The Rome Express | Page 4

M. Floçon began by a sharp rebuke.
"Now. Sharp! Are you always like this?" cried the Chief.
The porter still stared straight before him with lack-lustre eyes, and
made no immediate reply.
"Are you drunk? are you--Can it be possible?" he said, and in vague
reply to a sudden strong suspicion, he went on:
"What were you doing between Laroche and Paris? Sleeping?"
The man roused himself a little. "I think I slept. I must have slept. I was
very drowsy. I had been up two nights; but so it is always, and I am not
like this generally. I do not understand."
"Hah!" The Chief thought he understood. "Did you feel this drowsiness
before leaving Laroche?"
"No, monsieur, I did not. Certainly not. I was fresh till then--quite
fresh."
"Hum; exactly; I see;" and the little Chief jumped to his feet and ran
round to where the porter stood sheepishly, and sniffed and smelt at
him.

"Yes, yes." Sniff, sniff, sniff, the little man danced round and round
him, then took hold of the porter's head with one hand, and with the
other turned down his lower eyelid so as to expose the eyeball, sniffed
a little more, and then resumed his seat.
"Exactly. And now, where is your train card?"
"Pardon, monsieur, I cannot find it."
"That is absurd. Where do you keep it? Look again--search--I must
have it."
The porter shook his head hopelessly.
"It is gone, monsieur, and my pocket-book."
"But your papers, the tickets--"
"Everything was in it, monsieur. I must have dropped it."
Strange, very strange. However--the fact was to be recorded, for the
moment. He could of course return to it.
"You can give me the names of the passengers?"
"No, monsieur. Not exactly. I cannot remember, not enough to
distinguish between them."
"Fichtre! But this is most devilishly irritating. To think that I have to do
with a man so stupid--such an idiot, such an ass!"
"At least you know how the berths were occupied, how many in each,
and which persons? Yes? You can tell me that? Well, go on. By and by
we will have the passengers in, and you can fix their places, after I have
ascertained their names. Now, please! For how many was the car?"
"Sixteen. There were two compartments of four berths each, and four
of two berths each."

"Stay, let us make a plan. I will draw it. Here, now, is that right?" and
the Chief held up the rough diagram, here shown--
[Illustration: Diagram of railroad car.]
"Here we have the six compartments. Now take a, with berths 1, 2, 3,
and 4. Were they all occupied?"
"No; only two, by Englishmen. I know that they talked English, which I
understand a little. One was a soldier; the other, I think, a clergyman, or
priest."
"Good! we can verify that directly. Now, b, with berths 5 and 6. Who
was there?"
"One gentleman. I don't remember his name. But I shall know him by
appearance."
"Go on. In c, two berths, 7 and 8?"
"Also one gentleman. It was he who--I mean, that is where the crime
occurred."
"Ah, indeed, in 7 and 8? Very well. And the next, 9 and 10?"
"A lady. Our only lady. She came from Rome."
"One moment. Where did the rest come from? Did any embark on the
road?"
"No, monsieur; all the passengers travelled through from Rome."
"The dead man included? Was he Roman?"
"That I cannot say, but he came on board at Rome."
"Very well. This lady--she was alone?"
"In the compartment, yes. But not altogether."

"I do not understand!"
"She had her servant with her."
"In the car?"
"No, not in the car. As a passenger by second class. But she came to her
mistress sometimes, in the car."
"For her service, I presume?"
"Well, yes, monsieur, when I would permit it. But she came a little too
often, and I was compelled to protest, to speak to Madame la
Comtesse--"
"She was a countess, then?"
"The maid addressed her by that title. That is all I know. I heard her."
"When did you see the lady's maid last?"
"Last night. I think at Amberieux. about 8 p.m."
"Not this morning?"
"No, sir, I am quite sure of that."
"Not at Laroche? She did not come on board to stay, for the last stage,
when her mistress would be getting up, dressing, and likely to require
her?"
"No; I should not have permitted it."
"And where is the maid now, d'you suppose?"
The porter looked at him with an air of complete imbecility.
"She is surely somewhere near, in or about the station. She would
hardly desert her mistress now," he said, stupidly, at last.

"At any rate we can soon settle that." The Chief turned to one