Part 34 (2/2)

”No one is to come in!... It is an accident!”

Then lifting Elizabeth in his strong arms, he carried her out of the room.

”What she needs is air!”

He hurried downstairs and out into the garden with his precious burden, followed by the terrified witnesses of the scene.

”You have saved her life, monsieur!” cried Madame Bourrat in a tragic voice. She groaned. ”Oh, what a scandal!”

”Yes, I have saved her,” replied Fandor as, panting with his exertions, he laid Elizabeth Dollon flat on a garden seat.... ”But from whom?... It is certainly not attempted suicide! There is some mystery behind this business: it's a regular theatrical performance arranged simply for effect, and to mislead us,” declared Fandor. Then, turning to the bankers, he said courteously but with an air of command:

”Please lay information with the superintendent of police at once ...

the nearest police station, you understand!”

”Madame,” he said, addressing the overwhelmed Madame Bourrat, ”you will be good enough to look after Mademoiselle Dollon, will you not?... Take every care of her. There is not much to be done, however! I have seen many cases of commencing asphyxia: she will regain consciousness now, in a few minutes.”

Then, looking at the manservant, he said in a sharp tone:

”Come with me! You will mount guard at the door of Mademoiselle Elizabeth's room, whilst I try to discover some clues, before the police arrive on the scene.”

To tell the truth, our young journalist felt embarra.s.sed at the idea that Elizabeth Dollon was about to regain consciousness, and that he would have to submit to being thanked by her, when she knew who had saved her.

Accompanied by the manservant, he went quickly upstairs and into Elizabeth's room.

”You must not enter Mademoiselle Dollon's room on any account!” said Fandor sternly. ”It is quite enough that I should run the risk of effacing the, probably very slight, clues which the delinquents have left behind them....”

”But, monsieur, if the young lady put the tubing between her lips, it must have been because she wished to destroy herself!”

”On the face of it you are right, my good fellow. But, when one is right, one is often wrong!”

Without more ado, Fandor started on a minute inspection of the room.

Elizabeth had but stated the truth when she wrote that it had been thoroughly ransacked. Only her toilet things had been spared; but some books had been taken from their shelves and thrown about the floor, their pages crumpled and spoilt. He noticed the emptied trunk: its contents--copy books, letters, pieces of music--had been roughly dealt with. On the mantelpiece, in full view, lay Elizabeth's jewellery--some rings and brooches, a small gold watch, a purse.

”A very queer affair,” murmured Fandor, who was kneeling in the middle of the room, rummaging, searching, and not finding any clue. He rose, carefully examined all the woodwork, but found nothing incriminating. He examined the lock of the unhinged door, which had subsided on the floor.

The lock was intact, the bolt moved freely: the screws only of the staple had given way.

”That,” thought Fandor, ”is probably owing to the force of my thrust!”

The window fastening was intact: the window closed.

”If the robbers,” reflected Fandor, ”got into a closed room, they must have used false keys.”

Having examined the means of access to the room, Fandor started on a still more minute examination of the interior. He scrutinised the furniture and the slight powdering of dust on each article: in vain!...

Then the washstand had its turn: nothing!... He scrutinised the soap.

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