CHAPTER XXVII. In Which Joseph Rouletabille Appears in All His Glory
The excitement was extreme. Cries from fainting women were to be heardamid the extraordinary bustle and stir. The "majesty of the law" wasutterly forgotten. The President tried in vain to make himself heard.Rouletabille made his way forward with difficulty, but by dint of muchelbowing reached his manager and greeted him cordially. The letter waspassed to him and pocketing it he turned to the witness-box. He wasdressed exactly as on the day he left me even to the ulster over hisarm. Turning to the President, he said:
"I beg your pardon, Monsieur President, but I have only just arrivedfrom America. The steamer was late. My name is Joseph Rouletabille!"
The silence which followed his stepping into the witness-box was brokenby laughter when his words were heard. Everybody seemed relieved andglad to find him there, as if in the expectation of hearing the truth atlast.
But the President was extremely incensed:
"So, you are Joseph Rouletabille," he replied; "well, young man, I'llteach you what comes of making a farce of justice. By virtue of mydiscretionary power, I hold you at the court's disposition."
"I ask nothing better, Monsieur President. I have come here for thatpurpose. I humbly beg the court's pardon for the disturbance of whichI have been the innocent cause. I beg you to believe that nobody hasa greater respect for the court than I have. I came in as I could." Hesmiled.
"Take him away!" ordered the President.
Maitre Henri Robert intervened. He began by apologising for the youngman, who, he said, was moved only by the best intentions. He made thePresident understand that the evidence of a witness who had slept at theGlandier during the whole of that eventful week could not be omitted,and the present witness, moreover, had come to name the real murderer.
"Are you going to tell us who the murderer was?" asked the President,somewhat convinced though still sceptical.
"I have come for that purpose, Monsieur President!" repliedRouletabille.
An attempt at applause was silenced by the usher.
"Joseph Rouletabille," said Maitre Henri Robert, "has not been regularlysubpoenaed as a witness, but I hope, Monsieur President, you willexamine him in virtue of your discretionary powers."
"Very well!" said the President, "we will question him. But we mustproceed in order."
The Advocate-General rose:
"It would, perhaps, be better," he said, "if the young man were to tellus now whom he suspects."
The President nodded ironically:
"If the Advocate-General attaches importance to the deposition ofMonsieur Joseph Rouletabille, I see no reason why this witness shouldnot give us the name of the murderer."
A pin drop could have been heard. Rouletabille stood silent lookingsympathetically at Darzac, who, for the first time since the opening ofthe trial, showed himself agitated.
"Well," cried the President, "we wait for the name of the murderer."Rouletabille, feeling in his waistcoat pocket, drew his watch and,looking at it, said:
"Monsieur President, I cannot name the murderer before half-past sixo'clock!"
Loud murmurs of disappointment filled the room. Some of the lawyers wereheard to say: "He's making fun of us!"
The President in a stern voice, said:
"This joke has gone far enough. You may retire, Monsieur, into thewitnesses' room. I hold you at our disposition."
Rouletabille protested.
"I assure you, Monsieur President," he cried in his sharp, clear voice,"that when I do name the murderer you will understand why I could notspeak before half-past six. I assert this on my honour. I can, however,give you now some explanation of the murder of the keeper. MonsieurFrederic Larsan, who has seen me at work at the Glandier, can tell youwith what care I studied this case. I found myself compelled to differwith him in arresting Monsieur Robert Darzac, who is innocent. MonsieurLarsan knows of my good faith and knows that some importance may beattached to my discoveries, which have often corroborated his own."
Frederic Larsan said:
"Monsieur President, it will be interesting to hear Monsieur JosephRouletabille, especially as he differs from me."
A murmur of approbation greeted the detective's speech. He was a goodsportsman and accepted the challenge. The struggle between the twopromised to be exciting.
As the President remained silent, Frederic Larsan continued:
"We agree that the murderer of the keeper was the assailant ofMademoiselle Stangerson; but as we are not agreed as to how the murdererescaped, I am curious to hear Monsieur Rouletabille's explanation."
"I have no doubt you are," said my friend.
General laughter followed this remark. The President angrily declaredthat if it was repeated, he would have the court cleared.
"Now, young man," said the President, "you have heard Monsieur FredericLarsan; how did the murderer get away from the court?"
Rouletabille looked at Madame Mathieu, who smiled back at him sadly.
"Since Madame Mathieu," he said, "has freely admitted her intimacy withthe keeper--"
"Why, it's the boy!" exclaimed Daddy Mathieu.
"Remove that man!" ordered the President.
Mathieu was removed from the court. Rouletabille went on:
"Since she has made this confession, I am free to tell you that sheoften met the keeper at night on the first floor of the donjon, in theroom which was once an oratory. These meetings became more frequent whenher husband was laid up by his rheumatism. She gave him morphine to easehis pain and to give herself more time for the meetings. Madame Mathieucame to the chateau that night, enveloped in a large black shawl whichserved also as a disguise. This was the phantom that disturbed DaddyJacques. She knew how to imitate the mewing of Mother Angenoux' catand she would make the cries to advise the keeper of her presence. Therecent repairs of the donjon did not interfere with their meetings inthe keeper's old room, in the donjon, since the new room assigned to himat the end of the right wing was separated from the steward's room by apartition only.
"Previous to the tragedy in the courtyard Madame Mathieu and the keeperleft the donjon together. I learnt these facts from my examination ofthe footmarks in the court the next morning. Bernier, the concierge,whom I had stationed behind the donjon--as he will explainhimself--could not see what passed in the court. He did not reach thecourt until he heard the revolver shots, and then he fired. When thewoman parted from the man she went towards the open gate of the court,while he returned to his room.
"He had almost reached the door when the revolvers rang out. He had justreached the corner when a shadow bounded by. Meanwhile, Madame Mathieu,surprised by the revolver shots and by the entrance of people into thecourt, crouched in the darkness. The court is a large one and, beingnear the gate, she might easily have passed out unseen. But she remainedand saw the body being carried away. In great agony of mind she nearedthe vestibule and saw the dead body of her lover on the stairs lit up byDaddy Jacques' lantern. She then fled; and Daddy Jacques joined her.
"That same night, before the murder, Daddy Jacques had been awakenedby the cat's cry, and, looking through his window, had seen the blackphantom. Hastily dressing himself he went out and recognised her. He isan old friend of Madame Mathieu, and when she saw him she had to tellhim of her relations with the keeper and begged his assistance. DaddyJacques took pity on her and accompanied her through the oak grove outof the park, past the border of the lake to the road to Epinay. Fromthere it was but a very short distance to her home.
"Daddy Jacques returned to the chateau, and, seeing how important it wasfor Madame Mathieu's presence at the chateau to remain unknown, he didall he could to hide it. I appeal to Monsieur Larsan, who saw me, nextmorning, examine the two sets of footprints."
Here Rouletabille turning towards Madame Mathieu, with a bow, said:
"The footprints of Madame bear a strange resemblance to the neatfootprints of the murderer."
Madame Mathieu trembled and looked at him with wide eye
s as if in wonderat what he would say next.
"Madame has a shapely foot, long and rather large for a woman. Theimprint, with its pointed toe, is very like that of the murderer's."
A movement in the court was repressed by Rouletabille. He held theirattention at once.
"I hasten to add," he went on, "that I attach no importance to this.Outward signs like these are often liable to lead us into error, if wedo not reason rightly. Monsieur Robert Darzac's footprints are also likethe murderer's, and yet he is not the murderer!"
The President turning to Madame Mathieu asked:
"Is that in accordance with what you know occurred?"
"Yes, Monsieur President," she replied, "it is as if MonsieurRouletabille had been behind us."
"Did you see the murderer running towards the end of the right wing?"
"Yes, as clearly as I saw them afterwards carrying the keeper's body."
"What became of the murderer?--You were in the courtyard and couldeasily have seen.
"I saw nothing of him, Monsieur President. It became quite dark justthen."
"Then Monsieur Rouletabille," said the President, "must explain how themurderer made his escape."
Rouletabille continued:
"It was impossible for the murderer to escape by the way he had enteredthe court without our seeing him; or if we couldn't see him we mustcertainly have felt him, since the court is a very narrow one enclosedin high iron railings."
"Then if the man was hemmed in that narrow square, how is it you did notfind him?--I have been asking you that for the last half hour."
"Monsieur President," replied Rouletabille, "I cannot answer thatquestion before half-past six!"
By this time the people in the court-room were beginning to believe inthis new witness. They were amused by his melodramatic action in thusfixing the hour; but they seemed to have confidence in the outcome. Asfor the President, it looked as if he also had made up his mind totake the young man in the same way. He had certainly been impressed byRouletabille's explanation of Madame Mathieu's part.
"Well, Monsieur Rouletabille," he said, "as you say; but don't let ussee any more of you before half-past six."
Rouletabille bowed to the President, and made his way to the door of thewitnesses' room.
I quietly made my way through the crowd and left the court almost at thesame time as Rouletabille. He greeted me heartily, and looked happy.
"I'll not ask you, my dear fellow," I said, smiling, "what you've beendoing in America; because I've no doubt you'll say you can't tell meuntil after half-past six."
"No, my dear Sainclair, I'll tell you right now why I went to America. Iwent in search of the name of the other half of the murderer!"
"The name of the other half?"
"Exactly. When we last left the Glandier I knew there were two halves tothe murderer and the name of only one of them. I went to America for thename of the other half."
I was too puzzled to answer. Just then we entered the witnesses' room,and Rouletabille was immediately surrounded. He showed himself veryfriendly to all except Arthur Rance to whom he exhibited a markedcoldness of manner. Frederic Larsan came in also. Rouletabille wentup and shook him heartily by the hand. His manner toward the detectiveshowed that he had got the better of the policeman. Larsan smiled andasked him what he had been doing in America, Rouletabille began bytelling him some anecdotes of his voyage. They then turned asidetogether apparently with the object of speaking confidentially. I,therefore, discreetly left them and, being curious to hear the evidence,returned to my seat in the court-room where the public plainly showedits lack of interest in what was going on in their impatience forRouletabille's return at the appointed time.
On the stroke of half-past six Joseph Rouletabille was again brought in.It is impossible for me to picture the tense excitement which appearedon every face, as he made his way to the bar. Darzac rose to his feet,frightfully pale.
The President, addressing Rouletabille, said gravely:
"I will not ask you to take the oath, because you have not beenregularly summoned; but I trust there is no need to urge upon you thegravity of the statement you are about to make."
Rouletabille looked the President quite calmly and steadily in the face,and replied:
"Yes, Monsieur."
"At your last appearance here," said the President, "we had arrived atthe point where you were to tell us how the murderer escaped, and alsohis name. Now, Monsieur Rouletabille, we await your explanation."
"Very well, Monsieur," began my friend amidst a profound silence. "Ihad explained how it was impossible for the murderer to get away withoutbeing seen. And yet he was there with us in the courtyard."
"And you did not see him? At least that is what the prosecutiondeclares."
"No! We all of us saw him, Monsieur le President!" cried Rouletabille.
"Then why was he not arrested?"
"Because no one, besides myself, knew that he was the murderer. It wouldhave spoiled my plans to have had him arrested, and I had then no proofother than my own reasoning. I was convinced we had the murderer beforeus and that we were actually looking at him. I have now brought what Iconsider the indisputable proof."
"Speak out, Monsieur! Tell us the murderer's name."
"You will find it on the list of names present in the court on the nightof the tragedy," replied Rouletabille.
The people present in the court-room began showing impatience. Some ofthem even called for the name, and were silenced by the usher.
"The list includes Daddy Jacques, Bernier the concierge, and Mr. ArthurRance," said the President. "Do you accuse any of these?"
"No, Monsieur!"
"Then I do not understand what you are driving at. There was no otherperson at the end of the court."
"Yes, Monsieur, there was, not at the end, but above the court, who wasleaning out of the window."
"Do you mean Frederic Larsan!" exclaimed the President.
"Yes! Frederic Larsan!" replied Rouletabille in a ringing tone."Frederic Larsan is the murderer!"
The court-room became immediately filled with loud and indignantprotests. So astonished was he that the President did not attempt toquiet it. The quick silence which followed was broken by the distinctlywhispered words from the lips of Robert Darzac:
"It's impossible! He's mad!"
"You dare to accuse Frederic Larsan, Monsieur?" asked the President. "Ifyou are not mad, what are your proofs?"
"Proofs, Monsieur?--Do you want proofs? Well, here is one," criedRouletabille shrilly. "Let Frederic Larsan be called!"
"Usher, call Frederic Larsan."
The usher hurried to the side door, opened it, and disappeared. The doorremained open, while all eyes turned expectantly towards it. The clerkre-appeared and, stepping forward, said:
"Monsieur President, Frederic Larsan is not here. He left at about fouro'clock and has not been seen since."
"That is my proof!" cried Rouletabille, triumphantly.
"Explain yourself?" demanded the President.
"My proof is Larsan's flight," said the young reporter. "He will notcome back. You will see no more of Frederic Larsan."
"Unless you are playing with the court, Monsieur, why did you not accusehim when he was present? He would then have answered you."
"He could give no other answer than the one he has now given by hisflight."
"We cannot believe that Larsan has fled. There was no reason for hisdoing so. Did he know you'd make this charge?"
"He did. I told him I would."
"Do you mean to say that knowing Larsan was the murderer you gave himthe opportunity to escape?"
"Yes, Monsieur President, I did," replied Rouletabille, proudly. "I amnot a policeman, I am a journalist; and my business is not to arrestpeople. My business is in the service of truth, and is not that of anexecutioner. If you are just, Monsieur, you will see that I am right.You can now understand why I refrained until this hour to divulge thename. I gave Larsan time to catch the 4:17 tra
in for Paris, where hewould know where to hide himself, and leave no traces. You will not findFrederic Larsan," declared Rouletabille, fixing his eyes on MonsieurRobert Darzac. "He is too cunning. He is a man who has always escapedyou and whom you have long searched for in vain. If he did not succeedin outwitting me, he can yet easily outwit any police. This man who,four years ago, introduced himself to the Surete, and became celebratedas Frederic Larsan, is notorious under another name--a name well knownto crime. Frederic Larsan, Monsieur President, is Ballmeyer!"
"Ballmeyer!" cried the President.
"Ballmeyer!" exclaimed Robert Darzac, springing to his feet."Ballmeyer!--It was true, then!"
"Ah! Monsieur Darzac; you don't think I am mad, now!" criedRouletabille.
Ballmeyer! Ballmeyer! No other word could be heard in the courtroom. ThePresident adjourned the hearing.
Those of my readers who may not have heard of Ballmeyer will wonder atthe excitement the name caused. And yet the doings of this remarkablecriminal form the subject-matter of the most dramatic narratives of thenewspapers and criminal records of the past twenty years. It had beenreported that he was dead, and thus had eluded the police as he hadeluded them throughout the whole of his career.
Ballmeyer was the best specimen of the high-class "gentleman swindler."He was adept at sleight of hand tricks, and no bolder or more ruthlesscrook ever lived. He was received in the best society, and was amember of some of the most exclusive clubs. On many of his depredatoryexpeditions he had not hesitated to use the knife and the mutton-bone.No difficulty stopped him and no "operation" was too dangerous. He hadbeen caught, but escaped on the very morning of his trial, by throwingpepper into the eyes of the guards who were conducting him to Court. Itwas known later that, in spite of the keen hunt after him by themost expert of detectives, he had sat that same evening at a firstperformance in the Theatre Francais, without the slightest disguise.
He left France, later, to "work" America. The police there succeeded incapturing him once, but the extraordinary man escaped the next day. Itwould need a volume to recount the adventures of this master-criminal.And yet this was the man Rouletabille had allowed to get away! Knowingall about him and who he was, he afforded the criminal an opportunityfor another laugh at the society he had defied! I could not helpadmiring the bold stroke of the young journalist, because I felt certainhis motive had been to protect both Mademoiselle Stangerson and ridDarzac of an enemy at the same time.
The crowd had barely recovered from the effect of the astonishingrevelation when the hearing was resumed. The question in everybody'smind was: Admitting that Larsan was the murderer, how did he get out ofThe Yellow Room?
Rouletabille was immediately called to the bar and his examinationcontinued.
"You have told us," said the President, "that it was impossible toescape from the end of the court. Since Larsan was leaning out of hiswindow, he had left the court. How did he do that?"
"He escaped by a most unusual way. He climbed the wall, sprang onto theterrace, and, while we were engaged with the keeper's body, reached thegallery by the window. He then had little else to do than to open thewindow, get in and call out to us, as if he had just come from his ownroom. To a man of Ballmeyer's strength all that was mere child's play.And here, Monsieur, is the proof of what I say."
Rouletabille drew from his pocket a small packet, from which he produceda strong iron peg.
"This, Monsieur," he said, "is a spike which perfectly fits a hole stillto be seen in the cornice supporting the terrace. Larsan, who thoughtand prepared for everything in case of any emergency, had fixed thisspike into the cornice. All he had to do to make his escape good was toplant one foot on a stone which is placed at the corner of the chateau,another on this support, one hand on the cornice of the keeper's doorand the other on the terrace, and Larsan was clear of the ground. Therest was easy. His acting after dinner as if he had been drugged wasmake believe. He was not drugged; but he did drug me. Of course he hadto make it appear as if he also had been drugged so that no suspicionshould fall on him for my condition. Had I not been thus overpowered,Larsan would never have entered Mademoiselle Stangerson's chamber thatnight, and the attack on her would not have taken place."
A groan came from Darzac, who appeared to be unable to control hissuffering.
"You can understand," added Rouletabille, "that Larsan would feelhimself hampered from the fact that my room was so close to his, andfrom a suspicion that I would be on the watch that night. Naturally, hecould not for a moment believe that I suspected him! But I might see himleaving his room when he was about to go to Mademoiselle Stangerson.He waited till I was asleep, and my friend Sainclair was busy trying torouse me. Ten minutes after that Mademoiselle was calling out, "Murder!"
"How did you come to suspect Larsan?" asked the President.
"My pure reason pointed to him. That was why I watched him. But Idid not foresee the drugging. He is very cunning. Yes, my pure reasonpointed to him; but I required tangible proof so that my eyes could seehim as my pure reason saw him."
"What do you mean by your pure reason?"
"That power of one's mind which admits of no disturbing elements toa conclusion. The day following the incident of 'the inexplicablegallery,' I felt myself losing control of it. I had allowed myself to bediverted by fallacious evidence; but I recovered and again took hold ofthe right end. I satisfied myself that the murderer could not have leftthe gallery, either naturally or supernaturally. I narrowed the field ofconsideration to that small circle, so to speak. The murderer couldnot be outside that circle. Now who was in it? There was, first, themurderer. Then there were Daddy Jacques, Monsieur Stangerson, FredericLarsan, and myself. Five persons in all, counting in the murderer.And yet, in the gallery, there were but four. Now since it had beendemonstrated to me that the fifth could not have escaped, it was evidentthat one of the four present in the gallery must be a double--he mustbe himself and the murderer also. Why had I not seen this before? Simplybecause the phenomenon of the double personality had not occurred beforein this inquiry.
"Now who of the four persons in the gallery was both that person and theassassin? I went over in my mind what I had seen. I had seen at one andthe same time, Monsieur Stangerson and the murderer, Daddy Jacques andthe murderer, myself and the murderer; so that the murderer, then, couldnot be either Monsieur Stangerson, Daddy Jacques, or myself. Had I seenFrederic Larsan and the murderer at the same time?--No!--Two seconds hadpassed, during which I lost sight of the murderer; for, as I have notedin my papers, he arrived two seconds before Monsieur Stangerson, DaddyJacques, and myself at the meeting-point of the two galleries. Thatwould have given Larsan time to go through the 'off-turning' gallery,snatch off his false beard, return, and hurry with us as if, like us, inpursuit of the murderer. I was sure now I had got hold of the right endin my reasoning. With Frederic Larsan was now always associated, inmy mind, the personality of the unknown of whom I was in pursuit--themurderer, in other words.
"That revelation staggered me. I tried to regain my balance by goingover the evidences previously traced, but which had diverted my mind andled me away from Frederic Larsan. What were these evidences?
"1st. I had seen the unknown in Mademoiselle Stangerson's chamber. Ongoing to Frederic Larsan's room, I had found Larsan sound asleep.
"2nd. The ladder.
"3rd. I had placed Frederic Larsan at the end of the 'off-turning'gallery and had told him that I would rush into MademoiselleStangerson's room to try to capture the murderer. Then I returned toMademoiselle Stangerson's chamber where I had seen the unknown.
"The first evidence did not disturb me much. It is likely that, when Idescended from my ladder, after having seen the unknown in MademoiselleStangerson's chamber, Larsan had already finished what he was doingthere. Then, while I was re-entering the chateau, Larsan went back tohis own room and, undressing himself, went to sleep.
"Nor did the second evidence trouble me. If Larsan were the murderer,he could have no use for a ladder; but th
e ladder might have been placedthere to give an appearance to the murderer's entrance from without thechateau; especially as Larsan had accused Darzac and Darzac was not inthe chateau that night. Further, the ladder might have been placed thereto facilitate Larsan's flight in case of absolute necessity.
"But the third evidence puzzled me altogether. Having placed Larsan atthe end of the 'off-turning gallery,' I could not explain how he hadtaken advantage of the moment when I had gone to the left wing of thechateau to find Monsieur Stangerson and Daddy Jacques, to return toMademoiselle Stangerson's room. It was a very dangerous thing to do. Herisked being captured,--and he knew it. And he was very nearly captured.He had not had time to regain his post, as he had certainly hoped todo. He had then a very strong reason for returning to his room. As formyself, when I sent Daddy Jacques to the end of the 'right gallery,' Inaturally thought that Larsan was still at his post. Daddy Jacques, ingoing to his post, had not looked, when he passed, to see whether Larsanwas at his post or not.
"What, then, was the urgent reason which had compelled Larsan to go tothe room a second time? I guessed it to be some evidence of his presencethere. He had left something very important in that room. What was it?And had he recovered it? I begged Madame Bernier who was accustomed toclean the room to look, and she found a pair of eye-glasses--this pair,Monsieur President!"
And Rouletabille drew the eye-glasses, of which we know, from hispocket.
"When I saw these eye-glasses," he continued, "I was utterly nonplussed.I had never seen Larsan wear eye-glasses. What did they mean? Suddenly Iexclaimed to myself: 'I wonder if he is long-sighted?' I had never seenLarsan write. He might, then, be long-sighted. They would certainlyknow at the Surete, and also know if the glasses were his. Such evidencewould be damning. That explained Larsan's return. I know now thatLarsan, or Ballmeyer, is long-sighted and that these glasses belonged tohim.
"I now made one mistake. I was not satisfied with the evidence I hadobtained. I wished to see the man's face. Had I refrained from this, thesecond terrible attack would not have occurred."
"But," asked the President, "why should Larsan go to MademoiselleStangerson's room, at all? Why should he twice attempt to murder her?"
"Because he loves her, Monsieur President."
"That is certainly a reason, but-"
"It is the only reason. He was madly in love, and because of that,and--other things, he was capable of committing any crime."
"Did Mademoiselle Stangerson know this?"
"Yes, Monsieur; but she was ignorant of the fact that the man who waspursuing her was Frederic Larsan, otherwise, of course, he would nothave been allowed to be at the chateau. I noticed, when he was in herroom after the incident in the gallery, that he kept himself in theshadow, and that he kept his head bent down. He was looking for the losteye-glasses. Mademoiselle Stangerson knew Larsan under another name."
"Monsieur Darzac," asked the President, "did Mademoiselle Stangersonin any way confide in you on this matter? How is it that she has neverspoken about it to anyone? If you are innocent, she would have wished tospare you the pain of being accused."
"Mademoiselle Stangerson told me nothing," replied Monsieur Darzac.
"Does what this young man says appear probable to you?" the Presidentasked.
"Mademoiselle Stangerson has told me nothing," he replied stolidly.
"How do you explain that, on the night of the murder of the keeper," thePresident asked, turning to Rouletabille, "the murderer brought backthe papers stolen from Monsieur Stangerson?--How do you explain how themurderer gained entrance into Mademoiselle Stangerson's locked room?"
"The last question is easily answered. A man like Larsan, or Ballmeyer,could have had made duplicate keys. As to the documents, I think Larsanhad not intended to steal them, at first. Closely watching Mademoisellewith the purpose of preventing her marriage with Monsieur Robert Darzac,he one day followed her and Monsieur into the Grands Magasins de laLouvre. There he got possession of the reticule which she lost, or leftbehind. In that reticule was a key with a brass head. He did not knowthere was any value attached to the key till the advertisement inthe newspapers revealed it. He then wrote to Mademoiselle, as theadvertisement requested. No doubt he asked for a meeting, making knownto her that he was also the person who had for some time pursued herwith his love. He received no answer. He went to the Post Office andascertained that his letter was no longer there. He had already takencomplete stock of Monsieur Darzac, and, having decided to go to anylengths to gain Mademoiselle Stangerson, he had planned that, whatevermight happen, Monsieur Darzac, his hated rival, should be the man to besuspected.
"I do not think that Larsan had as yet thought of murdering MademoiselleStangerson; but whatever he might do, he made sure that Monsieur Darzacshould suffer for it. He was very nearly of the same height as MonsieurDarzac and had almost the same sized feet. It would not be difficult,to take an impression of Monsieur Darzac's footprints, and have similarboots made for himself. Such tricks were mere child's play for Larsan,or Ballmeyer.
"Receiving no reply to his letter, he determined, since MademoiselleStangerson would not come to him, that he would go to her. His plan hadlong been formed. He had made himself master of the plans of thechateau and the pavilion. So that, one afternoon, while Monsieur andMademoiselle Stangerson were out for a walk, and while Daddy Jacques wasaway, he entered the latter by the vestibule window. He was alone, and,being in no hurry, he began examining the furniture. One of the pieces,resembling a safe, had a very small keyhole. That interested him! He hadwith him the little key with the brass head, and, associating one withthe other, he tried the key in the lock. The door opened. He saw nothingbut papers. They must be very valuable to have been put away in a safe,and the key to which to be of so much importance. Perhaps a thought ofblackmail occurred to him as a useful possibility in helping him inhis designs on Mademoiselle Stangerson. He quickly made a parcel of thepapers and took it to the lavatory in the vestibule. Between the time ofhis first examination of the pavilion and the night of the murder of thekeeper, Larsan had had time to find out what those papers contained.He could do nothing with them, and they were rather compromising.That night he took them back to the chateau. Perhaps he hoped that, byreturning the papers he might obtain some gratitude from MademoiselleStangerson. But whatever may have been his reasons, he took the papersback and so rid himself of an encumbrance."
Rouletabille coughed. It was evident to me that he was embarrassed.He had arrived at a point where he had to keep back his knowledge ofLarsan's true motive. The explanation he had given had evidently beenunsatisfactory. Rouletabille was quick enough to note the bad impressionhe had made, for, turning to the President, he said: "And now we come tothe explanation of the Mystery of The Yellow Room!"
A movement of chairs in the court with a rustling of dresses and anenergetic whispering of "Hush!" showed the curiosity that had beenaroused.
"It seems to me," said the President, "that the Mystery of The YellowRoom, Monsieur Rouletabille, is wholly explained by your hypothesis.Frederic Larsan is the explanation. We have merely to substitute him forMonsieur Robert Darzac. Evidently the door of The Yellow Room was openat the time Monsieur Stangerson was alone, and that he allowed the manwho was coming out of his daughter's chamber to pass without arrestinghim--perhaps at her entreaty to avoid all scandal."
"No, Monsieur President," protested the young man. "You forget that,stunned by the attack made on her, Mademoiselle Stangerson was not ina condition to have made such an appeal. Nor could she have lockedand bolted herself in her room. You must also remember that MonsieurStangerson has sworn that the door was not open."
"That, however, is the only way in which it can be explained. The YellowRoom was as closely shut as an iron safe. To use your own expression, itwas impossible for the murderer to make his escape either naturally orsupernaturally. When the room was broken into he was not there! He must,therefore, have escaped."
"That does not follow."
"What do
you mean?"
"There was no need for him to escape--if he was not there!"
"Not there!"
"Evidently, not. He could not have been there, if he were not foundthere."
"But, what about the evidences of his presence?" asked the President.
"That, Monsieur President, is where we have taken hold of the wrong end.From the time Mademoiselle Stangerson shut herself in the room to thetime her door was burst open, it was impossible for the murderer toescape. He was not found because he was not there during that time."
"But the evidences?"
"They have led us astray. In reasoning on this mystery we must not takethem to mean what they apparently mean. Why do we conclude the murdererwas there?--Because he left his tracks in the room? Good! But may he nothave been there before the room was locked. Nay, he must have been therebefore! Let us look into the matter of these traces and see if they donot point to my conclusion.
"After the publication of the article in the 'Matin' and myconversation with the examining magistrate on the journey from Paris toEpinaysur-Orge, I was certain that The Yellow Room had been hermeticallysealed, so to speak, and that consequently the murderer had escapedbefore Mademoiselle Stangerson had gone into her chamber at midnight.
"At the time I was much puzzled. Mademoiselle Stangerson could not havebeen her own murderer, since the evidences pointed to some other person.The assassin, then, had come before. If that were so, how was it thatMademoiselle had been attacked after? or rather, that she appeared tohave been attacked after? It was necessary for me to reconstruct theoccurrence and make of it two phases--each separated from the other,in time, by the space of several hours. One phase in which MademoiselleStangerson had really been attacked--the other phase in which those whoheard her cries thought she was being attacked. I had not then examinedThe Yellow Room. What were the marks on Mademoiselle Stangerson? Therewere marks of strangulation and the wound from a hard blow on thetemple. The marks of strangulation did not interest me much; they mighthave been made before, and Mademoiselle Stangerson could have concealedthem by a collarette, or any similar article of apparel. I had tosuppose this the moment I was compelled to reconstruct the occurrence bytwo phases. Mademoiselle Stangerson had, no doubt, her own reasons forso doing, since she had told her father nothing of it, and had made itunderstood to the examining magistrate that the attack had taken placein the night, during the second phase. She was forced to say that,otherwise her father would have questioned her as to her reason forhaving said nothing about it.
"But I could not explain the blow on the temple. I understood it evenless when I learned that the mutton-bone had been found in her room. Shecould not hide the fact that she had been struck on the head, and yetthat wound appeared evidently to have been inflicted during the firstphase, since it required the presence of the murderer! I thoughtMademoiselle Stangerson had hidden the wound by arranging her hair inbands on her forehead.
"As to the mark of the hand on the wall, that had evidently been madeduring the first phase--when the murderer was really there. All thetraces of his presence had naturally been left during the first phase;the mutton-bone, the black footprints, the Basque cap, the handkerchief,the blood on the wall, on the door, and on the floor. If those traceswere still all there, they showed that Mademoiselle Stangerson--whodesired that nothing should be known--had not yet had time to clear themaway. This led me to the conclusion that the two phases had taken placeone shortly after the other. She had not had the opportunity, afterleaving her room and going back to the laboratory to her father, to getback again to her room and put it in order. Her father was all the timewith her, working. So that after the first phase she did not re-enterher chamber till midnight. Daddy Jacques was there at ten o'clock, as hewas every night; but he went in merely to close the blinds and light thenight-light. Owing to her disturbed state of mind she had forgotten thatDaddy Jacques would go into her room and had begged him not to troublehimself. All this was set forth in the article in the 'Matin.' DaddyJacques did go, however, and, in the dim light of the room, saw nothing.
"Mademoiselle Stangerson must have lived some anxious moments whileDaddy Jacques was absent; but I think she was not aware that so manyevidences had been left. After she had been attacked she had only timeto hide the traces of the man's fingers on her neck and to hurry to thelaboratory. Had she known of the bone, the cap, and the handkerchief,she would have made away with them after she had gone back to herchamber at midnight. She did not see them, and undressed by theuncertain glimmer of the night light. She went to bed, worn-out byanxiety and fear--a fear that had made her remain in the laboratory aslate as possible.
"My reasoning had thus brought me to the second phase of the tragedy,when Mademoiselle Stangerson was alone in the room. I had now toexplain the revolver shots fired during the second phase. Cries of'Help!--Murder!' had been heard. How to explain these? As to the cries,I was in no difficulty; since she was alone in her room these couldresult from nightmare only. My explanation of the struggle and noisethat were heard is simply that in her nightmare she was haunted by theterrible experience she had passed through in the afternoon. In herdream she sees the murderer about to spring upon her and she cries,'Help! Murder!' Her hand wildly seeks the revolver she had placed withinher reach on the night-table by the side of her bed, but her hand,striking the table, overturns it, and the revolver, falling to thefloor, discharges itself, the bullet lodging in the ceiling. I knewfrom the first that the bullet in the ceiling must have resulted froman accident. Its very position suggested an accident to my mind, andso fell in with my theory of a nightmare. I no longer doubted that theattack had taken place before Mademoiselle had retired for the night.After wakening from her frightful dream and crying aloud for help, shehad fainted.
"My theory, based on the evidence of the shots that were heard atmidnight, demanded two shots--one which wounded the murderer at the timeof his attack, and one fired at the time of the nightmare. The evidencegiven by the Berniers before the examining magistrate was to the effectthat only one shot had been heard. Monsieur Stangerson testified tohearing a dull sound first followed by a sharp ringing sound. The dullsound I explained by the falling of the marble-topped table; the ringingsound was the shot from the revolver. I was now convinced I was right.The shot that had wounded the hand of the murderer and had caused itto bleed so that he left the bloody imprint on the wall was fired byMademoiselle in self-defence, before the second phase, when she had beenreally attacked. The shot in the ceiling which the Berniers heard wasthe accidental shot during the nightmare.
"I had now to explain the wound on the temple. It was not severe enoughto have been made by means of the mutton-bone, and Mademoiselle had notattempted to hide it. It must have been made during the second phase. Itwas to find this out that I went to The Yellow Room, and I obtained myanswer there."
Rouletabille drew a piece of white folded paper from his pocket, anddrew out of it an almost invisible object which he held between histhumb and forefinger.
"This, Monsieur President," he said, "is a hair--a blond hair stainedwith blood;--it is a hair from the head of Mademoiselle Stangerson. Ifound it sticking to one of the corners of the overturned table. Thecorner of the table was itself stained with blood--a tiny stain--hardlyvisible; but it told me that, on rising from her bed, MademoiselleStangerson had fallen heavily and had struck her head on the corner ofits marble top.
"I still had to learn, in addition to the name of the assassin, whichI did later, the time of the original attack. I learned this fromthe examination of Mademoiselle Stangerson and her father, thoughthe answers given by the former were well calculated to deceive theexamining magistrate--Mademoiselle Stangerson had stated very minutelyhow she had spent the whole of her time that day. We established thefact that the murderer had introduced himself into the pavilion betweenfive and six o'clock. At a quarter past six the professor and hisdaughter had resumed their work. At five the professor had been withhis daughter, and since the attack took place in the prof
essor'sabsence from his daughter, I had to find out just when he left her.The professor had stated that at the time when he and his daughter wereabout to re-enter the laboratory he was met by the keeper and heldin conversation about the cutting of some wood and the poachers.Mademoiselle Stangerson was not with him then since the professor said:'I left the keeper and rejoined my daughter who was at work in thelaboratory.'
"It was during that short interval of time that the tragedy took place.That is certain. In my mind's eye I saw Mademoiselle Stangerson re-enterthe pavilion, go to her room to take off her hat, and find herself facedby the murderer. He had been in the pavilion for some time waiting forher. He had arranged to pass the whole night there. He had taken offDaddy Jacques's boots; he had removed the papers from the cabinet; andhad then slipped under the bed. Finding the time long, he had risen,gone again into the laboratory, then into the vestibule, looked intothe garden, and had seen, coming towards the pavilion, MademoiselleStangerson--alone. He would never have dared to attack her at that hour,if he had not found her alone. His mind was made up. He would be more atease alone with Mademoiselle Stangerson in the pavilion, than he wouldhave been in the middle of the night, with Daddy Jacques sleeping inthe attic. So he shut the vestibule window. That explains why neitherMonsieur Stangerson, nor the keeper, who were at some distance from thepavilion, had heard the revolver shot.
"Then he went back to The Yellow Room. Mademoiselle Stangerson came in.What passed must have taken place very quickly. Mademoiselle tried tocall for help; but the man had seized her by the throat. Her hand hadsought and grasped the revolver which she had been keeping in thedrawer of her night-table, since she had come to fear the threats ofher pursuer. The murderer was about to strike her on the head with themutton-bone--a terrible weapon in the hands of a Larsan or Ballmeyer;but she fired in time, and the shot wounded the hand that held theweapon. The bone fell to the floor covered with the blood of themurderer, who staggered, clutched at the wall for support--imprinting onit the red marks--and, fearing another bullet, fled.
"She saw him pass through the laboratory, and listened. He was long atthe window. At length he jumped from it. She flew to it and shut it. Thedanger past, all her thoughts were of her father. Had he either seenor heard? At any cost to herself she must keep this from him. Thuswhen Monsieur Stangerson returned, he found the door of The Yellow Roomclosed, and his daughter in the laboratory, bending over her desk, atwork!"
Turning towards Monsieur Darzac, Rouletabille cried: "You know thetruth! Tell us, then, if that is not how things happened."
"I don't know anything about it," replied Monsieur Darzac.
"I admire you for your silence," said Rouletabille, "but ifMademoiselle Stangerson knew of your danger, she would release you fromyour oath. She would beg of you to tell all she has confided to you. Shewould be here to defend you!"
Monsieur Darzac made no movement, nor uttered a word. He looked atRouletabille sadly.
"However," said the young reporter, "since Mademoiselle is not here, Imust do it myself. But, believe me, Monsieur Darzac, the only means tosave Mademoiselle Stangerson and restore her to her reason, is to secureyour acquittal."
"What is this secret motive that compels Mademoiselle Stangerson to hideher knowledge from her father?" asked the President.
"That, Monsieur, I do not know," said Rouletabille. "It is no businessof mine."
The President, turning to Monsieur Darzac, endeavoured to induce him totell what he knew.
"Do you still refuse, Monsieur, to tell us how you employeeed your timeduring the attempts on the life of Mademoiselle Stangerson?"
"I cannot tell you anything, Monsieur."
The President turned to Rouletabille as if appealing for an explanation.
"We must assume, Monsieur President, that Monsieur Robert Darzac'sabsences are closely connected with Mademoiselle Stangerson's secret,and that Monsieur Darzac feels himself in honour bound to remain silent.It may be that Larsan, who, since his three attempts, has had everythingin training to cast suspicion on Monsieur Darzac, had fixed on justthose occasions for a meeting with Monsieur Darzac at a spot mostcompromising. Larsan is cunning enough to have done that."
The President seemed partly convinced, but still curious, he asked:
"But what is this secret of Mademoiselle Stangerson?"
"That I cannot tell you," said Rouletabille. "I think, however, youknow enough now to acquit Monsieur Robert Darzac! Unless Larsan shouldreturn, and I don't think he will," he added, with a laugh.
"One question more," said the President. "Admitting your explanation, weknow that Larsan wished to turn suspicion on Monsieur Robert Darzac, butwhy should he throw suspicion on Daddy Jacques also?"
"There came in the professional detective, Monsieur, who proves himselfan unraveller of mysteries, by annihilating the very proofs he hadaccumulated. He's a very cunning man, and a similar trick had oftenenabled him to turn suspicion from himself. He proved the innocence ofone before accusing the other. You can easily believe, Monsieur, that socomplicated a scheme as this must have been long and carefully thoughtout in advance by Larsan. I can tell you that he had long beenengaged on its elaboration. If you care to learn how he had gatheredinformation, you will find that he had, on one occasion, disguisedhimself as the commissionaire between the 'Laboratory of the Surete' andMonsieur Stangerson, of whom 'experiments' were demanded. In this wayhe had been able before the crime, on two occasions to take stock of thepavilion. He had 'made up' so that Daddy Jacques had not recognised him.And yet Larsan had found the opportunity to rob the old man of a pair ofold boots and a cast-off Basque cap, which the servant had tied up ina handkerchief, with the intention of carrying them to a friend, acharcoal-burner on the road to Epinay. When the crime was discovered,Daddy Jacques had immediately recognised these objects as his. They wereextremely compromising, which explains his distress at the time when wespoke to him about them. Larsan confessed it all to me. He is anartist at the game. He did a similar thing in the affair of the 'CreditUniversel,' and in that of the 'Gold Ingots of the Mint.' Both thesecases should be revised. Since Ballmeyer or Larsan has been in theSurete a number of innocent persons have been sent to prison."