第42章

"No one can find them anywhere," declared Matrena, who, no less than Rouletabille, watched every change in the countenances of the two officers."How did it happen that you went away yesterday evening without saying good-bye, without seeing us, without troubling yourselves whether or not the general might need you?""Madame," said Michael, coldly, in military fashion, as though he replied to his superior officer himself, "we have ample excuse to offer you and the general.It is necessary that we make an admission, and the general will pardon us, I am sure.Boris and I, daring the promenade, happened to quarrel.That quarrel was in full swing when we reached here and we were discussing the way to end it most promptly when monsieur le marechal entered the garden.We must make that our excuse for giving divided attention to what he had to say.As soon as he was gone we had only one thought, to get away from here to settle our difference with arms in our hands.""Without speaking to me about it!" interrupted Trehassof."I never will pardon that.""You fight at such a time, when the general is threatened! It is as though you fought between yourselves in the face of the enemy.

It is treason!" added Matrena.

"Madame," said Boris, "we did not fight.Someone pointed out our fault, and I offered my excuses to Michael Nikolaievitch, who generously accepted them.Is that not so, Michael Nikolaievitch?""And who is this that pointed out your fault?" demanded the marshal.

"Natacha."

"Bravo, Natacha.Come, embrace me, my daughter."The general pressed his daughter effusively to his broad chest.

"And I hope you will not have further disputing," he cried, looking over Natacha's shoulder.

"We promise you that, General," declared Boris."Our lives belong to you.""You did well, my love.Let us all do as well.I have passed an excellent night, messieurs.Real sleep! I have had just one long sleep.""That is so," said Matrena slowly."The general had no need of narcotic.He slept like a child and did not touch his potion.""And my leg is almost well."

"All the same, it is singular that those grapes should have disappeared," insisted the marshal, following his fixed idea.

"Ermolai," called Matrena.

The old servant appeared.

"Yesterday evening, after these gentlemen had left the house, did you notice a small white box on the garden table?""No, Barinia."

"And the servants? Have any of them been sick? The dvornicks?

The schwitzar? In the kitchens? No one sick? No? Go and see; then come and tell me."He returned, saying, "No one sick."

Like the marshal, Matrena Petrovna and Feodor Feodorovitch looked at one another, repeating in French, "No one sick! That is strange!"Rouletabille came forward and gave the only explanation that was plausible - for the others.

"But, General, that is not strange at all.The grapes have been stolen and eaten by some domestic, and if the servant has not been sick it is simply that the grapes monsieur le marecha1 brought escaped the spraying of the Bordeaux mixture.That is the whole mystery.""The little fellow must be right," cried the delighted marshal.

"He is always right, this little fellow," beamed Matrena, as proudly as though she had brought him into the world.

But "the little fellow," taking advantage of the greetings as Athanase Georgevitch and Ivan Petrovitch arrived, left the villa, gripping in his pocket the phial which held what is required to make grapes flourish or to kill a general who is in excellent health.

When he had gone a few hundred steps toward the bridges one must cross to go into the city, he was overtaken by a panting dvornick, who brought him a letter that had just come by courier.The writing on the envelope was entirely unknown to him.He tore it open and read, in excellent French:

"Request to M.Joseph Rouletabille not to mix in matters that do not concern him.The second warning will be the last." It was signed: "The Central Revolutionary Committee.""So, ho!" said Rouletabille, slipping the paper into his pocket, "that's the line it takes, is it! Happily I have nothing more to occupy myself with at all.It is Koupriane's turn now! Now to go to Koupriane's!"On this date, Rouletabille's note-book: "Natacha to her father:

'But you, papa, have you had a good night? Did you take your narcotic?'

"Fearful, and (lest I confuse heaven and hell) I have no right to take any further notes."*_____________________________________________________________________*As a matter of fact, after this day no more notes are found in Rouletabille's memorandum-book.The last one is that above, bizarre and romantic, and necessary, as Sainclair, the Paris advocate and friend of Rouletabille, indicates opposite it in the papers from which we have taken all the details of this story.

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