The Mystery of the Yellow Room

oke of their hearths-these inns of the coaching-days, crumbling erections that will soon exist in the memory only. They b

ard, over the threshold, a man with a crabbed-looking face was standing, seemingly plunged in unp

oubt, the not very amiable landlord of this charming dwelling-place. As we expressed a hope that he would be good enough to furnish us

ouletabille said to him

olice-I'm not afraid of

tter not to insist; but, being determined to enter the inn, he

id, "it is very

tolerably large one, furnished with two heavy tables, some stools, a counter decorated with rows of bottles of syrup and alcohol. Three windows looked out on to the road

" said Rouletabille. "We have no chicken-no

slowly; "I know-We shall

arzac had done, when he heard Rouletabille's prophetic sentence-"The presbytery has lost nothing of its charm, nor the garden its brightness." Certainly my friend knew how to make people understand him by the use of wholly incomprehensible phrases.

dozen eggs and a piece of beefsteak. The commission was quickly executed by a strongly-built

er said to

Green Man comes, do

e chimney, unhooked a frying-pan and a gridiron, and began to beat up our omelette before proceeding to grill our beefsteak. He then ordered two bottles of c

I heard h

here h

indows, watching the road. There was no need for me to draw Rouletabille's attention; he

movements displayed an almost aristocratic ease. He wore eye-glasses and appeared to be about five and forty years of age. His hair as well as his moustache were salt grey. He was remarkably handsome. As

es, his clenched hands, his trembling lips, told us of

ot to come in here

ked Rouletabille, ret

m? Then all the better for you. He is not an acquaintance

much?" asked the reporter, pourin

has been compelled to become a servant. A keeper is as much a servant as any other, isn't he? Upon my word, one would say that he is the mast

often c

ever existed for him!-he hasn't had time!-been too much engaged in paying court to the landlady of the Three Lilies at Saint-Michel. A bad

the chateau are h

y name's Mathieu, monsieur.

've been

don't want to mix myself up

you think o

much loved everywhere in the country. That's what I think

e?" insisted

ed at him sideways

even

pushed open and an old woman, dressed in rags, leaning on a stick, her head doddering

ngenoux!-It's long since we

said the old woman. "If ever you should h

elieved could exist. The beast looked at us and gave so hopeless

n in. It was the Green Man. He saluted by raising his ha

der, Daddy Mat

athieu had started violently; but

served the last bottl

wine," said the Green Man, with

-no more anything," said

Madame M

ell, tha

just seen, was the wife of this repugnant and brutal rusti

eft the room. Mother Angenoux was still stand

s that why we have not seen you for

ay to Sainte-Genevieve, our good patroness, and the rest of the time I have be

not lea

y day nor

u sure

m of Pa

through the night of the murder nothing bu

in front of the forest-keeper an

at cry like that. Well, on the night of the murder I also heard the cry of the Bete du bon Dieu outside; and yet s

, the noise of loud quarrelling reached us. We even thought we heard a dull sound of blows, as if some one was being beaten. The Green Man

he has the toothache." And he laughed. "Here, Mo

, who took it eagerly and went out by

serve me?" ask

lacid and no longer retain

ou-nothing for you.

than Daddy Mathieu slammed the door after him and, turning towards us, with eyes bloodshot, and frothing at th

l have to eat red meat-now'; but if it will in

diately left us. Rouletabille retur

w do you like the cider?-It's

silence reigned in the inn when we left it, after pla

w road black with soot, near to some charcoal-burners' huts in the forest of Sainte-Genevieve, which touches on the road from Epinay to Corbei

that the keeper knows

ed in what the landlord said about the man. The landlord hates him. I did

d for the home of the concierges, who had been arrested that morning. With the skill of an acrobat, he got into the lodge by an upper

ark gate attracted our attention. A carriage had arrived and some people had come from t

hall see what Frederic Larsan has up his sleeve, an

But two gendarmes stationed at the gate had evidently received orders to refuse admission to anybody. The Chief of the Surete calmed their impat