 16 The last quarter of a minute Dorothy did not turn round. She was a prisoner. I made no mistake, she thought. They are the masters of the field of battle. But what has become of the others? On her right opened the entrance to the staircase which ascended the tower. Perhaps she might have fled up it and availed herself once more of the rope ladder. But what use would it be? Did not the kidnapping of Mont Falcon oblige her to fight to the end, in spite of the hopelessness of the conflict? She must throw herself into the arena, among the ferocious beasts. She went on. Though alone and without friends, she found herself quite cool. As she went, she let the little ball of paper roll down her skirt. It rolled along the floor and was lost among the pebbles in dust which covered it. As she came to the end of the vault, two arms shot out and two men covered her with their revolvers. Don't move. She shrugged her shoulders. One of them repeated harshly. Don't move or I shoot. She looked at them. They were two subordinates, poisonous looking robes, dressed as sailors. She thought she recognized in them the two individuals who had accompanied Destrychur to the manor. She said to them, The child! What have you done with the child? It was you who carried him off, wasn't it? With a sudden movement they seized her arms, and while one kept her covered with his revolver, the other said about the task of searching her. But an imperious voice checked them. Stop that. I'll do it myself. A third personage, whom Dorothy had not perceived, stepped out from the wall where enormous roots of ivy had concealed him, Destrychur. For all that he was still rigged out in his disguise of a Russian soldier, he was no longer the same man. Again she found him the Destrychur of robbery and hillocks manor. He had resumed his arrogant air and his wicked expression and did not try to conceal his slight limp. Now that his hair and beard were shaved off, she observed the flatness of the back of his head and the ape-like development of his jaw. He stood a long while without speaking. Was he tasting the joy of triumph? One would have said rather that he felt a certain discomfort in the presence of his victim, or at least that he was hesitating in his attack. He walked up and down, his hands behind his back, stopped, then walked up and down again. He asked her, Have you any weapon? None, she declared. He told his two hunchmen to go back to their comrades, then once more he began to walk up and down. Dorothy studied him carefully, searching his face for something human of which she might take hold. But there was nothing but vulgarity, baseness, and cunning in it. She had only herself to rely on. In the lists formed by the runes of the Great Tower, surrounded by a band of scoundrels, commanded by the most implacable of chiefs, watched, coveted, helpless, she had as her unique resource her subtle intelligence. It was infinitely little, and it was much, since already once before, within the walls of Helix Manor, placed in the same situation and facing the same enemy she had conquered. It was much because this enemy distrusted himself and so lost some of his advantages. From the moment he believed himself sure of success, and his attitude displayed all the insolence of one who believes he has nothing to fear, their eyes met. He began, how pretty she is, the little devil, a morsel fit for a king. It's a pity she detests me. And drawing nearer, he added, it really is detestation, Dorothy. She recoiled a step. He frowned. Yes, I know your father. Your father was very ill. He would have died in any case. So it wasn't really I who killed him. She said, And your confederate, a little while ago, the false Marquis. He sneered. Don't let's talk about that, I beg you. A measly fellow not worth a single regret. So cowardly and so ungrateful that, finding himself unmasked, he was ready to betray me, as you guessed. For nothing escapes you, Dorothy. And on my word it has been child's play to you to solve every problem. I, who have been working with the narrative of the servant Jeffrey, whose descendant I believe myself to be, have spent years making out what you have unraveled in a few minutes. Not a moment's hesitation. Not a mistake. You have spotted my game just as if you held my cards in your hand. And what astonishes me most, Dorothy, is your coolness at this moment. For at last, my dear, you know where we stand. I know. And you're not on your knees, he exclaimed. Truly, I was looking to hear your supplications. I saw you at my feet, dragging yourself along the ground. Instead of that, eyes which meet mine squarely, an attitude of provocation. I am not provoking you. I am listening. Then let us regulate our accounts. There are two. The account Dorothy. He smiled. We won't talk about that yet. That comes last. And the account Diamonds. At the present moment I should have been the possessor of them if you had not intercepted the indispensable document. Enough of obstacles. My dear Deleroux has confessed, with a revolver at his temple, that he gave you back the second envelope. Give it to me. If I don't? All the worse for Montfauquin. Dorothy did not even tremble. Assuredly she saw clearly the situation in which she found herself and understood that the duel she was fighting was much more serious than the first, at the manner. There she expected help. Here, nothing. No matter. With such a personage, there must be no weakening. The victor would be the one who should preserve an unshakable coolness, and should end, at some moment or other, by dominating the adversary. To hold out to the end, she thought stubbornly, to the end, and not till the last quarter of an hour, but till the last quarter of the last minute. She stared at her enemy and said in a tone of command, There's a child here who is suffering. First of all, I order you to hand him over to me. Oh, indeed, he said ironically, Mademoiselle orders. And by what right? By the right given me by the certainty that before long you will be forced to obey me, by whom, my liege lady? By my three friends, Earrington, Webster, and Dario? Of course, of course, he said. Those gentlemen are stout young fellows accustomed to field sports, and you have every right to count on those intrepid champions. He beckon to Dorothy to follow him and cross the arena, covered with stones, which formed the interior of the dungeon, to the right of a breach which formed the opposite entrance, and behind a curtain of ivy stretched over the bushes were small vaulted chambers, which must have been ancient prisons. One still saw rings affixed to the stones at their base. In three of these cells, Earrington, Webster, and Dario were stretched out, firmly gagged, bound with ropes, which reduced them to the condition of mummies and fastened them to the rings. The three men, armed with rifles, guarded them. In a fourth cell was the corpse of the false Marquis. The fifth contained Mitre Delaru and Mont Falcon. The child was rolled up in a rug. Above a strip of stuff, which hid the lower part of his face, his poor eyes full of tears, smiled at Dorothy. She crushed down the sob which rose to her throat. She uttered no word of protest or reproach. One would have said, indeed, that all these were secondary incidents which could not affect the issue of the conflict. Oh, well, chuckled gesture. What do you think of your defenders? And what do you think of the forces at my disposal? Three comrades to guard the prisoners, two others posted as sentinels to watch the approaches. I can be easy in mind, what? But why, my beauty, did you leave them? You were the bond of union. Left to themselves, they let themselves be gathered in stupidly, one by one, at the exit from the dungeon. It was no use any one of them struggling. It didn't work. Not one of my men got a shadow of a scratch. I had more trouble with Mitre Delaru. I had to oblige him with a bullet through his hat before he'd come down from a tree in which he had perched himself, as from on Falcon, an angel of sweetness. Consequently, you see, your champions being out of it, you can only count on yourself, and that isn't much. It's enough, she said. The secret of the diamonds depends on me and on me only. So you're going to untie the bonds of my friends and set the child free, in return for what? In return for that, I will give you the envelope of the Marquis de Begruvall. He looked at her. Hang it. It's an attractive offer. Then you'd give up the diamonds? Yes. Yourself and in the name of your friends? Yes. Give me the envelope. Cut the ropes. An access of rage seized him. Give me the envelope. After all, I'm master. Give it me. No, she said. I will have it. I will have that envelope. No, she said, yet more forcibly. He snatched the purse pinched to her bodice, for the top of it showed above its edge. Ah, he said in a tone of victory. The notary told me that you had put it in this, as you did the gold medal. At last I am going to learn. But there was nothing in the purse. Disappointed, mad with rage, he shook his fists in Dorothy's face, shouting, That was the game, was it? Your friend set free. I was done. The envelope at once. I have torn it up, she declared. You lie. One doesn't tear up a thing like that. One doesn't destroy a secret like that. She repeated. I tore it up, but I read it first. Cut the bonds of my friends, and I revealed the secret to you. He howled. You lie. You lie. The envelope at once. Ah, if you think that you can go on laughing at me for very long, I've had enough of it. For the last time, the envelope. No, she said. He rushed towards the cell in which the child was lying. Tore the cloak off him, seized his hair with one hand, and began to swing him like a bundle he was going to throw to a distance. The envelope, or I smash his head against the wall, he shouted at Dorothy. He was alohed some sight. His features were distorted by a horrible ferocity. His Confederates gazed at him, laughing. Dorothy raised her hand in token of acceptance. He set the child on the ground and came back to her. He was covered with sweat. The envelope, he said once more. She explained. In the entrance vault, in this end of it, opening into this place, a little ball on the ground among the pebbles. He called one of his Confederates and repeated the information to him. The man went off running. It was time, muttered the Ruffian, wiping the sweat from his brow. Look you, you shouldn't provoke me. And then why that air of defiance? He added, as if Dorothy's coolness shamed him. Damn it all. Lower your eyes. Am I not master here? Master of your friends. Master of you. Yes, of you. He repeated this word two or three times, almost to himself and with a look which made Dorothy uneasy. But hearing his Confederate, he turned and called to him sharply. Well, here it is. You're sure. You're sure. Ah, here we are. This is the real victory. He unfolded the crumpled envelope and held it in his hands, turning it slowly over and over, as if it were the most precious of possessions. It had not been opened. The seals were intact. No one then knew the great secret which he was going to learn. He could not prevent himself from saying aloud, no one, no one but me. He unsealed the envelope. It contained a sheet of paper folded in two, on which only three or four lines were written. He read those lines and seemed greatly astonished. Ah, it's devilish clever. And I understand why I found nothing, nor any of those who have searched. The old chap was right. The hiding place is undiscoverable. He began to walk up and down in silence, like a man who was weighing alternative actions. Then returning to the cells, he said to the three guards, his finger pointing to the prisoners. No means of their escaping is there. The ropes are strong. Then march along to the boat and get ready to start. His confederates hesitated. Well, what's the matter with you? said their leader. One of them risked saying. But the treasurer, Dorothy observed their hostile attitude. Doubtless they distrusted one another, and the idea of leaving before the division of the spoil appeared to endanger their interests. The treasurer, he cried. What about it? Do you suppose I'm going to swallow it? You'll get the share you've been promised. I've sworn it, and a big share too. He bullied all three of them, impatient to be alone. Hurry up. Ah, I was forgetting. Call your two comrades on duty, and all five of you carry away the false marquee. We'll throw him into the sea, and that way he'll neither be seen nor known. Get on. His confederates discussed the matter for a moment. But their leader maintained his ascendancy over them, and grumbling with the lowering faces, they obeyed his orders. Six o'clock, he said. At seven I'll be with you so that we can get off soon after dark, and have everything ready, mind you. Set the cabin in order. Perhaps they'll be an additional passenger. Once more he looked at Dorothy and studied her face while his confederates moved off. A passenger, or rather a lady passenger, watched Dorothy. Always impassive, she did not answer. But her suffering became keener and keener. The terrible moment drew near. He still held the envelope and the letter of the marquee in his hand. From his pocket he drew a lighter and lit it to read the instructions once more. Admirable, he murmured, almost purring with satisfaction. A first-class idea! As well search at the bottom of hell. Ah, the marquee! What a man! He twisted the paper into a long spill and put its end in the flame. The paper caught fire. At its flame he lit a cigarette with an affectation of nonchalance, and turning toward the prisoners, he waited, with hand outstretched, till there remained of the document only a little ash which was scattered by the breath of the breeze. Look, Webster! Look, Erington and Dario! This is all you'll ever see of the secret of your ancestor. A little ash! It's gone. Confess that you haven't been very smart. You are three stout fellows, and you haven't been able either to keep the treasure which was waiting for you, nor to defend the pretty cousin whom you admired open-mouthed. Hang it! There were six of us in the little room in the tower, and it would have been enough for one of you to grip hold of my collar. I was damned uncomfortable. Instead of that, what a cropper you came! All the worse for you, and all the worse for her! He showed them his revolver. I shan't need to use this. What? he said. You must have noticed that at the slightest movement the cords grow tight around your throats. If you insist, it's strangulation, pure and simple. A word to the wise. Now, cousin Dorothy, I'm at your service. Follow me. We're going to perform the impossible in our attempt to come to an understanding. All resistance was futile. She went with him to the other side of the tower across an accumulation of runes, to a chamber of which there only remained the walls, pierced with loopholes, which he said was the ancient guard room. We shall be able to talk comfortably here. Your suitors will be able neither to see nor hear us. The solitude is absolute. Look, here's a grassy bank. Please sit down. She crossed her arms and remained standing, her head straight. He waited, murmured. As you like. Then, taking the seat, he had offered her. He said. This is our third interview, Dorothy. The first time on the terrace of Robert Ray you refused my offers, which was to be expected. You were ignorant of the exact value of my information, and all I could seem to you was a rather odd and disreputable person against who you were burning to make war. A very noble sentiment which imposed on the Chagney cousins, but which did not deceive me, since I knew all about the theft of the earrings. In reality you had only one object, to get rid, in view of the great windfall you hoped for, of the most dangerous competitor. And the chief proof of that is that immediately after having denounced me, you hurried off to Hillock's Manor, where you would probably find the solution of the riddle, and where I was again brought up short by your intrigues. To turn young Davone's head and sneak the meddle, such was the task you undertook, and I admiringly confess carried it out from beginning to end. Only, only, Destreacher is not the kind of man to be disposed of so easily. Escape that sham fire, the recovery of the meddle, the capture of the cortical, in short complete redress. At the present moment the four diamonds belong to me. Whether I take possession of them tomorrow, or in a week, or in a year, is of no consequence. They are mine. Dozens of people, hundreds perhaps, have been vainly searching for them for two centuries. There is no reason why others should find them now. Behold me then exceedingly rich. Millions and millions. Wealth like that permits one to become honest, which is my intention, if always Dorothy consents to be the passenger of whom I told my men. One word and answer. Is it yes? Is it no? She shrugged her shoulders. I knew what to expect, he said. All the same I wished to make the test, before having to recourse to extreme measures. He awaited the effect of this threat. Dorothy did not stir. How calm you are, he said, in a tone in which there was a note of disquiet. However, you understand the situation exactly. Exactly. We are alone. I have as pledges, as means of acting on you, the life of Montfalcon, and the lives of these three bound men. Then how comes it that you are so calm? She said clearly and positively, I am calm because I know you are lost. Come, come, he said, laughing, irretrievably lost. And why? Just now, at the inn, after having learnt about the kidnapping of Montfalcon, I sent my three other boys to the nearest farms to bring all the peasants they met. He sneered. By the time they've got together a troop of peasants, I shall be a long way off. They are nearly here. I'm certain of it. Too late, my pretty dear. If I'd had the slightest doubt, I'd have had you carried off by my men. By your men? No. What is there to prevent it? You are afraid of them, in spite of your heirs of wild beast tamer. They're asking themselves whether you didn't stay here to take advantage of the secret you have stolen and get hold of the diamonds. They would find an ally in me. You would not dare to take the risk. And then? Then that's why I am calm. He shook his head and in a grating voice. A lie, little one. Play acting. You are paler than the dead, for you know exactly where you stand. Whether I am tracked here in an hour, or whether my men end by betraying me, makes little difference. What does matter to you, to me, is not what happens in an hour, but what is going to happen now. And you have no doubts about what is going to happen, have you? He rose and standing over her, studied her with a menacing bitterness. From the first minute I was caught like an imbecile, rope dancer, acrobat, princess, thief, mountbank. There is something in you which overwhelms me. I have always despised women. Not one has troubled me in my life. You. You attract me while you frighten me. Love. No. Hate. Or rather a disease. A poison which burns me and of which I must rid myself, Dorothy. He was very close to her. His eyes hard and full of fever. His hands hovered about the young girl's shoulders, ready to throw her down. To avoid their grasp she had to draw back towards the wall. He said in a very low, breathless voice, Stop laughing, Dorothy. I've had enough of your gypsy spells. The taste of your lips. That's the potion that's going to heal me. Afterwards I shall be able to fly and never see you again. But afterwards only. Do you understand? He set his two hands on her shoulders so roughly that she tottered. However, she continued to defy him with her attitude wholly contemptuous. Her will was strained to prevent him from getting once more the impression that she could tremble in the depths of her being in Grow Week. Do you understand? Do you understand? The man stuttered, hammering her arms and neck. Do you understand that nothing can stop it? Help is impossible. It's the penalty of defeat. Today I avenge myself, and at the same time I free myself from you. When we are separated I shall be able to say to myself, Yes, she hurt me, but I do not regret it. The denomah of the adventure effaces everything. He lent more and more heavily on the young girl's shoulders and said to her with sarcastic joy, Your eyes are troubled, Dorothy. What a pleasure to see that. There is fear in your eyes. Fear. How beautiful they are, Dorothy. This is indeed the reward of victory. Just a look like that, which is full of fear, fear of me. That is worth more than anything, Dorothy. Dorothy, I love you. Forget you? What folly. If I wish to kiss your lips, it is that I may love you even more, and that you may love me, that you may follow me like a slave and like the mistress of my heart. She touched the wall. The man tried to draw her to him. She made an effort to free herself. Ah, he cried in a sudden fury, mauling her. No resistance, my dear. Give me your lips at once, do you hear? If not, it's Montfalcon who will pay. Do you want me to swing him around again, as I did just now? Come, obey, or I'll certainly cut across to his cell, and so much the worse for the brat's head. Dorothy was at the end of her forces. Her legs were bending. All her beings shuddered with horror at this contact with the Ruffian, and at the same time she trembled to repulse him. So great was her fearless t-shirt at once fling himself on the child. Her stiff arms began to bend. The man redoubled his efforts to force her to her knees. It was all over. He was nearly at his goal. But at that moment the most unexpected sight caught her eye. Behind him, a few feet away, something was moving, something which passed through the opposite wall. It was the barrel of a rifle leveled at him through the loophole slit. On the instant she remembered that St. Quentin had carried away from the inn an old and useless rifle without cartridges. She did not make a sign which could draw Distriture's attention to it. She understood St. Quentin's maneuver. The boy threatened, but he could only threaten. It was for her to contrive the method by which that menace shud as soon as Distriture saw it directed against him, have its full effect. It was certain that Distriture would only need a moment to perceive, as Dorothy herself perceived, the rust and the deplorable condition of the weapon, as harmless as a child's gun. Quite clearly Dorothy perceived what she had to do, to pull herself together, to face the enemy boldly, and to confuse him. Were it only for a few seconds as she had already succeeded in upsetting him by her coolness and self-control. Her safety, the safety of Montfalcon, depended on her firmness. In Robert Ray Fortuna, she thought. But that thought she unconsciously uttered in a low voice, as one utters a prayer for protection, and that once she felt her adversary's grip relax. The old motto, on which she had so often reflected, uttered so quietly, at such a moment, by this woman whom he believed to be at bay, disconcerted him. He looked at her closely, and was astounded. Never had her beautiful face worn such a serene air. Over the white teeth the lips opened, and the eyes, a moment ago terrified and despairing, now regarded him with the quietest smile. What on earth is it? He cried beside himself, as he recalled her astounding laughter near the pool at Hillock's Manor. Are you going to laugh again today? I'm laughing for the same reason. You are lost. He tried to take it as a joke. Hang it, how? Yes, she declared. I told you so from the first moment, and I was right. You're mad, he said, shrugging his shoulders. She noticed that he had grown more respectful, and sure of a victory which rested in her extraordinary coolness and in the absolute similarity of the two scenes, she repeated. You are lost. The situation really is the same as at the Manor. There Rowland the children had gone to seek for help, and of a sudden, when you were the master, the barrel of a gun was leveled at you. Here it is the same. The three urchins have found men. They are there, as at the Manor with their guns. You remember, they are here. The barrels of the guns are leveled at you. You lie, stammered the Ruffian. They are there, she declared in a yet more impressive tone. I've heard my boy signal. They haven't wasted time coming round the tower. They are on the other side of that wall. You lie, he cried. What you say is impossible. She said, always with the coolness of a person no longer menaced by peril, and with an imperious contempt. Turn round, you'll see their guns leveled at your breast. Add a word for me, they fire. Turn round, then. He shrunk back. He did not wish to obey. But Dorothy's eyes, blazing, irresistible, stronger than he, compelled him, and yielding to their compulsion, he turned round. It was the last quarter of the last minute. With all the force of her being, with the strength of conviction which did not permit the Ruffian to think, she commanded, Hands up, you black guard, or they'll shoot you like a dog. Hands up, shoot there, show no mercy. Shoot, hands up. Destreet sure saw the rifle. He raised his hands. Dorothy sprang on him and in a second tore a revolver from his jacket pocket, and aiming at his head, without her heart quickening a beat and with a perfectly steady hand, she said slowly, her eyes gleaming maliciously, Idiot! I told you plainly you were lost. End of Chapter 16 Chapter 17 of The Secret Tomb by Maurice Leblanc This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter 17 The Secret Parishes The scene had not lasted a minute, and in less than a minute the readjustment had taken place. Defeat was changed to victory. A precarious victory. Dorothy knew that a man like Destreeture would not long remain the dupe of the illusion with which, by a stroke of really incredible daring, she had filled his mind. Nevertheless she essayed the impossible to bring about the Ruffian's capture, a capture which she could not affect alone, and which would only become definite if she kept him odd till the freeing of Webster, Errington, and Marco Dario. As authoritative as if she were disposing of an army corps, she gave her orders to her rescuers. What of you stay there with the rifle leveled, ready to fire at the slightest movement, and let the remainder of the troop go to set the prisoners free. Hurry up now, go round the tower, there to the left of the entrance, a little further on. The remainder of the troop was Caster and Pollux, unless Saint Quentin went with them, thinking at best simply to leave his rifle, model 1870, resting in the loophole and aimed directly at the Ruffian. They are going, they are entering, they are searching, she said to herself, trying to follow the movements of the children. But she saw Destriture's tense face little by little relax. He had looked at the barrel of the rifle. He had heard the quiet steps of the children, so different from the row which a band of peasants would have made. Soon she no longer doubted that the Ruffian would escape before the others came. The last of his hesitation vanished, he let his arms fall, grinding his teeth. Soled, he said. It's those brats and the rifle is nothing but old iron. My God, you have a nerve. Am I to shoot? Come off it, a girl like you kills to defend herself, not for killing sake. To hand me over to justice. Will that give you back the diamonds? I would rather have my tongue torn out and be roasted over a slow fire than divulge the secret. They're mine. I'll take them when I please. One step forward and I shoot. Right, you've won the party. I'm off. He listened. The brats are gabbling over yonder. By the time they've untied them I shall be a long way off. Au revoir, we shall meet again. No, she said. Yes, I shall have the last word. The diamonds first, the love affair afterwards. I did wrong to mix the two. She shook her head. You will not have the diamonds. Would I let you go if I weren't sure? But, and I've told you so, you are lost. Lost and why, he sneered. I feel it. He was about to reply. But the sound of voices nearer came to their ears. He leapt out of the guard room and ran for it, bending low through the bushes. Dorothy, who had darted after him, aimed at him with a sudden determination to bring him down. But after a moment's hesitation, she lowered her weapon murmuring, No, no, I cannot. I cannot. And then what good would it be? Anyhow, my father will be avenged. She went towards her friends. The boys had had great difficulty in freeing them. So tangled was the network of cords that bound them. Webster was the first to get to his feet and run to meet her. Where is he? Gone, she said. What! You had a revolver and you let him get away. Arrington came up, then Dario, both furious. He has got away. Is it possible? But which way did he go? Webster snatched Dorothy's weapon. You hadn't the heart to kill him. Was that it? I had not, said Dorothy. A black guard like that, a murderer. Oh, well, that's not our way, I swear. Here we are, friends. Dorothy barred their way. And his confederates? There are five or six of them besides Destrycher, all armed with rifles. All the better, said the American. There are seven shots in the revolver. I beg you, she said, fearing the result of an unequal battle. I beg you, besides, it's too late. They must have got on board their boat. We'll see about that. The three young men set out in pursuit. She would have liked to go with them, but Montfalcon clung to her skirt, sobbing, his legs still hampered by his bonds. Mummy, mummy, don't go away. I was so frightened. She no longer thought of anything but him, took him on her knees, and consoled him. You mustn't cry, Captain, dear. It's all over. That nasty man won't come back anymore. Have you thanked St. Quentin and your comrades, Caster and Pollux? Where would we have been without them, my darling? She kissed the three boys tenderly. Yes, where would we have been? Ah, St. Quentin, the idea of the rifle. What a find. You are a splendid fellow, old chap. Come and be kissed again, and tell me how you managed to get to us. I didn't miss the little heaps of pebbles that you sewed along the path from the inn. But why did you go round the marsh? Did you hope to get to the ruins of the Chateau by going along the beach at the foot of the cliffs? Yes, Mummy, replied St. Quentin, very proud at being so complimented by her, and deeply moved by her kisses. And wasn't it impossible? Yes, but I found a better way. On the sand, a little boat, which we pushed into the sea. And you had the courage, the three of you, and the strength to row. It must have taken you an hour. An hour and a half, Mummy. There were heaps of sandbanks which blocked our way. At last we landed not far from here inside of the tower. And when we got here, I recognized the voice of Destriture. Ah, my poor dear Tarlings. Again there was a deluge of kisses which she reigned right and left on the cheeks of St. Quentin, Castor's forehead, and the captain's head. And she laughed, and she sang. It was so good to be alive. So good to be no longer face to face with a brute who gripped your wrists and soullied you with his abominable leer. But she suddenly broke off in the middle of these transports. And Maitre Dele Rue, I was forgetting him. He was lying at the back of his cell behind a rampart of tall grasses. I turned to him. Quick, St. Quentin, cut his ropes. Goodness, he has fainted. Look here, Maitre Dele Rue. You come to your senses. If not, I leave you. Leave me, cried the notary, suddenly waking up. But you've no right, the enemy. The enemy has run away, Maitre Dele Rue. He may come back. These are terrible people. Look at the hole their chief made in my hat. The donkey finished by throwing me off, just at the entrance to the runes. I took refuge in a tree and refused to come down. I didn't stay there long. The ruffian knocked my hat off with the bullet. Are you dead? No, but I'm suffering from internal pains and bruises. That will soon pass off, Maitre Dele Rue. Tomorrow there won't be anything left, I assure you. St. Quentin, I put Maitre Dele Rue in your charge. And yours too, Montfalcon? Rub him. She hurried off with the intention of joining her three friends, whose badly conducted expedition worried her. Starting out at random, without any plan of attack, they ran the risk once more of letting themselves be taken one by one. Happily for them, the young men did not know the place where Destriture's boat was moored, and though the portion of the peninsula situated beyond the runes was of no great extent, since they were at once hampered by masses of rock which formed veritable barriers, she found all three of them. Each of them had lost his way in the labyrinth of little paths, and each of them, without knowing it, was returning to the tower. Dorothy, who had a finer sense of orientation, did not lose her way. She had a flair for the little paths which led nowhere, and instinctively chose those which led to her goal. Moreover, she soon discovered footprints. It was the path followed regularly by the band and going to and fro between the runes and the sea. It was no longer possible to go astray. But at this point they heard cries which came from a point straight ahead of them. Then the path turned sharply and ran to the right. A pile of rocks had necessitated this change of direction, abrupt and rugged rocks. Nevertheless, they scaled them to avoid making the apparently long detour. Dario, who was the most agile and leading, suddenly exclaimed, I see them. They're all on the boat. But what the devil are they doing? Webster joined him, revolver in hand. Yes, I see them too. Let's run down. We shall be nearer to them. Before them was the extremity of the plateau, on which the rock stood, on a promontory, a hundred and twenty feet high, which commanded the beach. Two very high granite needles formed as it were the pillars of an open door, through which they saw the blue expanse of the ocean. Look out! Down with you, commanded Dorothy, dropping full length on the ground. The others flattened themselves against the rocky walls. A hundred and fifty yards in front of them, on the deck of a large motor fishing boat, there was a group of five men, and among them a woman was gesticulating. Unseeing Dorothy and her friends, one of the men turned sharply, brought his rifle to his shoulder, and fired. A splinter of granite flew from the wall near Earrington. Halt there, or I'll shoot again! cried the man who had fired. Dorothy checked her companions. What are you going to do? The cliff is perpendicular. You don't mean to jump into the empty air. No, but we can get back to the road and go round, Dario proposed. I forbid you to stir. It would be madness. Webster lost his temper. I've a revolver. They have rifles they have. Besides, you would get there too late. The drama would be over. What drama? Look! Dominated by her, they remained quiet, sheltered from the bullets. Below them developed like a performance at which they were compelled to be present without taking part in it, what Dorothy had called the drama, and all at once they grasped its tragic horror. The big boat was rocking beside a natural quay which formed the landing-place of a peaceful little creek. The woman and the five men were bending over an inert body which appeared to be bound with bands of red wool. The woman was apostrophizing this sixth individual, shaking her fists in his face and heaping abuse on him, of which only a few words reached the ears of the young people. Thief! Coward! You refused, do you? You wait a minute. She gave some orders with regard to an operation, for which everything was ready, for the young people perceived, when the group of ruffians broke up, that the end of a long rope which ran over the main yard was round the prisoner's neck. Two men caught hold of the other end of it. The inert body was set on its feet. It stood upright for a few seconds, like a dull one is about to make dance. Then gently, without a jerk, they drew it up a yard from the deck. Just reach her! murmured one of the young men, recognizing the Russian soldier's cap. Dorothy recalled with a shudder the prediction she had made to her enemy directly after their meeting at the Chateau de Robberet. She sat in a low voice. Yes, just reach her. What do they want from him? They want to get the diamonds from him. But he hasn't got them. No, but they may believe he has them. I suspected that that was what they had in mind. I noticed the savage expression of their faces and the glances they exchanged as they left the ruins by districters' orders. They obeyed him in order to prepare the trap into which he has fallen. Below, the figure only remained suspended from the yard for an instant. They lowered the doll. Then they drew it up again, twice. And the woman yelled, Will you speak the treasure you promised us? What have you done with it? Besides Dorothy, Webster muttered, It is impossible. We can't allow them to. What? said Dorothy. You wanted to kill him a little while ago. Do you want to save him now? Webster and his friends did not quite know what they wanted. But they refused to remain inactive any longer in presence of this heart-rending spectacle. The cliff was perpendicular. But there were fissures and runlets of sand in it. Webster, seeing that the man with the rifle was no longer paying any attention to them, risked the descent. Dario and Earrington followed him. The attempt was vain. The gang had no intention of fighting. The woman started the motor. When the three young men set foot on the sand of the beach, the boat was moving out to sea, with the engine going full speed. The American vainly fired the seven shots in his revolver. He was furious, and he said to Dorothy, who got down to him, All the same, all the same we should have acted differently. There goes a band of robes, clearing off under our very eyes. What can we do? said Dorothy. Isn't the chief culprit punished? When they're out to sea, they'll search him again, and once certain that his pockets are really empty, that he knows the secret and will not reveal it, they'll throw their chief into the sea, along with the false marquee, whose corpse is actually at the bottom of the hold. And that's enough for you, the punishment of districter. Yes. You hate him intensely, then? He murdered my father, she said. The young men bowed gravely. Then Dario resumed. But the others? Let them go and get hanged somewhere else. It's much better for us. The band arrested and handed over to justice would have meant an inquiry, a trial, the whole adventure spread broadcast. Was that to our interest? The marquee de Bogreval advised us to settle our affairs among ourselves. Errington sighed. Our affairs are all settled. The secret of the diamonds is lost. Far away, northwards, towards Brittany, the boat was moving away. That same evening, towards nine o'clock, after having entrusted Mitre de la Rue to the care of the widow Amorex, all he thought of was getting a good night's rest and returning to his office as quickly as possible, and after having enjoined on the window absolute silence about the assault of which she had been the victim, Errington and Dario harnessed their horses to the caravan. St. Quentin led one-eyed magpie behind it. They were turned by the stony path up the gorge to the ruins of Roche-Périac. Dorothy and the children resumed possession of their lodging. The three young men installed themselves in the cells of the tower. Next morning, early, Archibald Webster mounted his motorcycle. He did not return till noon. I've come from Sarzao, he said. I have seen the monks of the Abbey. I have brought from them the ruins of Roche-Périac. Heavens, cried Dorothy, do you mean to end your days here? No, but Errington, Dario, and I wish to search in peace, and for peace there is no place like home. Archibald Webster, you seem to be very rich. Are you as firmly bent on finding the diamonds as all that? I'm bent on this business of our ancestor, Bogreval, ending as it ought to end. And that chance shouldn't, some day or other, give those diamonds to someone without any right to them who happens to come along. Will you help us, Dorothy? Goodness, no. Hang it, why not? Because as far as I am concerned, the adventure came to an end with the punishment of the culprit. They looked downcast. Nevertheless, you're staying on. Yes, I need rest, and my four boys need it too. Twelve days here leading the family life with you will do us a world of good. On the twenty-fourth of July in the morning I'm off. The date is fixed. Yes, for us too. Yes, I'm taking you with me. And to where do we travel? An old manor and vendet where, after the end of July, other descendants of the Lord of Bogreval will find themselves gathered together. I'm eager to introduce you to our cousins Davonee and Shagney Rubberay. After that you will be at liberty to return here, to bury yourselves with the diamonds of Golconda, along with you, Dorothy, without me. That case, said Webster, I sell my runes. For the three young men those few days were a continuous enchantment. During the morning they searched, without any kind of method, be it said, and was an ardour that lessened all the more quickly because Dorothy did not take part in their investigations. Really they were only waiting for the moment when they would be with her again. They lunched together near the caravan, which Dorothy had established under the shade of the big oak which commanded the avenue of trees. A delightful meal, followed by an afternoon no less delightful, and by an evening which they would have willingly prolonged till the coming of dawn. Not a cloud in the sky spoiled the beautiful weather. Not a traveller tried to make his way into their domain, or pass beyond the notice they had nailed to a branch. Private property, man traps. They lived by themselves, with the four boys with whom they had become the warmest friends, and in whose games they took part, all seven of them in an ecstasy before her whom they called the wonderful Dorothy. She charmed and dazzled them, her presence of mind during the painful day of the twelfth of July, her coolness in the chamber in the tower, her journey to the inn, her unyielding struggle against destructure, her courage, her deity, were so many things that awoke in them in astounded admiration. She seemed to them the most natural and the most mysterious of creatures, for all that she lavished explanations on them and told them all about her childhood, her life as nurse, her life as showman, the events at the chateau de rubberet and hillock's manor, they could not bring themselves to grasp the fact that she was at once the Princess of Argonne and Circus Manager, that she was just that, manifestly as reserved as she was fanciful, manifestly the daughter of a grand-senior every wit as much as Mountbank and Rope Dancer, but her delicate tenderness towards the four children touched them profoundly, to such a degree did the maternal instinct reveal itself in her affectionate looks and patient care. On the fourth day Marco Dario succeeded in drawing her aside and made his proposal. I have two sisters who would love you like a sister. I live in an old palace in which, if you would come to it, you would wear the heir of a lady of the Renaissance. On the fifth day the trembling Earrington spoke to her of his mother, who would be so happy to have a daughter like you. On the sixth day it was Webster's turn. On the seventh day they nearly came to blows. On the eighth day they clamoured to her to choose between them. Why between you, she said laughingly. You are not the only people in my life besides my four boys. I have relations, cousins, or other suitors perhaps. Choose. On the ninth day, under severe pressure, she promised to choose. Well there, she said, I'll set you all in a row and kiss the one who shall be my husband. When? On the first day of the month of August. Swear it. I swear it. After that they stopped searching for the diamonds. As Earrington observed, and Montfalcon had said it before him, the diamonds they desired were she, Dorothy. Their ancestor, Beau Graval, could not have foreseen for them a more magnificent treasure. On the morning of the twenty-fourth, Dorothy gave the signal for their departure. They quitted the runes of Roche Periaque and said goodbye to the riches of the Marquis de Beau Graval. All the same, said Dario. You ought to have searched, cousin Dorothy. You only are capable of discovering what no one has discovered for two centuries. With a careless gesture, she replied, our excellent ancestor took care to tell us himself where the fortune was to be found in Robberet. Let us accept his decision. They travelled again the stages which she had travelled already, crossed the valaine, and took the road to Nantes. In the villages one must live, and the young girl accepted help from no one. Dorothy's circus gave performances. Fresh cause for amazement on the part of the three foreigners. Dorothy conducting the parade, Dorothy on one-eyed magpie, Dorothy addressing the public, what sparkling and picturesque scenes. They slept two nights at Nantes, where Dorothy desired to see Mitre de la Rue. Quite recovered from his emotions, the notary welcomed her warmly, introduced her to his family, and kept her to lunch. Finally on the last day of the month, starting early in the morning, they reached Hillock's manor in the middle of the afternoon. Dorothy left the caravan in front of the gateway with the boys, and entered, accompanied by the three young men. The courtyard was empty. The farm servants must be at work in the fields. But through the open windows of the manor they heard the noise of a violent discussion. A man's voice, harsh and calming. Dorothy recognized it as the voice of Voirin, the moneylender, was scolding furiously, reinforced by thumbs on the table. You've got to pay, Montserral. Here's the bill of sale, signed by your grandfather, at five o'clock on the 31st of July, 1921, 300,000 francs in banknotes or government securities. If not, the manor is mine. It's four fifty. Where's the money? Dorothy heard next the voice of Rao, then the voice of Count Octave de Chagny offering to arrange to pay the sum. No arrangements, said the moneylender. Banknotes. It's four fifty-six. Archibald Webster caught Dorothy by the sleeve and murmured. Rao, it's one of our cousins. Yes. And the other man? A moneylender. Offer him a check. He won't take it. Why not? He wants the manor. What of it? We're not going to let a thing like that happen. Dorothy said to him, You're a good fellow, Archibald, and I thank you. But do you think that it's by chance that we're here on the thirty-first of July at four minutes to five? She went towards the steps, mounted them, crossed the hall, and entered the room. Two cries greeted her appearance on the scene. Rao started up, very pale. The Countess de Chagny ran to her. She stopped them with a gesture. In front of the table, Voirin, supported by two friends whom he had brought as witnesses, his papers indeed spread out before him, held his watch in his hand. Five o'clock, he cried in a tone of victory. She corrected him. Five o'clock by your watch, perhaps? Well, look at the clock. We have still three minutes. And what of it? said the moneylender. Well, three minutes are more than we need to pay this little bill and clear you out of the house. She opened the travelling cape she was wearing, and from one of its inner pockets drew a huge yellow envelope which she tore open. Out of it came a bundle of thousand fronk notes and a packet of securities. Count Montseur, no, not here. It would take rather a time, and we're eager to be by ourselves. Gently, but with a continuous pressure, she pushed him towards the door and his two witnesses with him. Excuse me, Montseur, but it's a family party, cousins who haven't seen one another for two hundred years, and we're eager to be by ourselves. You're not angry with me, are you? And, by the way, you will send the receipt to Montseur Devonnet. Au revoir, gentlemen. There, there's five o'clock striking. Au revoir. End of Chapter 17. Chapter 18 of The Secret Tomb by Maurice Leblanc. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter 18 in Robberay, Fortuna. When Dorothy had shut the door on the three men, she turned to find Ralph flushed and frowning, and he said, No, no, I can't allow it. You should have consulted me first. Don't get angry, she said gently. I wished first of all to rid you of this fellow voyrin. That gives us time to think things out. I've thought them out, he snapped. I consider that settlement null and void. I beg you, Raul, a little patience. Postpone your decision till tomorrow. By tomorrow, perhaps, I shall have persuaded you. She kissed the Countess de Chagny, then beckoning to the three strangers. She introduced them. I bring you guests, madam. Our cousin George Errington of London. Our cousin Marco Dario of Genoa. Our cousin Archibald Webster of Philadelphia. Knowing that you were to come here, I was determined that the family should be complete. Thereupon she introduced Raul d'Avone, Count Octave, and his wife. They exchanged vigorous handshakes. Excellent, she said. We are united as I desired, and we have thousands and thousands of things to talk about. I've seen Destruture again, Raul, and as I predicted he has been hanged. Also, I met your grandfather and Juliet Assire a long way from here. But perhaps we are getting along a bit too quickly. First of all, there is a most urgent duty to fulfill with regard to our three cousins who are bitter enemies of the Dry Regime. She opened the cupboard and found a bottle of port and some biscuits, and as she poured out the wine, she said about relating her expedition to Roche Periac. She told the story quickly and a trifle incoherently, omitting details and getting them in the wrong order, but for the most part giving them a comic turn which greatly amused the Count and Countess Dishagny. Then, said the Countess when she came to the end of her story, the diamonds are lost. That, she replied, is the business of my three cousins. Ask them. During the young girl's explanations, they had all three stood rather apart, listening to Dorothy, pleasant to their hosts, but wearing an absent-minded air, as if they were absorbed in their own thoughts. And those thoughts the Countess must be thinking too, as well as the Count, for there was one matter which filled the minds of all of them and made them ill at ease till it should be cleared up. It was Errington who took the matter up before the Countess had asked the question, and he said to the young girl, Cousin Dorothy, we don't understand. No, we're quite in the dark, and I think you won't think us in discreet if we speak quite openly. Speak away, Errington. Oh, well, it's this, that three hundred thousand francs. Where did they come from? said Dorothy, ending his sentence for him. That's what you want to know, isn't it? Well, yes. She bent towards the Englishman's ear and whispered, all my savings earned by the sweat of my brow. I beg you. Doesn't that explanation satisfy you? Then I'll be frank. She bent towards his other ear and in a lower whisper still. I stole them. Oh, don't joke about it, Cousin. But goodness, George Errington, if I did not steal them, what do you suppose I did do? He said slowly, my friends and I are asking ourselves if you didn't find them. Where? In the runes of Periac. She clapped her hands. Bravo, they've guessed it. You're right, George Errington of London. I found them at the foot of a tree under a heap of dead leaves and stones. That's where the Marquis de Beauvaux hit his banknotes in six percents. The other two cousins stepped forward. Marco Dario, who looked very worried, said gravely. Be serious, Cousin Dorothy. We beg you and don't laugh at us. Are we to consider the diamonds lost or found? It's a matter of great importance to some of us. I admit that it is to me. I had given up hopes of them. But now, all at once, you let us imagine an unexpected miracle. Is there one? She said, but why this supposition? Firstly, because of this unexpected money which we might attribute to the sale of one of the diamonds. And then, and then, I must say it, because it seems to us, taking it all round, quite impossible that you should have given up the search for that treasure. What? You, Dorothy, after months of conflicts and victories, at the moment you reach your goal, you suddenly decide to stand by with your arms folded, not a single effort, not one investigation. No, no, on your part it's incredible. She looked from one to the other mischievously. So that, according to you, cousins, I must have performed the double miracle of finding the diamonds without searching for them. There's nothing you couldn't do, said Webster Gailey. The Countess supported them. Nothing, Dorothy, and I see from your air that you've succeeded in this, too. She did not say no. She smiled quietly. They were all round her, curious or anxious. The Countess murmured, You have succeeded, haven't you? Yes, said Dorothy. She had succeeded. The insoluble problem, with which so many minds had wrestled so many times and at such length, for ages, she had solved it. But when, at what moment, cried George Errington, You never left us. Oh, it goes a long way further back than that. It goes back to my visit to the Chateau de Robberet. Hey, what? What's that, you say? cried the astounded Countess Shagney. From the first minute I knew at any rate the nature of the hiding place in which the treasure was shut up. But how? From the motto. From the motto? But it's so plain, so plain that I've never understood the blindness of those who have searched for the treasure, and that I went so far as to declare the man who, when concealing a treasure, gave so much information about it, ingenious in the extreme. But he was right, was the Marquis de Bagreval. He could engrave it all over the place, on the clock of his Chateau, on the wax of his seals, since to his descendants his motto meant nothing at all. If you knew, why didn't you act at once? said the Countess. I knew the nature of the hiding place, but not the spot on which it stood. This information was supplied by the gold medal. Three hours after my arrival at the ruins, I knew all about it. Marco Dario repeated several times, in robberet fortuna, in robberet fortuna, and the others also pronounced the three words as if they were a cabalistic formula, the mere utterance of which is sufficient to produce marvellous results. Dario, she said, you know Latin, and you Earrington, and you Webster. Well enough, said Dario, to make out the sense of those three words, there's nothing tricky about them. Fortuna means the fortune. In this case the diamonds, said she. That's right, said Dario, and he continued his translation. The diamonds are in robberet. In the firm heart, said Earrington, laughing. Invigor in force, added Webster. And for you three that's all that the word robberet, the ablative of the Latin word robber, means? Goodness yes, they answered. Robber, force, firmness, energy. She shrugged her shoulders disdainfully. Ah, well, I, who know just about as much Latin as you do, but have the very great advantage over you of being a country girl, to me, when I walk in the country and see that variety of oak, which is called the rover, it nearly always occurs that the old French word rover is derived from the Latin word robber, which means force, and also means oak. And that's what led me, when on the 12th of July I passed, along with you, near the oak, which stands out so prominently in the middle of the clearing, at the beginning of the avenue of oaks, that's what led me to make the connection between that tree and the hiding place, and so to translate the information which our ancestor untiringly repeated to us, I have hidden my fortune in the hollow of a rover oak. There you are, as you perceive, it's as simple as winking. Having made her explanation with a charming gaiety, she was silent. The three young men gazed at her in wonder and amazement. Her charming eyes were full of her simple satisfaction at having astonished her friends by this uncommon quality, this inexplicable faculty with which she was gifted. You are different, said Webster. You belong to a race, a race, a race of sound Frenchmen who have plenty of good sense, like all the French. No, no, said he, incapable of formulating the thoughts which oppressed all three of them. No, no, it's something else. He bent down before her and brushed her hand with his lips. Errington and Dario also bent down in the same respectful act, while to hide her emotion she mechanically translated, Fortuna, fortune, in robberie, in the oak. And she added, The deepest depths of the oak, in the heart of the oak, one might say, there was about six feet from the ground one of those ring-shaped swellings, that scar which wounds in the trunks of trees leave. And I had an intuition that that was the place in which I must search, and that there the Marquis de Beau Graval had buried the diamonds he was keeping for his second existence. There was nothing else to do but make the test. That's what I did, during the first few nights while my three cousins were sleeping. St. Quentin and I got to work at our exploring with our gimlets and saws and centre-bits, and one evening I suddenly came across something too hard to bore. I had not been mistaken. The opening was enlarged, and one by one I drew out of it four balls the size of a hazelnut. All I had to do was to clear off a regular matrix of dirt to bring to light four diamonds. Here are three of them. The fourth is in pawn with Major Deliru, who very kindly agreed. After a good deal of hesitation, and a minute expert examination by his jeweler, to lend me the necessary money till to-morrow. She gave the three diamonds to her three friends, magnificent stones, of the same size, quite extraordinary size, and cut in the old-fashioned way with opposing facets. Errington, Webster, and Dario found it disturbing merely to look at them and handle them. Two centuries before, the Marquis de Beau Graval, that strange visionary, dead of his splendid dream of a resurrection, had entrusted them to the very tree under which doubtless he used to go and lie and read. For two hundred years nature had continued her slow and uninterrupted work of building walls, ever and ever thicker walls, round the little prison chosen with such a subtle intelligence. For two hundred years generation after generation had passed near this fabulous treasure, searching for it perhaps by reason of a confused legend, and now the great, great, great, great granddaughter of the good man, having discovered the undiscoverable secret, and penetrated to the most mysterious in the obscure of caskets, offered them the precious stones which their ancestor had brought back from the Indies. Keep them, she said. Three families sprung from the three sons of the Marquis have lived outside France. The French descendants of the fourth son will share the fourth diamond. Oh, what do you mean? asked Count Octave in a tone of surprise. I say that we are three French heirs, you, Rao, and I. That each diamond, according to the jeweler's valuation, is worth several millions, and that our rites, the rites of all three of us, are equal. My rite is null, said Count Octave. Why, she said, we are partners, a compact, a promise to share the treasure made you a partner with my father and Rao's father. A lapsed compact, cried Rao Davernay in his turn. For my part, I accept nothing. The will leaves no room for discussion. Four meddles, four diamonds. You are three cousins and you, Dorothy. You only have the right to inherit the riches of the Marquis. She protested warmly. And you too, Rao. You too. We fought together. Your grandfather was a direct descendant of the Marquis. He possessed the token of the medal. That medal was of no value. How do you know? You've never had it in your hands. I have. Impossible. There was nothing in the disc I fished up under your eyes. It was simply a bage to catch the treacher. Then, when my grandfather came back from his journey to Roche Pariac, where you met him with Juliette Sire, one day I found him weeping in the orchard. He was looking at a gold medal, which he let me take from him and look at. On it were all the indications you have described, but the two faces were cancelled by a cross, which manifestly as I told you, deprived it of all value. Dorothy appeared greatly surprised by this revelation, and she replied in an absent-minded tone. Oh, really? You saw? She went to one of the windows and stood there for some minutes, her forehead resting against the pain. The last veils which obscured the adventure were withdrawn. Really, there had been two gold medals. One which was invalid and belonged to Jean Dargon had been stolen by Destreacher, recovered by Raoul's father, and sent to the Old Baron. The other, the valid one, was the one which belonged to the Old Baron, who, out of prudence or greed, had never spoken of it to his son or grandson. In his madness, and dispossessed in his turn of the token, which he had hidden in his dog's collar, he had gone to win the treasure with the other medal, which he had entrusted to Juliet Assire, and which Destreacher had been unable to find. All at once Dorothy saw all the consequences which followed this revelation. In taking from the dog's collar the medal which she believed to be hers, she had robbed Raoul of his inheritance. In returning to the manor and offering alms to the son of the man who had been an accomplice in her father's murder, she had imagined that she was performing an act of generosity and forgiveness, whereas she was merely restoring a small portion of that of which she had robbed him. She restrained herself and said nothing. She must act cautiously in order that Raoul might never suspect his father's crime. When she came from the window to the middle of the room, you would have said that her eyes were full of tears. Nevertheless she was smiling, and she said in a careless tone, Serious business tomorrow, today let us rejoice at being reunited and celebrate that reunion. Will you invite me to dinner, Raoul? And my children, too. She had recovered all her gaiety. She ran to the big gateway of the orchard and called the boys, who came joyfully. The captain threw himself into the arms of the Countess de Chagny. St. Quentin kissed her hand. They observed that Castor and Pollux had swollen noses, signs of a recent conflict. The dinner was washed down with sparkling cider and champagne. All the evening Dorothy was light-hearted and affectionate to them all. They felt that she was happy to be alive. Archibald Webster recalled her promise to her. It was the next day, the first of August, that she was to choose among her suitors. I sticked to my promise, she said. You will choose among those who are here, for I suppose that cousin Raoul is not the last to come forward as a candidate. Among those who are here, and as there can be only one chosen, I insist on kissing you all tonight. She kissed the four young men, then the Count and Countess, then the four boys. The party did not break up till midnight. Next morning, Raoul, octave de Chagny, his wife, and the three strangers were at breakfast in the dining room when a farm servant brought a letter. Raoul looked at the handwriting and murmured gloomily. Ah, a letter from her. Like the last time. She has gone. He remembered, as did the Count and Countess, heard the parter from Rabarrae. He tore open the letter and read aloud. Raoul, my friend, I earnestly beg you to believe blindly what I am going to tell you. It was revealed to me by certain facts which I learnt only yesterday. What I am writing is not a supposition, but an absolute certainty. I know it as surely as I know that light exists, and though I have very sound reasons for not divulging the proofs of it, I nevertheless wish you to act and think with the same conviction and serenity as I do myself. By my eternal salvation this is the truth. Earrington, Webster, Dario, and you, Raoul, are the veritable heirs of the Marquis de Burgreval, specified in his will. Therefore the fourth diamond is yours. Webster will be delighted to go to Nantes tomorrow to give Maitre-de-Leroux a check for three hundred thousand francs and bring you back the diamond. I am sending to Maitre-de-Leroux at the same time as the receipt which he signed, the necessary instructions. I will confess, Raoul, that I felt a little disappointed yesterday when I discerned the truth. Not much, just a few tears. Today I am quite contented. I had no great liking for that fortune. Too many crimes and too many horrors went with it. Some things I should never have been able to forget. And then, and then money is a prison, and I could not bear to live locked up. Raoul and you, my three new friends, you asked me, rather by way of a joke, wasn't it, to choose a sweetheart among those who found themselves at the manner yesterday. May I answer you in rather the same manner, that my choice is made, that it is only possible for me to devote myself to the youngest of my four boys first, then to the others. Don't be angry with me, my friends. My heart, up to now, is only the heart of a mother, and it only thrills with tenderness, anxiety, and love for them. What would they do if I were to leave them? What would become of my poor Mont Falcon? They need me, and the really healthy life we lead together. Like them, I am a nomad, a vagabond. There is no dwelling place as good as our caravan. Let me go back to the high road, and then, after a time, we will meet again, shall we? Our cousins, the Dishogny, will welcome us at Robberay. Come, let us fix a date. Christmas and New Year's Day there. Does that please you? Good-bye, my friend. My best love to you all, and a few tears. In Robberay, Fortuna. Fortune is in the firm heart. I kiss you all. Dorothy. A long silence followed the reading of this letter. At the end of it Count Octave said, A strange creature, when one considers that she had the four diamonds in her pocket, that is to say ten or twelve million francs, and that it would have been so easy for her to say nothing and keep them. But the young men did not take up this train of thought. For them, Dorothy, was the very spirit of happiness, and happiness was going away. Rao looked at his watch and beckoned to them to come with him. He led them to the highest point of the hillocks. On the horizon, on a white road which ran upwards among the meadows, the caravan was moving. Three boys walked beside one-eyed magpie. Saint Quentin was leading him. Behind, all alone, Dorothy, Princess of Argonne and Rope Dancer.