatsтБатАФbut had lost their eyes, their cheeks, their chins, every particle of flesh, until they were actually and positively nothing more than two skeletons.
тАЬTwo skeletons,тАЭ stammered Hortense. тАЬTwo skeletons with clothes on. Who carried them up there?тАЭ
тАЬNobody.тАЭ
тАЬBut still.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ
тАЬThat man and that woman must have died at the top of the tower, years and years agoтБатАКтБатАж and their flesh rotted under their clothes and the ravens ate them.тАЭ
тАЬBut itтАЩs hideous, hideous!тАЭ cried Hortense, pale as death, her face drawn with horror.
Half an hour later, Hortense Daniel and R├йnine left the Ch├вteau de Halingre. Before their departure, they had gone as far as the ivy-grown tower, the remains of an old donjon-keep more than half demolished. The inside was empty. There seemed to have been a way of climbing to the top, at a comparatively recent period, by means of wooden stairs and ladders which now lay broken and scattered over the ground. The tower backed against the wall which marked the end of the park.
A curious fact, which surprised Hortense, was that Prince R├йnine had neglected to pursue a more minute enquiry, as though the matter had lost all interest for him. He did not even speak of it any longer; and, in the inn at which they stopped and took a light meal in the nearest village, it was she who asked the landlord about the abandoned ch├вteau. But she learnt nothing from him, for the man was new to the district and could give her no particulars. He did not even know the name of the owner.
They turned their horsesтАЩ heads towards La Mar├иze. Again and again Hortense recalled the squalid sight which had met their eyes. But R├йnine, who was in a lively mood and full of attentions to his companion, seemed utterly indifferent to those questions.
тАЬBut, after all,тАЭ she exclaimed, impatiently, тАЬwe canтАЩt leave the matter there! It calls for a solution.тАЭ
тАЬAs you say,тАЭ he replied, тАЬa solution is called for. M. Rossigny has to know where he stands and you have to decide what to do about him.тАЭ
She shrugged her shoulders: тАЬHeтАЩs of no importance for the moment. The thing today.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ
тАЬIs what?тАЭ
тАЬIs to know what those two dead bodies are.тАЭ
тАЬStill, Rossigny.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ
тАЬRossigny can wait. But I canтАЩt. You have shown me a mystery which is now the only thing that matters. What do you intend to do?тАЭ
тАЬTo do?тАЭ
тАЬYes. There are two bodies.тБатАКтБатАж YouтАЩll inform the police, I suppose.тАЭ
тАЬGracious goodness!тАЭ he exclaimed, laughing. тАЬWhat for?тАЭ
тАЬWell, thereтАЩs a riddle that has to be cleared up at all costs, a terrible tragedy.тАЭ
тАЬWe donтАЩt need anyone to do that.тАЭ
тАЬWhat! Do you mean to say that you understand it?тАЭ
тАЬAlmost as plainly as though I had read it in a book, told in full detail, with explanatory illustrations. ItтАЩs all so simple!тАЭ
She looked at him askance, wondering if he was making fun of her. But he seemed quite serious.
тАЬWell?тАЭ she asked, quivering with curiosity.
The light was beginning to wane. They had trotted at a good pace; and the hunt was returning as they neared La Mar├иze.
тАЬWell,тАЭ he said, тАЬwe shall get the rest of our information from people living round aboutтБатАКтБатАж from your uncle, for instance; and you will see how logically all the facts fit in. When you hold the first link of a chain, you are bound, whether you like it or not, to reach the last. ItтАЩs the greatest fun in the world.тАЭ
Once in the house, they separated. On going to her room, Hortense found her luggage and a furious letter from Rossigny in which he bade her goodbye and announced his departure.
Then R├йnine knocked at her door:
тАЬYour uncle is in the library,тАЭ he said. тАЬWill you go down with me? IтАЩve sent word that I am coming.тАЭ
She went with him. He added:
тАЬOne word more. This morning, when I thwarted your plans and begged you to trust me, I naturally undertook an obligation towards you which I mean to fulfill without delay. I want to give you a positive proof of this.тАЭ
She laughed:
тАЬThe only obligation which you took upon yourself was to satisfy my curiosity.тАЭ
тАЬIt shall be satisfied,тАЭ he assured her, gravely, тАЬand more fully than you can possibly imagine.тАЭ
M. dтАЩAigleroche was alone. He was smoking his pipe and drinking sherry. He offered a glass to R├йnine, who refused.
тАЬWell, Hortense!тАЭ he said, in a rather thick voice. тАЬYou know that itтАЩs pretty dull here, except in these September days. You must make the most of them. Have you had a pleasant ride with R├йnine?тАЭ
тАЬThatтАЩs just what I wanted to talk about, my dear sir,тАЭ interrupted the prince.
тАЬYou must excuse me, but I have to go to the station in ten minutes, to meet a friend of my wifeтАЩs.тАЭ
тАЬOh, ten minutes will be ample!тАЭ
тАЬJust the time to smoke a cigarette?тАЭ
тАЬNo longer.тАЭ
He took a cigarette from the case which M. dтАЩAigleroche handed to him, lit it and said:
тАЬI must tell you that our ride happened to take us to an old domain which you are sure to know, the Domaine de Halingre.тАЭ
тАЬCertainly I know it. But it has been closed, boarded up for twenty-five years or so. You werenтАЩt able to get in, I suppose?тАЭ
тАЬYes, we were.тАЭ
тАЬReally? Was it interesting?тАЭ
тАЬExtremely. We discovered the strangest things.тАЭ
тАЬWhat things?тАЭ asked the count, looking at his watch.
R├йnine described what they had seen:
тАЬOn a tower some way from the house there were two dead bodies, two skeletons ratherтБатАКтБатАж a man and a woman still wearing the clothes which they had on when they were murdered.тАЭ
тАЬCome, come, now! Murdered?тАЭ
тАЬYes; and that is what we have come to trouble you about. The tragedy must date back to some twenty years ago. Was nothing known of it at the time?тАЭ
тАЬCertainly not,тАЭ declared the count. тАЬI never heard of any such crime or disappearance.тАЭ
тАЬOh, really!тАЭ said R├йnine, looking a little disappointed. тАЬI hoped to obtain a few particulars.тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm sorry.тАЭ
тАЬIn that case, I apologise.тАЭ
He consulted Hortense with a glance and moved towards the door. But on second thought:
тАЬCould you not at least, my dear sir, bring me into touch with some persons in the neighbourhood, some members of your family, who might know more about it?тАЭ
тАЬOf my family? And why?тАЭ
тАЬBecause the Domaine de Halingre used to belong and no doubt still belongs to the dтАЩAigleroches. The arms are an eagle on a heap of stones, on a rock. This at once suggested the connection.тАЭ
This time the count appeared surprised. He pushed back his decanter and his glass of sherry and said:
тАЬWhatтАЩs this youтАЩre telling me? I had no idea that we had any such neighbours.тАЭ
R├йnine shook his head and smiled:
тАЬI should be more inclined to believe, sir, that you were not very eager to admit any relationship between yourselfтБатАКтБатАж and the unknown owner of the property.тАЭ
тАЬThen heтАЩs not a respectable man?тАЭ
тАЬThe man, to put it plainly, is a murderer.тАЭ
тАЬWhat do you mean?тАЭ
The count had risen from his chair. Hortense, greatly excited, said:
тАЬAre you really sure that there has been a murder and that the murder was done by someone belonging to the house?тАЭ
тАЬQuite sure.тАЭ
тАЬBut why are you so certain?тАЭ
тАЬBecause I know who the two victims were and what caused them to be killed.тАЭ
Prince R├йnine was making none but positive statements and his method suggested the belief that he supported by the strongest proofs.
M. dтАЩAigleroche strode up and down the room, with his hands behind his back. He ended by saying:
тАЬI always had an instinctive feeling that something had happened, but I never tried to find out.тБатАКтБатАж Now, as a matter of fact, twenty years ago, a relation of mine, a distant cousin, used to live at the Domaine de Halingre. I hoped, because of the name I bear, that this story, which, as I say, I never knew but suspected, would remain hidden forever.тАЭ
тАЬSo this cousin killed somebody?тАЭ
тАЬYes, he was obliged to.тАЭ
R├йnine shook his head:
тАЬI am sorry to have to amend that phrase, my dear sir. The truth, on the contrary, is that your cousin took his victimsтАЩ lives in cold blood and in a cowardly manner. I never heard of a crime more deliberately and craftily planned.тАЭ
тАЬWhat is it that you know?тАЭ
The moment had come for R├йnine to explain himself, a solemn and anguish-stricken moment, the full gravity of which Hortense understood, though she had not yet divined any part of the tragedy which the prince unfolded step by step.
тАЬItтАЩs a very simple story,тАЭ he said. тАЬThere is every reason to believe that M. dтАЩAigleroche was married and that there was another couple living in the neighbourhood with whom the owner of the Domaine de Halingre were on friendly terms. What happened one day, which of these four persons first disturbed the relations between the two households, I am unable to say. But a likely version, which at once occurs to the mind, is that your cousinтАЩs wife, Madame dтАЩAigleroche, was in the habit of meeting the other husband in the ivy-covered tower, which had a door opening outside the estate. On discovering the intrigue, your cousin dтАЩAigleroche resolved to be revenged, but in such a manner that there should be no scandal and that no one even should ever know that the guilty pair had been killed. Now he had ascertainedтБатАФas I did just nowтБатАФthat there was a part of the house, the belvedere, from which you can see, over the trees and the undulations of the park, the tower standing eight hundred yards away, and that this was the only place that overlooked the top of the tower. He therefore pierced a hole in the parapet, through one of the former loopholes, and from there, by using a telescope which fitted exactly in the grove which he had hollowed out, he watched the meetings of the two lovers. And it was from there, also, that, after carefully taking all his measurements, and calculating all his distances, on a Sunday, the 5th of September, when the house was empty, he killed them with two shots.тАЭ
The truth was becoming apparent. The light of day was breaking. The count muttered:
тАЬYes, thatтАЩs what must have happened. I expect that my cousin dтАЩAigleroche.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ
тАЬThe murderer,тАЭ R├йnine continued, тАЬstopped up the loophole neatly with a clod of earth. No one would ever know that two dead bodies were decaying on the top of that tower which was never visited and of which he took the precaution to demolish the wooden stairs. Nothing therefore remained for him to do but to explain the disappearance of his wife and his friend. This presented no difficulty. He accused them of having eloped together.тАЭ
Hortense gave a start. Suddenly, as though the last sentence were a complete and to her an absolutely unexpected revelation, she understood what R├йnine was trying to convey:
тАЬWhat do you mean?тАЭ she asked.
тАЬI mean that M. dтАЩAigleroche accused his wife and his friend of eloping together.тАЭ
тАЬNo, no!тАЭ she cried. тАЬI canтАЩt allow that!тБатАКтБатАж You are speaking of a cousin of my uncleтАЩs? Why mix up the two stories?тАЭ
тАЬWhy mix up this story with another which took place at that time?тАЭ said the prince. тАЬBut I am not mixing them up, my dear madame; there is only one story and I am telling it as it happened.тАЭ
Hortense turned to her uncle. He sat silent, with his arms folded; and his head remained in the shadow cast by the lampshade. Why had he not protested?
R├йnine repeated in a firm tone:
тАЬThere is only one story. On the evening of that very day, the 5th of September at eight oтАЩclock, M. dтАЩAigleroche, doubtless alleging as his reason that he was going in pursuit of the runaway couple, left his house after boarding up the entrance. He went away, leaving all the rooms as they were and removing only the firearms from their glass case. At the last minute, he had a presentiment, which has been justified today, that the discovery of the telescope which had played so great a part in the preparation of his crime might serve as a clue to an enquiry; and he threw it into the clock-case, where, as luck would have it, it interrupted the swing of the pendulum. This unreflecting action, one of those which every criminal inevitably commits, was to betray him twenty years later. Just now, the blows which I struck to force the door of the drawing-room released the pendulum. The clock was set going, struck eight oтАЩclockтБатАКтБатАж and I possessed the clue of thread which was to lead me through the labyrinth.тАЭ
тАЬProofs!тАЭ stammered Hortense. тАЬProofs!тАЭ
тАЬProofs?тАЭ replied R├йnine, in a loud voice. тАЬWhy, there are any number of proofs; and you know them as well as I do. Who could have killed at that distance of eight hundred yards, except an expert shot, an ardent sportsman? You agree, M. dтАЩAigleroche, do you not?тБатАКтБатАж Proofs? Why was nothing removed from the house, nothing except the guns, those guns which an ardent sportsman cannot afford to leave behindтБатАФyou agree, M. dтАЩAiglerocheтБатАФthose guns which we find here, hanging in trophies on the walls!тБатАКтБатАж Proofs? What about that date, the 5th of September, which was the date of the crime and which has left such a horrible memory in the criminalтАЩs mind that every year at this timeтБатАФat this time aloneтБатАФhe surrounds himself with distractions and that every year, on this same 5th of September, he forgets his habits of temperance? Well, today, is the 5th of September.тБатАКтБатАж Proofs? Why, if there werenтАЩt any others, would that not be enough for you?тАЭ
And R├йnine, flinging out his arm, pointed to the Comte dтАЩAigleroche, who, terrified by this evocation of the past, had sunk huddled into a chair and was hiding his head in his hands.
Hortense did not attempt to argue with him. She had never liked her uncle, or rather her husbandтАЩs uncle. She now accepted the accusation laid against him.
Sixty seconds passed. Then M. dтАЩAigleroche walked up to them and said:
тАЬWhether the story be true or not, you canтАЩt call a husband a criminal for avenging his honour and killing his faithless wife.тАЭ
тАЬNo,тАЭ replied R├йnine, тАЬbut I have told only the first version of the story. There is another which is infinitely more seriousтБатАКтБатАж and more probable, one to which a more thorough investigation would be sure to lead.тАЭ
тАЬWhat do you mean?тАЭ
тАЬI mean this. It may not be a matter of a husband taking the law into his own hands, as I charitably supposed. It may be a matter of a ruined man who covets his friendтАЩs money and his friendтАЩs wife and who, with this object in view, to secure his freedom, to get rid of his friend and of his own wife, draws them into a trap, suggests to them that they should visit that lonely tower and kills them by shooting them from a distance safely under cover.тАЭ
тАЬNo, no,тАЭ the count protested. тАЬNo, all that is untrue.тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt say it isnтАЩt. I am basing my accusation on proofs, but also on intuitions and arguments which up to now have been extremely accurate. All the same, I admit that the second version may be incorrect. But, if so, why feel any remorse? One does not feel remorse for punishing guilty people.тАЭ
тАЬOne does for taking life. It is a crushing burden to bear.тАЭ
тАЬWas it to give himself greater strength to bear this burden that M. dтАЩAigleroche afterwards married his victimтАЩs widow? For that, sir, is the crux of the question. What was the motive of that marriage? Was M. dтАЩAigleroche penniless? Was the woman he was taking as his second wife rich? Or were they both in love with each other and did M. dтАЩAigleroche plan with her to kill his first wife and the husband of his second wife? These are problems to which I do not know the answer. They have no interest for the moment; but the police, with all the means at their disposal, would have no great difficulty in elucidating them.тАЭ
M. dтАЩAigleroche staggered and had to steady himself against the back of a chair. Livid in the face, he spluttered:
тАЬAre you going to inform the police?тАЭ
тАЬNo, no,тАЭ said R├йnine. тАЬTo begin with, there is the statute of limitations. Then there are twenty years of remorse and dread, a memory which will pursue the criminal to his dying hour, accompanied no doubt by domestic discord, hatred, a daily hellтБатАКтБатАж and, in the end, the necessity of returning to the tower and removing the traces of the two murders, the frightful punishment of climbing that tower, of touching those skeletons, of undressing them and burying them. That will be enough. We will not ask for more. We will not give it to the public to batten on and create a scandal which would recoil upon M. dтАЩAiglerocheтАЩs niece. No, let us leave this disgraceful business alone.тАЭ
The count resumed his seat at the table, with his hands clutching his forehead, and asked:
тАЬThen whyтБатАКтБатАжтАК?тАЭ
тАЬWhy do I interfere?тАЭ said R├йnine. тАЬWhat you mean is that I must have had some object in speaking. That is so. There must indeed be a penalty, however slight, and our interview must lead to some practical result. But have no fear: M. dтАЩAigleroche will be let off lightly.тАЭ
The contest was ended. The count felt that he had only a small formality to fulfil, a sacrifice to accept; and, recovering some of his self-assurance, he said, in an almost sarcastic tone:
тАЬWhatтАЩs your price?тАЭ
R├йnine burst out laughing:
тАЬSplendid! You see the position. Only, you make a mistake in drawing me into the business. IтАЩm working for the glory of the thing.тАЭ
тАЬIn that case?тАЭ
тАЬYou will be called upon at most to make restitution.тАЭ
тАЬRestitution?тАЭ
R├йnine leant over the table and said:
тАЬIn one of those drawers is a deed awaiting your signature. It is a draft agreement between you and your niece Hortense Daniel, relating to her private fortune, which fortune was squandered and for which you are responsible. Sign the deed.тАЭ
M. dтАЩAigleroche gave a start:
тАЬDo you know the amount?тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt wish to know it.тАЭ
тАЬAnd if I refuse?тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ
тАЬI shall ask to see the Comtesse dтАЩAigleroche.тАЭ
Without further hesitation, the count opened a drawer, produced a document on stamped paper and quickly signed it:
тАЬHere you are,тАЭ he said, тАЬand I hope.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ
тАЬYou hope, as I do, that you and I may never have any future dealings? IтАЩm convinced of it. I shall leave this evening; your niece, no doubt, tomorrow. Goodbye.тАЭ
In the drawing-room, which was still empty, while the guests at the house were dressing for dinner, R├йnine handed the deed to Hortense. She seemed dazed by all that she had heard; and the thing that bewildered her even more than the relentless light shed upon her uncleтАЩs past was the miraculous insight and amazing lucidity displayed by this man: the man who for some hours had controlled events and conjured up before her eyes the actual scenes of a tragedy which no one had beheld.
тАЬAre you satisfied with me?тАЭ he asked.
She gave him both her hands:
тАЬYou have saved me from Rossigny. You have given me back my freedom and my independence. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.тАЭ
тАЬOh, thatтАЩs not what I am asking you to say!тАЭ he answered. тАЬMy first and main object was to amuse you. Your life seemed so humdrum and lacking in the unexpected. Has it been so today?тАЭ
тАЬHow can you ask such a question? I have had the strangest and most stirring experiences.тАЭ
тАЬThat is life,тАЭ he said. тАЬWhen one knows how to use oneтАЩs eyes. Adventure exists everywhere, in the meanest hovel, under the mask of the wisest of men. Everywhere, if you are only willing, you will find an excuse for excitement, for doing good, for saving a victim, for ending an injustice.тАЭ
Impressed by his power and authority, she murmured:
тАЬWho are you exactly?тАЭ
тАЬAn adventurer. Nothing more. A lover of adventures. Life is not worth living except in moments of adventure, the adventures of others or personal adventures. TodayтАЩs has upset you because it affected the innermost depths of your being. But those of others are no less stimulating. Would you like to make the experiment?тАЭ
тАЬHow?тАЭ
тАЬBecome the companion of my adventures. If anyone calls on me for help, help him with me. If chance or instinct puts me on the track of a crime or the trace of a sorrow, let us both set out together. Do you consent?тАЭ
тАЬYes,тАЭ she said, тАЬbut.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ
She hesitated, as though trying to guess R├йnineтАЩs secret intentions.
тАЬBut,тАЭ he said, expressing her thoughts for her, with a smile, тАЬyou are a trifle sceptical. What you are saying to yourself is, тАШHow far does that lover of adventures want to make me go? It is quite obvious that I attract him; and sooner or later he would not be sorry to receive payment for his services.тАЩ You are quite right. We must have a formal contract.тАЭ
тАЬVery formal,тАЭ said Hortense, preferring to give a jesting tone to the conversation. тАЬLet me hear your proposals.тАЭ
He reflected for a moment and continued:
тАЬWell, weтАЩll say this. The clock at Halingre gave eight strokes this afternoon, the day of the first adventure. Will you accept its decree and agree to carry out seven more of these delightful enterprises with me, during a period, for instance, of three months? And shall we say that, at the eighth, you will be pledged to grant me.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ
тАЬWhat?тАЭ
He deferred his answer:
тАЬObserve that you will always be at liberty to leave me on the road if I do not succeed in interesting you. But, if you accompany me to the end, if you allow me to begin and complete the eighth enterprise with you, in three months, on the 5th of December, at the very moment when the eighth stroke of that clock soundsтБатАФand it will sound, you may be sure of that, for the old brass pendulum will not stop swinging againтБатАФyou will be pledged to grant me.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ
тАЬWhat?тАЭ she repeated, a little unnerved by waiting.
He was silent. He looked at the beautiful lips which he had meant to claim as his reward. He felt perfectly certain that Hortense had understood and he thought it unnecessary to speak more plainly:
тАЬThe mere delight of seeing you will be enough to satisfy me. It is not for me but for you to impose conditions. Name them: what do you demand?тАЭ
She was grateful for his respect and said, laughingly:
тАЬWhat do I demand?тАЭ
тАЬYes.тАЭ
тАЬCan I demand anything I like, however difficult and impossible?тАЭ
тАЬEverything is easy and everything is possible to the man who is bent on winning you.тАЭ
Then she said:
тАЬI demand that you shall restore to me a small, antique clasp, made of a cornelian set in a silver mount. It came to me from my mother and everyone knew that it used to bring her happiness and me too. Since the day when it vanished from my jewel-case, I have had nothing but unhappiness. Restore it to me, my good genius.тАЭ
тАЬWhen was the clasp stolen?тАЭ
She answered gaily:
тАЬSeven years agoтБатАКтБатАж or eightтБатАКтБатАж or nine; I donтАЩt know exactlyтБатАКтБатАж I donтАЩt know whereтБатАКтБатАж I donтАЩt know howтБатАКтБатАж I know nothing about it.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ
тАЬI will find it,тАЭ R├йnine declared, тАЬand you shall be happy.тАЭ