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In brief, it is known that a party of his friends has been quartered for some time at the château; they come and go, in fact, and now he is either taking more, or the same ones back again, and God knows why he takes them to so desolate a region, unless, as the rumour is, he has discovered coal-fields upon the seigniory and holds M. Duchaine in his power.
That was Père Antoine's explanation, and we realized at once that it was useless to search for Charles Duchaine. The whole aspect of the region had been changed; there was neither glacier nor cataract, and the lake, swollen to twice its size and height, slept peacefully beneath its covering of ice and snow.
It is strange that so little is known of the seigniory, for they say the Rivière d'Or " "The Golden River?" "Has vast wealth in it, and formerly the Indians would bring gold-dust in quills to the traders. But many have sought the source of this supply in past times and failed or died, and so " He shrugged his shoulders again. "You see, M. Duchaine is a hermit," he continued.
I heard Leroux's harsh voice within; and if I stopped outside it was not in indecision, but because I meant to make sure of my man this time. Through the crack of the door I saw old Charles Duchaine nodding over his wheel. Leroux was standing near him, and in a corner, beside the window, was Jacqueline. She was facing our common enemy as valiantly as she had done before.
"I do not know what your business is, monsieur," he said, "but if it were an honest one you would state it to me. If you wish to see M. Duchaine I am best qualified to assist you to do so, since I visit his château twice each year to carry the consolations of religion to him and his people. But if your business is not honest it will fail. End it then and return to your own country."
The ball was clicking round the wheel again, and very faintly, through the roar of the cataracts, I heard the sound of the fiddle below. Leroux sat down heavily. "I will put down my cards," he said. "I have you here in my power. I have four men with me. This dotard" he glanced contemptuously at old Duchaine "has no bearing on the situation. You can, of course, kill me; but that would not help you.
He must have met Duchaine that morning as the old man was flying or wandering aimlessly along the tunnel. They had reached le Vieil Ange together, and Leroux had probably had little difficulty in inducing the witless old man to take him back into the secret hiding-place. It was lucky that we had not been there when Leroux discovered it.
I snatched the paper from his grasp and threw it on the floor, then pulled him to his feet. "Enough of this nonsense, M. Duchaine," I said. "Will you conduct me to Mlle. Jacqueline immediately, or shall I go and find her?" "I am here, monsieur," answered a voice at the door; and I whirled, to see Jacqueline confronting me. I took three steps toward her and stood still.
I guessed she's go to Daly's old Duchaine was mad about that crazy system of his, and had been writing to him. "He used to know Daly when they were young men together at Saratoga and Montreal, and in Quebec, in the times when they had good horses and high-play there. I tell you it was ticklish.
In vain I tried to drag him within the tunnel. He shook himself free from me and sprang out on the icy ledge, and he poised himself there, turning his head from side to side as either of us spoke. And he effectively prevented me from shooting Leroux. "Don't you know your best friends, Duchaine?" inquired Leroux; and the white beard was tipped toward the other side of the ledge.
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