Part 14 (1/2)

At first glance I thought that the room was empty, then suddenly I heard another violent expletive and beca close beside the iron stove He turned to stare at us as we entered, but to ly face which confronted us Thethere alone in the room where I had expected to see Theodore and Carissier hue He had on a blue blouse and a peaked cap; beneath his cap his lank hair protruded more decided in colour even than his beard His head was sunk between his shoulders, and right across his face, from the left eyebrow over the cheek and as far as his ear, he had a hideous crihastly pallor of his face

But there was no sign of Theodore!

At first endarme was quite urbane He asked very politely to see Monsieur's pet dog Monsieur denied all knowledge of a dog, which denial only tended to establish his own guilt and the veracity of endarme thereupon became more peremptory and the lancing round the room and soon spied a wall cupboard which had obviously been deliberately screened by the bedstead Whilethe whole ations I caled the bedstead aside and opened the cupboard door

An ejaculation froendar in the dark recess of the wall cupboard was Carissi with terror I pulled hirowled and snapped viciously at endar which literally froze my blood within my veins It was Theodore's hat and coat, which he had been wearing when I chased hiether with it was a rag all smeared with blood, whilst the same hideous stains were now distinctly visible on the door of the cupboard itself

I turned to the gendarme, who at once confronted the abominable malefactor with the obvious proofs of a horrible crime But the depraved wretch stood by, Sir, perfectly cal which I had never before seen equalled!

”I know nothing about that coat,” he asserted with a shrug of the shoulders, ”nor about the dog”

The gendar about the dog?” he exclaination ”Why, hehe barked!”

But this indisputable fact in no way disconcerted the ,” he said with consuht he was in the next room No wonder,” he added coolly, ”since he was in a wall cupboard”

”A wall cupboard,” the gendarme rejoined triumphantly, ”situated in the very room which you occupy at this moment”

”That is a mistake, my friend,” the cynical wretch retorted, undaunted ”I do not occupy this rooe in this hotel at all”

”Then how came you to be here?”

”I came on a visit to a friend who happened to be out when I arrived

I found a pleasant fire here, and I sat down to warm myself Your noisy and unwarranted irruption into this rooer knohether I a on h what you are standing on, endarme riposted with breezy, cheerfulness ”Allons!”

I must say that the pampered minion of the law arose splendidly to the occasion He seized the miscreant by the arm and took him downstairs, there to confront him with the proprietress of the establishment, while I--with marvellous presence of mind--took possession of Carissimo and hid him as best I could beneath my coat

In the hall below a surprise and a disappointment were in store for me I had reached the bottom of the stairs when the shrill feminine accents of Mme the proprietress struck unpleasantly on”ThisThere,” she added volubly, and pointing an unwashed finger at Carissi in ht him with him last Wednesday, when he inquired if he could have a roohts Number twenty-five happened to be vacant, and I have no objection to dogs I let the gentleman have the room, and he paid me twenty sous in advance when he took possession and told entleendarer,” the woman replied ”He is out for theis his”

”What is he like?” the ?” she retorted ier”

Once ht at h just now; thin and slouchy in his ways

He has lank, yellow hair, a nose perpetually crimson--with the cold no doubt--and pale, watery eyes”