the cat of an old woman,--Mother Angenoux, as she is called in
the country. Mother Angenoux is a sort of saint, who lives in a
hut in the heart of the forest, not far from the grotto of
Sainte-Genevieve.

"The Yellow Room, the Bete Du Bon Dieu, Mother Angenoux, the Devil,
Sainte-Genevieve, Daddy Jacques,--here is a well entangled crime
which the stroke of a pickaxe in the wall may disentangle for us
to-morrow. Let us at least hope that, for the sake of our human
reason, as the examining magistrate says. Meanwhile, it is expected
that Mademoiselle Stangerson--who has not ceased to be delirious
and only pronounces one word distinctly, 'Murderer! Murderer!'
--will not live through the night."

In conclusion, and at a late hour, the same journal announced that
the Chief of the Surete had telegraphed to the famous detective,
Frederic Larsan, who had been sent to London for an affair of
stolen securities, to return immediately to Paris.





CHAPTER II

In Which Joseph Roultabille Appears for the First Time


I remember as well as if it had occurred yesterday, the entry of
young Rouletabille into my bedroom that morning. It was about