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the mystery of the yellow room-第22章

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should see her; on the point of death; painfully recounting to us
the most monstrous and most mysterious crime I have heard of in my
career?  Who would have thought that I should be; that afternoon;
listening to the despairing father vainly trying to explain how his
daughter's assailant had been able to escape from him?  Why bury
ourselves with our work in obscure retreats in the depths of woods;
if it may not protect us against those dangerous threats to life
which meet us in the busy cities?

〃Now; Monsieur Stangerson;〃 said Monsieur de Marquet; with somewhat
of an important air; 〃place yourself exactly where you were when
Mademoiselle Stangerson left you to go to her chamber。〃

Monsieur Stangerson rose and; standing at a certain distance from
the door of The Yellow Room; said; in an even voice and without the
least trace of emphasis … a voice which I can only describe as a
dead voice:

〃I was here。  About eleven o'clock; after I had made a brief chemical
experiment at the furnaces of the laboratory; needing all the space
behind me; I had my desk moved here by Daddy Jacques; who spent the
evening in cleaning some of my apparatus。  My daughter had been
working at the same desk with me。  When it was her time to leave
she rose; kissed me; and bade Daddy Jacques goodnight。  She had to
pass behind my desk and the door to enter her chamber; and she could
do this only with some difficulty。  That is to say; I was very near
the place where the crime occurred later。〃

〃And the desk?〃 I asked; obeying; in thus mixing myself in the
conversation; the express orders of my chief; 〃as soon as you heard
the cry of 'murder' followed by the revolver shots; what became of
the desk?〃

Daddy Jacques answered。

〃We pushed it back against the wall; here … close to where it is at
the present moment…so as to be able to get at the door at once。〃

I followed up my reasoning; to which; however; I attached but little
importance; regarding it as only a weak hypothesis; with another
question。

〃Might not a man in the room; the desk being so near to the door;
by stooping and slipping under the desk; have left it unobserved?〃

〃You are forgetting;〃 interrupted Monsieur Stangerson wearily; 〃that
my daughter had locked and bolted her door; that the door had
remained fastened; that we vainly tried to force it open when we
heard the noise; and that we were at the door while the struggle
between the murderer and my poor child was going on … immediately
after we heard her stifled cries as she was being held by the fingers
that have left their red mark upon her throat。  Rapid as the attack
was; we were no less rapid in our endeavors to get into the room
where the tragedy was taking place。〃

I rose from my seat and once more examined the door with the greatest
care。  Then I returned to my place with a despairing gesture。

〃If the lower panel of the door;〃 I said; 〃could be removed without
the whole door being necessarily opened; the problem would be solved。
But; unfortunately; that last hypothesis is untenable after an
examination of the door … it's of oak; solid and massive。  You can
see that quite plainly; in spite of the injury done in the attempt
to burst it open。〃

〃Ah!〃 cried Daddy Jacques; 〃it is an old and solid door that was
brought from the chateau … they don't make such doors now。  We had
to use this bar of iron to get it open; all four of us … for the
concierge; brave woman she is; helped us。  It pains me to find them
both in prison now。〃

Daddy Jacques had no sooner uttered these words of pity and
protestation than tears and lamentations broke out from the
concierges。  I never saw two accused people crying more bitterly。
I was extremely disgusted。  Even if they were innocent; I could
not understand how they could behave like that in the face of
misfortune。  A dignified bearing at such times is better than tears
and groans; which; most often; are feigned。

〃Now then; enough of that sniveling;〃 cried Monsieur de Marquet;
〃and; in your interest; tell us what you were doing under the windows
of the pavilion at the time your mistress was being attacked; for
you were close to the pavilion when Daddy Jacques met you。〃

〃We were coming to help!〃 they whined。

〃If we could only lay hands on the murderer; he'd never taste bread
again!〃 the woman gurgled between her sobs。

As before we were unable to get two connecting thoughts out of them。
They persisted in their denials and swore; by heaven and all the
saints; that they were in bed when they heard the sound of the
revolver shot。

〃It was not one; but two shots that were fired!  … You see; you are
lying。  If you had heard one; you would have heard the other。〃

〃Mon Dieu!  Monsieur … it was the second shot we heard。  We were
asleep when the first shot was fired。〃

〃Two shots were fired;〃 said Daddy Jacques。  〃I am certain that all
the cartridges were in my revolver。  We found afterward that two
had been exploded; and we heard two shots behind the door。  Was not
that so; Monsieur Stangerson?〃

〃Yes;〃 replied the Professor; 〃there were two shots; one dull; and
the other sharp and ringing。〃

〃Why do you persist in lying?〃 cried Monsieur de Marquet; turning
to the concierges。  〃Do you think the police are the fools you are?
Everything points to the fact that you were out of doors and near
the pavilion at the time of the tragedy。  What were you doing there?
So far as I am concerned;〃 he said; turning to Monsieur Stangerson;
〃I can only explain the escape of the murderer on the assumption of
help from these two accomplices。  As soon as the door was forced
open; and while you; Monsieur Stangerson; were occupied with your
unfortunate child; the concierge and his wife faciitated the flight
of the murderer; who; screening himself behind them; reached the
window in the vestibule; and sprang out of it into the park。  The
concierge closed the window after him and fastened the blinds; which
certainly could not have closed and fastened of themselves。  That
is the conclusion I have arrived at。  If anyone here has any other
idea; let hun state it。〃

Monsieur Stangerson intervened:

〃What you say was impossible。  I do not believe either in the guilt
or in the connivance of my concierges; though I cannot understand
what they were doing in the park at that late hour of the night。
I say it was impossible; because Madame Bernier held the lamp and
did not move from the threshold of the room; because I; as soon as
the door was forced open; threw myself on my knees beside my
daughter; and no one could have left or entered the room by the
door; without passing over her body and forcing his way by me!
Daddy Jacques and the concierge had but to cast a glance round the
chamber and under the bed; as I had done on entering; to see that
there was nobody in it but my daughter lying on the floor。〃

〃What do you think; Monsieur Darzac?〃 asked the magistrate。

Monsieur Darzac replied that he had no opinion to express。  Monsieur
Dax; the Chief of the Surete who; so far; had been listening and
examining the room; at length deigned to open his lips:

〃While search is being made for the criminal; we had better try t
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