It was about four in the afternoon, and he had just entered the pa.s.sage leading to the offices so familiar to him, when he met Elizabeth. Behind her came several persons whom he recognised: among them were the Barbey-Nanteuil partners, Madame Bourrat, and the servant, Jules. They were together and were talking. The moment she saw him, Elizabeth went up to him.
"Ah, monsieur!" she cried, with a reproachful look. "We had given up all hope of seeing you.... Just imagine, the magistrate has finished his enquiry already! Twice he asked if you had come!"
Fandor seemed surprised.
"The summons was for four this afternoon, was it not?" he asked, taking from his pocket the summoning letter. A glance showed that he was not mistaken: he gave Elizabeth the letter to read. She smiled.
"You were summoned for four o"clock, I see; but we had to appear earlier: I was examined as soon as I arrived, and I was summoned to appear at half-past two."
Fandor was annoyed with himself: he might have guessed it! He was vexed because he had not been on the watch in the pa.s.sage whilst this examination was proceeding. He was moving towards Monsieur Fuselier"s room, the magistrate in charge of the Auteuil affair, and he must have looked his vexation, for Elizabeth said:
"I am a little to blame, perhaps, that you had not due notice, but what could I do! Yesterday evening when you telephoned to the convent to ask for news of me, I was just going to tell you at what time I was summoned, but when I went to the telephone...."
"What"s this you are telling me?" asked Fandor, staring hard at Elizabeth. "I never telephoned to you yesterday evening. Who told you I had been asking for you on the telephone?"
"n.o.body said so; but I supposed it was you! Who else would be so kindly interested in my doings?"
Fandor made no reply to this. Here was the telephone mystery again--an alarming mystery. Elizabeth had not given her address to anyone: Fandor had been careful not to give it to a soul.... Clearly, this poor girl, even in the heart of this peaceful convent, was not secure from some unknown, outside interference; and Fandor, optimist though he was, could not help shuddering at the thought of these mysterious adversaries, implacable and formidable, who might work harm to this unfortunate girl, whose devoted protector he now was.... Besides ... did he not feel for Jacques Dollon"s pretty sister something sweeter and more tender than pure sympathy?... Whenever he was near her, did he not experience a thrill of emotion? Fandor did not a.n.a.lyse his feelings, but they influenced him unconsciously.
He turned to Elizabeth.
"Since you cannot remain any longer at the convent, where do you think of staying?"
"Well, monsieur, I shall go back to the convent this evening, though it is painful to me--very, very painful--to be obliged to accept their icy hospitality ... as for to-morrow!"
Fandor was about to make a suggestion, when the door of Monsieur Fuselier"s room opened half-way. The magistrate"s clerk appeared, and, glancing round the pa.s.sage over his spectacles, called, in a dull tone:
"Monsieur Jerome Fandor!"
"Here!" replied our journalist. "I am coming!"
Then, taking a hasty farewell of Elizabeth as he went towards the magistrate"s room, he whispered:
"Wait for me, mademoiselle; and, for the love of Heaven, remember this--whatever I may say, whatever happens, whether we are alone, together, or in the presence of others, whether it be in a few minutes, or later on, do not be astonished at what may befall you, even though it be my fault--be absolutely convinced of this--whatever I may do will be for your good--more than that I must not say!"
Elizabeth had not a word to say, but his words were humming and buzzing in her ears when Fandor was in the magistrate"s room.
With a cordial handshake, Monsieur Fuselier began by congratulating him on having saved Elizabeth Dollon"s life.
"Ah," said he, smiling, "you journalists have all the luck; and, between yourselves, I envy you a little, for your lucky star has led you to the discovery of a drama, and has enabled you to prevent a fatal ending to it. Now, do you not think, as I do, that this Auteuil affair is not a case of suicide, but of attempted a.s.sa.s.sination?"
"There is no doubt about it," replied Fandor quietly.
The magistrate drew himself up with a satisfied air.
"That is also my opinion--has been so from the start."
The clerk now interrupted the two men, who were talking as friends rather than as magistrate and witness, asking, in nasal tone:
"Does His Honour wish to take the evidence of Monsieur Jerome Fandor?"
"In four lines then. I do not think Monsieur Fandor has anything more to tell us than what he has already told us in the columns of _La Capitale_. That is so, is it not?" asked the magistrate, looking at Fandor.
"That is correct," replied our journalist.
The clerk rapidly drew up the deposition of Monsieur Jerome Fandor, in due form, and read it aloud in a monotonous voice.
Fandor signed it. It did not compromise him at all. He was about to leave when Monsieur Fuselier caught him by the arm.
"Please wait a minute! There are one or two points to be cleared up: I am going to ask the witnesses a few questions: we will have a general confrontation--we will compare evidence!"
Then, the journalist"s friend, now all the magistrate, asked the a.s.sembled witnesses certain questions, in an emphatic and professional tone.
Fandor, seated a little apart, had leisure to examine the faces of the different persons whom circ.u.mstances had brought together in this room.
His first look was for Elizabeth: energy and courage were plainly marked on her pretty, sad face. Then there was the proprietor of the Auteuil boarding-house: an honest, vulgar creature, red-faced, perpetually mopping her brow and raising her hands to heaven; ready to bewail her position, deploring the untimely publicity given to this affair, a publicity which threatened discredit to her boarding-house.
As he was seated directly behind the manservant, Jules, Fandor had a view of his broad back, surmounted by a big bullet head and ruffled hair. This witness spoke with a strong Picardy accent, and there was nothing remarkable about his answers: he seemed the conventional second-rate type of servant. He did not seem to have understood much of what occurred on the famous day: when questioned as to the order of events, his answers were vague, uncertain.
Then, seated beside Fandor were the bankers: Barbey, a grave-looking man, no longer young, judging by his beard, which was going grey; he was decorated with the Legion of Honour: the other, Nanteuil, looked about thirty, elegant, distinguished, lively. These two were well known in the highest Parisian society as representing finance of the best kind. They were highly thought of.
The magistrate asked the bankers a question.
"Why," asked he, "did Messieurs Barbey-Nanteuil call on Mademoiselle Dollon? Was it to bring her some help, as has been stated?"
Elizabeth blushed with humiliation at the magistrate"s question.
Monsieur Nanteuil answered:
"There is a slight distinction to be made, your Honour, and Mademoiselle Dollon certainly will not object to our mentioning it. It never entered our minds to offer Mademoiselle Dollon charity--charity she never asked of us, be it clearly understood. Mademoiselle Dollon, with whom we had previously been acquainted, whose misfortunes have inspired us with deep sympathy, wrote to ask us if we could find her some employment. Hoping to find some post for her, we came to see her, to talk with her, to find out what her capabilities were. That is all. We were very glad it so happened, that we were able to aid Monsieur Fandor in restoring her to life."
"Can you tell me, Monsieur Fandor, did you notice anything suspicious in Mademoiselle Dollon"s room when you entered it? You wrote, in your article, that at first you had thought it simply an attempted burglary, followed by an attempted murder?"
"That is so," replied Fandor. "Directly the window was opened, I leaned out: I wanted to see if there was anything suspicious on the wall of the house. I also looked behind the shutters."
"Why?" asked the examining magistrate.
"Because I had not forgotten the close of the Thomery drama--the same Monsieur Thomery mentioned in the a.s.size Court yesterday--oh, in all honour, of course; but you have not forgotten--although that examination was not in your hands, and I regret it, because I am of the opinion that there are points of connection interlinking all these mysterious affairs--you have not forgotten, I am sure, that when the investigations were over and Monsieur Thomery"s guests had been allowed to leave the house, that a thread of flax was discovered hanging to the window fastening of the room in which Princess Danidoff had been found unconscious. This flax thread was very strong, and was broken at the end: it is easy to conclude that the stolen pearls had been temporarily fastened to it. This led me to think that the aggressor, or aggressors, had remained in the reception rooms during the whole course of the investigations, since it is proved that no one left the house....
"... But, after all, we are not here to investigate the Thomery affair.... I wished to explain why I had examined the window and shutters Of Mademoiselle Dollon"s room: I wanted to ascertain whether the procedure of the would-be murderer of Mademoiselle Dollon was similar to that of the robber in the Danidoff-Thomery case."
"And what conclusion did you come to?" asked the magistrate.
"Window and shutters bore no traces that I could see," said Fandor. "I could not come to any conclusion."
Here Monsieur Barbey intervened.
"If I may be allowed to say so"--he glanced at the magistrate for the required permission, which was given with a smile and gesture of a.s.sent--"I quite agree with Monsieur Jerome Fandor. I also am convinced that, even if there is not a close connection between the Thomery affair and the Auteuil affair, at least there exists such a connection between the Auteuil affair and the terrible drama of rue Norvins."
"I would go even further than that," declared Monsieur Nanteuil. "The robbery of rue du Quatre Septembre, of which we are the victims, is also connected with this same series of mysterious cases."