FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159  
160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   >>   >|  
uation was that I loved one who, alas! could not return my affection as a girl with her mental balance unaffected could do. Her poor unbalanced brain could never allow her to understand me, or to return my love. I was tired after the long sleepless journey from Spain, and I suppose I must have dozed in my chair. I awoke suddenly, hearing a tap upon the door, and an elderly chambermaid entered with a telegram. I tore it open and found it had been dispatched from Castelsarrasin, and was from Rivero, saying: "Absence unavoidable. Hope to be back by midnight." "Where is Castelsarrasin?" I inquired of the woman. "It is about sixteen kilometres from here, m'sieur," replied the buxom woman in the strong accent of Toulouse. "It is on the road to Agen and the railway junction for Beaumont-de-Lomagne. Just a small town. They say that the name is a corruption of Castel-sur-Azin. At least my mother used to tell me so." What, I wondered, had taken the head of the Madrid detective force out there? He must be following some fresh clue. So I went forth across the bridge to a big cafe opposite the theatre, and there idled till nearly midnight, when I returned eagerly to meet my friend. He entered my room just before one o'clock in the morning, tired and dusty, for he appeared to have walked a long distance. I had some cognac and a syphon of seltzer awaiting him, and sinking exhausted into a chair, he took a long and refreshing drink before he spoke. "Well?" he said with a sigh. "You have been wondering why I disappeared so mysteriously--eh? The fact is I was compelled. On making inquiry of a shoemaker who has a little shop near Charles Rabel's house I learned that the man for whom we are searching lived in a flat on the first floor of the house kept by a widow named Cailliot. But he was frequently absent in England or in Italy. Only for short spells was he there, for he was a commercial traveller representing a Lyons firm of silkweavers. As we were speaking, the shoemaker pointed to a rather smart young woman who was at that moment leaving the house, and said: 'Look! That is Mademoiselle Jacquelot, the fiancee of Monsieur Charles! She might tell you where he is. I do not think he is at home to-day. I saw him four days ago and spoke to him as he passed. But I believe he has left again!' I thanked him, and at once followed Mademoiselle, hence I had no time to tell you, for I had no idea where she was going. I saw that
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159  
160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Mademoiselle
 

entered

 

Castelsarrasin

 

Charles

 

shoemaker

 
midnight
 
return
 

making

 
inquiry
 

compelled


learned

 

syphon

 
seltzer
 

awaiting

 
sinking
 

cognac

 
distance
 
appeared
 

walked

 

exhausted


wondering

 

thanked

 

disappeared

 

refreshing

 

mysteriously

 

pointed

 

speaking

 

silkweavers

 

fiancee

 

Monsieur


Jacquelot

 
moment
 

leaving

 

representing

 

Cailliot

 
searching
 

frequently

 
absent
 

traveller

 
passed

commercial
 

spells

 
England
 
dispatched
 

Rivero

 

Absence

 
elderly
 

chambermaid

 
telegram
 

unavoidable