FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138  
139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   >>   >|  
te restante_ at Alencon. Don Luis and Mazeroux went on to the village of Damigni. Here again the postmaster knew no one of the name of Langernault; and this in spite of the fact that Damigni contained only about a thousand inhabitants. "Let's go and call on the mayor," said Perenna. At the mayor's Mazeroux stated who he was and mentioned the object of his visit. The mayor nodded his head. "Old Langernault? I should think so. A decent fellow: used to run a business in the town." "And accustomed, I suppose, to fetch his letters at Alencon post-office?" "That's it, every day, for the sake of the walk." "And his house?" "Is at the end of the village. You passed it as you came along." "Can we see it?" "Well, of course ... only--" "Perhaps he's not at home?" "Certainly not! The poor, dear man hasn't even set foot in the house since he left it the last time, four years ago!" "How is that?" "Why, he's been dead these four years!" Don Luis and Mazeroux exchanged a glance of amazement. "So he's dead?" said Don Luis. "Yes, a gunshot." "What's that!" cried Perenna. "Was he murdered?" "No, no. They thought so at first, when they picked him up on the floor of his room; but the inquest proved that it was an accident. He was cleaning his gun, and it went off and sent a load of shot into his stomach. All the same, we thought it very queer in the village. Daddy Langernault, an old hunter before the Lord, was not the man to commit an act of carelessness." "Had he money?" "Yes; and that's just what clinched the matter: they couldn't find a penny of it!" Don Luis remained thinking for some time and then asked: "Did he leave any children, any relations of the same name?" "Nobody, not even a cousin. The proof is that his property--it's called the Old Castle, because of the ruins on it--has reverted to the State. The authorities have had the doors of the house sealed up, and locked the gate of the park. They are waiting for the legal period to expire in order to take possession." "And don't sightseers go walking in the park, in spite of the walls?" "Not they. In the first place, the walls are very high. And then--and then the Old Castle has had a bad reputation in the neighbourhood ever since I can remember. There has always been a talk of ghosts: a pack of silly tales. But still--" Perenna and his companion could not get over their surprise. "This is a funny affair," exclaimed D
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138  
139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Perenna
 

Langernault

 

Mazeroux

 

village

 

Damigni

 
Castle
 
thought
 

Alencon

 
remained
 

clinched


thinking

 

couldn

 
matter
 

ghosts

 
stomach
 

hunter

 
carelessness
 
commit
 

relations

 

period


expire

 

waiting

 

neighbourhood

 

reputation

 

walking

 

surprise

 

possession

 

sightseers

 

locked

 

sealed


cousin

 
property
 

called

 

Nobody

 

children

 
exclaimed
 

authorities

 
reverted
 

companion

 
affair

remember
 

business

 
accustomed
 
suppose
 

decent

 

fellow

 
letters
 

office

 
contained
 

postmaster