Messengers of Evil

sight of what they've given you for

rments, and after interminable fumblings and huntings, finished by extracting a certain n

rancs, Mothe

che showed he

to know, I tell you! I've got to write it all down, and I've got to see how much

d appellation reflected. After a silen

remember-not anyhow!... And it's

ouche shrug

with a pitying look at the shabby, down-at-heel fellow, who had spread out his seventeen francs on the table, "it's true

enough," answe

ith it, then," cri

lsive-looking speci

catch a sight of this bit of stuff to the fore, they'll understand they can

e threshold of her store, cast a rapid glance around-

spies are going to give us some peace for a bit!... Likely the who

hat individual, who had not budged: he had hung over his arm respectfull

ou waiting for?"

hing

u going to d

seemed t

uche, "to go and stick it up outside?... Do

d Cranajour, haste

ther Toulouche, whilst counti

him what his name was, nor where he came from, for he was afflicted with a memory like a sieve-he could not remember things for two hours together. A feeble-minded, poor sort of fellow, with not a halfpenny's worth of wickedness in him, always ready to do a hand's turn for anyone: to judge by his looks he might have been any age between forty and seventy, for there is noth

ittle shop on the quay of the Clock.

Curiosi

p: it was a receptacle for a hideous collection of lumber, for old broken furniture, for garments past decent wear, for indescribabl

hich were crowded out of the store were jumbled up in ill-smelling disorder. This back-shop communicated with the rue de Harlay by a narrow dark passage; thus the lair of old Mother Toulouche had two outlets, nor

oisome cesspool: one slipped on the greasy mud-floundered about in it: for all that, this cellar was almost entirely filled with cases of all kinds, with queer-looking bundles, with objects of various shapes and sizes. Evidently the jumble store of Mother Toulouche did not confi

mises as hers: if she took ceaseless precautions it wa

k as those days of renown when the band of Numbers had as their chief the mysterious hooligan Loupart, also known under the name of Dr. Chale

had kept carefully hidden, Mother Toulouche had decided to set up shop close to the Palais de Justic

ing the acquaintance of one or two of them, and tha

ning on the quay of the Clock, a quay but little frequented, her wretched jumble store of odds and ends. She had kept in touch with

y hand on the group. Still, as the band began to break up, other members came

; this was a man named Nibet, who although he intervened but seldom, could, thanks to his influence, save

d-natured Cranajour fasten up the Academician's robe in a prominent position on the front of

ay, old

il the usual signal had been displayed. Those who frequented the place knew that when the store was under police observation and Mother Toulouche feared a raid she took care to hang out any ki

rrived looking

e latest?" she cri

news?" questione

ilet has come down

t smashed up, is he?" Mother

nything more than

s on the faces o

of himself without leaving a comrade in the lurc

of making himself notorious by his execrable conduct as those in his position generally did, he behaved like a little saint. Having thus made a reputation to trade on, he was twice able to steal the money from the regimental chest without a shadow of suspicion falling on him, and, what was worse, two

to a degree, and, as soon as his time in the army was up, he began to earn his living as an aviator, and rightly, for he had become

xt that he was out to make records in flying. Custom-house officials and police inspectors in the interior would never think of examining the tubes of a flying machine, to see whether or no they

that he was off on a trial trip to Brussels

o gathered at the lair of Mother Toulouche under the seal of secrecy. This was why big Ernestine was so anxious when she heard of Mimile's accident

rnity who had had his glorious hour in the famous days of Chaleck and Loupart, had scarcely left prison retirement before he had been nabbed again, owing to the far too sharp eyes of the French custom-house officials on the Belgian frontier. O

was set on knowin

happened to Em

me forward from the back store, where he

y off and buy me an evening paper! Now be quick about it!... Don't f

ur, "I shan't forget!" He nodded to big Ernestine, and va

o the store, not by the quay entrance, but through the back store, to wh

cold; his cap was drawn well over his eye

ide of the store, Mother Toulouche j

anything fre

ibet's crabbed visage glowered on the two

n his teeth: "Things are

ith comrades committed for tri

threw a glance of d

illy! It's this

of events which had thrown the whole legal world into a state of commotion: incomprehensible occurrences, which th

d them about the details of the Dollon-Vibray affair; but they dared not cross-examine the w

d: "And those bundles of lace we

ng them?" aske

or," decl

eive them?" demand

Come to think of it," went on Nibet, staring hard at

e rue de Harlay to the den of Mother Toulouche. He slipped into the passage; but instead of rejoining the old storekeeper he began to mount a steep and tortuous staircase, which led

assed his daylight hours in the company of Mother Toulouche, hobnobbing

sprinkled his face and the upper part of his body with cold water, spong

amed. They were the roofs, outlined against the night sky, of the Palais de Justice. There was a shadow on the roof of the great pile, a shadow which moved to and fro, passing from one roof ridge to ano

change produced in his physiognomy. This was not the Cranajour of the wandering eye, the silly smile, the stupid face, known to Mother Toulouch

onger. He would have remained at the window the whole night long had the unknown persisted in his peregrinations; but Cranaj

g out of his mysterious hiding-place again. He waited and expected in vain: t

s Cranajour re-ent

ed Mother Toulouche: "You've bro

ompany with his most stupid expr

e forgotten to bu

ival, continued his conversation with big Ernestine: t

estine's lover was in the habit of ringing were unfortunate pedestrians whom he would rob and half murder, beating them unmercifully about the head and body. Sometimes he would beat them to wit

Beadle that evening, for things were so queer and uncertain, the outloo

if he had got mixed u

, whilst pretending to put a gre

bet re

ow about all that.... He's afraid of getting what the Cooper got, so he keeps

r Toulouche bewaile

only a fortnight's liberty! And with a vile ac

to relieve

a?tre Henri Robart to defend him? He knows how to get roun

oked at

go down! The boatman will be there be

rry when smuggled goods were to be unload

able to manage

najour. The warder h

else, couldn't I tak

catch what they were saying: Cranajour had never been up to dodges of this kind: so far he had been

t sm

impleton, and because he hasn't a mite

Mother Toulouche,

ed to Cr

and just tell us where

head between his hands, closed his eyes, and racked his brains: after q

can't tell

sely watched this

e all righ

l-smelling. The walls glistened with exuding damp, and the ground was a

had to climb over cases of all kinds, and over bales and bundles that moved and rolled about.

cover of one of them and drew back wonderstruck, for the box was full of shining gold pieces!

you do your job all right! But," continued the warder, leading his companion to the further end of the second cellar, "you will have to look out if you

nodded com

False money!

n passed into a long dark passage, swept by a sharp rush of air. The floor of it was paved, and at the side of it flowed a pesti

ispered Nibet. Pointing to a grey patch in th

scharges itself into the Seine: it's there the boat

ar. An unaccustomed noise had alarmed the warder. In profound silence the two men stood listening intently. There was no

as he had been in his attic, watching the shadow an

t no

leamed on the damp, slimy walls

e voice; and, with infinite precaution, he closed th

through the badly joined wood of the solid door. Friend or foe? An individual moved into view. The reflected light of h

-intense rage was expressed in grip and tone-"It's he! Again! The journalist of the

unged into his

y movement: he clearly heard the sharp snap of a

in his wake had rushed into the sewer-way, hard on the heels of the journalis

n our track! Too good a chance to miss! I'

hich penetrated the sewer near t

The two bandits came up to within a yard of him. Noiselessly, savagely determined, Nibet lifted his arm for a murderous stroke.

eck of the journalist up to the hilt, when Cranajour lifted his foot, as if inspired by an idea on the spur of

roughly sudden had been Cranajour's movement that Nibet

idiotic smile, nodded, but

der's chance of ridding himself of the journalist for good and all! This hit-and-miss made Nib

sults; and now not only had the two men returned stuttering over their statements and with no news of t

aped on the silly head of Cranajour, who, all in vain, raised his eyes to hea

hy he had done it! He tho

ddenly Cranajour broke a long silence and dem

then? What are you

at one another, taken aback-then they understood: two hours had

born babe! There was nothing whatever to b