The Rome Express

peculiar suspicion. It had nogreat effect upon him, for, while the rest of the party were veryplainly sad, and a prey to lively apprehension, the porter sat dull andunmoved, with the stolid, sluggish, unconcerned aspect of a man justroused from sound sleep and relapsing into slumber, who takes littlenotice of what is passing around.

  Meanwhile, the sleeping-car, with its contents, especially the corpseof the victim, was shunted into a siding, and sentries were placed on itat both ends. Seals had been affixed upon the entrance doors, so thatthe interior might be kept inviolate until it could be visited andexamined by the Chef de la Surete, or Chief of the Detective Service.Every one and everything awaited the arrival of this all-importantfunctionary.

  CHAPTER II

  M. Flocon, the Chief, was an early man, and he paid a first visit to hisoffice about 7 A.M.

  He lived just round the corner in the Rue des Arcs, and had not far togo to the Prefecture. But even now, soon after daylight, he wascorrectly dressed, as became a responsible ministerial officer. He worea tight frock coat and an immaculate white tie; under his arm he carriedthe regulation portfolio, or lawyer's bag, stuffed full of reports,dispositions, and documents dealing with cases in hand. He wasaltogether a very precise and natty little personage, quiet andunpretending in demeanour, with a mild, thoughtful face in which twosmall ferrety eyes blinked and twinkled behind gold-rimmed glasses. Butwhen things went wrong, when he had to deal with fools, or when scentwas keen, or the enemy near, he would become as fierce and eager as anyterrier.

  He had just taken his place at his table and begun to arrange hispapers, which, being a man of method, he kept carefully sorted by lotseach in an old copy of the _Figaro_, when he was called to thetelephone. His services were greatly needed, as we know, at the Lyonsstation and the summons was to the following effect:

  "Crime on train No. 45. A man murdered in the sleeper. All thepassengers held. Please come at once. Most important."

  A fiacre was called instantly, and M. Flocon, accompanied by Galipaudand Block, the two first inspectors for duty, was driven with allpossible speed across Paris.

  He was met outside the station, just under the wide verandah, by theofficials, who gave him a brief outline of the facts, so far as theywere known, and as they have already been put before the reader.

  "The passengers have been detained?" asked M. Flocon at once.

  "Those in the sleeping-car only--"

  "Tut, tut! they should have been all kept--at least until you had takentheir names and addresses. Who knows what they might not have been ableto tell?"

  It was suggested that as the crime was committed presumably while thetrain was in motion, only those in the one car could be implicated.

  "We should never jump to conclusions," said the Chief snappishly. "Well,show me the train card--the list of the travellers in the sleeper."

  "It cannot be found, sir."

  "Impossible! Why, it is the porter's business to deliver it at the endof the journey to his superiors, and under the law--to us. Where is theporter? In custody?"

  "Surely, sir, but there is something wrong with him."

  "So I should think! Nothing of this kind could well occur without hisknowledge. If he was doing his duty--unless, of course, he--but let usavoid hasty conjectures."

  "He has also lost the passengers' tickets, which you know he retainstill the end of the journey. After the catastrophe, however, he wasunable to lay his hand upon his pocket-book. It contained all hispapers."

  "Worse and worse. There is something behind all this. Take me to him.Stay, can I have a private room close to the other--where the prisoners,those held on suspicion, are? It will be necessary to holdinvestigations, take their depositions. M. le Juge will be heredirectly."

  M. Flocon was soon installed in a room actually communicating with thewaiting-room, and as a preliminary of the first importance, takingprecedence even of the examination of the sleeping-car, he ordered theporter to be brought in to answer certain questions.

  The man, Ludwig Groote, as he presently gave his name, thirty-two yearsof age, born at Amsterdam, looked such a sluggish, slouching,blear-eyed creature that M. Flocon began by a sharp rebuke.

  "Now. Sharp! Are you always like this?" cried the Chief.

  The porter still stared straight before him with lack-lustre eyes, andmade no immediate reply.

  "Are you drunk? are you--Can it be possible?" he said, and in vaguereply to a sudden strong suspicion, he went on:

  "What were you doing between Laroche and Paris? Sleeping?"

  The man roused himself a little. "I think I slept. I must have slept. Iwas very drowsy. I had been up two nights; but so it is always, and I amnot like this generally. I do not understand."

  "Hah!" The Chief thought he understood. "Did you feel this drowsinessbefore leaving Laroche?"

  "No, monsieur, I did not. Certainly not. I was fresh till then--quitefresh."

  "Hum; exactly; I see;" and the little Chief jumped to his feet and ranround to where the porter stood sheepishly, and sniffed and smelt athim.

  "Yes, yes." Sniff, sniff, sniff, the little man danced round and roundhim, then took hold of the porter's head with one hand, and with theother turned down his lower eyelid so as to expose the eyeball, sniffeda little more, and then resumed his seat.

  "Exactly. And now, where is your train card?"

  "Pardon, monsieur, I cannot find it."

  "That is absurd. Where do you keep it? Look again--search--I must haveit."

  The porter shook his head hopelessly.

  "It is gone, monsieur, and my pocket-book."

  "But your papers, the tickets--"

  "Everything was in it, monsieur. I must have dropped it."

  Strange, very strange. However--the fact was to be recorded, for themoment. He could of course return to it.

  "You can give me the names of the passengers?"

  "No, monsieur. Not exactly. I cannot remember, not enough todistinguish between them."

  "_Fichtre_! But this is most devilishly irritating. To think that I haveto do with a man so stupid--such an idiot, such an ass!"

  "At least you know how the berths were occupied, how many in each, andwhich persons? Yes? You can tell me that? Well, go on. By and by we willhave the passengers in, and you can fix their places, after I haveascertained their names. Now, please! For how many was the car?"

  "Sixteen. There were two compartments of four berths each, and four oftwo berths each."

  "Stay, let us make a plan. I will draw it. Here, now, is that right?"and the Chief held up the rough diagram, here shown--

  Diagram of railroad car.]

  "Here we have the six compartments. Now take _a_, with berths 1, 2, 3,and 4. Were they all occupied?"

  "No; only two, by Englishmen. I know that they talked English, which Iunderstand a little. One was a soldier; the other, I think, a clergyman,or priest."

  "Good! we can verify that directly. Now, _b_, with berths 5 and 6. Whowas there?"

  "One gentleman. I don't remember his name. But I shall know him byappearance."

  "Go on. In _c_, two berths, 7 and 8?"

  "Also one gentleman. It was he who--I mean, that is where the crimeoccurred."

  "Ah, indeed, in 7 and 8? Very well. And the next, 9 and 10?"

  "A lady. Our only lady. She came from Rome."

  "One moment. Where did the rest come from? Did any embark on the road?"

  "No, monsieur; all the passengers travelled through from Rome."

  "The dead man included? Was he Roman?"

  "That I cannot say, but he came on board at Rome."

  "Very well. This lady--she was alone?"

  "In the compartment, yes. But not altogether."

  "I do not understand!"

  "She had her servant with her."

  "In the car?"

  "No, not in the car. As a passenger by second class. But she came to hermistress sometimes, in the car."

  "For her service, I presume?"

  "Well, yes, monsieur, when I
would permit it. But she came a little toooften, and I was compelled to protest, to speak to Madame la Comtesse--"

  "She was a countess, then?"

  "The maid addressed her by that title. That is all I know. I heard her."

  "When did you see the lady's maid last?"

  "Last night. I think at Amberieux. about 8 p.m."

  "Not this morning?"

  "No, sir, I am quite sure of that."

  "Not at Laroche? She did not come on board to stay, for the last stage,when her mistress would be getting up, dressing, and likely to requireher?"

  "No; I should not have permitted it."

  "And where is the maid now, d'you suppose?"

  The porter