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The Mystery of the Yellow Room Chapter 24 - Rouletabille Knows the Two Halves... · The Gaston Leroux Library

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  Speaker 1: Chapter twenty four of the Mystery of the Jello Room.
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  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
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  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more free audiobooks or to volunteer,
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  Speaker 1: please visit LibriVox dot org. Reading by Large Rolander, The
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  Speaker 1: Mystery of the Jello Room by Gaston Leroux, Chapter twenty four,
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  Speaker 1: Roulettabille knows the two halves of the murderer. Mademoiselle Stangerson
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  Speaker 1: had been almost murdered for the second time. Unfortunately, she
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  Speaker 1: was in too weak a state to bear the severe
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  Speaker 1: injuriries of this second attack as well as she had
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  Speaker 1: those of the first. She had received three wounds in
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  Speaker 1: the breast from the murderer's knife, and she lay long
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  Speaker 1: between life and death. Her strong physique, how saved her,
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  Speaker 1: but though she recovered physically, it was found that her
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  Speaker 1: mind had been effected. The slightest allusion to the terrible
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  Speaker 1: incident sent her into delirium, and the rest of Robert Darzac,
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  Speaker 1: which followed on the day following the tragic death of
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  Speaker 1: the keeper, seemed to sink her fine intelligence into complete melancholia.
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  Speaker 1: Robert Tarzac arrived at the chateau towards half past nine.
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  Speaker 1: I saw him hurrying through the park, his hair enclose
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  Speaker 1: in disorder, and his face a deadly white. Roulettabille and
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  Speaker 1: I were looking out of a window in the gallery.
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  Speaker 1: He saw us and gave a despairing cry, Ah, I
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  Speaker 1: am too late, Roulettabille answered, she lives. A minute later,
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  Speaker 1: Darzac had gone into Mademoiselle Stangerson's room, and through the
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  Speaker 1: door we could hear his heart rendering sobs. There is
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  Speaker 1: a fate about this place, groaned Roulettabille. Some infernal gods
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  Speaker 1: must be watching over the misfortunes of this family. If
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  Speaker 1: I had not been drugged, I should have saved Mademoiselle Stangerson.
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  Speaker 1: I should have silenced him forever, and the keeper would
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  Speaker 1: not have been killed. Monsieur Darzac came in to speak
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  Speaker 1: with us. His distress was terrible. Roulettabille told him everything,
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  Speaker 1: his preparations for Mademoiselle Stangerson's safety, his plans for either
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  Speaker 1: capturing or for disposing of the assailant for ever, and
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  Speaker 1: how he would have succeeded had it not been for
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  Speaker 1: the drugging. If only you had trusted me, said the
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  Speaker 1: young man, in a low tone. If you had but
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  Speaker 1: begged Mademoiselle Stangerson to confide in me, But then everybody
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  Speaker 1: here distrusts everybody else. The daughter distrusts her father and
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  Speaker 1: even her lover. While you ask me to protect her,
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  Speaker 1: she is doing all she can to frustrate me. That
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  Speaker 1: was why I came on the scene too late. At
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur Robertarzak's request, Roulettabille described the whole scene leaning on
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  Speaker 1: the wall to prevent himself from falling. He had made
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  Speaker 1: his way to Mademoiselle Stangerson's room while we were running
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  Speaker 1: after the supposed murderer. The anteroom door was open, and
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  Speaker 1: when he entered, he found Mademoiselle Stangerson lying partly thrown
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  Speaker 1: over the desk. Her dressing gown was dyed with the
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  Speaker 1: blood flowing from her bosom. Still under the influence of
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  Speaker 1: the drug, he felt he was walking in a horrible nightmare.
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  Speaker 1: He went back to the gallery, automatically opened a window,
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  Speaker 1: shouted hiss order to fire, and then returned to the room.
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  Speaker 1: He crossed the deserted boudoir, entered the drawing room and
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  Speaker 1: tried to rouse Monsieur Stangerson, who was lying on a sofa.
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur Stangerson rose stupidly and let himself be drawn by
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  Speaker 1: Roulettabille into the room, where, on seeing his daughter's body,
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  Speaker 1: he uttered a heart rendering cry. Both united their feeble
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  Speaker 1: strength and carried her to her bed. On his way
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  Speaker 1: to join us, wrote Lettabille, passed by the desk on
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  Speaker 1: the floor. Near it, he saw a large packet. He
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  Speaker 1: knelt down, and, finding the wrapper loose, he examined it
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  Speaker 1: and made out an enormous quantity of papers and photographs.
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  Speaker 1: On one of the papers he read new differential electroscopic condenser,
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  Speaker 1: fundamental properties of substance, intermediary between ponderable matter and imponderable ether.
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  Speaker 1: Strange irony of fate that the Professor's precious papers should
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  Speaker 1: be restored to him at the very time time when
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  Speaker 1: an attempt was being made to deprive him of his
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  Speaker 1: daughter's life. What our paper's worth to him now? The
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  Speaker 1: morning following that awful night saw Monsieur de Marquette once
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  Speaker 1: more at the chateau with his registrar and Changdarmes. Of course,
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  Speaker 1: we were all questioned. Roulettabille and I had already agreed
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  Speaker 1: on what to say. I kept back any information as
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  Speaker 1: to my being in the dark closet, and said nothing
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  Speaker 1: about the dragging. We did not wish to suggest in
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  Speaker 1: any way that Mademoiselle Stangerson had been expecting her nocturnal visitor.
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  Speaker 1: The poor woman might perhaps never recover, and it was
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  Speaker 1: none of our business to lift the veil of a secret,
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  Speaker 1: the preservation of which she had paid for so dearly.
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  Speaker 1: Arthur Rance told everybody in a manner so natural that
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  Speaker 1: it astonished me that he had last seen the keeper
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  Speaker 1: towards eleven o'clock of that fe night. He had come
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  Speaker 1: for his valise, he said, which he was to take
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  Speaker 1: for him early next morning to the Saint Michel station,
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  Speaker 1: and had been kept out late running after poachers. Arthur
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  Speaker 1: Rance had indeed intended to leave the chateau, and, according
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  Speaker 1: to his habit, to walk to the station. Monsieur Stangerson
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  Speaker 1: confirmed what Rance had said, adding that he had not
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  Speaker 1: asked Rance to dine with him because his friend had
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  Speaker 1: taken his final leave of them both earlier in the evening.
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur Rance had had tea served him in his room
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  Speaker 1: because he had complained of a slight indisposition. Burnier testified,
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  Speaker 1: instructed by Roulettabille, that the keeper had ordered him to
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  Speaker 1: meet at a spot near the Oak Crow for the
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  Speaker 1: purpose of looking out for poachers. Finding that the keeper
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  Speaker 1: did not keep his appointment, he Bernier had gone in
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  Speaker 1: search for him. He had almost to ride at the
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  Speaker 1: Donjon when he saw a figure running swiftly in a
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  Speaker 1: direction opposite to him, towards the right wing of the chateau.
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  Speaker 1: He heard revolver shots from behind the figure and saw
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  Speaker 1: Roulettabille at one of the gallery windows. He heard Roulettabille
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  Speaker 1: call out to him to fire, and he had fired.
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  Speaker 1: He believed he had killed the man until he learned
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  Speaker 1: after Roulettabille had uncovered the body that the man had
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  Speaker 1: died from a knife thrust. Who had given it. He
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  Speaker 1: could not imagine nobody could have been near the spot
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  Speaker 1: without my seeing him. When the examining magistrate reminded him
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  Speaker 1: that the spot where the body was found was very dark,
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  Speaker 1: and that he himself had not been able to recognize
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  Speaker 1: the keeper before firing de Dey, Barnier replied that neither
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  Speaker 1: had they seen the other body, nor had they found
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  Speaker 1: it in the narrow court were if five people were standing,
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  Speaker 1: it would have been strange if the other body had
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  Speaker 1: it been there could have escaped. The only door that
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  Speaker 1: opened into the court was that of the keeper's room,
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  Speaker 1: and that door was closed, and the key of it
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  Speaker 1: was found in the keeper's pocket. However that might be,
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  Speaker 1: the examining magistrate did not pursue his inquiry further in
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  Speaker 1: this direction. He was evidently convinced that we had missed
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  Speaker 1: the man we were chasing, and we had come upon
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  Speaker 1: the keeper's body in our chase. This matter of the
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  Speaker 1: keeper was another matter entirely. He wanted to satisfy himself
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  Speaker 1: about that without any further delay. Probably it fitted in
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  Speaker 1: with the conclusion he had already arrived at as to
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  Speaker 1: the keeper and his intrigues with the wife of Mathieu,
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  Speaker 1: the landlord of the Donjon inn. This Modieu, later in
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  Speaker 1: the afternoon was arrested and taken to Corbay in spite
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  Speaker 1: of his rheumaties. He had been heard to threaten the keeper,
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  Speaker 1: and though no evidence against him had been found at
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  Speaker 1: his inn, the evidence of carters who had heard the
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  Speaker 1: threats was enough to justify his retention. The examination had
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  Speaker 1: proceeded thus far, when to our surprise Freda Clarsan returned
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  Speaker 1: to the chateau. He was accompanied by one of the
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  Speaker 1: employees of the railway. At that moment, Rance and I
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  Speaker 1: were in the vestibule discussing Matthieu's guilt or innocence, while
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  Speaker 1: Roulettabille stood apart, buried, apparently in thought. The examining magistrate
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  Speaker 1: and his registrar were in the little green drawing room,
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  Speaker 1: while Darzac was with the doctor and Stangerson in the
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  Speaker 1: lady's chamber. As Freda Clarsan entered the vestibule with the
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  Speaker 1: railway employed, Roulettabille and I I at once recognized him
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  Speaker 1: by the small blond beard. We exchanged meaningful glances. Larsan
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  Speaker 1: had himself announced to the examining magistrate by the Changdarme,
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  Speaker 1: and entered with a railway servant as steady Jacques came out.
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  Speaker 1: Some ten minutes went by, during which Roulettabille appeared extremely impatient.
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  Speaker 1: The door of the drawing room was then opened, and
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  Speaker 1: we heard the magistrate calling to the Tchangdarme, who entered. Presently.
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  Speaker 1: He came out, mounted the stairs and coming back shortly
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  Speaker 1: went into the magistrate and said, Monsieur Monsieur Robert Darzac
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  Speaker 1: will not come. W not come, cried Monsieur de Marquet.
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  Speaker 1: He says he cannot leave Mademoiselle Stangerson in our present state.
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  Speaker 1: Very well, said Monsieur de Marquet, then we'll go to him.
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur de Marquet and the changdarmes mounted the stairs. He
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  Speaker 1: made a sign to Larsan and the railroad employee to follow.
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  Speaker 1: Rouletabille and I went along too. On reaching the door
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  Speaker 1: of Mademoiselle Stangerson's chamber, Monsieur de Marquis knocked. A chambermaid appeared.
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  Speaker 1: It was Sylvia, with her hair all in disorder and
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  Speaker 1: consternation showing on her face. Is Monsieur Stangerson? Within, asked
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  Speaker 1: the magistrate, Yes, Monsieur, tell him that I wish to
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  Speaker 1: speak with him. Stangerson came out. His appearance was wretched
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  Speaker 1: in the extreme. What do you want? He demanded of
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  Speaker 1: the magistrate. May I not be left in peace? Monsieur Monsieur,
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  Speaker 1: said the magistrate, It is absolutely necessary that I shall
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  Speaker 1: see Monsieur Darzac at once. If you cannot induce him
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  Speaker 1: to come, I shall be compelled to use the help
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  Speaker 1: of the law. The professor made no reply. He looked
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  Speaker 1: at us all like a man being led to execution,
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  Speaker 1: and then went back into the room. Almost immediately after
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur Robert Darzac came out. He was very pale. He
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  Speaker 1: looked at us, and his eyes falling on the railway servant.
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  Speaker 1: His features stiffened, and he could hardly repress a groan.
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  Speaker 1: We were all much moved by the appearance of the man.
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  Speaker 1: We felt that what was about to happen would decide
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  Speaker 1: the fate of Monsieur Robert Darzac. Frederic Larsan's face alone
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  Speaker 1: was ragiant, showing a joy as of a dog that
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  Speaker 1: had last got its prey. Pointing to the railway servant,
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur de Marquet said to Monsieur Darzac, do you recognize
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  Speaker 1: this man? Monsieur ay do, said Monsieur Darzac, in a
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  Speaker 1: tone which he vainly tried to make firm. He is
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  Speaker 1: an employ at the station at Epinis sieur Orche. This
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  Speaker 1: young man went on. Monsieur de Marquis affirms that he
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  Speaker 1: saw you get off the train at the Pinoisieur Orche
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  Speaker 1: that night, said Monsieur Darzac, interrupting at half past ten.
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  Speaker 1: It is quite true. An interval of silence followed Monsieur Darzac.
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  Speaker 1: The magistrate went on in a tone of deep emotion,
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur Darzac, what were you doing that night at e
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  Speaker 1: pinoisieuur orch at that time? Monsieur Darzac remained silent, simply
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  Speaker 1: closing his eyes. Monsieur Darzac insisted the Monsieur de Marquis,
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  Speaker 1: can you tell me how you employed your time that night?
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur Darzac opened his eyes. He seemed to have recovered
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  Speaker 1: his self control. No monsieur, think monsieur, for if you
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  Speaker 1: persist in your strange profusal, I shall be under the
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  Speaker 1: painful necessity of key keeping you at my disposition. I refuse,
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur Darzac, in the name of the law, I arrest you.
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  Speaker 1: The magistrate had no sooner pronounced the words than I
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  Speaker 1: saw Roulettabille move quickly towards Monsieur Darzac. He would certainly
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  Speaker 1: have spoken to him, but Arsac, by a gesture, held
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  Speaker 1: him off. As the Changdarme approached his prisoner, a despairing
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  Speaker 1: cry ran through the room. Robert, Robert, we recognized the
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  Speaker 1: voice of Mademoiselle Stangerson. We all shuddered. Larsan himself turned pale.
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur Darzac, in response to the cry, had flown back
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  Speaker 1: into the room. The magistrate, the Endarme and Larsan followed
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  Speaker 1: closely after. Roulettabille and I remained on the threshold. It
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  Speaker 1: was a heart breaking sight that met our eyes. Mademoiselle Stangerson,
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  Speaker 1: with a face of deathly pallor, had risen on her
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  Speaker 1: bed in spite of the restraining efforts of two doctors
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  Speaker 1: and her father. She was holding out her trembling arms
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  Speaker 1: towards Robert Darzac, on whom Larsan and the Changdarmes had
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  Speaker 1: laid hands. Her distended eyes saw she understood. Her lips
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  Speaker 1: seemed to form a word, but nobody made it out,
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  Speaker 1: and she fell back insensible. Monsieur Darzac was hurried out
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  Speaker 1: of the room and placed in the vestibule to wait
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  Speaker 1: for the vehicle Larsan had gone to fetch. We were
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  Speaker 1: all overcome by emotion, and even Monsieur de Marquet had
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  Speaker 1: tears in his eyes. Roulettabille took advantage of the opportunity
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  Speaker 1: to say to Monsieur Darzac, are you going to put
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  Speaker 1: in any defense? No, replied the prisoner. Very well, then
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  Speaker 1: I will, Monsieur. You cannot do it, said the unhappy man,
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  Speaker 1: with a faint smile. I can, and I will Roulettabille's
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  Speaker 1: voice had in it a strange strength and confidence. I
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  Speaker 1: can do it, Monsieur Robert Darzac, because I know more
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  Speaker 1: than you do. Come, Come, murmured Darzac, almost angrily. Have
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  Speaker 1: no fear. I shall know only what will benefit you.
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  Speaker 1: You must know nothing, young man, if you want me
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  Speaker 1: to be grateful. Roulettabille shook his head, going close up
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  Speaker 1: to Darzac. Listen to what I am about to say,
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  Speaker 1: he said, in a low tone, and let it give
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  Speaker 1: you confidence. You do not know the name of the murderer.
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  Speaker 1: Mademoiselle Stangerson knows it, but only half of it. But
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  Speaker 1: I know his two halves. I know the whole man.
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  Speaker 1: Robert Tarzac opened his eyes with a look that showed
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  Speaker 1: he had not understood a word of what Roulettabille had
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  Speaker 1: said to him. At that moment, the conveyance arrived, driven
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  Speaker 1: by Frederic Larsan, Darzac and the Changdarme entered it, Larsan
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  Speaker 1: remaining on the driver's seat. The prisoner was taken to Courbey.
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  Speaker 1: End of chapter twenty four read by lash Rulander