s old. He spoke in a
perfectly natural tone in reply to Rouletabille's question.

"I put off my return to America when I heard of the attack on
Mademoiselle Stangerson. I wanted to be certain the lady had not been
killed, and I shall not go away until she is perfectly recovered."

Arthur Rance then took the lead in talk, paying no heed to some of
Rouletabille's questions. He gave us, without our inviting him, his
personal views on the subject of the tragedy,--views which, as well as
I could make out, were not far from those held by Frederic Larzan. The
American also thought that Robert Darzac had something to do with the
matter. He did not mention him by name, but there was no room to doubt
whom he meant. He told us he was aware of the efforts young Rouletabille
was making to unravel the tangled skein of The Yellow Room mystery. He
explained that Monsieur Stangerson had related to him all that had taken
place in the inexplicable gallery. He several times expressed his regret
at Monsieur Darzac's absence from the chateau on all these occasions,
and thought that Monsieur Darzac had done cleverly in allying himself
with Monsieur Joseph Rouletabille, who could not fail, sooner or later,
to discover the murderer. He spoke the last sentence with unconcealed
irony. Then he rose, bowed to us, and left the inn.

Rouletabille watched him through the window.

"An odd fish, that!" he said.

"Do you think he'll pass the night at the Glandier?" I asked.

To my amazement the young reporter answered that it was a matter of
entire indifference to him whether he did or not.

As to how we spent our time during the afternoon, all I need say is
that Rouletabille led me to the grotto of Sainte-Genevieve, and, all
the time, talked of every subject but the one in which we were most
interested. Towards evening I was surprised to find Rouletabille making
none of the preparations I had expected him to make. I spoke to him
about it when night had come on, and we were once more in his room. He
replied that all his arrangements had already been made, and this time
the murderer would not get away from him.

I expressed some doubt on this, reminding him of his disappearance in
the gallery, and suggested that the same phenomenon might occur again.
He answered that he hoped it would. He desired nothing more. I did not
insist, knowing by experience how useless that would have been. He told
me that, with the help of the concierges, the chateau had