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Case of the Pocket Diary Found in the Snow - Auguste Groner · Stories of Grit

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  Speaker 1: The Case of the Pocket Diary Found in the Snow,
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  Speaker 1: Chapter one. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
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  Speaker 1: are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer,
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  Speaker 1: please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Don Larsen in Minnesota,
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  Speaker 1: The Case of the Pocket Diary Found in the Snow
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  Speaker 1: by Frau Augusta Groner. Introduction to Joe Muller. Joseph Muller,
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  Speaker 1: secret Service detective of the Imperial Austrian Police, is one
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  Speaker 1: of the great experts in his profession. In personality, he
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  Speaker 1: differs greatly from other famous detectives. He has neither the
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  Speaker 1: impressive authority of Sherlock Holmes nor the keen brilliancy of
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur Lecoq. Muller is a small, slight, plain looking man,
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  Speaker 1: of indefinite age, and of much humbleness of mean. Unnaturally retiring,
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  Speaker 1: modest disposition, and two external causes are the reasons for
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  Speaker 1: Muller's humbleness of manner, which is his chief characteristic. One
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  Speaker 1: cause is the fact that, in early youth a miscarriage
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  Speaker 1: of justice gave him several years in prison, an experience
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  Speaker 1: which cast a stigma on his name. And which made
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  Speaker 1: it impossible for him for many years after to obtain
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  Speaker 1: honest employment. But the world is richer and safer by
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  Speaker 1: Muller's early misfortune, for it was this experience which threw
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  Speaker 1: him back on his own peculiar talents for a livelihood
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  Speaker 1: and drove him into the police force. Had he been
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  Speaker 1: able to enter any other profession, his genius might have
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  Speaker 1: been stunted to a mere pastime instead of being as
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  Speaker 1: now utilized for the public good. Then the red tape
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  Speaker 1: and bureaucratic etiquette which attaches to every governmental department puts
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  Speaker 1: the secret servicemen of the Imperial Police on a par
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  Speaker 1: with the lower ranks of the subordinates. Muller's official rank
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  Speaker 1: is scarcely much higher than that of a policeman, although
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  Speaker 1: kings and counselors consult him, and the Police department realizes
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  Speaker 1: to the full what a treasure it has in him.
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  Speaker 1: But official red tape and his early misfortune prevent the
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  Speaker 1: giving of any higher official standing to even such a genius.
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  Speaker 1: Born and bred to such conditions, Muller understands them, and
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  Speaker 1: his natural modesty of disposition asks for no outward honors,
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  Speaker 1: asks for nothing but an income sufficient for his simple needs,
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  Speaker 1: and for aid and opportunity to occupy himself in the
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  Speaker 1: way he most enjoys. Joseph Muller's character is a strange
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  Speaker 1: mixture the kindest hearted man in the world. He is
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  Speaker 1: a human bloodhound. When once the lure of the trail
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  Speaker 1: has caught him, he scarcely eats or sleeps when the
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  Speaker 1: chase is on. He does not seem to know human
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  Speaker 1: weakness nor fatigue, in spite of his frail body. Once
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  Speaker 1: put on a case, his mind delves and delves until
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  Speaker 1: it finds a clue. Then something awakens within him. A
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  Speaker 1: spirit akin to that which holds the bloodhound knows to trail,
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  Speaker 1: and he will accomplish the apparently impossible. He will track
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  Speaker 1: down his victim. When the entire machinery of a great
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  Speaker 1: police department seems helpless to discover anything, the high chiefs
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  Speaker 1: and commissioners grant a condescending permission when mother asks, may
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  Speaker 1: I do this or may I handle this case this way,
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  Speaker 1: both parties knowing all the while that it is a farce,
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  Speaker 1: and that the department waits helpless until this humble little
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  Speaker 1: man saves its honor by solving some problem before which
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  Speaker 1: its intricate machinery has stood dazed and puzzled. This call
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  Speaker 1: of the trail is something that is stronger than anything
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  Speaker 1: else in Muller's mentality, and now and then it brings
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  Speaker 1: him into conflict with the department or with his own
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  Speaker 1: better nature. Sometimes his unerring instinct discovers secrets in high places,
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  Speaker 1: secrets which the police department is bidden to hush up
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  Speaker 1: and leave untouched. Muller is then taken off the case
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  Speaker 1: and left idle for a while if he persists in
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  Speaker 1: his opinion as to the true facts. And at other
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  Speaker 1: times Muller's own warm heart gets him into trouble. He
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  Speaker 1: will track down his victim, driven by the power in
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  Speaker 1: his soul which is stronger than all volition. But when
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  Speaker 1: he has this victim in the net, he will sometimes
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  Speaker 1: discover him to be a much finer better man than
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  Speaker 1: the other individual whose wrong at this particular criminal's hand
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  Speaker 1: set in motion the machinery of justice. Several times that
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  Speaker 1: has happened to Muller, and each time his heart got
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  Speaker 1: the better of his professional instincts, of his practical common
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  Speaker 1: sense too, perhaps at least as far as his own
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  Speaker 1: advancement was concerned, And he warned the victim, defeating his
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  Speaker 1: own work. This peculiarity of Muller's character caused his undoing
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  Speaker 1: at last, his official undoing, that is, and compelled his
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  Speaker 1: retirement from the force. But his advice is often sought
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  Speaker 1: unofficially by the Department, and to those who know, Muller's
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  Speaker 1: hand can be seen in the unraveling of many a
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  Speaker 1: famous case. The following stories are but a few of
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  Speaker 1: the many interesting cases that have come within the experience
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  Speaker 1: of this great detective. But they give a fair portrayal
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  Speaker 1: of Muller's peculiar method of working, his looking on himself
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  Speaker 1: as merely an humble servant of the Department, and the
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  Speaker 1: comedy of his acting under official orders when the Department
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  Speaker 1: is in reality following out his directions. And of introduction
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  Speaker 1: the case of the Pocket Diary found in the Snow
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  Speaker 1: Chapter one, the Discovery in the Snow, A quiet winter
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  Speaker 1: evening had sunk down upon the great city. The clock
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  Speaker 1: in the old clumsy church steeple of the factory district
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  Speaker 1: had not yet struck eight when the side door of
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  Speaker 1: one of the large buildings opened and a man came
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  Speaker 1: out into the silent street. It was Ludwig Amster, one
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  Speaker 1: of the working men in the factory, starting on his
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  Speaker 1: homeward way. It was not a pleasant road, this street,
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  Speaker 1: along the edge of the city. The town showed itself
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  Speaker 1: from its most disagreeable side, here with melodorous factories, rickety tenements,
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  Speaker 1: untidy open stretches, and dumping grounds, offensive both to eye
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  Speaker 1: and nostril. Even by day, the street that Amster took
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  Speaker 1: was empty. By night, it was absolutely quiet and dark,
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  Speaker 1: as dark as were the thoughts of the solitary man.
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  Speaker 1: He walked along, brooding over his troubles scarcely an hour
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  Speaker 1: before he had been discharged from the factory because of
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  Speaker 1: his refusal to submit to the injustice of his foremen.
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  Speaker 1: The yellow light of the few lanterns showed nothing but
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  Speaker 1: high board walls and snow drifts, stone heaps, and now
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  Speaker 1: and then the remains of a neglected garden. Here and
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  Speaker 1: there a stunted tree or a wild shrub, bent their
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  Speaker 1: twigs under the white burden which the winter had laid
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  Speaker 1: upon them. Ludwig Almster, who had walked this street for
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  Speaker 1: several years, knew his path so well that he could
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  Speaker 1: take it blindfolded. The darkness did not worry him, but
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  Speaker 1: he walked somewhat more slowly than usual, for he knew
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  Speaker 1: that under the thin covering of fresh fallen snow there
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  Speaker 1: lay the ice of the night before. He walked carefully,
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  Speaker 1: watching for the slippery places. He had been walking about
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  Speaker 1: half an hour perhaps, when he came to a cross street.
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  Speaker 1: Here he noticed the tracks of a wagon, the trace
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  Speaker 1: still quite fresh, as the slowly falling flakes did not
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  Speaker 1: yet cover it. The tracks led out towards the north,
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  Speaker 1: out on to the hilly open fields. Omster was somewhat astonished.
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  Speaker 1: It was very seldom that a carriage came into this neighborhood,
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  Speaker 1: and yet these narrow wheel tracks could have been made
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  Speaker 1: only by an equipage of that character. The heavy trucks
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  Speaker 1: which passed these roads occasionally had much wider wheels. But
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  Speaker 1: Omster was to find still more to astonish him. In
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  Speaker 1: one corner near the cross roads stood a solitary lamp post.
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  Speaker 1: The light of the lamp fell sharply on the snow,
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  Speaker 1: on the wagon tracks, and on something else besides. Omster halted,
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  Speaker 1: bent down to look at it, and shook his head
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  Speaker 1: as if finned out a number of small pieces of
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  Speaker 1: glass gleamed up at him, and between them, like tiny roses,
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  Speaker 1: red drops of blood shone on the white snow. All
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  Speaker 1: this was a few steps to one side of the
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  Speaker 1: wagon tracks. What can have happened here, here, in this
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  Speaker 1: weird spot where a cry for help would never be heard,
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  Speaker 1: where there would be no one to bring help, so
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  Speaker 1: Amster asked himself. But his discovery gave him no answer.
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  Speaker 1: His curiosity was aroused, however, and he wished to know more.
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  Speaker 1: He followed up the tracks and saw that the drops
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  Speaker 1: of blood led further on. Although there was no more glass,
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  Speaker 1: the drops could still be seen for a yard further,
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  Speaker 1: reaching out almost to the board fence that edged the sidewalk.
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  Speaker 1: Through the broken planks of this fence, the rough, bare
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  Speaker 1: twigs of a thorn bush stretched their brown fingers on
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  Speaker 1: the upper side of the few scattered leaves. There was
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  Speaker 1: snow and blood. Omster's wide, serious eyes soon found something else.
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  Speaker 1: Beside the bush. There lay a tiny package. He lifted
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  Speaker 1: it up. It was a small, light, square package, wrapped
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  Speaker 1: in ordinary brown paper. Where the paper came together, it
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  Speaker 1: was fastened by two little lumps of black bread, which
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  Speaker 1: were still moist. He turned the package over and shook
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  Speaker 1: his head again. On the other side was written in pencil,
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  Speaker 1: the lettering uncertain, as if scribbled in great haste and
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  Speaker 1: in agitation, the sentence please take this to the nearest
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  Speaker 1: police station. The words were like a cry for help,
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  Speaker 1: frozen on to the ugly paper. Amster shivered. He had
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  Speaker 1: a feeling that this was a matter of life and death.
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  Speaker 1: The wagon tracks in the lonely street, the broken piece
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  Speaker 1: of glass, and the drops of blood showing that some
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  Speaker 1: occupant of the vehicle had broken the window in the
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  Speaker 1: hope of escape, perhaps, or to throw out the package
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  Speaker 1: which should bring assistance. All these facts grouped themselves together
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  Speaker 1: in the brain of the intelligent workingman to form some
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  Speaker 1: terrible tragedy where his assistance, if given at once, might
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  Speaker 1: be of great use. He had a warm heart besides,
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  Speaker 1: a heart that reached out to this unknown who was
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  Speaker 1: in distress, and who threw out the call for help
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  Speaker 1: which had fallen into his hands. He waited no longer
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  Speaker 1: to ponder over the matter, but started off at a
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  Speaker 1: full run for the nearest police station. He rushed into
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  Speaker 1: the room and told his story breathlessly. They took him
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  Speaker 1: into the next room, the office of the commissioner for
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  Speaker 1: the day. The official in charge, who had been engaged
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  Speaker 1: in earnest conversation with a small, frail looking middle aged man,
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  Speaker 1: turned to Omster with a question as to what brought
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  Speaker 1: him there. I found this package in the snow. Let
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  Speaker 1: me see it. Omster laid it on the table. The
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  Speaker 1: older man looked at it, and as the commissioner was
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  Speaker 1: about to open it, he handed him a paper knife
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  Speaker 1: with the words you had better cut it open, sir.
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  Speaker 1: Why it is best not to injure the seals that
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  Speaker 1: fasten a package? Just as you say, Muller, answered the
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  Speaker 1: young commissioner, smiling. He was still very young to hold
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  Speaker 1: such an office, but then he was the son of
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  Speaker 1: a cabinet minister, and family connections had obtained this responsible
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  Speaker 1: position for him so soon. Kurt von Mayringen was his name,
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  Speaker 1: and he was a very good looking young man, apparently
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  Speaker 1: a very good natured young man also, for he took
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  Speaker 1: this advice from subordinate with a most charming smile. He knew, however,
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  Speaker 1: that this quiet, pale faced little man in the shabby
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  Speaker 1: clothes was greater than he, and that it was mere
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  Speaker 1: accident of birth that put him Kurt von Mayringen instead
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  Speaker 1: of Joseph Muller in the position of superior. The young
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  Speaker 1: Commissioner had had most careful advice from headquarters as to Muller,
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  Speaker 1: and he treated the Secret Service detective, who was one
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  Speaker 1: of the most expert and best known men in his profession,
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  Speaker 1: with the greatest deference, for he knew that anything Muller
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  Speaker 1: might say could be only of value to him with
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  Speaker 1: his very slight knowledge of his business. He took the
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  Speaker 1: knife therefore, and carefully cut open the paper, taking out
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  Speaker 1: a tiny little note book, on the outer side of
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  Speaker 1: which a handsome monogram gleamed up at him in golden letters.
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  Speaker 1: A woman made this package, said Muller, who had been
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  Speaker 1: looking at the covering very carefully, a blond woman. The
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  Speaker 1: other two looked at him in astonishment. He showed them
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  Speaker 1: a single blonde hair which had been in one of
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  Speaker 1: the bread seals. How I was murdered. Those were the
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  Speaker 1: words that Commissioner von Mayringen read aloud, after he had
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  Speaker 1: hastily turned the first few pages of the note book
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  Speaker 1: and had come to a place where the writing was
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  Speaker 1: heavily underscored. The Commissioner and Amster were much astonished at
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  Speaker 1: these words, but the detective still gazed quietly at the
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  Speaker 1: seals of the wrapping. This heading reads like insanity, said
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  Speaker 1: the commissioner. Muller shrugged his shoulders, then turned to Omster.
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  Speaker 1: Where did you find the package in Garden Street? When
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  Speaker 1: about twenty minutes ago? Omster gave a short and loocid
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  Speaker 1: account of his discovery. His intelligent face and well chosen
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  Speaker 1: words showed that he had observation and the power to
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  Speaker 1: describe correctly what he had observed. His honest eyes inspired confidence.
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  Speaker 1: Where could they have been taking the woman, asked the detective,
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  Speaker 1: more of himself than of the others. The commissioner searched
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  Speaker 1: hastily through the note book for a signature, but without success.
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  Speaker 1: Why do you think it is a woman? This writing
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  Speaker 1: looks more like a man's hand to me. The letters
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  Speaker 1: are so heavy, and that is only because they are
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  Speaker 1: written with broad pen interrupted Muller, showing him the writing
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  Speaker 1: on the package here is the same hand, but it
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  Speaker 1: is written with a fine, hard pencil, and you can
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  Speaker 1: see distinctly that this is a woman's handwriting. And besides,
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  Speaker 1: the skin on a man's thumb does not show the
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  Speaker 1: fine markings that you can see here. On these bits
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  Speaker 1: of bread that have been used for seals. The commissioner
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  Speaker 1: rose from his seat. You may be right, Muller. We
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  Speaker 1: will take for granted then that there is a woman
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  Speaker 1: in trouble. It remains to be seen whether she is
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  Speaker 1: insane or not. Yes, that remains to be seen, said
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  Speaker 1: Muller dryly, as he reached for his overcoat. You are
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  Speaker 1: going before you read what is in the noble book,
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  Speaker 1: asked Commissioner von Mayrnjen. Muller nodded. I want to see
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  Speaker 1: the wagon tracks before they are lost. It may help
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  Speaker 1: me to discover something else. You can read the book
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  Speaker 1: and make any arrangements you find necessary. After that, Muller
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: was already wrapped in his overcoat. Is it snowing now,
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: he turned to Omster. Some flakes were falling as I
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: came here. All right, come with me and show me
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  Speaker 1: the way. Muller nodded carelessly to his superior officer, his
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: mind evidently already engrossed in thoughts of the interesting case,
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  Speaker 1: and hurried out with Omster. The commissioner was quite satisfied
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: with the state of affairs. He knew the case was
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: in safe hands. He seated himself at his desk again
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  Speaker 1: and began to read the little book which had come
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: into his hands so strangely. His eyes ran more and
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: more rapidly over the closely written pages as his interest
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  Speaker 1: grew and grew. When half an hour later he had
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  Speaker 1: finished the reading, he paced restlessly up and down the room,
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: trying to bring order into the thoughts that rushed through
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  Speaker 1: his brain. And one thought came again and again and
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  Speaker 1: would not be denied. In spite of many improbabilities and
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: many strange things with which the book was full, In
• 19:32
  Speaker 1: spite also of the varying, uncertain handwriting and style of
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  Speaker 1: the message, this one thought was, this woman is not insane.
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: While the young official was pondering over the problem, Muller
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: entered as quietly as ever, bowed, put his hat and
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  Speaker 1: cane in their places, and shook the snow off his clothing.
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: He was evidently pleased about something. Kurt von Mayringen did
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  Speaker 1: not notice his entrance. He was again at the desk
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  Speaker 1: with the open book before him, staring at the mysterious
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  Speaker 1: words how I was murdered. It is a woman, a
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  Speaker 1: lady of position, and if she is mad, then her
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: madness certainly has method, Muller said, these words in his
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: usual quiet way, almost indifferently, The young commissioner started up
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  Speaker 1: and snatched for the fine white handkerchief which the detective
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: handed him. A strong, sweet perfume filled the room. Is
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: it hers, he murmured? It is hers, said Muller. At
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: least we can take that much for granted, For the
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: handkerchief bears the same monogram a L, which is on
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: the note book. Commissioner von Mayringen rose from his in
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: evident excitement. Well he asked. It was a short question,
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: but full of meaning, and one could see that he
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: was waiting in great excitement for the answer. Muller reported
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: what he had discovered. The commissioner thought it little enough
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: and shrugged his shoulders impatiently. When the other had finished,
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: Muller noticed his chief's dissatisfaction and smiled at it. He
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: himself was quite content with what he had found. Is
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: that all, murmured the commissioner, as if disappointed. That is all,
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: repeated the detective calmly, and added, that is a good deal.
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  Speaker 1: We have here a closely written note book, the contents
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: of which, judging by your excitement, are evidently important. We
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: have also a handkerchief with an unusual perfume on it.
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: I repeat that this is quite considerable. Besides this, we
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: have the seals, and we know several other things. I
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: believe that we can save this lady, or if it
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: be too late, we can avenge her. At least. The
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: Commissioner looked at Muller in surprise. We are in a
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: city of more than a million inhabitants, he said, almost timidly.
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: I have hunted criminals in two hemispheres, and I have
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: found them, said Muller simply. The young commissioner smiled and
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: held out his hand. Ah, yes, Muller, I keep forgetting
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  Speaker 1: the great things you have done. You are so quiet
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  Speaker 1: about it. What I have done is only what any
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  Speaker 1: one could do who has that particular faculty. I do
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  Speaker 1: only what is in human power to do, and the
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: cleverest criminal can do no more. Sides which we all
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: know that every criminal commits some stupidity and leaves some
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: trace behind him. If it is really a crime which
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: we have found the trace of here, we will soon
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: discover it. Muller's editorial we was a matter of formality.
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: He might, with more truth, have used the singular pronoun
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: very well, then do what you can said the commissioner,
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: with a friendly smile. The older man nodded, took the
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: book and its wrappings from the desk, and went into
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: a small adjoining room. The commissioner sent for an attendant
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: and gave him the order to fetch a pot of
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: tea from a neighboring saloon. When the tray arrived, he
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: placed several good cigars upon it and sent it in
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: to Muller, Taking a cigar himself. The commissioner leaned back
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: in his sofa corner to think over this first interesting
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: case of his short professional experience. That it concerned a
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: lady in distress made it all the more romantic. In
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: his little room, the detective, put in good humor by
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: the thoughtful attention of his chief, sat down to read
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: the book carefully. While he studied its contents, his mind
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: went back over his search in the silent street outside.
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: He and Omster had hurried out into the raw chill
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: of the night, reaching the spot of the first discovery
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: in about ten or fifteen minutes. Muller found nothing new there,
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: but he was able to discover in which direction the
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: carriage had been going. The hoof marks of the single
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: horse which had drawn it were still plainly to be
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: seen in the snow. Will you follow these tracks in
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: the direction from which they have come, he asked, omster.
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: Then meet me as at the station and report what
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: you have seen. Very well, sir, answered the workman. The
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: two men parted with a handshake. Before Muller started on
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: to follow up the tracks in the other direction, he
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: took up one of the larger pieces of glass, cheap glass,
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: he said, looking at it carefully. It was only a
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: hired cab therefore, and a one horse cab at that.
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: He walked on, slowly, following the marks of the wheels.
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: His eyes searched the road from side to side, looking
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: for any other signs that might have been left by
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: the hand which had thrown the package out of the window.
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: The snow, which had been falling softly thus far, began
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: to come down in heavier flakes, and Muller quickened his pace.
• 25:52
  Speaker 1: The tracks would soon be covered, but they could still
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: be plainly seen. They led out into the open content,
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: But when the first little hill had been climbed, a
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: drift heaped itself up, cutting off the trail completely. Mueller
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: stood on the top of this knoll at a spot
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: where the street divided. Towards the right, it led down
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: into a factory suburb. Towards the left, the road led
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: on to a residence colony, and straight ahead the way
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: was open between fields, pastures and farms over moors to
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: another town of considerable size, lying beside a river. Muller
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: knew all this, but his knowledge of the locality was
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: of little avail, for all traces of the carriage wheels
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: were lost. He followed each one of the streets for
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: a little distance, but to no purpose. The wind blew
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: the snow up in such heaps that it was quite
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: impossible to follow any trail under side conditions. With an
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: expression of impatience, Muller gave up his search and turned
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: to go back again. He was hoping that Amster might
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: have had better luck. It was not possible to find
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: the goal towards which the wagon had taken its prisoner.
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: If prisoner she was, as soon as they had hoped,
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: perhaps the search must be made in the direction from
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: which she had been brought. Muller turned back towards the
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: city again. He walked more quickly now, but his eyes
• 27:34
  Speaker 1: took in everything to the right and to the left
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: of his path. Near the place where the street divided,
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: a bush waved its bare twigs in the wind. The
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: snow which had settled upon it early in the day
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: had been blown away by the freshening wind, and just
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: as Muller neared the bush, he saw something white fluttering
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: from one twig. It was a handkerchief, which had probably
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: hung heavy and lifeless when he had passed that way before. Now,
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: when the wind held it straight out, he saw it
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: at once. He loosened it carefully from the thorny twigs.
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: A delicate and rather unusual perfume wafted up to his face.
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: There was more of the odor on the little cloth
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: than is commonly used by people of good taste. And
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: yet this handkerchief was far too fine and delicate in
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: texture to belong to the sort of people who habitually
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: passed along this street. It must have something to do
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: with the mysterious carriage. It was still quite dry, and
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: in spite of the fact that the wind had been
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: playing with it, it had been but slightly torn. It
• 28:49
  Speaker 1: could therefore have been in that position for a short time.
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: Only At the nearest lantern, Muller saw that the monogram
• 28:58
  Speaker 1: on the handkerchief was the same in style and initials
• 29:03
  Speaker 1: as that on the note book. It was the letters
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: a l end of Chapter one, The Case of the
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: Pocket Diary Found in the Snow Chapter two. This is
• 29:22
  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 29:35
  Speaker 1: Recording by Don Larsen in Minnesota. The Case of the
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: Pocket Diary Found in the Snow by Frau Augusta Groener,
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: Chapter two, The Story of the note Book. It was
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: warm and comfortable in the little room where Muller sat.
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: He closed the windows, lit the gas, took off his overcoat.
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: Muller was a pedantically careful person, smoothed his hair, and
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: sat down comfortably at the table. Just as he took
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: up the little book, the attendant brought the tea, which
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: he proceeded at once to enjoy. He did not take
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: up his little book again until he had lit himself
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: a cigar. He looked at the cover of the dainty
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: little note book for many minutes before he opened it.
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: It was a couple of inches long, of the usual
• 30:33
  Speaker 1: form and heady cover of brown leather in the left
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: upper corner were the letters A L in gold. The
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: leaves of the book, about fifty in all, were of
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: a fine quality of paper and covered with close writing.
• 30:52
  Speaker 1: On the first leaves the writing was fine and delicate,
• 30:56
  Speaker 1: calm and orderly, but later on it was iry, regular
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: and uncertain, as if penned by a trembling hand under
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: stress of terror. This change came in the leaves of
• 31:09
  Speaker 1: the book which followed the strange and terrible title how
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: I Was Murdered. Before Muller began to read, he felt
• 31:19
  Speaker 1: the covers of the book carefully. In one of them
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: there was a tiny pocket, in which he found a
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: little piece of wall paper of a noticeable and distinctly
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: ugly pattern. The paper had a dark blue ground with
• 31:34
  Speaker 1: clumsy lines of gold on it. In the pocket he
• 31:38
  Speaker 1: found also a tramway ticket, which had been crushed and
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: then carefully smoothed out again. After looking at these papers,
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: Muller replaced them in the cover of the note book.
• 31:52
  Speaker 1: The book itself was strongly perfumed with the same odor
• 31:55
  Speaker 1: which had exhaled from the handkerchief. The detective did not
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: begin his reading in that part of the book, which
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: followed the mysterious title, as the commissioner had done, he
• 32:08
  Speaker 1: began instead at the very first words. Ah, she is
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: still young, he murmured, when he had read the first lines,
• 32:18
  Speaker 1: young in easy circumstances, happy and contented. These first pages
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: told of pleasure trips, of visits from and to good friends,
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: of many little events of everyday life. Then came some
• 32:35
  Speaker 1: accounts written in pencil, of shopping expeditions to the city.
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: Costly laces and jewels had been bought, and linen garments
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: for children by the dozen. She is rich, generous and charitable,
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: thought the detective for the book, showed that the considerable
• 32:57
  Speaker 1: sums which had been spent here had not been for
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: the writer herself. The laces bore the mark for our church.
• 33:06
  Speaker 1: Behind the account for the linen stood the words for
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: the charity school. Muller began to feel a strong sympathy
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: for the writer of these notices. She showed an orderly,
• 33:20
  Speaker 1: almost pedantic character, mingled with a generosity of heart. He
• 33:27
  Speaker 1: turned leaf after leaf until he finally came to the words,
• 33:32
  Speaker 1: written in intentionally heavy letters, how I was murdered. Muller's
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: head sank down lower over these mysterious words, and his
• 33:42
  Speaker 1: eyes flew through the writing that followed. It was quite
• 33:46
  Speaker 1: a different writing here. The hand that penned these words
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: must have trembled in deadly terror. Was it terror of
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: coming death foreseen and not to be escaped? Or was
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: it the trembling and the terror of an overthrown brain?
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: It was undoubtedly, in spite of the difference, the same
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: hand that had penned the first pages of the book.
• 34:11
  Speaker 1: A few characteristic turns of the writing were plainly to
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: be seen in both parts of the story. But the
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: ink was quite different also. The first pages had been
• 34:24
  Speaker 1: written with a delicate violet ink. The latter leaves were
• 34:28
  Speaker 1: penned with a black ink of uneven quality, of the
• 34:32
  Speaker 1: kind used by poor people who write very seldom. The
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: words of this latter portion of the book were blurred
• 34:39
  Speaker 1: in many places, as if the writer had not been
• 34:42
  Speaker 1: able to dry them properly before she turned the leaves.
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: She therefore had had neither blotting paper nor sand at
• 34:51
  Speaker 1: her disposal. And then the weird title. Was it written
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: at the dictation of insanity? Or did a l know
• 35:02
  Speaker 1: while she wrote it that it was too late for
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: any help to reach her? Did she see her doom
• 35:09
  Speaker 1: approaching so clearly? That she knew there was no escape.
• 35:15
  Speaker 1: Muller breathed a deep breath before he continued his reading.
• 35:19
  Speaker 1: Later on, his breath came more quickly still, and he
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: clenched his fists several times, as if deeply moved. He
• 35:28
  Speaker 1: was not a cold man, only thoroughly self controlled. In
• 35:33
  Speaker 1: his breast there lived an unquenchable hatred of all evil.
• 35:38
  Speaker 1: It was this that awakened the talents which made him
• 35:42
  Speaker 1: the celebrated detective he had become. I fear that it
• 35:47
  Speaker 1: will be impossible for any one to save me now,
• 35:50
  Speaker 1: but perhaps I may be avenged. Therefore I will write
• 35:55
  Speaker 1: down here all that has happened to me since I
• 35:58
  Speaker 1: set out on my journey. These were the first words
• 36:02
  Speaker 1: that were written under the mysterious title. Muller had just
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: read them when the Commissioner entered. Will you speak to
• 36:10
  Speaker 1: Omster he has just returned, he asked. Muller rose at once. Certainly,
• 36:18
  Speaker 1: did you telegraph to all the railway stations, Yes, answered
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: the Commissioner, and also to the other police stations and
• 36:27
  Speaker 1: to the hospitals asylums. No I did not do that,
• 36:32
  Speaker 1: Commissioner von Mayrynjen blushed, a blush that was as becoming
• 36:36
  Speaker 1: to him, as was his frank acknowledgment of his mistake,
• 36:42
  Speaker 1: he went out to remedy it at once. While Muller
• 36:45
  Speaker 1: heard Omster's short and not particularly important report. The working
• 36:50
  Speaker 1: man was evidently shivering, and the detective handed him a
• 36:54
  Speaker 1: glass of tea with a good portion of roman It. Here,
• 36:58
  Speaker 1: drink this. You are cold, Are you ill? Omster smiled sadly. No,
• 37:06
  Speaker 1: I am not ill, but I was discharged to day
• 37:10
  Speaker 1: and am out of work. Now that's almost as bad.
• 37:14
  Speaker 1: Are you married? No, but I have an old mother
• 37:18
  Speaker 1: to support. Leave your address with the commissioner. He may
• 37:22
  Speaker 1: be able to find work for you. We can always
• 37:25
  Speaker 1: use good men here. But now drink your tea. Amster
• 37:30
  Speaker 1: drank the glass in one gulp. Well, now we have
• 37:34
  Speaker 1: lost the trail in both directions, said Muller, calmly, but
• 37:38
  Speaker 1: we will find it again. You can help as you
• 37:41
  Speaker 1: are free now. Anyway, if you have the talent for
• 37:45
  Speaker 1: that sort of thing, you may find permanent work here.
• 37:49
  Speaker 1: A gesture and a look from the working man showed
• 37:52
  Speaker 1: the detective that the former did not think very highly
• 37:56
  Speaker 1: of such occupation. Muller laid his hand on the other's
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: shoulder and said gravely, you wouldn't care to take service
• 38:05
  Speaker 1: with us? This sort of thing doesn't rate very high,
• 38:08
  Speaker 1: I know, But I tell you that if we have
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: our hearts in the right place, and our brains are
• 38:15
  Speaker 1: worth anything, we are of more good to humanity than
• 38:19
  Speaker 1: many an honest citizen who wouldn't shake hands with us.
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: There and now I am busy good night. With these words,
• 38:29
  Speaker 1: Muller pushed the astonished man out of the room, shut
• 38:32
  Speaker 1: the door, and sat down again with his little book.
• 38:37
  Speaker 1: This is what he read Wednesday? Is it Wednesday? They
• 38:42
  Speaker 1: brought me a newspaper to day which had the date
• 38:45
  Speaker 1: of Wednesday, the twentieth of November. The ink still smells fresh,
• 38:51
  Speaker 1: but it is so damp here the paper may have
• 38:54
  Speaker 1: been older. I do not know surely on what day
• 38:57
  Speaker 1: it is that I begin to write this narrative. I
• 39:01
  Speaker 1: do not know either, whether I may not have been
• 39:04
  Speaker 1: ill for days and weeks. I do not know what
• 39:08
  Speaker 1: may have been the matter with me. I know only
• 39:11
  Speaker 1: that I was unconscious, and that when I came to
• 39:15
  Speaker 1: myself again, I was here in this gloomy room. Did
• 39:20
  Speaker 1: any physician see me? I have seen no one until
• 39:24
  Speaker 1: to day except the old woman whose name I do
• 39:28
  Speaker 1: not know, and who has so little to say. She
• 39:32
  Speaker 1: is kind to me otherwise, but I am afraid of
• 39:35
  Speaker 1: her hard face, and of the smile with which she
• 39:38
  Speaker 1: answers all my questions and entreaties. You are ill. These
• 39:44
  Speaker 1: are the only words that she has ever said to me,
• 39:47
  Speaker 1: And she pointed to her forehead as she spoke them.
• 39:51
  Speaker 1: She thinks I am insane. Therefore, or pretends to think so.
• 39:56
  Speaker 1: What a hoarse voice she has? She be ill herself,
• 40:01
  Speaker 1: for she coughs all night long. I can hear it
• 40:04
  Speaker 1: through the wall she sleeps in the next room. But
• 40:07
  Speaker 1: I am not ill, that is, I am not ill
• 40:11
  Speaker 1: in the way she says. I have no fever. Now,
• 40:15
  Speaker 1: my pulse is calm and regular. I can remember everything
• 40:20
  Speaker 1: until I took that drink of tea in the railway station.
• 40:24
  Speaker 1: What could there have been in that tea? I suppose
• 40:28
  Speaker 1: I should have noticed how anxious my traveling companion was
• 40:32
  Speaker 1: to have me drink it. Who could the man have been.
• 40:36
  Speaker 1: He was so polite, so fatherly in his anxiety about me.
• 40:41
  Speaker 1: I have not seen him since then, and yet I
• 40:44
  Speaker 1: feel that it is he who has brought me into
• 40:47
  Speaker 1: this trap, a trap from which I may never escape alive.
• 40:52
  Speaker 1: I will describe him. He is very tall, stout, and blond,
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: and wears a long, heavy beard, which is slightly mixed
• 41:02
  Speaker 1: with gray. On his right cheek, his beard only partly
• 41:06
  Speaker 1: hides a long scar. His eyes are hidden by large
• 41:10
  Speaker 1: smoked glasses. His voice is low and gentle, his manners
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: most correct, except for his giving people poison or whatever
• 41:20
  Speaker 1: else it was in that tea. I did not suffer
• 41:24
  Speaker 1: any at least. I do not remember anything except becoming unconscious,
• 41:30
  Speaker 1: and I seem to have felt a pain like an
• 41:33
  Speaker 1: iron ring around my head. But I am not insane,
• 41:37
  Speaker 1: and this fear that I feel does not spring from
• 41:40
  Speaker 1: my imagination, but from the real danger by which I
• 41:44
  Speaker 1: am surrounded. I am very hungry, but I do not
• 41:48
  Speaker 1: dare eat anything except eggs, which cannot be tampered with.
• 41:53
  Speaker 1: I tasted some soup yesterday, and it seemed to me
• 41:56
  Speaker 1: that it had a queer taste. I will eat nothing
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: that is at all suspicious. I will be in my
• 42:04
  Speaker 1: full senses when my murderers come. They shall not kill
• 42:09
  Speaker 1: me by poison. At least. When I came to my
• 42:12
  Speaker 1: senses again, it was the evening of the day before yesterday,
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: I found a letter on the little table beside my bed.
• 42:20
  Speaker 1: It was written in French, in a handwriting that I
• 42:23
  Speaker 1: had never seen before, and there was no signature. This
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: strange letter demanded of me that I should write to
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: my guardian, calmly and clearly, to say that, for reasons
• 42:36
  Speaker 1: which I did not intend to reveal, I had taken
• 42:39
  Speaker 1: my own life. If I did this, my present place
• 42:43
  Speaker 1: of sojourn would be exchanged for a far more agreeable one,
• 42:48
  Speaker 1: and I would soon be quite free. But if I
• 42:51
  Speaker 1: did not do it, I would actually be put to death.
• 42:56
  Speaker 1: A pen and ink and paper were ready there for
• 42:59
  Speaker 1: the answer. Never I wrote, and then despair came over me,
• 43:05
  Speaker 1: and I may have indeed appeared in saying. The old
• 43:08
  Speaker 1: woman came in. I entreated and implored her to tell
• 43:13
  Speaker 1: me why this dreadful fate should have overtaken me. She
• 43:17
  Speaker 1: remained quite indifferent, and I sank back, almost fainting on
• 43:21
  Speaker 1: the bed. She laid a moist cloth over my face,
• 43:25
  Speaker 1: a cloth that had a peculiar odor. I soon fell asleep.
• 43:30
  Speaker 1: It seemed to me that there was some one else
• 43:33
  Speaker 1: besides the woman in the room with me, or was
• 43:36
  Speaker 1: she talking to herself? Next morning, the letter and my
• 43:40
  Speaker 1: answer had disappeared. It was as I thought, there was
• 43:45
  Speaker 1: some one else in my room, someone who had come
• 43:48
  Speaker 1: on the tramway. I found the ticket on the carpet
• 43:51
  Speaker 1: beside my bed. I took it and put it in
• 43:54
  Speaker 1: my note book. I believe that it is Sunday to day.
• 43:59
  Speaker 1: It is four day is now since I have been conscious.
• 44:03
  Speaker 1: The first sound that I remember hearing was the blast
• 44:06
  Speaker 1: of a horn. It must come from a factory very
• 44:09
  Speaker 1: near me. The old windows in my room rattle at
• 44:12
  Speaker 1: the sound. I hear it mornings and evenings, and at
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: noon on week days. I did not hear it to day,
• 44:20
  Speaker 1: so it must be Sunday. It was Monday, the eighteenth
• 44:25
  Speaker 1: of November that I set out on my trip and
• 44:28
  Speaker 1: reached here in the evening. Here I do not know
• 44:32
  Speaker 1: where I am. That is, I set out for Vienna,
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: and I know that I reached the Northern Railway station
• 44:39
  Speaker 1: there in safety. I was cold and felt a little faint,
• 44:44
  Speaker 1: And then he offered me the tea. And what happened
• 44:47
  Speaker 1: after that? Where am I? The paper that they gave
• 44:51
  Speaker 1: me may have been a day or two old or more.
• 44:56
  Speaker 1: And to day is Sunday? Is it? The first Sunday
• 45:00
  Speaker 1: since my departure from home. I do not know. I
• 45:04
  Speaker 1: know only this that I set out on the eighteenth
• 45:08
  Speaker 1: of November to visit my kind old guardian and to
• 45:12
  Speaker 1: have a last consultation with him before my coming of age.
• 45:16
  Speaker 1: And I know also that I have fallen into the
• 45:19
  Speaker 1: hands of some one who has an interest in my disappearance.
• 45:24
  Speaker 1: There is some one in the next room with the
• 45:26
  Speaker 1: old woman. I hear a man's voice, and they are quarreling.
• 45:31
  Speaker 1: They are talking of me. He wants her to do
• 45:35
  Speaker 1: something which she will not do. He commands her to
• 45:38
  Speaker 1: go away, but she refuses. What does he mean to do?
• 45:44
  Speaker 1: I do not want her to leave me alone. I
• 45:46
  Speaker 1: do not hate her any more. I know that she
• 45:50
  Speaker 1: is not bad. When I listened, I heard her speaking
• 45:53
  Speaker 1: of me as of an insane person. She really believes
• 45:58
  Speaker 1: that I am ill. And the man went away. He
• 46:01
  Speaker 1: must have been angry. He stamped down the stairs until
• 46:05
  Speaker 1: the steps creaked under his tread. I know it is
• 46:09
  Speaker 1: a wooden staircase. Therefore I am safe from him to day.
• 46:14
  Speaker 1: But I am really ill of fright. Am I really insane?
• 46:19
  Speaker 1: There is one thing that I have forgotten to write
• 46:22
  Speaker 1: down when I first came to myself. I found a
• 46:26
  Speaker 1: bit of paper beside me, on which was written, beware
• 46:30
  Speaker 1: of calling in help from outside. One scream will mean
• 46:34
  Speaker 1: death to you. It was written in French, like the letter.
• 46:38
  Speaker 1: Why was it because the old woman could not read it.
• 46:43
  Speaker 1: She knew of the piece of paper, for she took
• 46:46
  Speaker 1: it away from me. It frightens me that I should
• 46:50
  Speaker 1: have forgotten to write this down. Am I really ill?
• 46:55
  Speaker 1: If I am not yet ill? This terrible solitude will
• 46:58
  Speaker 1: make me so. What a gloomy room this is, this
• 47:02
  Speaker 1: prison of mine, And such a strange, ugly wall paper.
• 47:08
  Speaker 1: I tore off a tiny bit of it and hid
• 47:10
  Speaker 1: it in this little book. Some one may find it
• 47:13
  Speaker 1: some day and may discover from it this place where
• 47:17
  Speaker 1: I am suffering and where I shall die. Perhaps there
• 47:21
  Speaker 1: cannot be many who would buy such a pattern, and
• 47:24
  Speaker 1: it must be possible to find the factory where it
• 47:27
  Speaker 1: was made. And I will also write down here what
• 47:31
  Speaker 1: I can see from my barred window. Far down below
• 47:35
  Speaker 1: me there is a rusty tin roof. It looks like
• 47:39
  Speaker 1: as if it might belong to a sort of shed.
• 47:42
  Speaker 1: In front, and to the right there are windowless walls.
• 47:47
  Speaker 1: To the left at a little distance, I can see
• 47:50
  Speaker 1: a slender church spire, greenish in color, probably covered with copper.
• 47:58
  Speaker 1: And before the church there are two poplar trees of
• 48:01
  Speaker 1: different heights. Another day has passed, a day of torturing fear.
• 48:08
  Speaker 1: Am I really insane? I know that I see queer things.
• 48:13
  Speaker 1: This morning I looked towards the window and I saw
• 48:16
  Speaker 1: a parrot sitting there. I saw it quite plainly. It
• 48:22
  Speaker 1: ruffled up its red and green feathers and stared at me.
• 48:26
  Speaker 1: I stared back at it, and suddenly it was gone.
• 48:30
  Speaker 1: I shivered. Finally I pulled myself together and went to
• 48:35
  Speaker 1: the window. There was no bird outside, nor was there
• 48:40
  Speaker 1: a trace of any in the snow on the window sill.
• 48:44
  Speaker 1: Could the wind have blown away the tracks so soon?
• 48:48
  Speaker 1: Or was it really my sick brain that appeared to
• 48:51
  Speaker 1: see this tropical bird in the midst of the snow.
• 48:55
  Speaker 1: It is Tuesday to day. From now on, I will
• 48:58
  Speaker 1: carefully count the days, the days that still remained to me.
• 49:03
  Speaker 1: This morning I asked the old woman about the parrot.
• 49:06
  Speaker 1: She only smiled, and her smile made me terribly afraid.
• 49:11
  Speaker 1: The thought that this thing which is happening to me,
• 49:14
  Speaker 1: this thing that I took to be a crime, may
• 49:18
  Speaker 1: be only a necessity. The thought fills me with horror.
• 49:22
  Speaker 1: Am I in a prison? Or is this the cell
• 49:26
  Speaker 1: of an insane asylum? Am I the victim of a villain?
• 49:32
  Speaker 1: Or am I really mad? My pulse is quickening, but
• 49:36
  Speaker 1: my memory is quite clear. I can look back over
• 49:40
  Speaker 1: every incident in my life. She has just taken away
• 49:44
  Speaker 1: my food. I asked her to bring me only eggs,
• 49:48
  Speaker 1: as I was afraid of everything else. She promised that
• 49:51
  Speaker 1: she would do it. Are they looking for me? My
• 49:55
  Speaker 1: guardian is Theodore Felner, Cathedral, Lane No. Four thirteen. My
• 50:01
  Speaker 1: own name is Astalangan. They took away my traveling bag,
• 50:06
  Speaker 1: but they did not find this little book and the
• 50:09
  Speaker 1: tiny bottle of perfume, which I had in the pocket
• 50:12
  Speaker 1: of my dress. And I found this old pan and
• 50:16
  Speaker 1: a little ink in a drawer of the writing table
• 50:19
  Speaker 1: in my room. Wednesday, the stranger was here again to day.
• 50:24
  Speaker 1: I recognized his soft voice. He spoke to the woman
• 50:28
  Speaker 1: in the hallway outside my room. I listened, but I
• 50:32
  Speaker 1: could catch only a few words. Tomorrow evening, I will
• 50:37
  Speaker 1: come myself, no responsibility for you. Where these words meant
• 50:43
  Speaker 1: for me? Are they going to take me away. Where
• 50:46
  Speaker 1: will they take me? Then? They do not dare to
• 50:49
  Speaker 1: kill me? Here? My head is burning hot. I have
• 50:54
  Speaker 1: not dared to drink a drop of liquid for four days.
• 50:58
  Speaker 1: I dare not take anything into which they might have
• 51:01
  Speaker 1: put some drug or some poison. Who could have such
• 51:04
  Speaker 1: an interest in my death? It cannot be because of
• 51:08
  Speaker 1: the fortune which is to be mine when I come
• 51:10
  Speaker 1: of age. For if I die, my father has willed
• 51:14
  Speaker 1: it to various charitable institutions. I have no relatives, at
• 51:20
  Speaker 1: least none who could inherit my money. I had never
• 51:23
  Speaker 1: harmed any one who can wish for my death. There
• 51:28
  Speaker 1: is somebody with her. Somebody was listening at the door.
• 51:31
  Speaker 1: I have a feeling as if I was being watched.
• 51:34
  Speaker 1: And yet I examined the door, but there is no
• 51:38
  Speaker 1: crack anywhere, and the key is in the lock. Still,
• 51:43
  Speaker 1: I seem to feel a burning glance resting on me. Aha,
• 51:48
  Speaker 1: the parrot. Is this another delusion? Oh God, let it
• 51:54
  Speaker 1: end soon. I am not yet quite insane, but all
• 51:58
  Speaker 1: these unknown dangers around me will drive me mad. I
• 52:02
  Speaker 1: must fight against them. Thursday, they brought me back my
• 52:08
  Speaker 1: traveling bag. My attendant is uneasy. She was longer in
• 52:13
  Speaker 1: cleaning up the room than usual. To day she seemed
• 52:17
  Speaker 1: to want to say something to me, and yet she
• 52:20
  Speaker 1: did not dare to speak. Is something to happen to day? Then?
• 52:26
  Speaker 1: I did not close my eyes all night? Can one
• 52:30
  Speaker 1: be made insane from a distance? Hypnotized into it? As
• 52:34
  Speaker 1: it were? I will not allow fear alone to make
• 52:37
  Speaker 1: me mad. My enemy shall not find it too easy.
• 52:42
  Speaker 1: He may kill my body, but that is all. These
• 52:47
  Speaker 1: were the last words which Astalangan had written in her
• 52:51
  Speaker 1: note book, the little book which was the only confidante
• 52:56
  Speaker 1: of her terrible need. When the detective had finished reading it,
• 53:01
  Speaker 1: he closed his eyes for a few minutes to let
• 53:04
  Speaker 1: the impression made by the story sink into his mind.
• 53:09
  Speaker 1: Then he rose and put on his overcoat. He entered
• 53:13
  Speaker 1: the Commissioner's room and took up his hat and cane.
• 53:17
  Speaker 1: Where are you going, Muller asked Herr von Mayringen, to
• 53:21
  Speaker 1: Cathedral Lane, if you will permit it at this hour
• 53:26
  Speaker 1: it is a quarter past eleven. Is there any such hurry?
• 53:30
  Speaker 1: Do you think? There is no train from any of
• 53:33
  Speaker 1: our stations until morning? And I have already sent a
• 53:37
  Speaker 1: policeman to watch the house. Besides, I know that Felner
• 53:41
  Speaker 1: is a highly respected man. There is many a man
• 53:46
  Speaker 1: who is highly respected until he is found out, remarked
• 53:49
  Speaker 1: the detective. And you are going to find out about Felner,
• 53:54
  Speaker 1: smiled the commissioner. And this evening too, this very evening.
• 54:00
  Speaker 1: If he is asleep, I shall wake him up. That
• 54:02
  Speaker 1: is the best time to get at the truth about
• 54:05
  Speaker 1: a man. The commissioner sat down at his desk and
• 54:09
  Speaker 1: rode out the necessary credentials for the detective. A few
• 54:13
  Speaker 1: moments later, Muller was in the street. He left the
• 54:17
  Speaker 1: note book with the commissioner. It was snowing heavily and
• 54:21
  Speaker 1: an icy north wind was howling through the street. Muller
• 54:26
  Speaker 1: turned up the collar of his coat and walked on quickly.
• 54:30
  Speaker 1: It was just striking a corded to twelve when he
• 54:33
  Speaker 1: reached Cathedral Lane. As he walked slowly along the moonlit
• 54:39
  Speaker 1: side of the pavement, a man stepped out of a
• 54:42
  Speaker 1: shadow to meet him. It was the policeman who had
• 54:45
  Speaker 1: been sent to watch the house. Like Muller, he wore
• 54:49
  Speaker 1: plain clothes. Well. The latter asked nothing new. Mister Felner
• 54:55
  Speaker 1: has been ill in bed for several days, quite seriously ill,
• 54:59
  Speaker 1: they tell me. The janitor seems very fond of him. Hum,
• 55:05
  Speaker 1: we'll see what sort of a man he is. You
• 55:07
  Speaker 1: can go back to the station now. You must be
• 55:10
  Speaker 1: nearly frozen. Standing here, Muller looked carefully at the house
• 55:15
  Speaker 1: which bore the number fourteen. It was a handsome, old
• 55:20
  Speaker 1: fashioned building, a true patrician mansion, which looked worthy of
• 55:25
  Speaker 1: all confidence. But Muller knew that the outside of a
• 55:29
  Speaker 1: house has very little to do with the honesty of
• 55:33
  Speaker 1: the people who live in it. He rang the bell carefully,
• 55:37
  Speaker 1: as he wished no one but the janitor to hear him.
• 55:41
  Speaker 1: The latter did not seem at all surprised to find
• 55:45
  Speaker 1: a stranger asking for the owner of the house at
• 55:48
  Speaker 1: so late an hour. You come with a telegram, I
• 55:51
  Speaker 1: suppose come right upstairs, then I have orders to let
• 55:56
  Speaker 1: you in. These were the words with which the old
• 56:00
  Speaker 1: janitor greeted Muller. The detective could see from this that
• 56:04
  Speaker 1: mister Theodore Felner's conscience must be perfectly clear. The expected
• 56:11
  Speaker 1: telegram probably had something to do with the non appearance
• 56:15
  Speaker 1: of Asta Langan, of whose terrible fate her guardian evidently
• 56:20
  Speaker 1: as yet knew nothing. The janitor knocked on one of
• 56:23
  Speaker 1: the doors, which was opened in a few moments by
• 56:27
  Speaker 1: an old woman. Is it the telegram, she asked sleepily, Yes,
• 56:33
  Speaker 1: said the janitor. No, said Muller, but I want to
• 56:37
  Speaker 1: speak to mister Felner. The two old people stared at
• 56:41
  Speaker 1: him in surprise. To speak to him, said the woman,
• 56:45
  Speaker 1: and shook her head as if in doubt. Is it
• 56:48
  Speaker 1: about miss Langan, Yes, please wake him, but he is ill,
• 56:54
  Speaker 1: and the doctor please wake him up. I will take
• 56:57
  Speaker 1: the responsibility. But who are you, asked the janitor. Muller
• 57:03
  Speaker 1: smiled a little at this belated caution on the part
• 57:06
  Speaker 1: of the old man, and answered, I will tell mister
• 57:10
  Speaker 1: Felner who I am, but please announce me at once,
• 57:14
  Speaker 1: it concerns the young lady. His expression was so grave
• 57:18
  Speaker 1: that the woman waited no longer but let him in
• 57:22
  Speaker 1: and then disappeared through another door. The janitor stood and
• 57:27
  Speaker 1: looked at Muller with half distrustful, half anxious glances. It's
• 57:32
  Speaker 1: no good news you bring, he said, after a few minutes.
• 57:36
  Speaker 1: You may be right. Has anything happened to our dear
• 57:40
  Speaker 1: young lady? Then you know Miss Astelangan and her family? Why,
• 57:46
  Speaker 1: of course I was in service on the estate when
• 57:50
  Speaker 1: all the dreadful things happened, What things? Why the divorce?
• 57:55
  Speaker 1: And but you are a stranger, and I shouldn't talk
• 57:59
  Speaker 1: about these families affairs to you. You had better tell
• 58:02
  Speaker 1: me what has happened to our young lady. I must
• 58:05
  Speaker 1: tell that to your master first. The woman came back
• 58:09
  Speaker 1: at this moment and said to Muller, come with me, please, Bernaire,
• 58:14
  Speaker 1: you are to stay here until the gentleman goes out again.
• 58:18
  Speaker 1: Muller followed her through several rooms into a large bed chamber,
• 58:22
  Speaker 1: where he found an elderly man, very evidently ill, lying
• 58:27
  Speaker 1: in bed. Who are you, asked the sick man, raising
• 58:31
  Speaker 1: his head from the pillow. The woman had gone out
• 58:34
  Speaker 1: and closed the door behind her. My name is Muller,
• 58:38
  Speaker 1: police detective. Here are my credentials. Felner glanced hastily at
• 58:43
  Speaker 1: the paper. Why does the police send to me? It
• 58:47
  Speaker 1: concerns your ward. Felner sat upright in bed. Now. He
• 58:52
  Speaker 1: leaned over towards his visitor, as he said, pointing to
• 58:57
  Speaker 1: a letter on the table beside his bed, as this
• 59:00
  Speaker 1: overseer writes me from her estate that she left home
• 59:04
  Speaker 1: on the eighteenth of November to visit me. She should
• 59:08
  Speaker 1: have reached here on the evening of the eighteenth, and
• 59:11
  Speaker 1: she has not arrived yet. I did not receive this
• 59:15
  Speaker 1: letter until to day. Did you expect the young lady?
• 59:19
  Speaker 1: I knew only that she would arrive some time before
• 59:22
  Speaker 1: the third of December. That date is her twenty fourth birthday,
• 59:26
  Speaker 1: and she was to celebrate it here. Did she not
• 59:29
  Speaker 1: usually announce her coming to you? No, she liked to
• 59:34
  Speaker 1: surprise me. Three days ago I sent her a telegram
• 59:37
  Speaker 1: asking her to bring certain necessary papers with her. This
• 59:42
  Speaker 1: brought the answer from the overseer of her estate, an
• 59:45
  Speaker 1: answer which has caused me great anxiety. Your coming makes
• 59:50
  Speaker 1: it worse for I fear. The sick man broke off
• 59:54
  Speaker 1: and turned his eyes on Mueller, eyes so full of
• 59:58
  Speaker 1: fear and grief that the detective's heart grew soft. He
• 1:00:03
  Speaker 1: felt Felner's icy hand on his As the sick man murmured,
• 1:00:07
  Speaker 1: tell me the truth is asked, adad, the detective shrugged
• 1:00:12
  Speaker 1: his shoulders. We do not know yet. She was alive
• 1:00:16
  Speaker 1: and able to send a message at half past eight
• 1:00:18
  Speaker 1: this evening, a message to whom to the nearest police station.
• 1:00:24
  Speaker 1: Muller told the story as it had come to him.
• 1:00:27
  Speaker 1: The old man listened with an expression of such utter
• 1:00:31
  Speaker 1: dazed terror that the detective dropped all suspicion of him
• 1:00:35
  Speaker 1: at once. What a terrible riddle, stammered the sick man,
• 1:00:40
  Speaker 1: as the other finished the story. Would you answer me
• 1:00:43
  Speaker 1: several questions, asked Muller. The old gentleman answered quickly, any one,
• 1:00:50
  Speaker 1: every one. Miss Langan is rich. She has a fortune
• 1:00:55
  Speaker 1: of over three hundred thousand guldens and considerable land. She
• 1:01:00
  Speaker 1: any relatives, No, replied Felner harshly. But a thought must
• 1:01:05
  Speaker 1: have flashed through his brain, for he started suddenly and murmured, Yes,
• 1:01:10
  Speaker 1: she has one relative, a step brother. The detective gave
• 1:01:15
  Speaker 1: an exclamation of surprise. Why are you astonished at this,
• 1:01:19
  Speaker 1: asked Felner. According to her note book, the young lady
• 1:01:23
  Speaker 1: does not seem to know of this stepbrother. She does
• 1:01:27
  Speaker 1: not know, sir. There was an ugly scandal in her
• 1:01:31
  Speaker 1: family before her birth. Her father turned his first wife
• 1:01:35
  Speaker 1: and their son out of his house on one and
• 1:01:38
  Speaker 1: the same day. He had discovered that she was deceiving him,
• 1:01:43
  Speaker 1: and also that her son, who was studying medicine at
• 1:01:47
  Speaker 1: the time, had stolen money from his safe. What he
• 1:01:51
  Speaker 1: had discovered about his wife, made Langan doubt whether the
• 1:01:55
  Speaker 1: boy was his son at all. There was a terrible scene,
• 1:01:58
  Speaker 1: and the two disappear from their home forever. The woman
• 1:02:02
  Speaker 1: died soon after. The young man went to Australia. He
• 1:02:07
  Speaker 1: has never been heard of since, and has probably come
• 1:02:10
  Speaker 1: to no good. Might he not possibly be here in
• 1:02:14
  Speaker 1: Europe again, watching for an opportunity to make a fortune.
• 1:02:19
  Speaker 1: Felner's hand grasped that of his visitor. The eyes of
• 1:02:23
  Speaker 1: the two men gazed steadily at each other. The old
• 1:02:27
  Speaker 1: man's glance was full of sudden, helpless horror. The detective's
• 1:02:32
  Speaker 1: eyes shone brilliantly. Mueller spoke calmly, this is one clue.
• 1:02:38
  Speaker 1: Is there no one else who could have an interest
• 1:02:41
  Speaker 1: in the young lady's death? No one but Eager Langan.
• 1:02:45
  Speaker 1: If he bear that name by right, and if he
• 1:02:48
  Speaker 1: is still alive, how old would he be now? He
• 1:02:52
  Speaker 1: must be nearly forty. It was many years before Langon
• 1:02:55
  Speaker 1: married again. Do you know him personally? Have you a
• 1:03:00
  Speaker 1: picture of miss Langon? Felner rang a bell, and Bernaire appeared.
• 1:03:05
  Speaker 1: Give this gentleman miss Asta's picture. Take the one in
• 1:03:09
  Speaker 1: the silver frame on my desk. The old gentleman's voice
• 1:03:13
  Speaker 1: was friendly but faint with fatigue. His old servant looked
• 1:03:17
  Speaker 1: at him in deep anxiety. Felner smiled weakly and nodded
• 1:03:21
  Speaker 1: to the man. Sad news, Bernaire, sad news and bad news.
• 1:03:27
  Speaker 1: Our poor Asta is being held a prisoner by some
• 1:03:31
  Speaker 1: unknown villain who threatens her with death. My God, is
• 1:03:35
  Speaker 1: it possible. Can't we help the poor young lady. We
• 1:03:39
  Speaker 1: will try to help her, or if it is too late,
• 1:03:44
  Speaker 1: we will at least avenge her. My entire fortune shall
• 1:03:49
  Speaker 1: be given up for it. But bring her picture now.
• 1:03:52
  Speaker 1: Bernaire brought the picture of a very pretty girl with
• 1:03:56
  Speaker 1: a bright, intelligent face. Muller took the pick out of
• 1:04:00
  Speaker 1: the frame and put it in his pocket. You will
• 1:04:03
  Speaker 1: come again soon, and remember I will give ten thousand
• 1:04:09
  Speaker 1: guldens to the man who saves Asta or avenges her.
• 1:04:14
  Speaker 1: Tell the police to spare no expense. I will go
• 1:04:17
  Speaker 1: to headquarters myself tomorrow. Felner was a little surprised that Muller,
• 1:04:23
  Speaker 1: although he had already taken up his hat, did not
• 1:04:26
  Speaker 1: go The sick man had seen the light flash up
• 1:04:30
  Speaker 1: in the eyes of the other. As he named the
• 1:04:32
  Speaker 1: sum he thought he understood this excitement, but it touched
• 1:04:37
  Speaker 1: him unpleasantly, and he sank back, almost frightened in his cushions,
• 1:04:42
  Speaker 1: as the detective bent over him with the words, good,
• 1:04:47
  Speaker 1: do not forget your promise, for I will save miss
• 1:04:50
  Speaker 1: Langan or avenge her. But I do not want the
• 1:04:54
  Speaker 1: money for myself. It is to go to those who
• 1:04:57
  Speaker 1: have been unjustly convicted and thus ruined for life. It
• 1:05:02
  Speaker 1: may give the one or the other of them a
• 1:05:05
  Speaker 1: better chance for the future. And you, what good do
• 1:05:09
  Speaker 1: you get from that? Asked the old gentleman, astonished. A
• 1:05:14
  Speaker 1: soft smile illuminated the detective's plain features, and he answered gently,
• 1:05:20
  Speaker 1: I know then that there will be some poor fellow
• 1:05:24
  Speaker 1: who will have an easier time of it than I
• 1:05:27
  Speaker 1: have had. He nodded to Felner, who had already grasped
• 1:05:31
  Speaker 1: his hand and pressed it hard. A tear ran down
• 1:05:35
  Speaker 1: his gray beard, and long after Muller had gone, the
• 1:05:39
  Speaker 1: old gentleman lay pondering over his last words. Bernaire led
• 1:05:44
  Speaker 1: the visitor to the door. As he was opening it,
• 1:05:48
  Speaker 1: Muller asked, has Egon Langen a bad scar on his
• 1:05:53
  Speaker 1: right cheek? Bernaire's eyes looked his astonishment. How did the
• 1:05:58
  Speaker 1: stranger know this, and how did he come to mention
• 1:06:02
  Speaker 1: this forgotten name? Yes he has, but how did you
• 1:06:07
  Speaker 1: know it? He murmured in surprise. He received no answer,
• 1:06:12
  Speaker 1: for Muller was already walking quickly down the street. The
• 1:06:16
  Speaker 1: old man stared after him for some few minutes. Then
• 1:06:20
  Speaker 1: suddenly his knees began to tremble. He closed the door
• 1:06:23
  Speaker 1: with difficulty and sank down on the bench beside it.
• 1:06:27
  Speaker 1: The wind had blown out the light of his lantern.
• 1:06:31
  Speaker 1: Bernaire was sitting in the dark without knowing it, for
• 1:06:34
  Speaker 1: a sudden terrible light had burst upon his soul, burst
• 1:06:39
  Speaker 1: upon it so sharply that he hid his eyes with
• 1:06:42
  Speaker 1: his hands, and his old lips murmured, horrible, horrible, the
• 1:06:48
  Speaker 1: brother against the sister. The next morning was clear and bright.
• 1:06:55
  Speaker 1: Muller was up early, for he had taken but a
• 1:06:57
  Speaker 1: few hours sleep in one of the rooms of the
• 1:07:00
  Speaker 1: station before he set out into the cold winter morning.
• 1:07:04
  Speaker 1: At the next corner, he found Amster waiting for him.
• 1:07:08
  Speaker 1: What are you doing here, he asked, in astonishment. I
• 1:07:12
  Speaker 1: have been thinking over what you said to me yesterday.
• 1:07:15
  Speaker 1: Your profession is as good and perhaps better than many another,
• 1:07:21
  Speaker 1: and you come out here so early to tell me
• 1:07:23
  Speaker 1: that Omster smiled. I have something else to say. Well,
• 1:07:28
  Speaker 1: the commissioner asked me yesterday if I knew of a
• 1:07:31
  Speaker 1: church in the city that had a slender spire with
• 1:07:35
  Speaker 1: a green top and two poplars in front of it.
• 1:07:39
  Speaker 1: Muller looked his interest. I thought it might possibly be
• 1:07:43
  Speaker 1: the convent church of the Gray Sisters, but I wasn't
• 1:07:47
  Speaker 1: quite sure, so I went there an hour ago. It's
• 1:07:50
  Speaker 1: all right, just as I thought, and I suppose it
• 1:07:54
  Speaker 1: has something to do with the case of last night,
• 1:07:56
  Speaker 1: so I thought I had better report at once. I
• 1:07:59
  Speaker 1: was on my way to the station. That will do
• 1:08:02
  Speaker 1: very well. You have saved us much time, and you
• 1:08:06
  Speaker 1: have shown that you are eminently fitted for this business.
• 1:08:10
  Speaker 1: If you really will try me, then we'll see you
• 1:08:14
  Speaker 1: can begin on this Come to the church with me. Now.
• 1:08:18
  Speaker 1: Muller was no talker, particularly not when as now his
• 1:08:22
  Speaker 1: brain was busy on a problem. The two men walked
• 1:08:26
  Speaker 1: on quickly. In about half an hour, they found themselves
• 1:08:30
  Speaker 1: in a little square in the middle of which stood
• 1:08:32
  Speaker 1: an old church. In front of the church, like giant sentinels,
• 1:08:37
  Speaker 1: stood a pair of tall poplars. One of them looked sickly,
• 1:08:41
  Speaker 1: and was a good deal shorter than its neighbor. Muller
• 1:08:45
  Speaker 1: nodded as if contented. Is this the church the commissioner
• 1:08:49
  Speaker 1: was talking about? Queried, Amster It is, was the answer.
• 1:08:54
  Speaker 1: Muller walked on toward a little house built up against
• 1:08:57
  Speaker 1: the church, which was evidently the dwelling of the sexton.
• 1:09:02
  Speaker 1: The detective introduced himself to this official, who did not
• 1:09:06
  Speaker 1: look over intelligent, as a stranger in the city, who
• 1:09:10
  Speaker 1: had been told that the view from the tower of
• 1:09:12
  Speaker 1: the church was particularly interesting. A bright silver piece banished
• 1:09:18
  Speaker 1: all distrust from the soul of the worthy man. With
• 1:09:21
  Speaker 1: great friendliness. He inquired, when the gentleman would like to
• 1:09:25
  Speaker 1: ascend the tower at once? Was the answer. The sexton
• 1:09:30
  Speaker 1: took a bunch of keys and told the strangers to
• 1:09:32
  Speaker 1: follow him. A few moments later, Muller and his companion
• 1:09:37
  Speaker 1: stood in the tiny belfry room of the slender spire.
• 1:09:41
  Speaker 1: The fat sexton, to his own great satisfaction, had yielded
• 1:09:46
  Speaker 1: to their request not to undertake the steep ascent. The
• 1:09:50
  Speaker 1: cloudless sky lay crystal clear over the still sleeping city
• 1:09:54
  Speaker 1: and the wide spread snow covered fields which lay close
• 1:09:58
  Speaker 1: at hand beyond the church. On the one side were
• 1:10:03
  Speaker 1: gardens and the low, rambling buildings of the convent, and
• 1:10:07
  Speaker 1: on the other were huddled, high piled dwellings of poverty.
• 1:10:11
  Speaker 1: Muller looked out of each of the four windows in turn.
• 1:10:15
  Speaker 1: He spent some time at each window, but evidently without
• 1:10:19
  Speaker 1: discovering what he looked for. For he shook his head
• 1:10:22
  Speaker 1: in discontent. But when he went once more to the
• 1:10:26
  Speaker 1: opening in the east, into which the sun was just
• 1:10:29
  Speaker 1: beginning to pour its light, something seemed to attract his attention.
• 1:10:35
  Speaker 1: He called Omster and pointed from the window. Your eyes
• 1:10:39
  Speaker 1: are younger than mine, lend them to me. What do
• 1:10:42
  Speaker 1: you see over there to the right, below the tall
• 1:10:45
  Speaker 1: factory chimney. Muller's voice was calm, but there was something
• 1:10:50
  Speaker 1: in his manner that revealed excitement. Amster caught the infection,
• 1:10:55
  Speaker 1: without knowing why. He looked sharply in the direction towards
• 1:10:59
  Speaker 1: which Muller pointed, and began, There is a tall house
• 1:11:03
  Speaker 1: near the chimney, to the right of it, one wall
• 1:11:07
  Speaker 1: touching it. The house is crowded in between other newer buildings,
• 1:11:12
  Speaker 1: and looks to be very old and of a much
• 1:11:14
  Speaker 1: better sort than its neighbors. The other houses are plain stone,
• 1:11:19
  Speaker 1: but this house has carvings and statues on it which
• 1:11:23
  Speaker 1: are white with snow. But the house is in bad condition.
• 1:11:27
  Speaker 1: One can see cracks in the wall and its windows.
• 1:11:31
  Speaker 1: I cannot see them. They must be on the other
• 1:11:35
  Speaker 1: side of the house, towards the courtyard, which seems to
• 1:11:38
  Speaker 1: be hemmed in by the blank walls of the other houses.
• 1:11:42
  Speaker 1: And at the front of the house. There is a
• 1:11:44
  Speaker 1: low wall in front which shuts off the courtyard from
• 1:11:48
  Speaker 1: a narrow, ill kept street. Yes, I see it myself now.
• 1:11:52
  Speaker 1: The street is bordered mainly by gardens and vacant lots. Yes, sir,
• 1:11:58
  Speaker 1: that is it. Muller nodded, as if satisfied. Omster looked
• 1:12:02
  Speaker 1: at him in surprise. Still more surprised, however, at the
• 1:12:06
  Speaker 1: excitement he felt himself. He did not understand it, but
• 1:12:11
  Speaker 1: Muller understood it. He knew that he had found in
• 1:12:14
  Speaker 1: Omster a talent akin to his own, one of those
• 1:12:18
  Speaker 1: natures who, once having taken up a trail, cannot rest
• 1:12:22
  Speaker 1: until they reach their goal. He looked for a few
• 1:12:25
  Speaker 1: moments in satisfaction at the assistant he had found by
• 1:12:29
  Speaker 1: such chance. Then he turned and hastened down the stairs again.
• 1:12:34
  Speaker 1: We're going to that house, asked Omster. When they were
• 1:12:38
  Speaker 1: down in the street. Muller nodded without hesitation. The two
• 1:12:43
  Speaker 1: men made their way through a tangle of dingy, uninteresting
• 1:12:47
  Speaker 1: alleys between modem tenements, until about ten minutes later they
• 1:12:52
  Speaker 1: stood before an old three storied building which had a
• 1:12:56
  Speaker 1: frontage of four windows on the street. This is our place,
• 1:13:01
  Speaker 1: said the detective, looking up at the tall, handsome gateway
• 1:13:05
  Speaker 1: and the Rococo carvings that ornamented the front of this
• 1:13:08
  Speaker 1: decaying dwelling. It was very evidently of a different age
• 1:13:13
  Speaker 1: and class from those about it. Muller had already raised
• 1:13:17
  Speaker 1: his hand to pull the bell when he stopped and
• 1:13:21
  Speaker 1: let it sink in again. His eye caught sight of
• 1:13:24
  Speaker 1: a placard pasted up on the wall of the next house,
• 1:13:28
  Speaker 1: and already half torn off by the wind. The detective
• 1:13:32
  Speaker 1: walked over, and, raising the placard with his cane, read
• 1:13:35
  Speaker 1: the words on it. That's right, he said to himself.
• 1:13:40
  Speaker 1: Omster gave a look on the paper, but he could
• 1:13:43
  Speaker 1: not connect the contents of the notice with the case
• 1:13:46
  Speaker 1: of the kidnapped lady, and he shook his head in surprise.
• 1:13:50
  Speaker 1: When Muller turned to him with the words, the lady
• 1:13:53
  Speaker 1: we are looking for is not insane. On the paper
• 1:13:57
  Speaker 1: was announced in large letters that reward would be offered
• 1:14:01
  Speaker 1: to the finder of a red and green parrot which
• 1:14:04
  Speaker 1: had escaped from a neighboring house. Muller rang the bell
• 1:14:08
  Speaker 1: and they had to wait some few minutes before the
• 1:14:11
  Speaker 1: door opened with great creakings, and the tousled head of
• 1:14:15
  Speaker 1: an old woman peered out. What do you want, she
• 1:14:18
  Speaker 1: asked hoarsely, with distrustful looks Let us in and give
• 1:14:23
  Speaker 1: us the keys of the upstairs rooms. Muller's voice was friendly,
• 1:14:28
  Speaker 1: but the woman grew perceptibly paler. Who are you, she stammered.
• 1:14:34
  Speaker 1: Muller threw back his overcoat and showed her his badge.
• 1:14:37
  Speaker 1: But there is nobody here. The house is quite empty.
• 1:14:41
  Speaker 1: There were a lady and gentleman here last evening. The
• 1:14:44
  Speaker 1: woman threw a frightened look at Muller. Then she said, hesitatingly,
• 1:14:50
  Speaker 1: the lady was insane and has been taken to an asylum.
• 1:14:54
  Speaker 1: That is what the man told you. He's a criminal
• 1:14:57
  Speaker 1: and the police are looking for him. Come with me,
• 1:15:01
  Speaker 1: murmured the woman. She seemed to understand that further resistance
• 1:15:05
  Speaker 1: was useless. She carefully locked the outside door. Omster remained
• 1:15:11
  Speaker 1: downstairs in the corridor while Muller followed the old woman
• 1:15:15
  Speaker 1: up the stairs. The staircase to the third story was
• 1:15:19
  Speaker 1: made of wood. The house was evidently very old, with
• 1:15:23
  Speaker 1: low ceilings and many dark corners. The woman led Muller
• 1:15:27
  Speaker 1: into the room in which she had cared for the
• 1:15:29
  Speaker 1: strange lady at the order of the latter's husband. He
• 1:15:35
  Speaker 1: had told her that it was only until he could
• 1:15:38
  Speaker 1: take the lady to an asylum. One look at the
• 1:15:41
  Speaker 1: wall paper, a glance out of the window, and Muller
• 1:15:44
  Speaker 1: knew that this was where Asta Langan had been imprisoned.
• 1:15:48
  Speaker 1: He sat down on a chair and looked at the woman,
• 1:15:51
  Speaker 1: who stood frightened before him. Do you know where they
• 1:15:55
  Speaker 1: have taken the lady? No, sir. Do you know the
• 1:15:59
  Speaker 1: gentleman's name? No, sir. You did not send the lady's
• 1:16:04
  Speaker 1: name to the authorities, No, sir. Footnote. Any stranger taking
• 1:16:10
  Speaker 1: rooms in a hotel or lodging house must be registered
• 1:16:13
  Speaker 1: with the police authorities by the proprietor of the house
• 1:16:17
  Speaker 1: within forty eight hours of arrival. And footnote, were you
• 1:16:22
  Speaker 1: not afraid you would get into trouble. The gentleman paid
• 1:16:26
  Speaker 1: me well, and I did not think that he meant
• 1:16:28
  Speaker 1: anything bad, and and and you did not think that
• 1:16:33
  Speaker 1: it would be found out, said Muller sternly. I took
• 1:16:36
  Speaker 1: good care of the lady. Yes we know that did
• 1:16:40
  Speaker 1: she escape from her husband. He was not her husband.
• 1:16:44
  Speaker 1: But now tell me all you know about these people.
• 1:16:48
  Speaker 1: The more truthful you are, the better it will be
• 1:16:51
  Speaker 1: for you. The old woman was so frightened that she
• 1:16:54
  Speaker 1: could scarcely find strength to talk. When she finally got
• 1:16:58
  Speaker 1: control of herself again, she began. He came here on
• 1:17:02
  Speaker 1: the first of November and rented this room for himself,
• 1:17:06
  Speaker 1: but he was here only twice before he brought the
• 1:17:09
  Speaker 1: lady and left her alone here. She was very ill
• 1:17:12
  Speaker 1: when he brought her here, so ill that he had
• 1:17:16
  Speaker 1: to carry her upstairs. I wanted to go for a doctor,
• 1:17:20
  Speaker 1: but he said he was a doctor himself, and that
• 1:17:23
  Speaker 1: he could take care of his wife, who often had
• 1:17:26
  Speaker 1: such attacks. He gave me some medicine for her. After
• 1:17:30
  Speaker 1: I had put her to bed, I gave her the drops,
• 1:17:33
  Speaker 1: but it was a long while before she came to
• 1:17:36
  Speaker 1: herself again. Then he told me that she had lost
• 1:17:39
  Speaker 1: her mind, and that she believed everybody was trying to
• 1:17:43
  Speaker 1: harm her. She was so bad that he was taking
• 1:17:46
  Speaker 1: her to an asylum, but he hadn't found quite the
• 1:17:50
  Speaker 1: right place yet, and wanted me to keep her here
• 1:17:53
  Speaker 1: until he knew where he could take her. Once he
• 1:17:56
  Speaker 1: left a revolver here by mistake, but I hid it
• 1:18:00
  Speaker 1: so the lady wouldn't see it, and gave it to
• 1:18:02
  Speaker 1: the gentleman the next time he came. He was angry
• 1:18:06
  Speaker 1: at that, though I couldn't see why, and said I
• 1:18:10
  Speaker 1: shouldn't have touched it. The woman had told her story
• 1:18:14
  Speaker 1: with much hesitation and stopped altogether. At this point. She
• 1:18:18
  Speaker 1: had evidently suddenly realized that the lady was not insane,
• 1:18:23
  Speaker 1: but only in great despair, and that people in such
• 1:18:27
  Speaker 1: a state will often seek death, particularly if any weapon
• 1:18:32
  Speaker 1: is left conveniently within their reach. What did this gentleman
• 1:18:37
  Speaker 1: look like, asked Muller to start her talking again. She
• 1:18:41
  Speaker 1: described her tenant as very tall and stout, with a
• 1:18:45
  Speaker 1: long beard slightly mixed with gray. She had never seen
• 1:18:49
  Speaker 1: his eyes, for he wore smoked glasses. Did you notice
• 1:18:53
  Speaker 1: anything peculiar about his face? No, nothing, except that his
• 1:18:58
  Speaker 1: beard was very heavy and almost covered his face. Could
• 1:19:02
  Speaker 1: you see his cheeks at all? No? Or else I
• 1:19:05
  Speaker 1: didn't notice. Did he leave nothing that might enable us
• 1:19:10
  Speaker 1: to find him? No, sir, nothing, or yes, perhaps, but
• 1:19:15
  Speaker 1: I don't suppose that will be any good. What is it?
• 1:19:19
  Speaker 1: What do you mean? It gave him a good deal
• 1:19:22
  Speaker 1: of trouble to get the lady into the wagon because
• 1:19:24
  Speaker 1: she had fainted again. He lost his glove in doing it.
• 1:19:29
  Speaker 1: I have it downstairs in my room for I sleep
• 1:19:32
  Speaker 1: downstairs again, since the lady has gone. Mueller had risen
• 1:19:36
  Speaker 1: from his chair and walked over to the old writing desk,
• 1:19:39
  Speaker 1: which stood beside one window. There were several sheets of
• 1:19:43
  Speaker 1: ordinary brown paper on it, and sharp pointed pencil, and
• 1:19:47
  Speaker 1: also something not usually found on writing desks, a piece
• 1:19:52
  Speaker 1: of bread from which some of the inside had been taken.
• 1:19:57
  Speaker 1: Everything as I expected it, he said to him himself.
• 1:20:01
  Speaker 1: The young lady made up the package in the last
• 1:20:03
  Speaker 1: few moments that she was left alone here. He turned
• 1:20:07
  Speaker 1: again to the old woman and commanded her to lead
• 1:20:11
  Speaker 1: him downstairs. What sort of a carriage was it in
• 1:20:14
  Speaker 1: which they took the lady away? He asked? As they
• 1:20:17
  Speaker 1: went down a closed coop. Did you see the number no, sir,
• 1:20:22
  Speaker 1: But the carriage was very shabby, and so was the driver.
• 1:20:27
  Speaker 1: Was he an old man? He was about forty years old,
• 1:20:30
  Speaker 1: but he looked like a man who drank. He had
• 1:20:33
  Speaker 1: a light colored overcoat on good Is this your room, yes, sir.
• 1:20:39
  Speaker 1: They were now down in the lower corridor, where they
• 1:20:42
  Speaker 1: found Amster walking up and down. The woman opened the
• 1:20:46
  Speaker 1: door of the little room and took a glove from
• 1:20:48
  Speaker 1: a cupboard. Mueller put it in his pocket and told
• 1:20:52
  Speaker 1: the woman not to leave the house for anything, as
• 1:20:55
  Speaker 1: she might be sent for to come to the police
• 1:20:58
  Speaker 1: station at any moment. Then he went out into the
• 1:21:01
  Speaker 1: street with Amster. When they were outside in the sunlight,
• 1:21:06
  Speaker 1: he looked at the glove. It was a remarkably small size,
• 1:21:10
  Speaker 1: made for a man with a slender, delicate hand, not
• 1:21:14
  Speaker 1: at all in accordance with the large, stout body of
• 1:21:17
  Speaker 1: the man described by the landlady. Muller put his hand
• 1:21:21
  Speaker 1: into the glove and found something pushed up into the
• 1:21:24
  Speaker 1: middle finger. He took it out and found that it
• 1:21:28
  Speaker 1: was a crumpled tramway ticket. Look out for a shabby,
• 1:21:31
  Speaker 1: old clothed coop with the driver about forty years old,
• 1:21:35
  Speaker 1: who looks like a drunkard and wears a light overcoat.
• 1:21:39
  Speaker 1: If you find such a cab, engage it and drive
• 1:21:43
  Speaker 1: in it to the nearest police station. Tell them there
• 1:21:46
  Speaker 1: to hold the man until further notice. If the cab
• 1:21:49
  Speaker 1: is not free, at least take his number and one
• 1:21:53
  Speaker 1: thing more. But you will know that yourself. The cab
• 1:21:57
  Speaker 1: we are looking for will have new glass in the
• 1:22:00
  Speaker 1: right hand window. Thus Muller spoke to his companion as
• 1:22:03
  Speaker 1: he put the glove in his pocket and unfolded the
• 1:22:06
  Speaker 1: tramway ticket. Omster understood that they had found the starting
• 1:22:11
  Speaker 1: point of the drive of the night before. I will
• 1:22:14
  Speaker 1: go to all Coope stands, he said eagerly, yes, but
• 1:22:18
  Speaker 1: we may be able to find it quicker than that.
• 1:22:21
  Speaker 1: Muller took the little note book which he was now
• 1:22:24
  Speaker 1: carrying in his pocket, and took from it the tramway
• 1:22:27
  Speaker 1: ticket which was in the cover. He compared it with
• 1:22:31
  Speaker 1: the one he had just found. They were both marked
• 1:22:34
  Speaker 1: for the same hour of the day and for the
• 1:22:37
  Speaker 1: same ride. Did the man use them? Asked Omster. The
• 1:22:42
  Speaker 1: detective nodded, how can they help us? Somewhere on this
• 1:22:47
  Speaker 1: stretch of street railroad, you will probably find the stand
• 1:22:51
  Speaker 1: of the cab. We are looking for the man who
• 1:22:54
  Speaker 1: hired it. Evidently arrived on the six thirty train at
• 1:22:57
  Speaker 1: the West station. I have reason to believe that he
• 1:23:01
  Speaker 1: does not live here, and then took the street car
• 1:23:05
  Speaker 1: to this corner. The last ticket is marked for yesterday.
• 1:23:09
  Speaker 1: In the car, he probably made his plans to hire
• 1:23:12
  Speaker 1: a cab, so you had better stay along the line
• 1:23:16
  Speaker 1: of the car tracks. You will find me in Room
• 1:23:19
  Speaker 1: seven Police headquarters at noon to day. The authorities have
• 1:23:23
  Speaker 1: already taken up the case. You may have something to
• 1:23:26
  Speaker 1: tell us, then good luck to you. Mueller hurried on.
• 1:23:31
  Speaker 1: After he had taken a quick breakfast in a little cafe,
• 1:23:35
  Speaker 1: he went at once to his headquarters, made his report there,
• 1:23:39
  Speaker 1: and then drove to Felner's house. The latter was awaiting
• 1:23:43
  Speaker 1: him with great impatience. There the detective gathered much valuable
• 1:23:48
  Speaker 1: information about the first marriage of Astalangan's long dead father.
• 1:23:53
  Speaker 1: It was old Bernaire who could tell him the most
• 1:23:56
  Speaker 1: about these long vanished days. When he reached his office
• 1:24:00
  Speaker 1: at headquarters again, he found telegrams in great number awaiting him.
• 1:24:06
  Speaker 1: They were from all the hospitals and insane asylums in
• 1:24:09
  Speaker 1: the entire district, but in none of them had there
• 1:24:13
  Speaker 1: been a patient fitting the description of the vanished girl.
• 1:24:18
  Speaker 1: Neither the Commissioner nor Muller was surprised at this negative result.
• 1:24:23
  Speaker 1: They were also not surprised at all that the other
• 1:24:27
  Speaker 1: branches of the police department had been able to discover
• 1:24:30
  Speaker 1: so little about the disappearance of the young lady. They
• 1:24:35
  Speaker 1: were aware that they had to deal with a criminal
• 1:24:38
  Speaker 1: of great ability who would be careful not to fall
• 1:24:42
  Speaker 1: into the usual slips made by his kind. There was
• 1:24:47
  Speaker 1: no news from the cab either, although several detectives were
• 1:24:51
  Speaker 1: out looking for it. It was almost nightfall when Amster
• 1:24:55
  Speaker 1: ram breathlessly into the room number seven. I have him.
• 1:24:59
  Speaker 1: He's waiting outside across the way. This was Amster's report.
• 1:25:04
  Speaker 1: Muller threw on his coat hastily. You didn't pay him,
• 1:25:07
  Speaker 1: did you? On a cold day like this, The drivers
• 1:25:10
  Speaker 1: don't like to wait long in any one place. No danger.
• 1:25:15
  Speaker 1: I haven't money enough for that, replied Amster with a
• 1:25:18
  Speaker 1: sad smile. Muller did not hear him, as he was
• 1:25:22
  Speaker 1: already outside. But the Commissioner with whom he had been talking,
• 1:25:26
  Speaker 1: and to whom Muller had already spoken of his voluntary
• 1:25:30
  Speaker 1: assistant entered into a conversation with Omster and said to him, finally,
• 1:25:36
  Speaker 1: I will take it upon myself to guarantee your future
• 1:25:40
  Speaker 1: if you are ready to enter the Secret Service under
• 1:25:42
  Speaker 1: Muller's orders. If you wish to do this, you can
• 1:25:46
  Speaker 1: stay right on now, for I think we will need
• 1:25:49
  Speaker 1: you in this case. Omster bowed in agreement. His life
• 1:25:54
  Speaker 1: had been troubled, his reputation darkened by no fault of
• 1:25:57
  Speaker 1: his own, and the work he was now had awakened
• 1:26:01
  Speaker 1: an interest and an ability that he did not know
• 1:26:05
  Speaker 1: he possessed. He was more than glad to accept the
• 1:26:08
  Speaker 1: offer made by the official. Muller was already across the
• 1:26:12
  Speaker 1: street and had laid his hand upon the door of
• 1:26:14
  Speaker 1: the cab when the driver turned to him and said, crossly.
• 1:26:18
  Speaker 1: Some one else has ordered me, but I am not
• 1:26:21
  Speaker 1: going to wait in this cold Get in if you
• 1:26:24
  Speaker 1: want to, all right, now, tell me first where you
• 1:26:28
  Speaker 1: drove to last evening with the sick lady and her companion.
• 1:26:33
  Speaker 1: The man looked astonished, but found his tongue again in
• 1:26:36
  Speaker 1: a moment. And who are you, he asked, calmly. We
• 1:26:40
  Speaker 1: will tell you that upstairs in the police station. Answered
• 1:26:44
  Speaker 1: Muller equally calmly, and ordered the man to drive through
• 1:26:48
  Speaker 1: the gateway into the inner courtyard. He himself got into
• 1:26:52
  Speaker 1: the wagon, and in the course of the short drive
• 1:26:55
  Speaker 1: he had made a discovery. He had found a tiny
• 1:26:59
  Speaker 1: glass stopper, such as is used in perfume bottles. He
• 1:27:04
  Speaker 1: could understand from this why the odor of perfume, which
• 1:27:08
  Speaker 1: had now become familiar to him, was still so strong
• 1:27:12
  Speaker 1: inside the old cab, also why it was so strong
• 1:27:16
  Speaker 1: on the delicate handkerchief. Astelangen had taken the stopper from
• 1:27:21
  Speaker 1: the bottle in her pocket, so as to leave a
• 1:27:23
  Speaker 1: trail of odor behind her. End of chapter two. The
• 1:27:39
  Speaker 1: Case of the Pocket Diary Found in the Snow Chapter three.
• 1:27:43
  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 1:27:47
  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 1:27:52
  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. Recording today by Don Larsen in Minnesota.
• 1:27:59
  Speaker 1: The Case of the Rocket Diary Found in the Snow
• 1:28:02
  Speaker 1: by Fra. Augusta Groener, Chapter three, The Lonely Cottage, fifteen
• 1:28:09
  Speaker 1: minutes after the driver had made his report to Commissioner
• 1:28:13
  Speaker 1: von Mayringen. The latter with ombster entered another cab. A
• 1:28:18
  Speaker 1: well armed policeman mounted the box of this second vehicle
• 1:28:23
  Speaker 1: followed the cab ahead. The commissioner told his driver. The
• 1:28:26
  Speaker 1: second cab followed the one horse coop in which Muller
• 1:28:30
  Speaker 1: was seated. They drove first to number fourteen Cathedral Lane,
• 1:28:34
  Speaker 1: where Muller told Bernaire to come with him. He found
• 1:28:38
  Speaker 1: mister Felner ready to go also, and it was with
• 1:28:42
  Speaker 1: great difficulty that he could dissuade the invalid, who was
• 1:28:46
  Speaker 1: greatly fatigued by his morning visit to the police station,
• 1:28:50
  Speaker 1: from joining them. The carriages then drove off more quickly
• 1:28:54
  Speaker 1: than before. It was now quite dark a gloomy, stormy
• 1:28:59
  Speaker 1: winter evening. Muller had taken his place on the box
• 1:29:03
  Speaker 1: of his cab and sat peering out into the darkness
• 1:29:07
  Speaker 1: in spite of the sharp wind and the ice that
• 1:29:10
  Speaker 1: blew against his face. The detective could see that they
• 1:29:14
  Speaker 1: were going out from the more closely built portions of
• 1:29:17
  Speaker 1: the city and were now in new streets with half
• 1:29:21
  Speaker 1: finished houses. Soon they passed even these and were outside
• 1:29:26
  Speaker 1: of the city. The way was lonely and dreary, bordered
• 1:29:31
  Speaker 1: by wooden fences on both sides. Muller looked sharply to
• 1:29:35
  Speaker 1: right and to left. You should have become alarmed here,
• 1:29:40
  Speaker 1: he said to the driver, pointing to one part of
• 1:29:42
  Speaker 1: the fence. Why, asked the man, because this is where
• 1:29:47
  Speaker 1: the window was broken. I didn't know that until I
• 1:29:51
  Speaker 1: got home. Hum, you must have been nicely drunk. The
• 1:29:56
  Speaker 1: driver murmured something into his beard. Up here, this is
• 1:30:01
  Speaker 1: your turn down that street, Muller said, a few moments later,
• 1:30:05
  Speaker 1: as the driver turned the other way. How do you
• 1:30:09
  Speaker 1: know that, asked the man, surprised, None of your business.
• 1:30:15
  Speaker 1: This street will take us there just the same, probably,
• 1:30:19
  Speaker 1: But I prefer to go the way you went yesterday.
• 1:30:23
  Speaker 1: Very well, it's all the same to me. They were
• 1:30:26
  Speaker 1: silent again. Only the wind roared around them, and somewhere
• 1:30:30
  Speaker 1: in the distance a foghorn moaned. It was now six o'clock.
• 1:30:37
  Speaker 1: The snow threw out a mild light, which could not
• 1:30:39
  Speaker 1: brighten the deep darkness around them. About half an hour later,
• 1:30:44
  Speaker 1: the first cab halted, there's the house up there. Shall
• 1:30:48
  Speaker 1: I drive to the garden gate? No stop here. Muller
• 1:30:52
  Speaker 1: was already on the ground. Are there any dogs here?
• 1:30:56
  Speaker 1: He asked, I didn't hear any yesterday. That's of no value.
• 1:31:02
  Speaker 1: You didn't seem to hear much of anything yesterday. Muller
• 1:31:05
  Speaker 1: opened the door of the cab and helped Bernaire out.
• 1:31:09
  Speaker 1: The old man was trembling. That was a dreadful drive,
• 1:31:13
  Speaker 1: he stammered. I hope you will be happier on the
• 1:31:17
  Speaker 1: drive back, said the detective, and added, you stay here
• 1:31:21
  Speaker 1: with the commissioner. Now. The latter had already left his
• 1:31:25
  Speaker 1: cab with his companion. His sharp eyes glanced over the
• 1:31:29
  Speaker 1: heavily shaded garden and the little house in its midst
• 1:31:34
  Speaker 1: A little light shone from two windows of the first story.
• 1:31:38
  Speaker 1: The men's eyes looked toward them, and then the detective
• 1:31:41
  Speaker 1: and Omster walked toward a high picket fence which closed
• 1:31:46
  Speaker 1: the garden on the side nearest its neighbors. They shook
• 1:31:50
  Speaker 1: the various pickets without much caution, for the wind made
• 1:31:54
  Speaker 1: noise enough to kill any other sound. Omster called to Muller.
• 1:31:59
  Speaker 1: He found a loose picquet, and his strong young arms
• 1:32:03
  Speaker 1: had torn it out easily. Muller motioned to the other
• 1:32:07
  Speaker 1: three to join them. A moment later they were all
• 1:32:10
  Speaker 1: in the garden, walking carefully toward the house. The door
• 1:32:14
  Speaker 1: was closed, but there were no bars at the windows
• 1:32:17
  Speaker 1: of the ground floor. Amster looked inquiringly at the Commissioner,
• 1:32:22
  Speaker 1: and the latter nodded and said, all right, go ahead.
• 1:32:26
  Speaker 1: The next minute, Amster had broken in through one pane
• 1:32:29
  Speaker 1: of the window and turned the latch. The inner window
• 1:32:33
  Speaker 1: was broken already, so that it was not difficult for
• 1:32:36
  Speaker 1: him to open it without any further noise. He disappeared
• 1:32:40
  Speaker 1: into the dark room. Within in a few seconds, they
• 1:32:44
  Speaker 1: heard a key turn in the door, and it opened gently.
• 1:32:48
  Speaker 1: The men entered, all except the policeman, who remained outside.
• 1:32:53
  Speaker 1: The blind of his lantern was slightly opened, and he
• 1:32:56
  Speaker 1: had his revolver ready in his hand. Muller had opened
• 1:33:00
  Speaker 1: his lantern also, and they saw that they were in
• 1:33:03
  Speaker 1: a pearly furnished corridor, from which the staircase and one
• 1:33:08
  Speaker 1: door led out. The four men tiptoed up the stairway,
• 1:33:13
  Speaker 1: and the commissioner stepped to the first of the two doors,
• 1:33:16
  Speaker 1: which opened on to the upper corridor. He turned the
• 1:33:22
  Speaker 1: key which was in the lock, and opened the door.
• 1:33:25
  Speaker 1: But they found themselves in a room as dark as
• 1:33:28
  Speaker 1: was the corridor. From somewhere, however, a ray of light
• 1:33:32
  Speaker 1: fell into the blackness. The official stepped into the room,
• 1:33:37
  Speaker 1: pulling Brenaire in after him. The poor old man was
• 1:33:41
  Speaker 1: in a state of trembling excitement when he found himself
• 1:33:45
  Speaker 1: in the house where his beloved young lady might already
• 1:33:49
  Speaker 1: be a corpse. One step more and a smothered cry
• 1:33:53
  Speaker 1: broke from his lips. The Commissioner had opened the door
• 1:33:57
  Speaker 1: of an adjoining room, which was light and handsomely furnished.
• 1:34:02
  Speaker 1: Only the heavy iron bars across the closed windows showed
• 1:34:06
  Speaker 1: that the young lady, who sat leaning back wearily in
• 1:34:09
  Speaker 1: an arm chair, was a prisoner. She looked up as
• 1:34:14
  Speaker 1: they entered. The expression of utter despair and deep weariness
• 1:34:18
  Speaker 1: which had rested on her pale face changed to a
• 1:34:22
  Speaker 1: look of terror. Then she saw that it was not
• 1:34:25
  Speaker 1: her would be murderer who was entering, but those who
• 1:34:28
  Speaker 1: came to rescue. A bright flush illuminated her cheeks, and
• 1:34:33
  Speaker 1: her eyes gleamed, but the change was too sudden for
• 1:34:37
  Speaker 1: her tortured soul. She rose from her chair, then sank,
• 1:34:42
  Speaker 1: fainting to the floor. Bernaire threw himself on his knees
• 1:34:46
  Speaker 1: beside her, sobbing out, she is dying, she is dying.
• 1:34:52
  Speaker 1: Muller turned on the instant, for he had heard the
• 1:34:55
  Speaker 1: door on the other side of the hall open, and
• 1:34:58
  Speaker 1: a tall, slender man with a smooth with face and
• 1:35:00
  Speaker 1: a deep scar on his right cheek stood on the threshold,
• 1:35:04
  Speaker 1: looking at them in dazed surprise. For an instant only
• 1:35:09
  Speaker 1: had he lost his control. The next second he was
• 1:35:13
  Speaker 1: in his room again, slamming the door behind him, but
• 1:35:17
  Speaker 1: it was too late. Omster's foot was already in the
• 1:35:21
  Speaker 1: crack of the door, and he pushed it open to
• 1:35:24
  Speaker 1: let Muller enter. Well done, cried the latter, and then
• 1:35:29
  Speaker 1: he turned to the man in the room here, stop
• 1:35:32
  Speaker 1: that I can fire twice before you get the window open.
• 1:35:37
  Speaker 1: The man turned and walked slowly to the center of
• 1:35:40
  Speaker 1: the room, sinking down into an arm chair that stood
• 1:35:44
  Speaker 1: beside the desk. Neither Omster nor Muller turned their eyes
• 1:35:49
  Speaker 1: from him for a moment, ready for any attempt on
• 1:35:53
  Speaker 1: his part to escape, But the detective had already seen
• 1:35:57
  Speaker 1: something that told him that Langan was not thinking of flight.
• 1:36:02
  Speaker 1: When he turned to the desk, Muller had seen his
• 1:36:05
  Speaker 1: eyes glisten while a scornful smile parted his thin lips.
• 1:36:10
  Speaker 1: A second later, he had let his handkerchief fall, apparently carelessly,
• 1:36:15
  Speaker 1: upon the desk. But in this short space of time,
• 1:36:19
  Speaker 1: the detective's sharp eyes had seen a tiny bottle, upon
• 1:36:24
  Speaker 1: which was a black label with a grinning skull. Muller
• 1:36:28
  Speaker 1: could not see whether the bottle was full or empty,
• 1:36:32
  Speaker 1: but now he knew that it must hold sufficient poison
• 1:36:35
  Speaker 1: to enable the captured criminal to escape open disgrace. Knowing this,
• 1:36:41
  Speaker 1: Muller looked with admiration at the calmness of the villain,
• 1:36:45
  Speaker 1: whose intelligent eyes were turned towards him in evident curiosity.
• 1:36:50
  Speaker 1: Who are you and who else is here with you?
• 1:36:54
  Speaker 1: Asked the man calmly. I am Muller of the Secret Service,
• 1:36:58
  Speaker 1: replied his visitor, and added, you must put up with
• 1:37:02
  Speaker 1: us for the time being, mister Egan Langan, the police
• 1:37:06
  Speaker 1: commissioner is occupied with your step sister, whom you were
• 1:37:10
  Speaker 1: about to murder. Langon put his hand to his cheek,
• 1:37:15
  Speaker 1: looking at Mueller between his lashes, as he said to murder,
• 1:37:20
  Speaker 1: who can prove that we have all the proofs we need?
• 1:37:25
  Speaker 1: I will acknowledge only that I wanted Asta to disappear?
• 1:37:30
  Speaker 1: Muller smiled. What good would that have done you? You
• 1:37:34
  Speaker 1: wanted her entire fortune, did you not? But that could
• 1:37:38
  Speaker 1: have come to you only after thirty years, and you
• 1:37:41
  Speaker 1: are not likely to have waited that long. Your plan
• 1:37:45
  Speaker 1: was to murder your step sister, even if you could
• 1:37:48
  Speaker 1: not get a letter from her telling of her intention
• 1:37:51
  Speaker 1: to commit suicide. Langon rose suddenly, but controlled himself again
• 1:37:57
  Speaker 1: and sank back easily in his Then the old woman
• 1:38:02
  Speaker 1: has been talking, he asked. Muller shook his head. We
• 1:38:07
  Speaker 1: knew it through miss Langon herself. She has spoken to
• 1:38:12
  Speaker 1: no one for over ten days. But you let her
• 1:38:16
  Speaker 1: throw her note book out of the window of the
• 1:38:18
  Speaker 1: cab ah. There, you see, you should not have let
• 1:38:24
  Speaker 1: that happen. Drops of perspiration stood out on Langan's forehead
• 1:38:30
  Speaker 1: until now. Perhaps he had had some possible hope of escape,
• 1:38:35
  Speaker 1: It was useless now, he knew, as calmly as he
• 1:38:40
  Speaker 1: had spoken thus far, Muller continued, for twenty years, I
• 1:38:45
  Speaker 1: have been studying the hearts of criminals like yourself. But
• 1:38:48
  Speaker 1: there are things I do not understand about this case,
• 1:38:52
  Speaker 1: and it interests me very much. Langan had wiped the
• 1:38:56
  Speaker 1: drops from his forehead, and he now turned on Muller
• 1:39:00
  Speaker 1: a face that seemed made of bronze. There was but
• 1:39:04
  Speaker 1: one expression on it, that of cold scorn. I feel
• 1:39:09
  Speaker 1: greatly flattered, sir, to think that I can offer a
• 1:39:13
  Speaker 1: problem to one of your experience, Langon began. His voice,
• 1:39:18
  Speaker 1: which had been slightly veiled before, was now quite clear.
• 1:39:23
  Speaker 1: Ask me all you like, I will answer you. Mueller began,
• 1:39:29
  Speaker 1: Why did you wait so long before committing the murder?
• 1:39:32
  Speaker 1: And why did you drag your victim from place to
• 1:39:35
  Speaker 1: place when you could have killed her easily? In the
• 1:39:39
  Speaker 1: compartment of the railway train, the windows of the compartment
• 1:39:43
  Speaker 1: were open, my honored friend, and it was a fine,
• 1:39:47
  Speaker 1: warm evening for the season, because of which the windows
• 1:39:51
  Speaker 1: and the other compartments were all so open. There was
• 1:39:54
  Speaker 1: nothing else I could do at the time, then, except
• 1:39:57
  Speaker 1: to offer asked a cup of tea when she felt
• 1:40:00
  Speaker 1: a little faint upon leaving the train. I am a physician,
• 1:40:05
  Speaker 1: and I know how to use the right drugs at
• 1:40:08
  Speaker 1: the right time. When Asta had taken the tea, she
• 1:40:11
  Speaker 1: knew nothing more until she woke up a day later
• 1:40:14
  Speaker 1: in a room in the city and the piece of
• 1:40:18
  Speaker 1: paper with the threat on it, and the revolver you
• 1:40:21
  Speaker 1: left so handy for her. Oh, but I forgot. The
• 1:40:26
  Speaker 1: old woman took the weapon away before the lady could
• 1:40:29
  Speaker 1: use it in her despair, said Muller. Quite right, I
• 1:40:34
  Speaker 1: see you know every detail. But why didn't you complete
• 1:40:38
  Speaker 1: your crime in the room in the old house, persisted Muller,
• 1:40:43
  Speaker 1: because I lost my false beard one day upon the staircase,
• 1:40:47
  Speaker 1: and I feared the old woman might have seen my
• 1:40:50
  Speaker 1: face enough to recognize me. Again, I thought it better
• 1:40:54
  Speaker 1: to look for another place. And then you found this house. Yes,
• 1:40:59
  Speaker 1: but several days later, and you hired it in the
• 1:41:03
  Speaker 1: name of miss Astealangan, who would then have been found
• 1:41:07
  Speaker 1: dead here several days after you had entered the house
• 1:41:12
  Speaker 1: several days, several weeks. Perhaps I preferred to wait until
• 1:41:17
  Speaker 1: the woman who rented the house had read in the
• 1:41:19
  Speaker 1: papers that Astalangan had disappeared and was being sought for.
• 1:41:24
  Speaker 1: Somebody would have found her here, and her identity would
• 1:41:28
  Speaker 1: have easily been established, for I knew that she had
• 1:41:32
  Speaker 1: some important family documents with her. Muller was silent a moment,
• 1:41:37
  Speaker 1: with an expression of deep pity on his face. Then
• 1:41:41
  Speaker 1: he continued, Yes, some one would have found her, and
• 1:41:45
  Speaker 1: her suicide would have been a dark mystery, unless, of course,
• 1:41:50
  Speaker 1: malicious tongues would have found ugly reasons. Enough, why a
• 1:41:54
  Speaker 1: beautiful young lady should hide herself in a lonely cottage
• 1:41:58
  Speaker 1: to take her own life. Mueller had spoken as if
• 1:42:02
  Speaker 1: to himself. Egan Langan's lips parted in a smile so
• 1:42:06
  Speaker 1: evil that Amster clenched his fists, and you would not
• 1:42:11
  Speaker 1: have regretted this, ruining the reputation as well as taking
• 1:42:15
  Speaker 1: the life of an innocent girl, asked the detective, low
• 1:42:19
  Speaker 1: and tense. No, for I hated her. You hated her
• 1:42:24
  Speaker 1: because she was rich and innocent. She was very charitable
• 1:42:29
  Speaker 1: and would gladly have helped you if you were in need.
• 1:42:33
  Speaker 1: Besides this, you were entitled to a portion of your
• 1:42:36
  Speaker 1: father's estate. It is almost thirty thousand guldens, as mister
• 1:42:41
  Speaker 1: Felner telled me, Why did you not take that? Felner
• 1:42:47
  Speaker 1: did not know that I had already received twenty thousand
• 1:42:50
  Speaker 1: of this when my father turned me out. He probably
• 1:42:54
  Speaker 1: would have heard of it later, for Bernaire was the witness.
• 1:42:58
  Speaker 1: I did not care for the remaining ten thousand, because
• 1:43:01
  Speaker 1: I would have the entire fortune. After Asta's death. I
• 1:43:06
  Speaker 1: would have seen the official notice and the call for
• 1:43:09
  Speaker 1: airs in Australia and would have written from there announcing
• 1:43:13
  Speaker 1: that I was still alive. If you had come several
• 1:43:17
  Speaker 1: days later, I should have been a rich man within
• 1:43:19
  Speaker 1: a year. His clenched fist resting on his knee, the
• 1:43:25
  Speaker 1: rascal stared out ahead of him. When he ended his
• 1:43:28
  Speaker 1: shameless confession. In his rage and disappointment, he had not
• 1:43:33
  Speaker 1: noticed that Muller's hand dropped gently to the desk and
• 1:43:37
  Speaker 1: softly took a little bottle from under the handkerchief. Langon
• 1:43:43
  Speaker 1: came out of his dark thoughts only when Muller's voice
• 1:43:46
  Speaker 1: broke the silence. But you miscalculated. If you expect to
• 1:43:51
  Speaker 1: inherit from your sister, she is still a miner, and
• 1:43:55
  Speaker 1: your father's will would have given you only ten thousand guldens.
• 1:44:00
  Speaker 1: But you forget that Esta will be twenty four on
• 1:44:03
  Speaker 1: the third of December. Ah, then you would have kept
• 1:44:07
  Speaker 1: her alive until then, you understand, quickly, said Langon with
• 1:44:11
  Speaker 1: a mocking smile. But she disappeared on the eighteenth of November.
• 1:44:17
  Speaker 1: How could you prove that she died after her birthday? Therefore,
• 1:44:21
  Speaker 1: in full possession of her fortune and without leaving any will,
• 1:44:26
  Speaker 1: that is very simple. I buy several newspapers every day.
• 1:44:31
  Speaker 1: I would have taken them up to the fourth and
• 1:44:33
  Speaker 1: fifth of December, and left them here with the body.
• 1:44:38
  Speaker 1: You are more clever even than I thought, said the
• 1:44:41
  Speaker 1: detective dryly, as he heard the commissioner's steps behind him.
• 1:44:46
  Speaker 1: Muller put a whistle to his lips, and its shrill
• 1:44:50
  Speaker 1: tone rang through the house, calling up the policeman who
• 1:44:53
  Speaker 1: stood by the door. Eagan Langan's face was gray with
• 1:45:00
  Speaker 1: his features were distorted, and yet there was a ghost
• 1:45:04
  Speaker 1: of a smile on his lips. As he saw his
• 1:45:07
  Speaker 1: captors enter the door, he put his hand out, raised
• 1:45:12
  Speaker 1: his handkerchief hastily, and then a wild scream echoed through
• 1:45:16
  Speaker 1: the room, a scream that ended in a ghastly groan.
• 1:45:22
  Speaker 1: I have taken your bottle. You might as well give
• 1:45:25
  Speaker 1: yourself up quietly, said Muller, calmly, holding his revolver near
• 1:45:30
  Speaker 1: Langan's face. The prisoner threw himself out the detective, but
• 1:45:35
  Speaker 1: was caught and overpowered by Omster and the policeman. A
• 1:45:40
  Speaker 1: quarter of an hour later, the cabs drove back towards
• 1:45:43
  Speaker 1: the city. Inside one cowered Egan Langen, watched by the
• 1:45:49
  Speaker 1: policeman and Omster. Bernaire was on the box beside the driver,
• 1:45:55
  Speaker 1: telling the now interested man the story of what had
• 1:45:58
  Speaker 1: happened to his dear young lady. In the other cab,
• 1:46:02
  Speaker 1: sat asked de Langon with Kurt von Mayringen and Muller.
• 1:46:07
  Speaker 1: Do you feel better now, asked the young commissioner, in
• 1:46:11
  Speaker 1: sincere sympathy that was mingled with admiration for the delicate
• 1:46:15
  Speaker 1: beauty of the girl beside him, an admiration heightened by
• 1:46:20
  Speaker 1: her romantic story and marvelous escape, asked. He nodded and
• 1:46:25
  Speaker 1: answered gently, I feel as if some terrible weight were
• 1:46:29
  Speaker 1: lifted from my heart and brain. But I doubt if
• 1:46:32
  Speaker 1: I will ever forget these horrible days, when I had
• 1:46:36
  Speaker 1: already come to accept it as a fact that I
• 1:46:41
  Speaker 1: was to be murdered. This is the man to whom
• 1:46:46
  Speaker 1: you owe your escape, said the Commissioner, laying his hand
• 1:46:49
  Speaker 1: on Muller's knee. Asda did not speak, but she reached
• 1:46:53
  Speaker 1: out in the darkness of the cab, caught Muller's hand
• 1:46:57
  Speaker 1: and would have raised it to her lips had not
• 1:47:00
  Speaker 1: the little man drawn it away hastily. It was only
• 1:47:05
  Speaker 1: my duty, dear young lady, he said, A duty that
• 1:47:09
  Speaker 1: is not onerous when it means the rescue of innocence
• 1:47:13
  Speaker 1: and the preventing of crime. It is not always so unfortunately,
• 1:47:19
  Speaker 1: nor am I always so fortunate as in this case. This, indeed,
• 1:47:23
  Speaker 1: is what Muller calls a case with a happy ending.
• 1:47:27
  Speaker 1: For scarcely a year later, to his own great embarrassment,
• 1:47:31
  Speaker 1: he found himself the most honored guest and the center
• 1:47:35
  Speaker 1: of attraction equally with the bridal couple at the marriage
• 1:47:40
  Speaker 1: of Kurt von Mayringen and Astealangan. Muller asserts, however, that
• 1:47:46
  Speaker 1: he is not a success in society, and that he
• 1:47:49
  Speaker 1: would rather unravel fifty difficult cases than again be the
• 1:47:55
  Speaker 1: lion at a fashionable function. And of the pocket diary
• 1:48:01
  Speaker 1: found in the snow