IV + 

The Telltale Film + 

тАЬDo look at the man whoтАЩs playing the butler,тАЭ said Serge R├йnine. + 

тАЬWhat is there peculiar about him?тАЭ asked Hortense. + 

They were sitting in the balcony at a picture-palace, to which Hortense had asked to be taken so that she might see on the screen the daughter of a lady, now dead, who used to give her piano-lessons. Rose Andr├йe, a lovely girl with lissome movements and a smiling face, was that evening figuring in a new film, The Happy Princess, which she lit up with her high spirits and her warm, glowing beauty. + 

R├йnine made no direct reply, but, during a pause in the performance, continued: + 

тАЬI sometimes console myself for an indifferent film by watching the subordinate characters. It seems to me that those poor devils, who are made to rehearse certain scenes ten or twenty times over, must often be thinking of other things than their parts at the time of the final exposure. And itтАЩs great fun noting those little moments of distraction which reveal something of their temperament, of their instinct self. As, for instance, in the case of that butler: look!тАЭ + 

The screen now showed a luxuriously served table. The Happy Princess sat at the head, surrounded by all her suitors. Half-a-dozen footmen moved about the room, under the orders of the butler, a big fellow with a dull, coarse face, a common appearance and a pair of enormous eyebrows which met across his forehead in a single line. + 

тАЬHe looks a brute,тАЭ said Hortense, тАЬbut what do you see in him thatтАЩs peculiar?тАЭ + 

тАЬJust note how he gazes at the princess and tell me if he doesnтАЩt stare at her oftener than he ought to.тАЭ + 

тАЬI really havenтАЩt noticed anything, so far,тАЭ said Hortense. + 

тАЬWhy, of course he does!тАЭ Serge R├йnine declared. тАЬIt is quite obvious that in actual life he entertains for Rose Andr├йe personal feelings which are quite out of place in a nameless servant. It is possible that, in real life, no one has any idea of such a thing; but, on the screen, when he is not watching himself, or when he thinks that the actors at rehearsal cannot see him, his secret escapes him. Look.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

The man was standing still. It was the end of dinner. The princess was drinking a glass of champagne and he was gloating over her with his glittering eyes half-hidden behind their heavy lids. + 

Twice again they surprised in his face those strange expressions to which R├йnine ascribed an emotional meaning which Hortense refused to see: + 

тАЬItтАЩs just his way of looking at people,тАЭ she said. + 

The first part of the film ended. There were two parts, divided by an entrтАЩacte. The notice on the programme stated that тАЬa year had elapsed and that the Happy Princess was living in a pretty Norman cottage, all hung with creepers, together with her husband, a poor musician.тАЭ + 

The princess was still happy, as was evident on the screen, still as attractive as ever and still besieged by the greatest variety of suitors. Nobles and commoners, peasants and financiers, men of all kinds fell swooning at her feet; and prominent among them was a sort of boorish solitary, a shaggy, half-wild woodcutter, whom she met whenever she went out for a walk. Armed with his axe, a formidable, crafty being, he prowled around the cottage; and the spectators felt with a sense of dismay that a peril was hanging over the Happy PrincessтАЩ head. + 

тАЬLook at that!тАЭ whispered R├йnine. тАЬDo you realise who the man of the woods is?тАЭ + 

тАЬNo.тАЭ + 

тАЬSimply the butler. The same actor is doubling the two parts.тАЭ + 

In fact, notwithstanding the new figure which he cut, the butlerтАЩs movements and postures were apparent under the heavy gait and rounded shoulders of the woodcutter, even as under the unkempt beard and long, thick hair the once clean-shaven face was visible with the cruel expression and the bushy line of the eyebrows. + 

The princess, in the background, was seen to emerge from the thatched cottage. The man hid himself behind a clump of trees. From time to time, the screen displayed, on an enormously enlarged scale, his fiercely rolling eyes or his murderous hands with their huge thumbs. + 

тАЬThe man frightens me,тАЭ said Hortense. тАЬHe is really terrifying.тАЭ + 

тАЬBecause heтАЩs acting on his own account,тАЭ said R├йnine. тАЬYou must understand that, in the space of three or four months that appears to separate the dates at which the two films were made, his passion has made progress; and to him it is not the princess who is coming but Rose Andr├йe.тАЭ + 

The man crouched low. The victim approached, gaily and unsuspectingly. She passed, heard a sound, stopped and looked about her with a smiling air which became attentive, then uneasy, and then more and more anxious. The woodcutter had pushed aside the branches and was coming through the copse. + 

They were now standing face to face. He opened his arms as though to seize her. She tried to scream, to call out for help; but the arms closed around her before she could offer the slightest resistance. Then he threw her over his shoulder and began to run. + 

тАЬAre you satisfied?тАЭ whispered R├йnine. тАЬDo you think that this fourth-rate actor would have had all that strength and energy if it had been any other woman than Rose Andr├йe?тАЭ + 

Meanwhile the woodcutter was crossing the skirt of a forest and plunging through great trees and masses of rocks. After setting the princess down, he cleared the entrance to a cave which the daylight entered by a slanting crevice. + 

A succession of views displayed the husbandтАЩs despair, the search and the discovery of some small branches which had been broken by the princess and which showed the path that had been taken. Then came the final scene, with the terrible struggle between the man and the woman when the woman, vanquished and exhausted, is flung to the ground, the sudden arrival of the husband and the shot that puts an end to the bruteтАЩs life.тБатАКтБатАж + 

тАЬWell,тАЭ said R├йnine, when they had left the picture-palaceтБатАФand he spoke with a certain gravityтБатАФтАЬI maintain that the daughter of your old piano-teacher has been in danger ever since the day when that last scene was filmed. I maintain that this scene represents not so much an assault by the man of the woods on the Happy Princess as a violent and frantic attack by an actor on the woman he desires. Certainly it all happened within the bounds prescribed by the part and nobody saw anything in itтБатАФnobody except perhaps Rose Andr├йe herselfтБатАФbut I, for my part, have detected flashes of passion which leave not a doubt in my mind. I have seen glances that betrayed the wish and even the intention to commit murder. I have seen clenched hands, ready to strangle, in short, a score of details which prove to me that, at that time, the manтАЩs instinct was urging him to kill the woman who could never be his.тАЭ + 

тАЬAnd it all amounts to what?тАЭ + 

тАЬWe must protect Rose Andr├йe if she is still in danger and if it is not too late.тАЭ + 

тАЬAnd to do this?тАЭ + 

тАЬWe must get hold of further information.тАЭ + 

тАЬFrom whom?тАЭ + 

тАЬFrom the WorldтАЩs Cinema Company, which made the film. I will go to them tomorrow morning. Will you wait for me in your flat about lunchtime?тАЭ + 

At heart, Hortense was still sceptical. All these manifestations of passion, of which she denied neither the ardour nor the ferocity, seemed to her to be the rational behaviour of a good actor. She had seen nothing of the terrible tragedy which R├йnine contended that he had divined; and she wondered whether he was not erring through an excess of imagination. + 

тАЬWell,тАЭ she asked, next day, not without a touch of irony, тАЬhow far have you got? Have you made a good bag? Anything mysterious? Anything thrilling?тАЭ + 

тАЬPretty good.тАЭ + 

тАЬOh, really? And your so-called lover.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬIs one Dalbr├иque, originally a scene-painter, who played the butler in the first part of the film and the man of the woods in the second and was so much appreciated that they engaged him for a new film. Consequently, he has been acting lately. He was acting near Paris. But, on the morning of Friday the 18th of September, he broke into the garage of the WorldтАЩs Cinema Company and made off with a magnificent car and forty thousand francs in money. Information was lodged with the police; and on the Sunday the car was found a little way outside Dreux. And up to now the enquiry has revealed two things, which will appear in the papers tomorrow: first, Dalbr├иque is alleged to have committed a murder which created a great stir last year, the murder of Bourguet, the jeweller; secondly, on the day after his two robberies, Dalbr├иque was driving through Le Havre in a motorcar with two men who helped him to carry off, in broad daylight and in a crowded street, a lady whose identity has not yet been discovered.тАЭ + 

тАЬRose Andr├йe?тАЭ asked Hortense, uneasily. + 

тАЬI have just been to Rose Andr├йeтАЩs: the WorldтАЩs Cinema Company gave me her address. Rose Andr├йe spent this summer travelling and then stayed for a fortnight in the Seine-inf├йrieure, where she has a small place of her own, the actual cottage in The Happy Princess. On receiving an invitation from America to do a film there, she came back to Paris, registered her luggage at the Gare Saint-Lazare and left on Friday the 18th of September, intending to sleep at Le Havre and take SaturdayтАЩs boat.тАЭ + 

тАЬFriday the 18th,тАЭ muttered Hortense, тАЬthe same day on which that man.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬAnd it was on the Saturday that a woman was carried off by him at Le Havre. I looked in at the Compagnie Transatlantique and a brief investigation showed that Rose Andr├йe had booked a cabin but that the cabin remained unoccupied. The passenger did not turn up.тАЭ + 

тАЬThis is frightful. She has been carried off. You were right.тАЭ + 

тАЬI fear so.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat have you decided to do?тАЭ + 

тАЬAdolphe, my chauffeur, is outside with the car. Let us go to Le Havre. Up to the present, Rose Andr├йeтАЩs disappearance does not seem to have become known. Before it does and before the police identify the woman carried off by Dalbr├иque with the woman who did not turn up to claim her cabin, we will get on Rose Andr├йeтАЩs track.тАЭ + 

There was not much said on the journey. At four oтАЩclock Hortense and R├йnine reached Rouen. But here R├йnine changed his road. + 

тАЬAdolphe, take the left bank of the Seine.тАЭ + 

He unfolded a motoring-map on his knees and, tracing the route with his finger, showed Hortense that, if you draw a line from Le Havre, or rather from Quillebeuf, where the road crosses the Seine, to Dreux, where the stolen car was found, this line passes through Routot, a market-town lying west of the forest of Brotonne: + 

тАЬNow it was in the forest of Brotonne,тАЭ he continued, тАЬaccording to what I heard, that the second part of The Happy Princess was filmed. And the question that arises is this: having got hold of Rose Andr├йe, would it not occur to Dalbr├иque, when passing near the forest on the Saturday night, to hide his prey there, while his two accomplices went on to Dreux and from there returned to Paris? The cave was quite near. Was he not bound to go to it? How should he do otherwise? WasnтАЩt it while running to this cave, a few months ago, that he held in his arms, against his breast, within reach of his lips, the woman whom he loved and whom he has now conquered? By every rule of fate and logic, the adventure is being repeated all over againтБатАКтБатАж but this time in reality. Rose Andr├йe is a captive. There is no hope of rescue. The forest is vast and lonely. That night, or on one of the following nights, Rose Andr├йe must surrenderтБатАКтБатАж or die.тАЭ + 

Hortense gave a shudder: + 

тАЬWe shall be too late. Besides, you donтАЩt suppose that heтАЩs keeping her a prisoner?тАЭ + 

тАЬCertainly not. The place I have in mind is at a crossroads and is not a safe retreat. But we may discover some clue or other.тАЭ + 

The shades of night were falling from the tall trees when they entered the ancient forest of Brotonne, full of Roman remains and medieval relics. R├йnine knew the forest well and remembered that near a famous oak, known as the Wine-cask, there was a cave which must be the cave of the Happy Princess. He found it easily, switched on his electric torch, rummaged in the dark corners and brought Hortense back to the entrance: + 

тАЬThereтАЩs nothing inside,тАЭ he said, тАЬbut here is the evidence which I was looking for. Dalbr├иque was obsessed by the recollection of the film, but so was Rose Andr├йe. The Happy Princess had broken off the tips of the branches on the way through the forest. Rose Andr├йe has managed to break off some to the right of this opening, in the hope that she would be discovered as on the first occasion.тАЭ + 

тАЬYes,тАЭ said Hortense, тАЬitтАЩs a proof that she has been here; but the proof is three weeks old. Since that time.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬSince that time, she is either dead and buried under a heap of leaves or else alive in some hole even lonelier than this.тАЭ + 

тАЬIf so, where is he?тАЭ + 

R├йnine pricked up his ears. Repeated blows of the axe were sounding from some distance, no doubt coming from a part of the forest that was being cleared. + 

тАЬHe?тАЭ said R├йnine, тАЬI wonder whether he may not have continued to behave under the influence of the film and whether the man of the woods in The Happy Princess has not quite naturally resumed his calling. For how is the man to live, to obtain his food, without attracting attention? He will have found a job.тАЭ + 

тАЬWe canтАЩt make sure of that.тАЭ + 

тАЬWe might, by questioning the woodcutters whom we can hear.тАЭ + 

The car took them by a forest-road to another crossroads where they entered on foot a track which was deeply rutted by wagon-wheels. The sound of axes ceased. After walking for a quarter of an hour, they met a dozen men who, having finished work for the day, were returning to the villages near by. + 

тАЬWill this path take us to Routot?тАЭ ask R├йnine, in order to open a conversation with them. + 

тАЬNo, youтАЩre turning your backs on it,тАЭ said one of the men, gruffly. + 

And he went on, accompanied by his mates. + 

Hortense and R├йnine stood rooted to the spot. They had recognized the butler. His cheeks and chin were shaved, but his upper lip was covered by a black moustache, evidently dyed. The eyebrows no longer met and were reduced to normal dimensions. + 

Thus, in less than twenty hours, acting on the vague hints supplied by the bearing of a film-actor, Serge R├йnine had touched the very heart of the tragedy by means of purely psychological arguments. + 

тАЬRose Andr├йe is alive,тАЭ he said. тАЬOtherwise Dalbr├иque would have left the country. The poor thing must be imprisoned and bound up; and he takes her some food at night.тАЭ + 

тАЬWe will save her, wonтАЩt we?тАЭ + 

тАЬCertainly, by keeping a watch on him and, if necessary, but in the last resort, compelling him by force to give up his secret.тАЭ + 

They followed the woodcutter at a distance and, on the pretext that the car needed overhauling, engaged rooms in the principal inn at Routot. + 

Attached to the inn was a small caf├й from which they were separated by the entrance to the yard and above which were two rooms, reached by a wooden outer staircase, at one side. Dalbr├иque occupied one of these rooms and R├йnine took the other for his chauffeur. + 

Next morning he learnt from Adolphe that Dalbr├иque, on the previous evening, after all the lights were out, had carried down a bicycle from his room and mounted it and had not returned until shortly before sunrise. + 

The bicycle tracks led R├йnine to the uninhabited Ch├вteau des Landes, five miles from the village. They disappeared in a rocky path which ran beside the park down to the Seine, opposite the Jumi├иges peninsula. + 

Next night, he took up his position there. At eleven oтАЩclock, Dalbr├иque climbed a bank, scrambled over a wire fence, hid his bicycle under the branches and moved away. It seemed impossible to follow him in the pitchy darkness, on a mossy soil that muffled the sound of footsteps. R├йnine did not make the attempt; but, at daybreak, he came with his chauffeur and hunted through the park all the morning. Though the park, which covered the side of a hill and was bounded below by the river, was not very large, he found no clue which gave him any reason to suppose that Rose Andr├йe was imprisoned there. + 

He therefore went back to the village, with the firm intention of taking action that evening and employing force: + 

тАЬThis state of things cannot go on,тАЭ he said to Hortense. тАЬI must rescue Rose Andr├йe at all costs and save her from that ruffianтАЩs clutches. He must be made to speak. He must. Otherwise thereтАЩs a danger that we may be too late.тАЭ + 

That day was Sunday; and Dalbr├иque did not go to work. He did not leave his room except for lunch and went upstairs again immediately afterwards. But at three oтАЩclock R├йnine and Hortense, who were keeping a watch on him from the inn, saw him come down the wooden staircase, with his bicycle on his shoulder. Leaning it against the bottom step, he inflated the tires and fastened to the handlebar a rather bulky object wrapped in a newspaper. + 

тАЬBy Jove!тАЭ muttered R├йnine. + 

тАЬWhatтАЩs the matter?тАЭ + 

In front of the caf├й was a small terrace bordered on the right and left by spindle-trees planted in boxes, which were connected by a paling. Behind the shrubs, sitting on a bank but stooping forward so that they could see Dalbr├иque through the branches, were four men. + 

тАЬPolice!тАЭ said R├йnine. тАЬWhat bad luck! If those fellows take a hand, they will spoil everything.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhy? On the contrary, I should have thought.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬYes, they will. They will put Dalbr├иque out of the wayтБатАКтБатАж and then? Will that give us Rose Andr├йe?тАЭ + 

Dalbr├иque had finished his preparations. Just as he was mounting his bicycle, the detectives rose in a body, ready to make a dash for him. But Dalbr├иque, though quite unconscious of their presence, changed his mind and went back to his room as though he had forgotten something. + 

тАЬNowтАЩs the time!тАЭ said R├йnine. тАЬIтАЩm going to risk it. But itтАЩs a difficult situation and IтАЩve no great hopes.тАЭ + 

He went out into the yard and, at a moment when the detectives were not looking, ran up the staircase, as was only natural if he wished to give an order to his chauffeur. But he had no sooner reached the rustic balcony at the back of the house, which gave admission to the two bedrooms than he stopped. Dalbr├иqueтАЩs door was open. R├йnine walked in. + 

Dalbr├иque stepped back, at once assuming the defensive: + 

тАЬWhat do you want? Who said you could.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬSilence!тАЭ whispered R├йnine, with an imperious gesture. тАЬItтАЩs all up with you!тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat are you talking about?тАЭ growled the man, angrily. + 

тАЬLean out of your window. There are four men below on the watch for you to leave, four detectives.тАЭ + 

Dalbr├иque leant over the terrace and muttered an oath: + 

тАЬOn the watch for me?тАЭ he said, turning round. тАЬWhat do I care?тАЭ + 

тАЬThey have a warrant.тАЭ + 

He folded his arms: + 

тАЬShut up with your piffle! A warrant! WhatтАЩs that to me?тАЭ + 

тАЬListen,тАЭ said R├йnine, тАЬand let us waste no time. ItтАЩs urgent. Your nameтАЩs Dalbr├иque, or, at least, thatтАЩs the name under which you acted in The Happy Princess and under which the police are looking for you as being the murderer of Bourguet the jeweller, the man who stole a motorcar and forty thousand francs from the WorldтАЩs Cinema Company and the man who abducted a woman at Le Havre. All this is known and provedтБатАКтБатАж and hereтАЩs the upshot. Four men downstairs. Myself here, my chauffeur in the next room. YouтАЩre done for. Do you want me to save you?тАЭ + 

Dalbr├иque gave his adversary a long look: + 

тАЬWho are you?тАЭ + 

тАЬA friend of Rose Andr├йeтАЩs,тАЭ said R├йnine. + 

The other started and, to some extent dropping his mask, retorted: + 

тАЬWhat are your conditions?тАЭ + 

тАЬRose Andr├йe, whom you have abducted and tormented, is dying in some hole or corner. Where is she?тАЭ + 

A strange thing occurred and impressed R├йnine. Dalbr├иqueтАЩs face, usually so common, was lit up by a smile that made it almost attractive. But this was only a flashing vision: the man immediately resumed his hard and impassive expression. + 

тАЬAnd suppose I refuse to speak?тАЭ he said. + 

тАЬSo much the worse for you. It means your arrest.тАЭ + 

тАЬI dare say; but it means the death of Rose Andr├йe. Who will release her?тАЭ + 

тАЬYou. You will speak now, or in an hour, or two hours hence at least. You will never have the heart to keep silent and let her die.тАЭ + 

Dalbr├иque shrugged his shoulders. Then, raising his hand, he said: + 

тАЬI swear on my life that, if they arrest me, not a word will leave my lips.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat then?тАЭ + 

тАЬThen save me. We will meet this evening at the entrance to the Parc des Landes and say what we have to say.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhy not at once?тАЭ + 

тАЬI have spoken.тАЭ + 

тАЬWill you be there?тАЭ + 

тАЬI shall be there.тАЭ + 

R├йnine reflected. There was something in all this that he failed to grasp. In any case, the frightful danger that threatened Rose Andr├йe dominated the whole situation; and R├йnine was not the man to despise this threat and to persist out of vanity in a perilous course. Rose Andr├йeтАЩs life came before everything. + 

He struck several blows on the wall of the next bedroom and called his chauffeur. + 

тАЬAdolphe, is the car ready?тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, sir.тАЭ + 

тАЬSet her going and pull her up in front of the terrace outside the caf├й, right against the boxes so as to block the exit. As for you,тАЭ he continued, addressing Dalbr├иque, тАЬyouтАЩre to jump on your machine and, instead of making off along the road, cross the yard. At the end of the yard is a passage leading into a lane. There you will be free. But no hesitation and no blunderingтБатАКтБатАж else youтАЩll get yourself nabbed. Good luck to you.тАЭ + 

He waited till the car was drawn up in accordance with his instructions and, when he reached it, he began to question his chauffeur, in order to attract the detectivesтАЩ attention. + 

One of them, however, having cast a glance through the spindle-trees, caught sight of Dalbr├иque just as he reached the bottom of the staircase. He gave the alarm and darted forward, followed by his comrades, but had to run round the car and bumped into the chauffeur, which gave Dalbr├иque time to mount his bicycle and cross the yard unimpeded. He thus had some secondsтАЩ start. Unfortunately for him as he was about to enter the passage at the back, a troop of boys and girls appeared, returning from vespers. On hearing the shouts of the detectives, they spread their arms in front of the fugitive, who gave two or three lurches and ended by falling. + 

Cries of triumph were raised: + 

тАЬLay hold of him! Stop him!тАЭ roared the detectives as they rushed forward. + 

R├йnine, seeing that the game was up, ran after the others and called out: + 

тАЬStop him!тАЭ + 

He came up with them just as Dalbr├иque, after regaining his feet, knocked one of the policemen down and levelled his revolver. R├йnine snatched it out of his hands. But the two other detectives, startled, had also produced their weapons. They fired. Dalbr├иque, hit in the leg and the chest, pitched forward and fell. + 

тАЬThank you, sir,тАЭ said the inspector to R├йnine introducing himself. тАЬWe owe a lot to you.тАЭ + 

тАЬIt seems to me that youтАЩve done for the fellow,тАЭ said R├йnine. тАЬWho is he?тАЭ + 

тАЬOne Dalbr├иque, a scoundrel for whom we were looking.тАЭ + 

R├йnine was beside himself. Hortense had joined him by this time; and he growled: + 

тАЬThe silly fools! Now theyтАЩve killed him!тАЭ + 

тАЬOh, it isnтАЩt possible!тАЭ + 

тАЬWe shall see. But, whether heтАЩs dead or alive, itтАЩs death to Rose Andr├йe. How are we to trace her? And what chance have we of finding the placeтБатАФsome inaccessible retreatтБатАФwhere the poor thing is dying of misery and starvation?тАЭ + 

The detectives and peasants had moved away, bearing Dalbr├иque with them on an improvised stretcher. R├йnine, who had at first followed them, in order to find out what was going to happen, changed his mind and was now standing with his eyes fixed on the ground. The fall of the bicycle had unfastened the parcel which Dalbr├иque had tied to the handlebar; and the newspaper had burst, revealing its contents, a tin saucepan, rusty, dented, battered and useless. + 

тАЬWhatтАЩs the meaning of this?тАЭ he muttered. тАЬWhat was the idea?тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

He picked it up examined it. Then he gave a grin and a click of the tongue and chuckled, slowly: + 

тАЬDonтАЩt move an eyelash, my dear. Let all these people clear off. All this is no business of ours, is it? The troubles of police donтАЩt concern us. We are two motorists travelling for our pleasure and collecting old saucepans if we feel so inclined.тАЭ + 

He called his chauffeur: + 

тАЬAdolphe, take us to the Parc des Landes by a roundabout road.тАЭ + 

Half an hour later they reached the sunken track and began to scramble down it on foot beside the wooded slopes. The Seine, which was very low at this time of day, was lapping against a little jetty near which lay a worm-eaten, mouldering boat, full of puddles of water. + 

R├йnine stepped into the boat and at once began to bale out the puddles with his saucepan. He then drew the boat alongside of the jetty, helped Hortense in and used the one oar which he shipped in a gap in the stern to work her into midstream: + 

тАЬI believe IтАЩm there!тАЭ he said, with a laugh. тАЬThe worst that can happen to us is to get our feet wet, for our craft leaks a trifle. But havenтАЩt we a saucepan? Oh, blessings on that useful utensil! Almost as soon as I set eyes upon it, I remembered that people use those articles to bale out the bottoms of leaky boats. Why, there was bound to be a boat in the Landes woods! How was it I never thought of that? But of course Dalbr├иque made use of her to cross the Seine! And, as she made water, he brought a saucepan.тАЭ + 

тАЬThen Rose Andr├йeтБатАКтБатАжтАК?тАЭ asked Hortense. + 

тАЬIs a prisoner on the other bank, on the Jumi├иges peninsula. You see the famous abbey from here.тАЭ + 

They ran aground on a beach of big pebbles covered with slime. + 

тАЬAnd it canтАЩt be very far away,тАЭ he added. тАЬDalbr├иque did not spend the whole night running about.тАЭ + 

A towpath followed the deserted bank. Another path led away from it. They chose the second and, passing between orchards enclosed by hedges, came to a landscape that seemed strangely familiar to them. Where had they seen that pool before, with the willows overhanging it? And where had they seen that abandoned hovel? + 

Suddenly both of them stopped with one accord: + 

тАЬOh!тАЭ said Hortense. тАЬI can hardly believe my eyes!тАЭ + 

Opposite them was the white gate of a large orchard, at the back of which, among groups of old, gnarled apple-trees, appeared a cottage with blue shutters, the cottage of the Happy Princess. + 

тАЬOf course!тАЭ cried R├йnine. тАЬAnd I ought to have known it, considering that the film showed both this cottage and the forest close by. And isnтАЩt everything happening exactly as in The Happy Princess? IsnтАЩt Dalbr├иque dominated by the memory of it? The house, which is certainly the one in which Rose Andr├йe spent the summer, was empty. He has shut her up there.тАЭ + 

тАЬBut the house, you told me, was in the Seine-inf├йrieure.тАЭ + 

тАЬWell, so are we! To the left of the river, the Eure and the forest of Brotonne; to the right, the Seine-inf├йrieure. But between them is the obstacle of the river, which is why I didnтАЩt connect the two. A hundred and fifty yards of water form a more effective division than dozens of miles.тАЭ + 

The gate was locked. They got through the hedge a little lower down and walked towards the house, which was screened on one side by an old wall shaggy with ivy and roofed with thatch. + 

тАЬIt seems as if there was somebody there,тАЭ said Hortense. тАЬDidnтАЩt I hear the sound of a window?тАЭ + 

тАЬListen.тАЭ + 

Someone struck a few chords on a piano. Then a voice arose, a womanтАЩs voice softly and solemnly singing a ballad that thrilled with restrained passion. The womanтАЩs whole soul seemed to breathe itself into the melodious notes. + 

They walked on. The wall concealed them from view, but they saw a sitting-room furnished with bright wallpaper and a blue Roman carpet. The throbbing voice ceased. The piano ended with a last chord; and the singer rose and appeared framed in the window. + 

тАЬRose Andr├йe!тАЭ whispered Hortense. + 

тАЬWell!тАЭ said R├йnine, admitting his astonishment. тАЬThis is the last thing that I expected! Rose Andr├йe! Rose Andr├йe at liberty! And singing Massenet in the sitting room of her cottage!тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat does it all mean? Do you understand?тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, but it has taken me long enough! But how could we have guessedтБатАКтБатАжтАК?тАЭ + 

Although they had never seen her except on the screen, they had not the least doubt that this was she. It was really Rose Andr├йe, or rather, the Happy Princess, whom they had admired a few days before, amidst the furniture of that very sitting-room or on the threshold of that very cottage. She was wearing the same dress; her hair was done in the same way; she had on the same bangles and necklaces as in The Happy Princess; and her lovely face, with its rosy cheeks and laughing eyes, bore the same look of joy and serenity. + 

Some sound must have caught her ear, for she leant over towards a clump of shrubs beside the cottage and whispered into the silent garden: + 

тАЬGeorgesтБатАКтБатАж GeorgesтБатАКтБатАж Is that you, my darling?тАЭ + 

Receiving no reply, she drew herself up and stood smiling at the happy thoughts that seemed to flood her being. + 

But a door opened at the back of the room and an old peasant woman entered with a tray laden with bread, butter and milk: + 

тАЬHere, Rose, my pretty one, IтАЩve brought you your supper. Milk fresh from the cow.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

And, putting down the tray, she continued: + 

тАЬArenтАЩt you afraid, Rose, of the chill of the night air? Perhaps youтАЩre expecting your sweetheart?тАЭ + 

тАЬI havenтАЩt a sweetheart, my dear old Catherine.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat next!тАЭ said the old woman, laughing. тАЬOnly this morning there were footprints under the window that didnтАЩt look at all proper!тАЭ + 

тАЬA burglarтАЩs footprints perhaps, Catherine.тАЭ + 

тАЬWell, I donтАЩt say they werenтАЩt, Rose dear, especially as in your calling you have a lot of people round you whom itтАЩs well to be careful of. For instance, your friend Dalbr├иque, eh? Nice goings on his are! You saw the paper yesterday. A fellow who has robbed and murdered people and carried off a woman at Le HavreтБатАКтБатАжтАК!тАЭ + 

Hortense and R├йnine would have much liked to know what Rose Andr├йe thought of the revelations, but she had turned her back to them and was sitting at her supper; and the window was now closed, so that they could neither hear her reply nor see the expression of her features. + 

They waited for a moment. Hortense was listening with an anxious face. But R├йnine began to laugh: + 

тАЬVery funny, really funny! And such an unexpected ending! And we who were hunting for her in some cave or damp cellar, a horrible tomb where the poor thing was dying of hunger! ItтАЩs a fact, she knew the terrors of that first night of captivity; and I maintain that, on that first night, she was flung, half-dead, into the cave. Only, there you are: the next morning she was alive! One night was enough to tame the little rogue and to make Dalbr├иque as handsome as Prince Charming in her eyes! For see the difference. On the films or in novels, the Happy Princesses resist or commit suicide. But in real lifeтБатАКтБатАж oh, woman, woman!тАЭ + 

тАЬYes,тАЭ said Hortense, тАЬbut the man she loves is almost certainly dead.тАЭ + 

тАЬAnd a good thing too! It would be the best solution. What would be the outcome of this criminal love for a thief and murderer?тАЭ + 

A few minutes passed. Then, amid the peaceful silence of the waning day, mingled with the first shadows of the twilight, they again heard the grating of the window, which was cautiously opened. Rose Andr├йe leant over the garden and waited, with her eyes turned to the wall, as though she saw something there. + 

Presently, R├йnine shook the ivy-branches. + 

тАЬAh!тАЭ she said. тАЬThis time I know youтАЩre there! Yes, the ivyтАЩs moving. Georges, Georges darling, why do you keep me waiting? Catherine has gone. I am all alone.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

She had knelt down and was distractedly stretching out her shapely arms covered with bangles which clashed with a metallic sound: + 

тАЬGeorges!тБатАКтБатАж Georges!тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

Her every movement, the thrill of her voice, her whole being expressed desire and love. Hortense, deeply touched, could not help saying: + 

тАЬHow the poor thing loves him! If she but knew.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬAh!тАЭ cried the girl. тАЬYouтАЩve spoken. YouтАЩre there, and you want me to come to you, donтАЩt you? Here I am, Georges!тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

She climbed over the window-ledge and began to run, while R├йnine went round the wall and advanced to meet her. + 

She stopped short in front of him and stood choking at the sight of this man and woman whom she did not know and who were stepping out of the very shadow from which her beloved appeared to her each night. + 

R├йnine bowed, gave his name and introduced his companion: + 

тАЬMadame Hortense Daniel, a pupil and friend of your motherтАЩs.тАЭ + 

Still motionless with stupefaction, her features drawn, she stammered: + 

тАЬYou know who I am?тБатАКтБатАж And you were there just now?тБатАКтБатАж You heard what I was sayingтБатАКтБатАжтАК?тАЭ + 

R├йnine, without hesitating or pausing in his speech, said: + 

тАЬYou are Rose Andr├йe, the Happy Princess. We saw you on the films the other evening; and circumstances led us to set out in search of youтБатАКтБатАж to Le Havre, where you were abducted on the day when you were to have left for America, and to the forest of Brotonne, where you were imprisoned.тАЭ + 

She protested eagerly, with a forced laugh: + 

тАЬWhat is all this? I have not been to Le Havre. I came straight here. Abducted? Imprisoned? What nonsense!тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, imprisoned, in the same cave as the Happy Princess; and you broke off some branches to the right of the cave.тАЭ + 

тАЬBut how absurd! Who would have abducted me? I have no enemy.тАЭ + 

тАЬThere is a man in love with you: the one whom you were expecting just now.тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, my lover,тАЭ she said, proudly. тАЬHave I not the right to receive whom I like?тАЭ + 

тАЬYou have the right; you are a free agent. But the man who comes to see you every evening is wanted by the police. His name is Georges Dalbr├иque. He killed Bourguet the jeweller.тАЭ + 

The accusation made her start with indignation and she exclaimed: + 

тАЬItтАЩs a lie! An infamous fabrication of the newspapers! Georges was in Paris on the night of the murder. He can prove it.тАЭ + 

тАЬHe stole a motor car and forty thousand francs in notes.тАЭ + 

She retorted vehemently: + 

тАЬThe motorcar was taken back by his friends and the notes will be restored. He never touched them. My leaving for America had made him lose his head.тАЭ + 

тАЬVery well. I am quite willing to believe everything that you say. But the police may show less faith in these statements and less indulgence.тАЭ + 

She became suddenly uneasy and faltered: + 

тАЬThe police.тБатАКтБатАж ThereтАЩs nothing to fear from them.тБатАКтБатАж They wonтАЩt know.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬWhere to find him? I succeeded, at all events. HeтАЩs working as a woodcutter, in the forest of Brotonne.тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, butтБатАКтБатАж youтБатАКтБатАж that was an accidentтБатАКтБатАж whereas the police.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

The words left her lips with the greatest difficulty. Her voice was trembling. And suddenly she rushed at R├йnine, stammering: + 

тАЬHe is arrested?тБатАКтБатАж I am sure of it!тБатАКтБатАж And you have come to tell me.тБатАКтБатАж Arrested! Wounded! Dead perhaps?тБатАКтБатАж Oh, please, please!тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

She had no strength left. All her pride, all the certainty of her great love gave way to an immense despair and she sobbed out. + 

тАЬNo, heтАЩs not dead, is he? No, I feel that heтАЩs not dead. Oh, sir, how unjust it all is! HeтАЩs the gentlest man, the best that ever lived. He has changed my whole life. Everything is different since I began to love him. And I love him so! I love him! I want to go to him. Take me to him. I want them to arrest me too. I love him.тБатАКтБатАж I could not live without him.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

An impulse of sympathy made Hortense put her arms around the girlтАЩs neck and say warmly: + 

тАЬYes, come. He is not dead, I am sure, only wounded; and Prince R├йnine will save him. You will, wonтАЩt you, R├йnine?тБатАКтБатАж Come. Make up a story for your servant: say that youтАЩre going somewhere by train and that she is not to tell anybody. Be quick. Put on a wrap. We will save him, I swear we will.тАЭ + 

Rose Andr├йe went indoors and returned almost at once, disguised beyond recognition in a long cloak and a veil that shrouded her face; and they all took the road back to Routot. At the inn, Rose Andr├йe passed as a friend whom they had been to fetch in the neighbourhood and were taking to Paris with them. R├йnine ran out to make enquiries and came back to the two women. + 

тАЬItтАЩs all right. Dalbr├иque is alive. They have put him to bed in a private room at the mayorтАЩs offices. He has a broken leg and a rather high temperature; but all the same they expect to move him to Rouen tomorrow and they have telephoned there for a motorcar.тАЭ + 

тАЬAnd then?тАЭ asked Rose Andr├йe, anxiously. + 

R├йnine smiled: + 

тАЬWhy, then we shall leave at daybreak. We shall take up our positions in a sunken road, rifle in hand, attack the motor-coach and carry off Georges!тАЭ + 

тАЬOh, donтАЩt laugh!тАЭ she said, plaintively. тАЬI am so unhappy!тАЭ + 

But the adventure seemed to amuse R├йnine; and, when he was alone with Hortense, he exclaimed: + 

тАЬYou see what comes of preferring dishonour to death! But hang it all, who could have expected this? It isnтАЩt a bit the way in which things happen in the pictures! Once the man of the woods had carried off his victim and considering that for three weeks there was no one to defend her, how could we imagineтБатАФwe who had been proceeding all along under the influence of the picturesтБатАФthat in the space of a few hours the victim would become a princess in love? Confound that Georges! I now understand the sly, humorous look which I surprised on his mobile features! He remembered, Georges did, and he didnтАЩt care a hang for me! Oh, he tricked me nicely! And you, my dear, he tricked you too! And it was all the influence of the film. They show us, at the cinema, a brute beast, a sort of long-haired, ape-faced savage. What can a man like that be in real life? A brute, inevitably, donтАЩt you agree? Well, heтАЩs nothing of the kind; heтАЩs a Don Juan! The humbug!тАЭ + 

тАЬYou will save him, wonтАЩt you?тАЭ said Hortense, in a beseeching tone. + 

тАЬAre you very anxious that I should?тАЭ + 

тАЬVery.тАЭ + 

тАЬIn that case, promise to give me your hand to kiss.тАЭ + 

тАЬYou can have both hands, R├йnine, and gladly.тАЭ + 

The night was uneventful. R├йnine had given orders for the two ladies to be waked at an early hour. When they came down, the motor was leaving the yard and pulling up in front of the inn. It was raining; and Adolphe, the chauffeur, had fixed up the long, low hood and packed the luggage inside. + 

R├йnine called for his bill. They all three took a cup of coffee. But, just as they were leaving the room, one of the inspectorтАЩs men came rushing in: + 

тАЬHave you seen him?тАЭ he asked. тАЬIsnтАЩt he here?тАЭ + 

The inspector himself arrived at a run, greatly excited: + 

тАЬThe prisoner has escaped! He ran back through the inn! He canтАЩt be far away!тАЭ + 

A dozen rustics appeared like a whirlwind. They ransacked the lofts, the stables, the sheds. They scattered over the neighbourhood. But the search led to no discovery. + 

тАЬOh, hang it all!тАЭ said R├йnine, who had taken his part in the hunt. тАЬHow can it have happened?тАЭ + 

тАЬHow do I know?тАЭ spluttered the inspector in despair. тАЬI left my three men watching in the next room. I found them this morning fast asleep, stupefied by some narcotic which had been mixed with their wine! And the Dalbr├иque bird had flown!тАЭ + 

тАЬWhich way?тАЭ + 

тАЬThrough the window. There were evidently accomplices, with ropes and a ladder. And, as Dalbr├иque had a broken leg, they carried him off on the stretcher itself.тАЭ + 

тАЬThey left no traces?тАЭ + 

тАЬNo traces of footsteps, true. The rain has messed everything up. But they went through the yard, because the stretcherтАЩs there.тАЭ + 

тАЬYouтАЩll find him, Mr.┬аInspector, thereтАЩs no doubt of that. In any case, you may be sure that you wonтАЩt have any trouble over the affair. I shall be in Paris this evening and shall go straight to the prefecture, where I have influential friends.тАЭ + 

R├йnine went back to the two women in the coffee-room and Hortense at once said: + 

тАЬIt was you who carried him off, wasnтАЩt it? Please put Rose Andr├йeтАЩs mind at rest. She is so terrified!тАЭ + 

He gave Rose Andr├йe his arm and led her to the car. She was staggering and very pale; and she said, in a faint voice: + 

тАЬAre we going? And he: is he safe? WonтАЩt they catch him again?тАЭ + 

Looking deep into her eyes, he said: + 

тАЬSwear to me, Rose Andr├йe, that in two months, when he is well and when I have proved his innocence, swear that you will go away with him to America.тАЭ + 

тАЬI swear.тАЭ + 

тАЬAnd that, once there, you will marry him.тАЭ + 

тАЬI swear.тАЭ + 

He spoke a few words in her ear. + 

тАЬAh!тАЭ she said. тАЬMay Heaven bless you for it!тАЭ + 

Hortense took her seat in front, with R├йnine, who sat at the wheel. The inspector, hat in hand, fussed around the car until it moved off. + 

They drove through the forest, crossed the Seine at La Mailleraie and struck into the Havre-Rouen road. + 

тАЬTake off your glove and give me your hand to kiss,тАЭ R├йnine ordered. тАЬYou promised that you would.тАЭ + 

тАЬOh!тАЭ said Hortense. тАЬBut it was to be when Dalbr├иque was saved.тАЭ + 

тАЬHe is saved.тАЭ + 

тАЬNot yet. The police are after him. They may catch him again. He will not be really saved until he is with Rose Andr├йe.тАЭ + 

тАЬHe is with Rose Andr├йe,тАЭ he declared. + 

тАЬWhat do you mean?тАЭ + 

тАЬTurn round.тАЭ + 

She did so. + 

In the shadow of the hood, right at the back, behind the chauffeur, Rose Andr├йe was kneeling beside a man lying on the seat. + 

тАЬOh,тАЭ stammered Hortense, тАЬitтАЩs incredible! Then it was you who hid him last night? And he was there, in front of the inn, when the inspector was seeing us off?тАЭ + 

тАЬLord, yes! He was there, under the cushions and rugs!тАЭ + 

тАЬItтАЩs incredible!тАЭ she repeated, utterly bewildered. тАЬItтАЩs incredible! How were you able to manage it all?тАЭ + 

тАЬI wanted to kiss your hand,тАЭ he said. + 

She removed her glove, as he bade her, and raised her hand to his lips. + 

The car was speeding between the peaceful Seine and the white cliffs that border it. They sat silent for a long while. Then he said: + 

тАЬI had a talk with Dalbr├иque last night. HeтАЩs a fine fellow and is ready to do anything for Rose Andr├йe. HeтАЩs right. A man must do anything for the woman he loves. He must devote himself to her, offer her all that is beautiful in this world: joy and happinessтБатАКтБатАж and, if she should be bored, stirring adventures to distract her, to excite her and to make her smileтБатАКтБатАж or even weep.тАЭ + 

Hortense shivered; and her eyes were not quite free from tears. For the first time he was alluding to the sentimental adventure that bound them by a tie which as yet was frail, but which became stronger and more enduring with each of the ventures on which they entered together, pursuing them feverishly and anxiously to their close. Already she felt powerless and uneasy with this extraordinary man, who subjected events to his will and seemed to play with the destinies of those whom he fought or protected. He filled her with dread and at the same time he attracted her. She thought of him sometimes as her master, sometimes as an enemy against whom she must defend herself, but oftenest as a perturbing friend, full of charm and fascination.тБатАКтБатАж + 