 23 The wreck of the Lancaster. Jerome Fandor entered the room without a word. Jove closed the door behind him. The boy was very pale and manifestly much upset. What is the matter? said Jove. Something terrible has happened, the boy answered. I have just heard awful news. My poor father is dead. What? Jove exclaimed sharply. Monsieur Etienne Rambair dead? Jerome Fandor put a newspaper into the detective's hand. Read that, he said, and pointed to an article on the front page with a huge headline. Wreck of the Lancaster. 150 lives lost. There were tears in his eyes and he had such obvious difficulty in restraining his grief that Jove saw that to read the article would be the speediest way to find out what had occurred. The red starliner Lancaster, plying between Caracas and Southampton, had gone down with all hands the night before just off the Isle of Wight and at the moment of going to press only one person was known to have been saved. There was a good sea running, but it was by no means rough and the vessel was still within sight of the lighthouse and making for the open sea at full speed when the lighthouseman suddenly saw her literally blown into the air and then disappear beneath the waves. The alarm was given immediately and both of all kinds put off to the scene of the disaster. But though a great deal of wreckage was still floating about, only one man of the crew was seen clinging to a spar. He was picked up by the Campbell and taken to hospital where he was interviewed by the Times without, however, being able to throw any light upon what was an almost unprecedented catastrophe in the history of the sea. All he could say was that the liner had just got up full speed and was making a perfectly normal beginning of a trip when suddenly a tremendous explosion occurred. He himself was engaged at the moment, fastening the tarpaulins over the baggage hold and he was confident that the explosion occurred among the cargo. But he could give absolutely no more information. The entire ship seemed to be riven asunder and he was thrown into the sea, stunned and knew no more until he recovered consciousness and found himself aboard the Campbell. It's quite incomprehensible as you've muttered. Surely there can't have been any powder aboard. No explosives are carried on these great liners. They only take passengers and the males. He scanned the list of passengers. Atie and Rambeer's name is given among the first-class passengers right enough, he said. Well, it's odd. Jerome Fandor heaved a profound sigh. It is a fatality which I shall never get over, he said. When you told me the other day that you knew I was innocent, I ought to have gone to see my father in spite of what you said. I am sure he would have believed me and come to see you. Then you could have convinced him and I should not have this horrible grief of remembering that he had died without learning that his son was not a bad man but was quite deserving of his affection. Jerome Fandor was making a brave struggle to maintain his self-control and Jove looked at him without concealing the real sympathy he felt for him and his grief. He put his hand kindly on his shoulder. Listen, my dear boy, odd as you may think it, you can take my word for it that there is no need for you to despair. There is nothing to prove that your father is dead. He may or may not have been on board. The boy looked up in surprise. What do you mean, Jove? I don't want to say anything, my boy, except that you would be very wrong to give way to distress at present. If you have any confidence in me, you may believe me when I say that there is nothing yet to prove that you have had this loss and besides, you still have your mother who is perfectly sure to get well. Do you understand? Perfectly sure. He changed the subject abruptly. There is one thing I should like to know. What the dickens brought you here? You are the first person I thought of in my trouble, Fandor replied. Directly I read about the disaster in that paper. I came to tell you at once. Yes, I quite understand that, Jove answered. What I do not understand is how you guessed that you would find me here in Gern's flat. The question seemed to perturb the boy. It was quite by chance, he stammered. That is the kind of explanation one offers to fools, Jove retorted. By what chance did you see me come into this house? What the deuce were you doing in the Rue Leverre? The lad showed some inclination to make for the door, but Jove stayed imperemptorily. Answer my question, please. How did you know I was here? Driven into a corner, I saw the truth. I had followed you. Followed me, Jove exclaimed. Where from? From your rooms. You mean, and you may as well own up to it at once, that you were shadowing me? Well, yes, Mr. Jove, it is true, Fandor confessed all in one breath. I was shadowing you. I do every day. Jove was dumbfounded. Every day, and I never saw you? You were jolly clever. And may I inquire why you have been exercising this supervision over me? Jerome Fandor hung his head. Forgive me, he faltered. I have been very stupid. I thought you... I thought you were... Fontamas. The idea tickled the detective so much that he dropped back into a chair to laugh at his ease. Upon my word, he said, you have an imagination. You suppose that I was Fontamas. Mr. Jove, Fandor said earnestly, I made a vow that I would find out the truth and discover the scoundrel who has made such awful havoc of my life. But I did not know where to begin. From all you have said, I realized that Fontamas was a most extraordinarily clever man. I did not know anyone who could be cleverer than you, and so I watched you. It was merely logical. Being angry, Jove was rather flattered. I am amazed by what you have just told me, my boy, he said with a smile. In the first place, your reasoning is not at all bad. Of course it is obvious that I cannot suspect myself of being Fontamas. But I quite admit that if I were in your place, I might make the supposition, wild as it may seem. And in the next place, you have shadowed me without my becoming aware of the fact, and that is very good indeed, proof that you are uncommonly smart. He looked at the lad attentively for a few moments, and then went on more gravely. Are you satisfied now that your hypothesis was wrong? Or do you still suspect me? No, I don't suspect you now, Fandor declared. Not since I saw you come into this house. Fontamas certainly would not have come to search Gern's rooms because he stopped and Jove, who was looking at him keenly, did not make him finish what he was saying. Shall I tell you something, he said at last. If you continue to display as much thought and initiative in the career you have chosen as you have just displayed, you will very soon be a first newspaper detective of the day. He jumped up and led the boy off. Come along, I've got to go to the law courts at once. You found out something fresh? I'm going to ask them to call an interesting witness in the Gern Affair. Rain had been falling heavily all the morning and afternoon, but within the last few minutes it had almost stopped. Delon the steward put his hand out of the window and found that only a few drops were falling now from the heavy gray sky. He was an invaluable servant and a few months after the death of the Marquis de l'angrune, the Baron de Vibray had gladly offered him a situation and a cottage on her estate at Cuirelle. He went across the room and called his son. Jacques, would you like to come with me? I am going down to the river to see that the sluices have been opened properly. The banks are anything but sound and these rains will flood us out one of these days. The steward and his son went down the garden towards the stream which formed one boundary of Madame de Vibray's park. Look father, Jacques exclaimed, the postman is calling us. The postman a crusty but good-hearted fellow came hurrying up to the steward. You do make me run, Monsieur de l'angrune, he complained. I went to your house this morning to take you a letter, but you weren't there. You might have left it with anybody. Excuse me, the man retorted. It's against the regulations. I've got an official letter for you and I can only give it to you yourself. And he held out an envelope which de l'angrune tore open. Magistrate's office he said inquiringly as he glanced at the heading of the newspaper. Who can be writing to me from the law courts? He read the letter aloud. Sir, as time does not permit of a regular summons being sent to you by an usher of the court, I beg you to be so good as to come to Paris immediately the day after tomorrow if possible and attend at my office where your depositions are absolutely required to conclude a case in which you are interested. Please bring without exception all the papers and documents entrusted to you by the clerk of the sizes at Cahor at the conclusion of the l'angrune inquiry. It is signed Germain Fusillier, de l'en remarque. I've often seen his name in the papers. He is a very well known magistrate and is employed in many criminal cases. He read the letter through once more and turned to the postman. Will you take a glass of wine, Mueller? That's a thing I never say no to. Well, go into the house with Jacques and while he is attending to you I will reply and while he is attending to you I will write a reply telegram which you can take to the office for me. While the man was quenching his thirst, de l'en wrote to his reply. We'll leave very air tomorrow evening by 7.20 train arriving Paris 5 a.m. Wire appointment at your office to me at Hotel France Bourgeois 152 Rue de Bach He read the message over signed it de l'en and considered. I wonder what they can want me for. Oh, if only they have found out something about the l'angrune affair how glad I shall be. End of Chapter 23 Recording by Alan Winteroud boomcoach.blogspot.com Chapter 24 of Fontamas by Marcella Lane and Pierre Souvestre This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Alan Winteroud Fontamas by Marcella Lane and Pierre Souvestre translated by Cranston Metcalf Chapter 24 Under Lock and Key After the preliminary examination as to his identity and so on Guern had been transferred to the Santé prison. At first the prisoners seemed to have terrible difficulty in accustoming himself to the rigors of confinement. He suffered from alternate paroxysms of rage and despair but by sheer strength of character he fought these down. As a prisoner on remand he was entitled to the privilege of a separate cell. Also during the first 48 hours he had been able to have his meals sent in from outside. Since then however he managed to content himself with the ordinary prison dietary. But Guern was not fastidious. This man whom Lady Beltimid singled out or accepted as her lover had often given proofs of an education and an intelligence above the average yet now he appeared quite at ease in the atmosphere of a prison. Guern was walking quickly and alone round the exercise yard when a breathless voice sounded in his ear. God Guern, you know how to march. I was going to join you for a bit but I could not keep up with you. Guern turned and saw Old Seagenthal the warder in charge of his division in whose custody he was particularly placed. My word the old fellow panted. Anybody could tell you had been in the infantry. Well so have I though that wasn't yesterday nor yet the day before but we never marched as fast as you do. We made a fine march once though at Saint Prevat. Out of pity for the decent old fellow, Guern slackened his pace. He had heard the story of the battle of Saint Prevat a dozen times already but he was quite willing to let Seagenthal tell it again. The warder however wandered to another point. By the way, I heard you were promoted sergeant out in the Transvaal is that so? And as Guern nodded ascent he went on. I never rose above the rank of corporal but at any rate I have always led an honest life. A sudden compassion for his prisoner seized the old man and he laid a kindly hand on Guern's shoulder. Is it really possible that an old soldier like you who seemed to be such a steady, serious kind of man can have committed such a crime? Guern dropped his eyes and did not reply. I suppose there was a woman at the bottom of it Seagenthal said tentatively you acted on impulse in a fit of jealousy eh? No, Guern answered with sudden bluntness. I may as well own up that I did it in anger because I wanted money for the sake of robbery. I'm sorry said the old warder simply you must have been desperately hard up. No, I wasn't. Seagenthal stared at his prisoner. The man must be utterly callous to talk like that he thought. Then a clock struck and the warder gave a curt order. Time, Guern, we must go back. And he conducted the unresisting prisoner up the three flights of stairs that led to the division in which his cell was. By the way, he remarked as they went, I forgot to tell you that you and I have got to part. Oh, said Guern, am I to be transferred to another prison? No, it is I who am going. Just fancy. I have been appointed head warder I go on leave tonight and take up my new post in a week. Both halted before the door of cell number 127. In with you said Seagenthal and when Guern had obeyed he turned to go. Then he wheeled round again quickly and put out his hand hurriedly as if half afraid of being seen. Put it there, Guern, he said. No doubt you are a murderer and as you have confessed yourself a thief but I can't forget that if you had kept afraid you were the sergeant and I should have to obey you. I am sorry for you. Guern was touched and murmured a word of thanks. That's alright, that's alright, Seagenthal muttered, not attempting to hide his emotion. Let us hope that everything will turn out well and he left Guern alone in the cell to his meditations. Twice Guern reflected relying on the sympathy which he knew he had evoked in the old warder's heart the criminals who had passed through his hands. He had been on the point of broaching a serious and delicate matter to him but he had not actually spoken being deterred by some undefinable scruple as well as half suspecting that his application would be made in vain. And now he was glad he had been so cautious or even if the warder had been amenable his approaching removal to another prison would have prevented the idea from coming to fruition. A sing-song voice echoed in the corridor. Number 127, you are wanted in the barrister's room, get ready. In the next minute the door of the cell was thrown open and a cheery looking warder with a strong Gaskon accent appeared. Guern had noticed him before. He was the second warder in this division a man named Nebe and no doubt he would be promoted to Seagenthal's place when the chief warder left. Nebe looked curiously at Guern with sympathy in his quick brown eyes. Ready, Guern? Guern growled an answer and pulled on his coat again. His counsel was Maitre Barbara one of the foremost criminal barrister's of the day. Guern had thought it prudent to retain him for his defense most especially as it would cost him nothing personally. But he had no particular desire to talk to him now. He had already told him everything he intended to tell him and he had no intention of allowing the case to be a sensation. Quite the reverse indeed. In his opinion, the flatter the case fell the better it would be for his interests. Though no doubt Maitre Barbara would not be of the same way of thinking. But he said nothing and merely walked in front of Nebe along the corridor toward the barrister's room the way to which he was already familiar with. On the way they passed some masons who were at work in a prison and these men stopped to watch him pass and carried to Guern's apprehensions they did not seem to recognize him. He hoped it meant that the murder was already ceasing to be a 9 days wonder for the public at large. Nebe pushed Guern into the barrister's room saying respectfully to the person in it already you have only to ring sir when you have finished and then withdrew leaving Guern in the presence not of his counsel as he is expected but of that personage's assistant a young licenciate in law named Roger DeSaris who is also a most incredible dandy. Roger DeSaris greeted Guern with an engaging smile and advanced as if to shake hands with him but suddenly wondering whether that action might not suggest undue familiarity he raised his hand to his own head instead and scratched it. The young fellow was still younger in his business and did not rightly know whether it was etiquette for a barrister or even a barrister's junior or a prisoner who was implicated in a notorious murder. Guern felt inclined to laugh and on the whole was glad that it was the junior whom he had to see. The futile verbosity of this very young licenciate might possibly be amusing. Maitre Roger DeSaris began with civil apologies. You will excuse me if I only stay for a few minutes but I am most frightfully busy. Besides two ladies are waiting for me outside of my carriage I may say confidentially that they are actresses, old friends of mine and just fancy they are most frightfully anxious to see you. That's what it means to be famous, Monsieur Guern, eh, what? Guern nodded not feeling unduly flattered. Roger DeSaris continued just to please them I have made any number of applications to the governor of the prison but there was nothing doing my dear chap that beast of a magistrate you salire insist on your being kept in absolute seclusion but nonetheless I've got some news for you I know heaps why my friends at the law courts call me the parapetetic paragraph not bad eh what Guern smiled and Roger DeSaris was encouraged it's given me no end of a boom my leader acting for you and my being able to come and see you whenever I like everybody asks me how you are like and what you say and what you think you can congratulate yourself on having caused a sensation in Paris Guern began to be irritated by all this chatter I must confess I'm not the least interested in what people are saying about me is there anything new in my case absolutely nothing that I am aware of Roger DeSaris replied serenely without stopping to think whether there was or not I say, Lady Baltham yes, said Guern well, I know her very well you know I go out a frightful lot and I have often met her a charming woman Lady Baltham Guern really did not know how to treat the idiot never wanted to suffer fools gladly he grew irritable and would almost certainly have said something that would have put the garrulous young bungler in his place had not the latter suddenly remembered something just as he was on the point of getting up to go oh by the way he said with a laugh I was nearly forgetting the most important thing of all just fancy that beast juve the marvelous detective whom the newspapers rave about went to your place yesterday afternoon to make another official search alone inquired Guern much interested quite alone now what do you suppose he found the place of in ransack dozens of times you know of course I mean something sensational in the way of a find of a thousand I never bet Guern snapped tell me at once what it was the young fellow was proud of having caught the attention of his leaders notorious client if only for a moment he paused and wagged his head weighing each word to give them greater emphasis he found an ordinance map in your bookcase my dear chap an ordinance map with a bit torn out of it oh and what then said Guern a frown upon his face the young barrister did not notice the expression on the murderers countenance well then it appears that juve thought it was very important between you and me my opinion is that juve tries to be frightfully clever and succeeds in looking a fool how I ask you can the discovery of that map affect your case or influence the decision of the jury by the way there is no need for you to worry about the result I have had a frightful lot of experience in criminal cases and so be assured that you are all right extenuating circumstances you know but oh yes there is one thing more I wanted to tell you a fresh witness is going to be called at the examination let me see what was his name Dolan that's it the steward Dolan I don't understand said Guern his head was bent and his eyes cast down a glimmer of light dawned in the young lady who accentuates brain wait there is some connection he said the steward Dolan is in the employment of a lady who calls herself the Baron de Vibre and the Baron de Vibre is a guardian to the young lady who is staying with Lady Belfem today or rather the night when you you well you know and that young lady Mademoiselle Therese Avernois was placed with Lady Belfem by Monsieur Etienne Rambert Etienne Rambert is the father of the young man who murdered the Marquise to Langrune last year I tell you all these things that I would attempt to draw any deductions from them for for my own part I haven't the least idea why the steward Dolan has been summoned in our case at all nor have I said Guern and the frown on his brow was deeper Roger de Serres hunted all around the little room for his gloves and found them in his pocket well my dear chap I must leave you we have been chatting for a whole half hour and those ladies are still waiting for me what on earth will they say to me he was about to ring for the order when Guern abruptly stayed him tell me he said with a sudden air of interest when is that man coming what's his name Dolan the young barrister was on the point of saying he did not know when a brilliant recollection came into his mind Gad how frightfully stupid I am why I have a copy of the telegram he sent to the magistrate in my portfolio here now he opened the portfolio and picked out a sheet of blue paper here it is Guern took it from him and read we'll leave very early tomorrow evening by 7 20 train arriving Paris 5 a.m. Guern appeared to be sufficiently edified at all events he paid no attention to the rest of the message Lord Baltham's murderer handed the document back to the barrister without a word a few minutes later mates by Roger DeSaris had joined his lady friends and the prisoner was once more in his cell end of chapter 24 recording by Alan Winteroud boomcoach.blogspot.com chapter 25 of Fontamas by Marcella Lane and Pierre Souvestre this LibriVox recording is in the public domain recording by Alan Winteroud Fontamas by Marcella Lane and Pierre Souvestre translated by Cranston Metcalf chapter 25 an unexpected accomplice Guern was walking nervously up and down in his cell after this interview when the door was pushed open and the cheery face of the warden Nibbet looked in evening Guern he said it's 6 o'clock and the restaurant keeper opposite wants to know if he is to send your dinner into you no Guern growled I'll have the prison ordinary oh ho said the warder funds low eh of course it's not for you to despise our dietary but still government beans he came further into the cell ignoring Guern's impatient preference for his room to his company and said in a low tone there take that and thrust a bank note into the hand of the dumbfounded prisoner if you want any more they will be forthcoming he added he made a sign to Guern to say nothing and went to the door I'll be back in a few minutes I'll just go and order a decent dinner for you Guern felt as if a tremendous weight had been lifted from him the cell seemed larger the prison walls less high he had an intuition that Lady Beltham was not deserting him he had never doubted the sincerity of her feelings for him the position might feel embarrassed in trying to intervene in favor of any prisoner and much more so in the case of one whom the entire world believed to be the single-handed murderer of her husband but now Lady Beltham had intervened she had succeeded in communicating with him through the medium of the warder and almost certainly she would do much more the door opened again and the warder entered carrying a long rushed basket containing several dishes and a bottle of wine well, Guern that's a more agreeable sort of dinner, eh? Kehad, I wanted it after all said the murderer with a smile it was a good idea of yours, Monsieur Nebay to insist on my getting my dinner sent in from outside Nebay winked he appreciated his prisoners' tact obviously he was not one to make untimely illusions to the warder's breach of discipline in conveying money to him so simply but so very irregularly as he ate, Guern chatted with Nebay I suppose it is you who will get Siegenthal's place yes, said Nebay serving the wine Guern had offered him I have asked for the berth no end of times but it never came I was always told to wait because the place was not free and another berth must be found first for Siegenthal who is my senior but the old beast would never make any application however three days ago I was sent for to the ministry and one of the staff told me that someone in the embassy or the government or somewhere was taking an interest in me and they asked me a lot of questions and I told them all about it and then all of a sudden Siegenthal gets promoted to Poise and I was given his bill at here Guern nodded he saw light and what about the money that's stranger still but I understood all the same a lady met me in the street the other night and she spoke to me by name we had a chat there on the pavement for the street was empty and she shoved some banknotes into my hand not just one or two but a great bunch and she told me that she was interested in me, in you and that if things turned out as she wished there were plenty more banknotes where those came from while the warder was talking Guern watched him carefully the murderer was an experienced reader of character and faces he realized that his lady's choice had fallen on an excellent object thick lips a narrow forehead and prominent cheekbones suggested a material nature that would hesitate at nothing which would satisfy his carnal appetites so Guern decided that further circumlocution was so much waste of time that he might safely come to the point he laid his hand familiarly on the warder's shoulder I'm getting sick of being here he remarked they dare say the warder answered uneasily but you must be guided by reason time is going on and things arrange themselves they do when you help them Guern said peremptorily and you and I are going to help them that remains to be seen said the warder of course everything has got to be paid for Guern went on one can't expect a warder to risk his situation merely to help a prisoner to escape he smiled as the warder with an exclamation of nervous warning don't be frightened Nebe we're not going to play any fool games but let us talk seriously of course you have another appointment with the worthy lady who gave you that money I am to meet her tonight at eleven in the boulevard Aragot Nebe said after a moment's hesitation good said Guern well you are to tell her that I must have ten thousand francs what? exclaimed the man in utter astonishment but his eyes shone with greed ten thousand francs Guern repeated calmly and by tomorrow morning fifteen hundred of those are for you I will go away tomorrow evening there was a tense silence the warder seemed doubtful and Guern turned the whole of his willpower upon him to persuade him suppose they suspect me said Nebe idiot Guern retorted all you will do will be to make a slip in your duty I want you to be an accomplice listen there will be another five thousand francs for you and if things turn out awkwardly for you all you will have to do will be to go across to England and live there comfortably for the rest of your days the warden was obviously almost ready to comply who will guarantee me he asked the lady I tell you the lady of the boulevard Aragot here give her this and he tore a leaf out of his pocketbook and scribbling a few words on it handed it to Nebe well said the warder hesitantly I don't say no you've got to say yes Guern retorted the two looked steadily in each other's eyes then the warder blanched yes he said Nebe was going away was already almost in the corridor when Guern calmly called him back you will evolve a plan and I will start tomorrow don't forget to bring me a timetable the Orleans company timetable will do the murderer was not disappointed in his expectations the next morning Nebe appeared with a mysterious face and eager eyes he took a small bundle from underneath his jersey and gave it to Guern hide that in your bed he said and Guern obeyed the morning passed without further developments numerous warders came and went to the corridor attending to the prisoners to get no private talk with Nebe who contrived however to come into his cell several times on various pretexts and assure him with a nod or a word that all was going well but presently when walking in the exercise yard the two men were able to have a conversation Nebe manifested an intelligence of which his outer appearance gave no indication but it seems to be an established fact that the inventive faculties even of men of inferior mental quality were sharpened when they are engaged in mischief for the last three weeks he said about a score of masons have been working in the prison repairing the roof and doing up some of the cells cell number 129 the one next yours is empty and there are no bars on the window the masons go through that cell and that window to get onto the roof they knock off work soon after 6 o'clock the gatekeeper knows them all but it does not always look closely at their faces when they go by and you might be able to go out with them in the bundle that I gave you there is a pair of workman's trousers and a waistcoat and a felt hat put those on at about a quarter to six the men who went up onto the roof through the cell come down by way of the skylights to the staircase that leads to the clerk's office past the office where they are asked no questions cross the two yards and go out by the main gate I will open the door of your cell a few minutes before six and you must go into the empty cell next yours slip up onto the roof and take care to hide behind the chimney stacks until the men have done work let them go down in front of you and follow behind with a pick or a shovel on your shoulder and when you are passing the clerk or anywhere where you might be observed mind you let the men go a yard or two in front of you when the gate is just being shut after that last workman call out quietly but as naturally as you can hold on Monsieur Moran mind you don't lock me in I'm not one of your lodgers, let me out after my mate make some joke of that sort and when you are once outside the gate by George my boy you'll have to vamoose gurn listen attentively to the warder's instructions Lady Baltham must indeed have been generous and have made the man perfectly easy on the score of his own future in one of the pockets of the clothes and the bay went on I have put ten hundred franc notes you asked for more but I could not raise it we can settle that some other time gurn made no comment when will my escape be discovered he asked I'm on night duty the warder answered arrange your clothes on your bed to make it look as if you were in bed and then they will think I might have been deceived I go off duty at five the next round is at eight my mate will open the door of the cage and by that time you will be miles away gurn nodded comprehension time did not permit of longer conversation the bell had rung some minutes ago proclaiming that the exercise time was over the two men hurried upstairs to cell number 127 on the third floor and the prisoner was locked in alone while the bay went about his duty as usual end of chapter 25 recording by Alan Winteroud boomcoach.blogspot.com by Marcella Lane and Pierre Souvestre this LibriVox recording is in the public domain recording by Alan Winteroud Fantomas by Marcella Lane and Pierre Souvestre translated by Cranston Metcalf chapter 26 a mysterious crime arriving in good time at the little station at Varriere where he was about to take a train to Paris to keep his appointment at the law courts the old steward DeLonge gave his parting instructions to his two children who had come to serve him off I must of course call upon Madame de Vibre he said and I don't yet know what time Monsieur Fusillier wants to see me at his office anyhow if I don't come back tomorrow I will the next day without fail well little ones I'm just off now so say goodbye and get home as fast as you can it looks to me as if there was going to be a storm and I should like to know that you were safe at home with heavy creaking of iron wheels and horse blowing off of steam from the engine the Paris train drew into the station the steward gave a final kiss to his little son and daughter and got into a second class carriage in a neighboring village a clock had just struck three the storm had been raging since early in the evening but now it seemed informed with a fresh fury the rain was lashing down more fiercely and the wind was blowing harder still making the slender poplars along the railway line bow and bend before the squalls and assume the most fantastic shapes but vaguely shown against the night the night was inky black the keenest eye can make out nothing at all distinctly even at the distance of a few yards the darkness was so dense as to seem absolutely solid nevertheless along the railway embankment a man was making his way with steady step seeming not a wit disturbed by the tragic horror of the storm he was a man of about 30 rather well dressed in a large waterproof coat the collar of which turned up to his ears hid the lower part of his face and a big felt hat with brim turned down protecting him fairly well from the worst of the weather the man fought his way against the wind which drove into his overcoat with such force that sometimes it almost stopped his progress and he trod the stony track without paying heed to the sorry plight into which it would most surely put the thin boots he was wearing awful weather he growled I don't remember such a shocking night for years wind, rain, every conceivable thing but I mustn't grumble for the total absence of moon will be uncommonly useful for my purpose a flash of lightning streaked the horizon and the man stopped and looked quickly about him I can't be far from the place he thought and again went on his way presently he heaved a sigh of relief here I am at last at this spot the line was completely enclosed between two high slopes or ran at the bottom of a deep cutting it's better to hear the man said to himself the wind passes well above my head and the cutting gives good shelter he stopped and carefully deposited on the ground a rather bulky bundle he had been carrying under his arm then he began to pace up and down stamping his feet in an effort to keep warm it has just struck three he muttered for the timetable I can't expect anything for another ten minutes well, better too soon than too late he contemplated the bundle which he had laid down a few minutes before it's heavier than I thought and ducidly in the way but it was absolutely necessary to bring it and down here in this cutting there is nothing for me to be anxious about the grass is thick so I can run and the line is so straight that I shall see the lights of the train a long way off a thin smile curled his lips who would have thought when I was in America that I should ever find it so useful to have learned how to jump a train a dull sound in the distance caught his ear in a second he had sprung to his bundle picked it up and choosing a spot on the ballast crouched down listening at the place where he stood the line ran up a steep aclivity it was from the lower end of this that the noise he had heard proceeded and now was growing louder almost deafening it was the heavy regular puffing of a powerful engine coming up a steep gradient under full steam no mistake my star is with me the man muttered and as the train approached he stretched his muscles and taking a firmer grip of his bundle he bent forward in the stooping attitude that runners take when about to start off in a race with a heavy roar and enveloped in clouds of steam the train came up to where he was traveling slowly because of the steep gradient certainly less than 20 miles an hour the moment the engine had passed him the man started off lied as a cat and ran at the top of his speed the train of course gained upon him the tender, luggage vans and third class carriages passed him and a second class carriage was just coming up with him the pace alone would have deprived almost anyone else of power and thought but this man was evidently a first rate athlete for the moment he caught sight of the second class carriage he took his decision with a tremendous effort he caught hold of the handrail and sprang upon the footboard where with extraordinary skill he contrived to remain reaching the summit of the slope the train gathered speed and with an even louder roar began its headlong journey through the darkness in the storm which seemed to increase in intensity with every passing minute for a few seconds the man hung on where he was and when he had regained his breath he got on to the upper step and listened to the door of the corridor at which he found himself no one there he muttered besides everyone will be asleep and chancing everything he rose up opened the door and stepped into the second class carriage with a grunt of relief making no attempt to conceal himself he walked boldly into the lavatory and washed his face that was blackened with a smoke from outside and then the most leisurely natural way possible he came out of the lavatory and walked along the corridor soliloquizing aloud manifestly not minding whether he were overheard it's positively maddening no one can sleep with traveling companions like that as he spoke he went along the corridor rapidly glancing into every compartment in one three men were asleep obviously unaware that anyone was surveying them from outside the door of the compartment was a jar and the stranger noiselessly stepped within the fourth corner was unoccupied and here the man took his seat laying his bundle down beside him and feigning sleep he waited motionless for a good quarter of an hour until he was quite satisfied that his companions were really sleeping soundly then he slid his hand into the bundle by his side seemed to be doing something inside it then withdrew his hand noiselessly stepped out of the compartment and carefully closed the door in the corridor he drew a sigh of relieved satisfaction and took a cigar from his pocket everything is going splendidly he said to himself I was cursing this awful storm just now but it is wonderfully useful to me on such a night as this no one would dream of opening the windows he strolled up and down holding onto the handrail with one hand to maintain himself against the rocking of the train and every now and then taking out his watch with the other to see the time I haven't too much time he muttered I shall have to be quick or my friend will miss his train he smiled as if amused at the idea and then holding his cigar away from him so as not to inhale the smoke he drew several deep breaths there is a faint smell he said but you would have to be told of it to detect it the devil of it is that it so often causes a nightmare that would be awful he suspended his patrol and listened again there was no sound to be heard from within the compartments except the snoring of a few travelers and the monotonous rhythmical noise of the wheels passing over the joints of the rails come I've waited 20 minutes it would be risky to wait longer let's get to work he stepped briskly back into the compartment and furtively glancing into the corridor to make sure that no one was there he went across to the opposite window and opened it wide he put his head out into the air for a minute or two and began to examine his traveling companions all three were still sound asleep the man gave vent to a dry chuckle he drew his bundle towards him felt until he found something within it and flung it back onto the seat then he walked up to the man opposite slipped his hand inside his coat and abstracted a pocketbook and began to examine the papers it contained ah, he exclaimed suddenly that was what I was afraid of and taking one of the papers he put it inside his own pocketbook chose one for his own and put it into the other man's pocketbook and then having affected the exchange replaced the man's property and chuckled again you do sleep and indeed, although the pick pocket took no particular precaution the man continued to sleep soundly as did the other two men in the compartment the thief looked once more at his watch time he leaned out of the open window and slipped back the safety catch then he opened the door quite wide took the sleeping traveler by the shoulders and picked him up from the seat and with all his strength sent him rolling out onto the line the next moment he seized from the rack the light articles that evidently belonged to his victim and threw them out after him when he had finished his ghastly work he rubbed his hands in satisfaction good, he said and closing the door again but leaving the window open not troubling to pick up his belongings and walked along the corridors to another second class compartment toward the front of the train in which he calmly installed himself luck has been with me, he muttered as he stretched himself out on the seat everything has gone off well no one has seen me and those two fools who might have upset my plans will wake up quite naturally when they begin to feel the cold and they will attribute the headache they will probably feel to their tiring journey traveling in the opposite direction suddenly roared past the window and made him jump he started up and smiled Gad I said my friend would miss his train but he'll catch it in another 5 minutes in another 5 minutes luggage and body in the entire caboodle will be minced meat and as if completely reassured by the idea he chuckled again nothing could have gone better I can have a rest and in an hour's time I shall be at Juvizi where thanks to my forethought I shall be able to whitewash myself literally one thing however still seemed to worry him he did not know exactly where on the line he had thrown his unhappy victim but he had an idea that the train had run through a small station shortly afterwards if that was so the body might be found sooner than he would have liked he tried to dismiss the notion from his mind but he caught sight of the telegraph post speeding past the windows and he shook his fist at them malignantly that is the only thing that can harm me now he muttered Juvizi, Juvizi, wait here 2 minutes it was barely half past 6 and the porters hurried along the train calling out the name of the station and rousing sleepy travelers from their dreams a man jumped nimbly out of a second class carriage and walked toward the exit from the station holding out his ticket season he said and passed out quickly that was a good idea that season ticket he said to himself much less dangerous than an ordinary ticket which the police could have traced he walked briskly towards the subway crossed the main road and took a side turning that led down towards the same taking no notice of the mud the man went into a field and hit himself in a little thicket on the riverbank he looked carefully all around him to make sure he was unobserved then took off his overcoat, jacket and trousers and drawing a bundle from one of the pockets a large waterproof proceeded to dress himself anew as soon as he was dressed he spread the waterproof out on the ground folded up in at the clothes and hat he had previously been wearing added a number of heavy stones and tied the whole bundle up with a piece of string he swung it once or twice at the full length of his arm and sent it hurtling right into the middle of the river where it sank at once a few minutes later a bricklayer in his working clothes at the Juviesi Booking Office a workman's ticket to Paris please Mrs. he said and having got it the man went on to the departure platform it would have been risky to use my own ticket he muttered this return ticket will put them off the scent and with a smile he waited for the train that would take him to Paris the slow train from Lucan was drawing near its Paris terminus and the travelers were all making hasty toilettes and tidying themselves up after their long night's journey just however as it was approaching the goods station it slowed down and stopped the passengers surprised put their heads out of the windows to ascertain the reason for the unexpected delay hazarding various conjectures but unanimous in their vituporation of the company three men were walking slowly along the line looking carefully at every door two reporters and they were manifesting the most respectful attention to everything the third man said he was a grave individual very correctly attired look there sir one of the porters exclaimed there is a door where the safety catch has either been undone or not fastened that is the only one on the train that is so said the gentleman and grasping the handle he opened the door of the compartment and got in two travelers were busy strapping up their bags and they turned round in simultaneous surprise you'll pardon me gentlemen when you know who I am said the intruder and throwing open his coat he showed his tricolor scarf I have to make inquiry relative to a dead body that has been found on the line near Britannia it probably fell from this train and perhaps from this compartment for I have just observed that the safety catch is not fastened where did you get into the train the two passengers looked at one another in astonishment what a dreadful thing one of them exclaimed why sir tonight while my friend here and I were asleep one of our fellow travelers did disappear I made a remark about it but this gentleman very reasonably pointed out that he must have got out at some station while we were asleep the official was keenly interested what was this passenger like a quite easily recognized sir a man of about 60 rather stout and wearing whiskers that tallies with the description might he have been a butler or a steward that is exactly what he looked like then that must be the man whose body has been found upon the line but I do not know whether it is to be regarded as a case of suicide or of murder for some hand baggage has been picked up as well a suicide would not have thrown his luggage out and a thief would not have wanted to get rid of it the passenger who had not yet spoken broke in you are wrong sir at any rate all his luggage was not thrown onto the line he was pointed to the bundle left upon the seat I thought that belonged to the gentleman here but he has just told me it isn't his the official rapidly unfastened the straps and started back hello a bottle of liquid carbonic acid now what does that mean he looked at it did this bundle belong to the man who disappeared the two passengers shook their heads I don't think so one of them said I should certainly have noticed that scotch rug but I did not see it then there was a fourth passenger in this compartment the official inquired no we are traveling alone said one of the men but the other dissented it is very odd and I am not sure about it but I really am wondering whether someone did not get into our compartment last night while we were asleep I have a vague impression that someone did but I can't be sure do try to remember sir the official urged him for the most important but the passenger shook his shoulders doubtfully no I really can't say anything definite and besides I have a shocking headache the official was silent for a minute or two in my opinion gentlemen you have been uncommonly lucky to escape murder yourselves I do not quite understand yet how the murder was done but I inclined to think it proves almost incredible daring however he stopped and put his head out of the window you can send the train on now he called to the porter and resumed however I must ask you to accompany me to the station master's office and give me your names and addresses and to help me afterwards in the conduct of the legal investigation the two travelers looked at one another in distress surprise it is really appalling said one of them you are not safe anywhere nowadays you really aren't the other agreed such a number of awful murders and crimes are being perpetrated every day that you would think not one but a dozen Fontamasas were at work end of chapter 26 recording by Alan Winteroud boomcoach.blogspot.com chapter 27 of Fontamas by Marcella Lane and Pierre Souvestre this LibriVox recording is in the public domain recording by Alan Winteroud Fontamas, by Marcella Lane and Pierre Souvestre translated by Cranston Metcalf chapter 27 three surprising incidents Nebay went off duty at five in the morning and returned to his own home to go to bed as a general rule he slept like a top after a night on duty but on this occasion he could not close an eye being far too uneasy about the consequences of his cooperation in Gern's escape a few minutes before six in the evening he had taken advantage of no orders being about to slip Gern from cell number 127 to cell number 129 once he could make his way to the roof at six when he actually came on duty Nebay opened the peephole in the door of number 127 as he did in all the others and saw that Gern had made an admirable dummy figure in the bed it was so good that it even deceived a head warder who made a single rapid inspection of all the cells when Nebay was on one of his several rounds during the night obviously Gern must have got clear away from the prison for if he had been caught it would certainly have become generally known these reflections somewhat comforted the restless man but he knew that the most difficult part of his task was still before him the difficulty of simulating astonishment and distress when he should get back to the prison presently and be told by his fellow warders and the difficulty of answering in a natural manner to the close interrogation to which he would be subjected by the governor and the police and possibly even Monsieur Fusillier who would be in a fine rage when he learned that his captive had escaped him Nebay meant to pretend ignorance and even stupidity he would far rather be called a fool than found out to be a nave and an accomplice about half past 11 Nebay got up Gern's escape must certainly be known at the prison by this time the warder on duty would have gone to the cell about 7 to wake the prisoner and though nothing might have been detected then the cell would infallibly have been found to be empty at 8 o'clock when the morning broth was taken round and then as he walked from his home round to the prison Nebay met the gang of masons coming out for dinner he crossed the street towards them hoping to hear some news but they passed by him in silence one or two of them giving a careless nod to his forward of greeting at first Nebay took their silence for a bad sign thinking they might have been warned to give him no alarm but he reflected that if Gern's escape were discovered as it surely must be the authorities would probably prefer not to let the matter become widely known as he reached the porter's lodge his heart beat violently what would old Moran have to tell him but old Moran was very busy trying to make his kitchen fire burn properly instead of sending all the smoke pouring out into the room the old man's slovenly figure was just visible in a clearing in the smoke and he returned Nebay's salutation with nothing more than a silent salute that's funny, thought Nebay and he passed through the main courtyard toward the clerk's offices at the end through the windows he could see the staff a few bending over their work most of them reading newspapers none of them obviously interested in anything special he presented himself before the warder's turnkey and again he was allowed to pass on without a word by this time Gern's accomplice was in a state of such nervous tension that he could hardly restrain himself from catching hold of one or other of the warders whom he saw at their work and asking them questions how could the escape of so important a prisoner as the man who had murdered Lord Belfam create so little excitement as this Nebay longed to rush up the flights of stairs to number 127 and interrogate the warder who had gone on duty after himself and whom he was now about to relieve in turn he must surely know all about it but it would not do to create suspicion and Nebay had sufficient self-control left to go upstairs at his usual leisurely pace hourly calm and steady he reached his post just as the clock was striking 12 he was ever punctuality itself and he was due on duty at noon well Coloss he said to his colleague here I am you can go now good said the warder I'll be off at once I'm on again at six tonight and he moved away everything alright Nebay inquired in a tone he tried to make as casual as possible but that trembled a little nevertheless quite said Coloss perfectly naturally and he went away Nebay could contain himself no longer the next second he threw caution to the winds rushing to Gern's cell he flung the door open Gern was there sitting on the foot of his bed with his legs crossed and a notebook on his knees making notes with the quietest attention he scarcely appeared to notice Nebay's violent invasion oh so you are there stammered the astonished warder Gern raised his head and looked at the warder with a cryptic gaze yes I'm here all manner of notions crowded through Nebay's brain but he could find words for none of them had the plot been discovered before Gern had had time to get away or had a trap been laid for himself through the medium of one of the prisoners to test his own incorruptibility Nebay went white and leaned against the wall for support at last Gern spoke again reassuring him with a smile don't look so miserable he said I am here that is a matter of absolutely no importance we will suppose that nothing passed between us yesterday and that's an end to it so you haven't gone you didn't go said Nebay again no Gern replied since you are so interested all I need say is that I was afraid to risk it at the last minute Nebay had cast a keen and experienced eye all over the cell under the wash stand he saw the little bundle of clothes which he had brought from the previous day he rightly opined that the first thing to do was to remove these dangerous articles whose presence in Gern's cell would appear very suspicious if they happened to be discovered he took the bundle and was hurriedly stowing it away under his own clothes when he uttered an exclamation of surprise the things were wet and he knew from his own experience that the rain had never ceased throughout the whole of the night Gern he said reproachfully we're up to some trick these things are soaked you must have gone out last night or these things would not be like this Gern smiled sympathetically at the order not so bad he remarked that's pretty good reasoning for a mere jailer and as Nebay was about to press the matter Gern anticipated his questions and made frank confession well yes I did try to get out got as far as the corks office last evening but at the last minute I funked it went back onto the roof but when I got into number 129 again I found I could not get back into my own cell for as you know 129 was locked outside so to avoid detection I returned to the roof and spent the night there at daybreak I took advantage of the little disturbance caused by the workmen coming in and slipped down from the roof just as they were going up as soon as I found myself on this floor I ran along this corridor and slipped into my own cell when your friend Koloss brought me my broth he did not notice that my cell was unlocked and there you are the explanation was not altogether convincing but Nebay listened to it and pondered the situation on the whole it was much better that things should be as they were but the warder was wondering how the great lady who paid so mighty well might take the matter she most certainly had not promised so large a sum of money nor paid the good round sum of 10,000 francs down in advance merely in order that Gern might have a little walk upon the tiles what was to be done with regard to that personage with much ingenuousness Nebay confided his anxiety to the prisoner who laughed it is not all over yet he declared indeed it is only just beginning what if we only wanted to test you and prove your quality make your mind easy Nebay if Gern is in prison at the present moment it is because he has his own reasons for being there but who was able to predict the future it was time for Gern to go to the exercise yard and Nebay re-assuming the uncompromising attitude that all warders ought to maintain when in custody of prisoners led the murderer down to the courtyard in his office at the law courts Monsieur Fusillier was having a private interview with Jove and listening with much interest to what the clever detective inspector was saying to him I tell you again sir I attach great importance to the finding of this ordinance map in Gern's rooms yes, Monsieur Fusillier with a touch of skepticism and I will tell you why Jove went on about a year ago when I was engaged on the case of the murderer of the Marquis de la Grune at Herschatoa Bolio down in Loote I found a small piece of a map showing the district in which I was at the time I took it to Monsieur de Prail who was conducting the inquiry he attached no importance to it and I myself could not see at the time that it gave us any new evidence quite so said Monsieur Fusillier there is nothing particularly remarkable in finding a map or a piece of a map showing a district in the district itself those are Monsieur de Prail's very words to me said Jove with a smile and I will give you the same answer I gave him namely that if some day we could find and completed the first piece we found and could identify the owner of the two portions there would then be a formal basis on which to proceed to base an argument proceed to base it Monsieur Fusillier suggested that's very easy said Jove the fragment of map number one found a Bolio belongs to X I do not know who X is but in Paris in Guern's rooms I find a fragment of a map number two belongs to Guern if it turns out as I expect that the two fragments of map when placed together form a single and complete whole I shall conclude logically that X who is the owner of the fragment number one is the same as the owner of fragment number two to Witt, Guern how are you going to find out Monsieur Fusillier it is in order to find out that we have sent for Delange you've replied he was steward to the late Marquis de Langarune and has all the circumstantial evidence relating to that case if he has still got the fragment of map it will be simplicity itself to prove what I have suggested and perhaps to make the identification I suggest yes, said Monsieur Fusillier but if you do succeed will it be of really great importance in your opinion will you be able to infer from that one fact that Guern and the man who murdered the Marquis de Langarune are one and the same person is not that going rather far especially as I remember rightly it was proved that the murderer in that case was the son of a Monsieur Rambert and this young Rambert committed suicide after the crime Juv evaded the issue well, we shall see was all he said the magistrates clerk came into the room and unceremoniously interrupted the conversation it has gone past too, sir he said there are some prisoners to examine and a whole lot of witnesses and he placed two bulky bundles of papers before the magistrate and waited for a sign to call the various persons free or otherwise when the magistrate had to see the first bundle caught Juv's attention it was endorsed royal palace hotel case anything new about the robbery from Madame van den Rosen and Princess Sonia Danadoff he inquired and as the magistrate shook his head he added are you going to examine Mueller now yes said the magistrate at once and after that you are going to examine Guern aren't you in connection with the Belton case quite so I wish you would oblige me by confronting the two men here in my presence Monsieur Fusillier looked up in surprise he could not see what connection there could be between the two utterly dissimilar cases what object could Juv have in wanting the man who had murdered Lord Belfam to be confronted with the unimportant little hotel servant who had really been arrested rather as a concession to public opinion than because he was actually deemed capable of burglary or attempted burglary might not Juv with his known mania for associating all crimes with each other be going just a little too far in the present instance you've got some idea in the back of your head said Monsieur Fusillier I've got a a scar in the palm of my hand Juv answered with a smile and as the magistrate confessed that he failed to understand Juv enlightened him we know that the man who did that robbery at the Royal Palace Hotel burned his hand badly when he was cutting the electric wires in the princess's bathroom well a few weeks ago while I was on the lookout for someone with a scar from such a wound I was told of a man who was prowling around the slums I had the fellow followed up and the very night the hunt began I was going to arrest him when a good deal to my surprise I discovered that he was no other than Guern he escaped me that first time but when he was caught later on I found that he has an unmistakable scar inside the palm of his right hand it is fading now for the burn was only superficial but it is there now do you see my idea yes I do Juv explained and I am all the more glad to hear of it since I am to have both the men here now shall I have Mueller in first Juv assented so you still refuse to confess said the magistrate at last you still maintain that your extraordinary order to let the red haired waiter out was given in good faith yes yes sir the night watchman answered that very evening a new servant had joined the staff I had not even set eyes on him when I saw this stranger I took him to be the servant who had been engaged the day before and I told them to open the door for him that is the real truth and that is all that is positively all we are only charging you with complicity the magistrate went on for the man who touched the electric wires burned his hand that is a strong point in your favor and you also say that if the thief was before you you could recognize him yes said the man confidently good said and he signed to his clerk to call in another personage the clerk understood and Gern was brought in between two municipal guards and was followed by the young licenciated in law who represented his leader at most of the preliminary examinations as Gern came in with a light from the window falling full on his face Monsieur Fusillier gave a curt order Mueller turn around and look at this man Mueller obeyed and surveyed with some bewilderment without the least comprehension the bold head and the well built muscular frame of lord Baltham's murderer Gern did not flinch do you recognize that man the magistrate demanded Mueller ransacked his brains and looked again at Gern then shook his head Gern opened your right hand the magistrate ordered show it and he turned again to Mueller the man before you seems to have been burned in the palm of the hand as that scar shows can you not remember having seen that man at the royal palace hotel Mueller looks steadily at Gern on my honor sir although it would be in my interest to recognize him I am bound to acknowledge that I really and truly don't Monsieur Fusillier had a brief conversation aside with Jove and then the detective appearing to agree with him turned once more to the night watchman Mueller he said the court is pleased with your frankness you will be set free provisionally but you are to hold yourself at the disposal of the court of inquiry and he signed the municipal guards to lead the gratefully protesting man away meanwhile Gern's case appeared to him to be becoming much more serious and much more interesting he had the prisoner placed in front of him while Jove who had was drawn into a dark corner of the room never took his eyes off the murderer Gern he began can you give me an account of your time during the second half of December of last year Gern was unprepared for the point blank question and made a gesture of doubt Monsieur Fusillier probably anticipating a sensation was just on the point of ordering the loan to be called and he was interrupted by a discreet tap on the door his cork went to answer it and saw Jean Darme standing at the door at almost the first words he said the cork uttered an exclamation and wheeled round to the magistrate oh Monsieur Fusillier listen they have just told me but the Jean Darme had come in he saluted the magistrate and handed him a letter which Monsieur Fusillier hastily tore open and read to Monsieur Germain Fusillier examining magistrate the law courts Paris the special commissioner at Bretagne station has the honor to report that this morning at 8 a.m. the police informed him of the discovery on the railway line 5 kilometers from Bretagne on the Orlean side of the dead body of a man who must either have fallen accidentally or been thrown intentionally from a train bound for Paris the body had been mutilated by a train traveling in the other direction the papers found on the person of the deceased and in particular a summons found in your pocket showed that his name was Delon and he was on his way to Paris to wait upon you the special commissioner at Bretagne station has quite late been informed of the following facts passengers who left the train on its arrival at the Australitz Terminus at 5 a.m. were examined by the special commissioner at that station and subsequently allowed to go possibly you have already been informed we have however thought at our duty after having searched the body to report this identification to you and have therefore requisitioned an officer of the police at Bretagne to convey to you the information contained in this communication Monsieur Fusillier had turned pale as he read this letter he handed it to Jouth with feverish haste the famous detective read it through and wheeled round to the gendarme tell me do you know what has been done do you know if this man's papers all his papers were found and have been preserved the man shook his head in ignorance Jouth clasped the magistrate's hand I'm off to Bretagne this instant he said in a low tone throughout this incident Maitreya Roger DeSeres had remained in a state of blank incomprehension Guern's face was more expressionless and imperturbable than ever Chapter 27 Recording by Alan Winteroud BoomCoach.blogspot.com Chapter 28 of Fontamas by Marcella Lane and Pierre Souvestre This Libervox recording is in the public domain Recording by Alan Winteroud Fontamas by Marcella Lane and Pierre Souvestre translated by Cranston Metcalf Chapter 28 The Court of Assize Call Lady Belfam It was a perfect May day and everyone who could pretend on any conceivable ground to belong to Paris had schemed and intrigued to obtain a mission to a trial over which public opinion had been excited for months the trial of Guern for the murder of Lord Belfam ex-ambassador and foremost man of fashion whose murder two years before was a sensation The preliminary formalities of the trial had furnished nothing to tickle the pallets of the sensation-loving crowd The indictment had been almost inaudible and besides it contained nothing that had not already been made public by the press nor had the examination of the prisoner been any more interesting Guern sat strangely impassive in the dock between two municipal guards and hardly listened to his counsel the imminent Maitre Barbara who was assisted by a galaxy of juniors including young Roger DeSeres Moreover Guern had frankly confessed his guilt almost immediately after his arrest There was not much for him to add to what he had said before Although the president of the court pressed him as to some points which were not satisfactorily clear with respect to his own identity and the motives which had prompted him to commit his crime and subsequently to pay that most lady Belfam at the close of which Zhuv had affected his arrest The lady Belfam's evidence promised to be much more interesting Rumor had been busy for a long time with the great lady and her feelings and odd stories were being whispered She was said to be beautiful, wealthy and charitable People said under their breath that she must know a good deal about the murder of her spouse and when she made her appearance in the box a sudden hush fell upon the crowded court She was indeed a most appealing figure robed in long black weeds young graceful and very pale so sympathetic a figure that scandal was forgotten in the general tense desire to hear her answer to the president of the court Following the usher to the witness box she took off her gloves as desired and in a voice that trembled slightly but was beautifully modulated repeated the words of the oath with her right hand raised a while Noticing her agitation the president mitigated somewhat the harshness of the tone in which he generally spoke to witnesses Pray compose yourself, madam I am sorry to be obliged to subject you to this examination but the interests of justice require it Come now You are Lady Belfam widow of the late Lord Belfam of English nationality residing in Paris at your own house in Nuit Yes Will you kindly turn round, madam and tell me if you know the prisoner in the dock Lady Belfam obeyed mechanically She glanced at Gern who paled a little and answered the president Yes, I know the prisoner His name is Gern Very good, madam Can you tell me first of all how you came to be acquainted with him When my husband was in South Africa at the time of the Boer War Gern was a sergeant in the regular army It was then that I first met him Did you know him well at that time Lady Belfam seemed to be unable to prevent herself from casting long glances at the prisoner She appeared to be almost hypnotized and frightened by his close proximity I saw very little of Gern in the trance vault, she answered It was just by chance that I learned his name But of course the difference between his own rank and my husband's position made their relationship that I could have with a mere sergeant very limited indeed Yes, Gern was a sergeant the president said And after the war, madam Did you see the prisoner again Yes Immediately after the war my husband and I went to England by the same boat on which Gern went home Did you see much of him on board No We were first class passengers and he, I believe, went second It was just by accident that my husband caught sight of him soon after the boat sailed The president paused and made a note Were those all the relations your husband had with the prisoner They are at any rate all the relations I had with him Lady Belfam replied in tones of some distress But I know that my husband employed Gern on several occasions to help him in various affairs and matters of business And as you said the president he will return to that point presently Meanwhile, there is one question I should like to ask you If you had met the prisoner in the street a few months ago, would you have recognized him Was his face still distinct in your memory or had it become blurred and vague Lady Belfam hesitated then answered confidently I am sure I should not have recognized him and some proof of this is that just before his arrest was affected I was conversing with the prisoner for several minutes without having the faintest idea at the poor man with whom I imagined I had to do was no other than the man Gern for whom the police were looking The president nodded and Maitre Barbara-O leaned forward and spoke eagerly to his client in the dock But the president continued immediately You must forgive me madam for putting a question that may seem rather brutal and also for reminding you of the oath to tell us the entire truth Did you love your husband Lady Belfam quivered and was silent for a moment as though endeavoring to frame a right answer Lord Belfam was much older than myself She began and then perceiving the meaning implicit in her word she added I had the very highest esteem for him and a very real affection A cynical smile curled the lip of the president and he glanced at the jury as though asking them to pay still closer attention Do you know why I put that question to you? He asked and as Lady Belfam confessed her ignorance he went on It has been suggested madam by a rumor which is very generally current in the newspapers and among people generally that the prisoner may possibly have been greatly enamored of you that perhaps well, is there any truth in this As he spoke the president bent forward and his eyes seemed to pierce right through Lady Belfam It is a wicked calamity she protested turning very pale Throughout the proceedings Guern had been sitting in an attitude of absolute indifference almost a scorn but now he rose to his feet and uttered a defiant protest Sir, he said to the president of the court I desire to say publicly here that I have the most profound and unalterable respect for Lady Belfam Anyone who has given currency to the malignant rumor that you refer to is a liar I have confessed that I killed Lord Belfam and I do not retract that confession but I never made any attempt upon his honor and no word nor look nor deed has ever passed between Lady Belfam and myself that might not have passed before Lord Belfam's own eyes The president looked sharply at the prisoner Then tell me what was your motive in murdering your victim I have told you already Lady Belfam is not to be implicated in my deed in any way I had constant business dealings with Lord Belfam I asked him over the telephone to come to my place one day He came We had an animated discussion He got warm and I answered angrily Then I lost control of myself and in a moment of madness I killed him I am sorry for my crime and stooped to crave pardon for it but I cannot tolerate the suggestion that the murder I committed was in the remotest way due to sentimental relations with a lady who is, I repeat entitled to the very highest respect from the whole world A murmur of sympathy ran through the court at this chivalrous declaration by which the jury who had not missed a word seemed to be entirely convinced But the president was trained to track truth in detail He turned again to Lady Belfam who still stood in the witness box very pale and swaying with stress You must forgive me if I attach no importance to a mere assertion, madam The existence of some relations between yourself and the prisoner which delicacy would prompt him to conceal and honor would compel you to deny would alter the whole aspect of this case He turned to the usher Recall Madame Delanc, please Madame Delanc considered it a tremendous honor to be called as witness in a trial with which the press was ringing and was particularly excited because she had just been requested to pose for her photograph by representative of her own favorite paper She followed the usher to where Lady Belfam stood You told us just now, Madame Delanc The president said suavely that your larger gurn often received visits from a lady friend You also said that if this lady were placed before you you would certainly recognize her Now will you kindly look at the lady in the box Is this the same person? Madame Delanc crimson with excitement and nervously twisting in her hands a huge pair of white gloves which she had bought for this occasion looked curiously at Lady Belfam Upon my word, I can't be sure that this is the lady, she said after quite a long pause You were so certain of your facts just now the president smiled encouragingly Well I can't see the lady very well with all those veils on Madame Delanc protested Lady Belfam did not wait for the request which the president would inevitably have made but haughtily put back her veil Do you recognize me now? She said coldly The scorn in her tone upset Madame Delanc She looked again at Lady Belfam and turned instinctively as if to ask enlightenment from Gern whose face however was expressionless and then replied It's just what I told you before your worship I can't be sure I couldn't swear to it But do you think she is? You know your worship Madame Delanc protested I took an oath just now to tell the truth and nothing but the truth so I don't want to tell any stories Well, this lady might be the same lady and again she mightn't be In other words you cannot give a definite answer That's it said the concierge I don't know, I can't swear This lady is like the other lady There's a sort of family likeness between them But at the moment I do not exactly recognize her It's much too serious Madame Delanc would willingly have continued to give evidence forever in a day but the president cut her short Very well, thank you, he said and dismissed her with the usher turning again meanwhile to Lady Belfam Will you kindly tell me now what your personal opinion is as to the relative culpability of the prisoner Of course you understand that he has confessed to the crime and your answer will bear chiefly on the motive that may have actuated him Lady Belfam appeared to have recovered some of her confidence I cannot say anything definite can only express a very vague feeling about the matter I know my husband was quick tempered very quick tempered and even violent and his peremptory temper disposed him to positive convictions He maintained what he considered his rights at all times and against all comers If, as the prisoner says there was a heated discussion I should not be surprised if my husband did make use of arguments that might have provoked anger The president gently gave a clear turn to the way she used So in your opinion the prisoner's version of the story is quite permissible You admit that Lord Belfam and his murderer may have had a heated discussion as a consequence of which Gern committed his crime This is your honest belief Yes, Lady Belfam answered trying to control her voice I believe that may be what took place and then it is the only way in which I can find the least excuse for him to be committed The president picked up the word in astonishment Do you want to find excuses for him, Madame? Lady Belfam stood erect and looked at the president It is written that to pardon is the first duty of good Christians It is true that I have mourned my husband but the punishment of his murderer will not dry my tears I ought to forgive him bow before the burden that is laid upon my soul and I do forgive him Gastly pale Gern was staring at Lady Belfam from the dock and this time his emotion was so visible that all the jury noticed it The president held a brief colloquy with his colleagues asked the prisoner's counsel whether he desired to put any questions to the witness and receiving a reply in the negative dismissed Lady Belfam with a word of thanks and announced that the court would adjourn Immediately a hum of conversation broke out in the warm and sunny court Barristers in their robes moved from group to group criticizing, explaining, prophesying and in their seats the world of beauty and fashion bowed and smiled in gossip She's uncommonly pretty this Lady Belfam, one young lawyer said and she's got a way of answering questions without compromising herself and yet without throwing blame on the prisoner that is uncommonly clever You are all alike, you men set a pretty, perfectly well-dressed woman in mocking tones If a woman is young and hasn't got a hump on her back and has a charming voice, your sympathies are with her at once Oh yes they are Now shall I tell you what your Lady Belfam really is Well, she's nothing more or less than a barnstormer She knew well enough how to get on the soft side of the judge who was quite ridiculously amiable to her and to capture the sympathy of the court I think it was outrageous to declare that she had married a man who was too old for her and to say that she felt nothing but esteem for him There's an admission the young barrister laughed Vive le More and marriage de convenience are played out, eh? On another bench a little farther away a clean-shaven man with a highly intelligent face was talking animatedly Bosh Your Lady Belfam is anything you like What do I care for Lady Belfam? I shall never play woman's part, shall I? She does not stand for anything but gurn now There's a type of you like What an interesting, characteristic face He has the head of the assassin of genius with perfect mastery of self Implacable, cruel, malignant a torquemata of a man Your enthusiasm is running away with you someone laughed I don't care It is so seldom one comes across figures in a city that really are figures of entities That man is not an assassin He is THE assassin The type Two ladies sitting close to this enthusiast have been listening keenly to this diatribe Do you know who that is? One whispered to the other That is Valgran, the actor They turn their lournettes on the actor who is waxing more animated every moment A bell rang and heralded by the usher proclaiming silence The judges returned to the bench and the jury to their box The president cast an eagle eye over the court, compelling silence and then resumed the proceedings Next witness Call Monsieur Juv End of Chapter 28 Recording by Alan Winteroud BoomCoach.blogspot.com Chapter 29 of Fontamas by Marcella Lane and Pierre Souvestre This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Recording by Alan Winteroud Fontamas by Marcella Lane and Pierre Souvestre Translated by Cranston Metcalf Chapter 29 Verdict and Sentence Once more a wave of sensation ran through the court There was not a single person present who had not heard of Juv and his wonderful exploits or who did not regard him as a kind of hero All leaned forward to watch him as he followed the usher to the witness box wholly unaffected in manner and not seeking to make any capital out of his popularity Indeed, he seemed rather to be uneasy almost nervous as one of the oldest pressmen present remarked audibly He took the oath and the president of the court addressed him in friendly tones You are quite familiar with the procedure Monsieur Juv, which would you prefer that I should interrogate you or that I should leave you to tell your story in your own way? You know how important it is for it is you who are, so to speak the originator of the trial today in as much as it was your great detective skill that brought about the arrest of the criminal after it also discovered his crime Since you are so kind, sir, Juv answered I will make my statement first and then be ready to answer any questions that may be put to me by yourself or by counsel for the defense Juv turned to the dock and fixed his piercing eyes on the impassive face of Gern who met it unflinchingly Juv shrugged his shoulder slightly and turning half round to the jury began his statement He did not propose, he said to recite the story of his inquiries which had resulted in the arrest of Gern for this had been set forth fully in the indictment and the jury had also seen his depositions at the original examination He had nothing to add to or to subtract from his previous evidence He merely asked for the jury's particular attention for, although he was inducing nothing new in the case actually before them he had some unexpected disclosures to make about the prisoner's personal culpability The first point which he desired to emphasize was that human intelligence should hesitate before no improbability, however improbable provided that some explanation was humanly conceivable and no definite material object rendered the improbability and impossibility His whole statement would be based on the principle that the probable is incontestable and true until proof of the contrary has been established Gentlemen he went on hitherto the police have remained impotent and justice has been disarmed in presence of a number of serious cases of crime committed recently and still unsolved Let me recall these cases to your memory They were the murder of the Marquis Stelangrune at her chateau of Bolia The robberies from Adam van den Rosen and the Princess Sanya Danadoff The murder of Delon, the former steward of the Marquis Stelangrune When on his way from the neighborhood of Saint-Joré to Paris in obedience to a summons sent him by Monsieur Germain Fusolier And lastly, the murder of Lord Belfem Prior to the cases just enumerated for which the prisoner in the dock is at this moment standing his trial Gentlemen, I have to say that all these cases the Belfem-Langrune and Delon murders and the Rosen-Danadoff burglaries are absolutely and indisputably to be attributed to one and the same individual to that man standing there Guern Having made this extraordinary assertion Juvigan turned round toward the prisoner That mysterious person appeared to be keenly interested in what the detective said but it would have been difficult to say whether he was merely surprised or not rather perturbed and excited as well Juv hushed with a wave of his hand the murmur that ran round the court and resumed his address My assertion that Guern is the sole person responsible for all these crimes has surprised you gentlemen but I have proof which must I think convince you I will not go into the details of each of those crimes for the newspapers have made you quite familiar with them but I will be as brief and as lucid as I can My first point gentlemen is this the murderer of the Marquiste-Langrune and the man who robbed Madame van den Rosen and Princess Sonja Danadoff are one and the same person That is shown beyond dispute by tests made in the two cases with a Berthion dynamometer an instrument of the nicest exactitude which proved that the same individual operated in both cases that is one point made good and next the man who robbed Madame van den Rosen and Princess Sonja is Guern that is proved to equal demonstration by the fact that the burglar burned his hand while engaged upon his crime and that Guern has a scar on his hand which betrays him as the criminal the scar is faint now perhaps but I can testify that it was very obvious that the murderer of the Marquiste-Langrune at the time of a disturbance which occurred at a low cafe named the St. Anthony's pig were accompanied by Detective Limeroy who is still in hospital for treatment for injuries received on that occasion I attempted and failed to arrest this man Guern thus gentlemen I proved that the Langrune and Danadoff cases are the work of but one man and that man Guern I come to another point as you know the murderer of the Marquiste-Langrune was attended by some strange circumstances at the inquest it was proved that the murderer most probably got into the house from outside opening the front door with a skeleton key and that he obtained admission into the bedroom of the Marquiste not by burglarious means I lay insistence upon that but by the simple means of her having opened the door to him what she did on the strength of his name and finally that if robbery was the motive of the crime the nature of the robbery remained a mystery now I have ascertained gentlemen and if as I shall ask you presently you decide to have an adjournment and a supplementary investigation I shall be able to prove two important facts the first is that the Marquiste had inter-possession a lottery ticket which had just won a large first prize the ticket had been sent to her by Monsieur Etienne Rambert the ticket was not found at the time but it was subsequently traced to a person who for the moment has utterly disappeared who declared that it was given to him by Monsieur Etienne Rambert and it is further noteworthy that Monsieur Etienne Rambert seemed to be in greater funds from that time the second fact I have ascertained is that although Monsieur Etienne Rambert pretended to get into a first-class carriage of a slow train at the Gare d'Orsay he most certainly was not in that train between Vierre-Zon and Limoge I can if you wish call a witness who inspected all the compartments of that carriage and can prove that he was not there the probable almost certain inference is that Monsieur Etienne Rambert got into that slow train at the Gare d'Orsay for the definite purpose of establishing an alibi and then got out of it on the other side an internet express that was going in the same direction and in front of the slow train you may remember that it was shown that all trains stopped at the mouth of the Vierre tunnel near Boliou and that it was possible for a man to get out of the express commit the crime and then return I would remind you of the footprints found on the embankment and get into the slow train which followed the express at an interval of three hours and a half and get out of that train at Vierre station the passenger who did that was the criminal and it was Monsieur Etienne Rambert as I have already proved that it was Gern who murdered the Marquis de Langrune it seems to follow necessarily that Monsieur Etienne Rambert must be Gern Juve paused to make sure that the jury had followed his deductions and taken all his points he proceeded in the most tense hush we have just identified Gern with Rambert and proved that Rambert Gern is guilty of the Belfam and the murders and the robbery from Madame van den Rosen and Prince Nassonya Donadoff there remains a murderer of the steward de Lan gentlemen when Gern was arrested on the single charge of the murder of Lord Belfam you will readily believe that his one fear was that all these other crimes for which I have just shown him to be responsible might be brought up against him I was just then on the very point of finding out the truth that I had done so a single link was missing in the chain which would connect Gern with Rambert and identify the murderer of Lord Belfam as the author of the other crimes that link was some common clue or better still some object belonging to the murderer of Lord Belfam which had been forgotten and left on the scene of the Langrune murder that object I found it was a fragment of a map picked up in a field near the chateau in the path which Etienne Rambert must have followed from the railway line it was a fragment cut out of a large ordinance map and the rest of the map I found in Gern's rooms thereby identifying Gern with Rambert gentlemen the fragment of map which was picked up in the field was left in the custody of the steward de Lan that unfortunate man was summoned to Paris by Monsieur Germain Fusiliere there was only one person who had any interest in preventing de Lan from coming and that person was Gern or you would be better to say Rambert Gern and you know that de Lan was killed before he reached Monsieur Germain Fusiliere is it necessary to declare that it was Gern Rambert Gern who killed him Jules said the last words in tones of such earnest and solemn denunciation that the truth of them seemed beyond all doubt and yet he read incredulous surprise in the attitude of the jury from the body of the court too a murmur rose that was not sympathetic Jules realized that the sheer audacity of his theory must come as a shock and he knew how difficult it would be to convince anyone who had not followed every detail of the case as he himself had done gentlemen he said I know that my assertions about the multiple crimes of this man Gern must fill you with amazement that does not dismay me there is one other name which I must mention perhaps to silence your objections perhaps to show the vast importance I attach to the deductions which I have just been privileged to detail to you this is the last thing I have to say the man who has been capable of assuming in turn the guys of Gern and of Etienne Rambert and of the man of fashion at the Royal Palace Hotel a genius to devise and to accomplish such terrible crimes in incredible circumstances and to combine audacity with skill and a conception of evil with a pretense of respectability who has been able to play the Proteus eluding all the efforts of the police this man I say ought not to be called Gern he is and can be no other than Fantomas the detective suddenly broke off from his long statement although the melodramatic name seemed to echo through the court and taken up by all those present to swell again into a dread murmur Fantomas, he is Fantomas for a space of minutes judges and juries seem to be absorbed in their own reflections and then the president of the court made an abrupt gesture of violent dissent Monsieur Jouve you have just enunciated such astounding facts and elaborated such an appalling indictment against this man, Gern that I have no doubt the public prosecutor will ask you for a supplementary examination which this court will be happy to grant if he considers your arguments worth consideration but are they? I will submit three objections Jouve bowed coldly first of all, Monsieur Jouve do you believe that a man could assume disguise with a cleverness that you have just represented Monsieur Etienne Rambair is a man of 60 Gern is 35 Monsieur Rambair is an elderly man slow of movement and the man who robbed Princess Sonia Danadoff was a nimble, very active man I have anticipated that objection sir Jouve said with a smile by saying that Gern is Fantomas nothing is impossible for Fantomas suppose that is true said the president with a wave of his hand but what have you to say to this George Etienne Rambair with the murder of Madame de la Grune but do you not know that Etienne Rambair's son Charles Rambair who according to the general received a most plausible opinion was a real murderer of the Marquis committed suicide from remorse if Etienne Rambair was the guilty party Charles Rambair would not have taken his own life Jouve's voice shook a little you would be quite right sir if again it were not necessary to add that Etienne Rambair is Gern that is to say Fantomas is it not a possible hypothesis that Fantomas might have affected the mind of that lad have suggested to him that it was he who committed the crime in a period of some namulism and at last have urged him to suicide do you not know the power of suggestion suppose that also is true said the president with another vague wave of his hand I will only put two incontestable facts before you you accuse Etienne Rambair of being Gern and Etienne Rambair was lost in the wreck of the Lancaster you also accuse Gern of having murdered Delon and at the time that murder was committed Gern was in solitary confinement in the Sante prison this time the detective made a sign as if of defeat if I have waited until today to make the statement you have just listened to it was obviously because hitherto I have had no absolute proofs but merely groups of certainties I spoke today because I could keep silent no longer if I am still without explanation in detail I am sure I shall have them some day everything comes to light sooner or later and as to the two facts you have just put before me I would reply that there is no proof that Monsieur Rambair was lost in the wreck of the Lancaster it has not been legally established that he was ever on board that ship of course I know his name was in the list of passengers but a child could have contrived the device of that sort besides all the circumstances attending that disaster are still an utter mystery my belief is that a fantamas would be perfectly capable of causing an explosion on a ship and blowing up 150 people if thereby he could dispose of one of his identities especially such a terribly compromising identity as that of Etienne Rambair the president dismissed the theory with a word pure romance he said and what about the murder of Delon I should like further to remind you that the fragment of map which according to you was the real reason for this man's death was found on his body and does not correspond in the least with the whole cut in the map you found in Gern's room as for that, as you have said with a smile the explanation is obvious if Gern whom I charged with the murder of Delon had been content merely to abstract the real fragment he would so to speak have set his signature to the crime but he was much too clever for that he was subtle enough to abstract the compromising fragment and substitute another fragment for it the one found on the body perhaps said the president that is possible but I repeat Gern was in prison at the time true, true said Jove throwing up his hands I am prepared to swear that it was Gern who did the murder but I cannot yet explain how he did it since he was in solitary confinement in the Santé silence fell upon the court Jove refrained from saying anything more but a sarcastic smile curled his lip have you anything else to say the president asked after a pause nothing except that anything is possible to funtame us the president turned to the prisoner Gern have you anything to say any confession to make the jury will listen to you Gern rose to his feet I do not understand a word of what the detective has just been saying he said the president looked at Jove again you suggest that there shall be a supplementary investigation yes Mr. Solicitor General have you any application to make on that subject the president asked the public prosecutor no said the functionary the witnesses' allegations are altogether too vague very well the court will deliberate forthwith the judges gathered around the president of the court and held a short discussion then they returned to their places and the president announced their decision it was that after consideration of the statement of the witness Jove their opinion was that it rested merely upon hypotheses and their decision was that there was no occasion for a supplementary inquiry and the president immediately called upon the public prosecutor to address the court neither in the lengthy address of that functionary nor in the ensuing address of Maitre Barbara on behalf of the defendant was the slightest illusion made of the fresh facts adduced by the detective the theories he put forward were so unexpected and so utterly astonishing that nobody paid the least attention to them then the sitting was suspended while the jury considered their verdict the judges retired and guards removed the prisoner and Jove who had accepted the dismissal of his application for a further inquiry with perfect equanimity went up to the press box and spoke to a young journalist sitting there shall we go out for a quarter of an hour Fandor and when they were presently in the corridor he smote the young fellow in a friendly way on the shoulder and inquired well my boy what do you say to all that Jerome Fandor seemed to be overwhelmed you accuse my father you really accuse Etienne Rambeir of being Guern surely I am dreaming my dear young idiot Jove Groud do pray understand one thing I am not accusing your father your real father but only the man who represented himself to be your father just think if my contention is right that the Etienne Rambeir who killed the Marquis is Guern it is perfectly obvious that Guern is not your father for he is only 35 years of age he has merely represented himself to be your father then who is my real father I don't know anything about that said the detective that's a matter we will look into one of these fine days you take it from me that we are only just at the beginning of all these things but the court has refused a supplementary inquiry God said Jove I quite expected it would I have not got the proofs to satisfy the legal mind and then to I had to hold my tongue about the most interesting fact that I knew what was that why the fact that you are not dead Charles Rambeir I had to conceal that fact my boy for the melancholy reason that I am a poor man and depend on my job if I had let out that I had known for a long time that Charles Rambeir was alive when he was supposed to be dead and that I had known him first as Jean and then as Paul and yet had said nothing about it I should have been dismissed from the service as surely as eggs or eggs and it is equally certain that you would have been arrested which is precisely what I do not wish to happen intense silence the foreman of the jury rose in the presence of God and man and upon my honor and my conscience I declare that the answer of a majority of the jury is yes the question submitted to them then he sat down he had made no mention of extenuating circumstances the words of the fatal verdict felt like a nail in the silent court of the size and many a face went white have you anything to say before a sentence has passed nothing in rapid tones the president read the formal pronouncement of the court it seemed horribly long and unintelligible but presently the president's words became slower as it reached the fatal words there was a seconds pause and then he reached the point the sentence on the prisoner Gern is death and almost immediately he gave the order guards take the condemned away Jew who had returned to court with Fandor spoke to the young journalist Gad he exclaimed I know what pluck is true you're a remarkable man he never turned a hair end of chapter 29 recording by Alan Winteroud boomcoach.blogspot.com