The Secret of the Night [101]
Koupriane. "And this time I have it on you. What I told you, what I foresaw, has happened. But have you any news of the sufferers? Apropos, rather a curious thing has happened. I met Kister on the Newsky just now."
"The physician?"
"Yes, one of Trebassof's physicians whom I had sent an inspector to his house to fetch to the datcha, as well as his usual associate, Doctor Litchkof. Well, neither Litchkof nor he had been summoned. They didn't know anything had happened at the datcha. They had not seen my inspector. I hope he has met some other doctor on the way and, in view of the urgency, has taken him to the datcha."
"That is what has happened," replied Rouletabille, who had turned very pale. " Still, it is strange these gentlemen had not been notified, because at the datcha the Trebassofs were told that the general's usual doctors were not at home and so the police had summoned two others who would arrive at once."
Koupriane jumped up in the carriage.
"But Kister and Litchkof had not left their houses. Kister, who had just met Litchkof, said so. What does this mean?"
"Can you tell me," asked Rouletabille, ready now for the thunder-clap that his question invited, "the name of the inspector you ordered to bring them?" "Priemkof, a man with my entire confidence."
Koupriane's carriage rushed toward the Isles. Late evening had come. Alone on the deserted route the horses seemed headed for the stars; the carriage behind seemed no drag upon them. The coachman bent above them, arms out, as though he would spring into the ether. Ah, the beautiful night, the lovely, peaceful night beside the Neva, marred by the wild gallop of these maddened horses!
"Priemkof! Priemkof! One of Gounsovski's men! I should have suspected him," railed Koupriane after Rouletabille's explanations. "But now, shall we arrive in time?"
They stood up in the carriage, urging the coachman, exciting the horses: " Scan! Scan! Faster, douriak!" Could they arrive before the "living bombs"? Could they hear them before they arrived? Ah, there was Eliaguine!
They rushed from the one bank to the other as though there were no bridges in their insensate course. And their ears were strained for the explosion, for the abomination now to come, preparing slyly in the night so hypocritically soft under the cold glance of the stars. Suddenly, "Stop, stop!" Rouletabille cried to the coachman.
"Are you mad!" shouted Koupriane.
"We are mad if we arrive like madmen. That would make the catastrophe sure. There is still a chance. If we wish not to lose it, then we must arrive easily and calmly, like friends who know the general is out of danger."
"Our only chance is to arrive before the bogus doctors. Either they aren't there, or it already is all over. Priemkof must have been surprised at the affair of the poisoning, but he has seized the opportunity; fortunately he couldn't find his accomplices immediately."
"Here is the datcha, anyway. In the name of heaven, tell your driver to stop the horses here. If the 'doctors' are already there it is we who shall have killed the general."
"You are right."
Koupriane moderated his excitement and that of his driver and horses, and the carriage stopped noiselessly, not far from the datcha. Ermolai came toward them.
"Priemkof?" faltered Koupriane.
"He has gone again, Excellency."
"How - gone again?"
"Yes,, but he has brought the doctors."
Koupriane crushed Rouletabille's wrist. The doctors were there!
"Madame Trebassof is better," continued Ermolal, who understood nothing of their emotion. "The general is going to meet them and take them to his wife himself."
"Where are they?"
"They are waiting in the drawing-room."
"Oh, Excellency, keep cool, keep cool, and all is not lost," implored the reporter.
Rouletabille and Koupriane slipped carefully into the garden. Ermolai followed them.
"There?" inquired Koupriane.
"There," Ermolai replied.
>From the corner where they were, and looking through the veranda, they could see the "doctors"
"The physician?"
"Yes, one of Trebassof's physicians whom I had sent an inspector to his house to fetch to the datcha, as well as his usual associate, Doctor Litchkof. Well, neither Litchkof nor he had been summoned. They didn't know anything had happened at the datcha. They had not seen my inspector. I hope he has met some other doctor on the way and, in view of the urgency, has taken him to the datcha."
"That is what has happened," replied Rouletabille, who had turned very pale. " Still, it is strange these gentlemen had not been notified, because at the datcha the Trebassofs were told that the general's usual doctors were not at home and so the police had summoned two others who would arrive at once."
Koupriane jumped up in the carriage.
"But Kister and Litchkof had not left their houses. Kister, who had just met Litchkof, said so. What does this mean?"
"Can you tell me," asked Rouletabille, ready now for the thunder-clap that his question invited, "the name of the inspector you ordered to bring them?" "Priemkof, a man with my entire confidence."
Koupriane's carriage rushed toward the Isles. Late evening had come. Alone on the deserted route the horses seemed headed for the stars; the carriage behind seemed no drag upon them. The coachman bent above them, arms out, as though he would spring into the ether. Ah, the beautiful night, the lovely, peaceful night beside the Neva, marred by the wild gallop of these maddened horses!
"Priemkof! Priemkof! One of Gounsovski's men! I should have suspected him," railed Koupriane after Rouletabille's explanations. "But now, shall we arrive in time?"
They stood up in the carriage, urging the coachman, exciting the horses: " Scan! Scan! Faster, douriak!" Could they arrive before the "living bombs"? Could they hear them before they arrived? Ah, there was Eliaguine!
They rushed from the one bank to the other as though there were no bridges in their insensate course. And their ears were strained for the explosion, for the abomination now to come, preparing slyly in the night so hypocritically soft under the cold glance of the stars. Suddenly, "Stop, stop!" Rouletabille cried to the coachman.
"Are you mad!" shouted Koupriane.
"We are mad if we arrive like madmen. That would make the catastrophe sure. There is still a chance. If we wish not to lose it, then we must arrive easily and calmly, like friends who know the general is out of danger."
"Our only chance is to arrive before the bogus doctors. Either they aren't there, or it already is all over. Priemkof must have been surprised at the affair of the poisoning, but he has seized the opportunity; fortunately he couldn't find his accomplices immediately."
"Here is the datcha, anyway. In the name of heaven, tell your driver to stop the horses here. If the 'doctors' are already there it is we who shall have killed the general."
"You are right."
Koupriane moderated his excitement and that of his driver and horses, and the carriage stopped noiselessly, not far from the datcha. Ermolai came toward them.
"Priemkof?" faltered Koupriane.
"He has gone again, Excellency."
"How - gone again?"
"Yes,, but he has brought the doctors."
Koupriane crushed Rouletabille's wrist. The doctors were there!
"Madame Trebassof is better," continued Ermolal, who understood nothing of their emotion. "The general is going to meet them and take them to his wife himself."
"Where are they?"
"They are waiting in the drawing-room."
"Oh, Excellency, keep cool, keep cool, and all is not lost," implored the reporter.
Rouletabille and Koupriane slipped carefully into the garden. Ermolai followed them.
"There?" inquired Koupriane.
"There," Ermolai replied.
>From the corner where they were, and looking through the veranda, they could see the "doctors"