THE HOUSE OF WHIT SHADOWS

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2695, 27 November 1882, Page 4

THE HOUSE OF WHIT SHADOWS

BY B. L. FAEJEON

Author of “ Blades-o’-Grass,” “ Oosnua Marvel,” “ Bread and Cheese and Kisses,” “ Grif,” “ London’s Heart,” Ac., Ac.

Charter I. THE ARRIVAL OR THE ADVOCATE

Geneva was in a state of feverish excitement. Not in the memory of living man had a trial taken place in which the interest manifested had been so absorbing. “ W hat news from tho Court-house ?” “ How many days more is it likely to last?” * V, will the verdict be?” wore questions which men and women asked freely of each other. In every grade of society, from tho highest to the lowest, in fashionable assemblies and in the cafes where the people dranK their lager and red wine; in clubs and workshops; on steamboats and diligences; in the fields and vineyards—the trial ox Gautran was the foremost subject in every person’s mind, and formed the principal topic of conversation and debate. po animated were tlie discussions that tho gii’i lying in her grave might have been snpXiosod to be closely related to half the inhabitants of Geneva instead of having been, as she was, a comparative stranger in the town, with no claim upon any living Genevese on the score of kinship. The evidence against the prisoner was overwhelming, and it appeared as if a spirit of personal hatred had guided its preparation. With deadly patience and skill tho prosecuting counsel blocked up every loophole of escape ; Gautran was fast in the meshes; and it was observed that the Advocate, in his examination of the witnesses forward by the XH'osecution, elicited x>recisely the kind of evidence that —to the minds of those who listened to him now for the first time—strengthened the case against tho man ho was defending. It was to those observers as though he shared the general horror of Gautran’s crime, and had undertaken tho defence for the sole purpose of ensuring a conviction. But in the minds of others who had some knowledge j of the Advocate’s marvellous resources, this very circumstance inspired tho gravest doubts as to tho result of the trial. Instances were cited in which this remarkable man had seemed to play so directly into the hands of his antagonists, that they regarded defeat as impossible, and in which, by the exercise of his inscrutable powers, he had led them craftily into an ambush where, by a startling and wholly unexpected movement, ho had, as it were by a miracle, at the supreme moment snatched victory from their grasp. And it galled them to discover when it was too late to repair their error, that he had so blinded their judgment as to compel them to contribute largely to their own discomfiture. It was in the acknowledgment of these extraordinary powers that the doubt arose whether, in the case of Gautran, the prisoner would slip through the hands of justice. Tho excitement had become so intense that it had spread from the ancient and ordinarily peaceful town to other and greater towns and cities all the world over, the columns of whose newspapers teemed with telegraphic despatches of the progress of tho trial. Special correspondents and artists were busily enxployed in noting and sketching every picturesque feature of the proceedings that afforded a subject for illustration bv pen or pencil. It was impossible, without favour or influence, to obtain admission to the Court, and, could seats have been purchased, a higher price would willingly have been paid for them than the most celebrated actress or prima donna could have commanded. Murders are common enough, but this crime had feverishly stirred the heart of the community, and the unwonted excitement it caused was due, strangely enough, not so much to the murder itself as to an accidental connection which imparted to it an extraordinary interest.

The victim was a young girl named Madeline, seventeen years of age. Until a few months before her cruel and untimely end she had been a stranger in the neighborhood, and nothing was known of the story of her life. When she first appeared in the suburbs of Geneva she was accompanied by a woman older than herself, and two facts became immediately apparent—that a strong attachment existed between the newcomers, and that they were very poor. This last circumstance was in itself a sufficient indication that they belonged to the lower classes. The name of the elder of the women was Pauline.

That they chose to he known hy these names, Madeline and Pauline, was not considered singular by those with whom they consorted ; as they presented themselves so they were accepted, and although at first a natural curiosity was evinced concerning their history, nothing was gathered from them which threw light upon it. Some said the women came from the mountains, some from the plains, but this was mere guess-work. Their dress did not proclaim their canton, and they brought nothing with them to betray them. They hired a room in a poor cottage for three francs a month, and paid the first month’s rent in advance, and the woman who received the money was correct in her surmise, that it constituted nearly the whole of their wealth. For three or four days they did nothing, and then their choice of avocation was made. They sold flowers in the streets and cafes of Geneva, and gained a scanty living thereby ; but poor as it was, they appeared contented with it. The woman with whom they lived said she never heard a dissatisfied word from either of them, and that she was surprised they did not make a great deal of money, because of Madeline’s beauty. Had Pauline traded alone, it is more than likely that failure would have attended her, for although she was both comely and straight-made, there was always in the streets a cloud upon her face, and she did not either have the power, or would not take the trouble to make herself agreeable. It was otherwise with Madeline, in whose young life nature’s fairest season was opening, and it would have been strange indeed if her smiling face and winning manners had not attracted custom. Admiration pursued her, not only from those in her own station, but from some who occupied a higher, and many an insidious proposal was whispered in her ear, whose poisonous flattery would have beguiled her to her ruin. If she had not had in Pauline a staunch and devoted protector it is hard to say whether she could have resisted temptation, for her nature was singularly gentle and confiding, but her' faithful companion, upon whom compliments arid flattery were alike wasted, was ever on the alert, and no man could deal with Madeline without reckoning with Pauline. She guarded Madeline as a mother guards her young, and their affection for each other had grown almost into a proverb. Certainly no harm could befal the young flower girl while Pauline was near, but a day arrived when the elder woman was called away for awhile, and they parted with tears and kisses —never to meet again. Among those whom Madeline’s beauty had attracted was a man in her own station in life—Gautran. a woodman, who by some means had obtained an influence over her, and who assumed a license permitted to no other, to associate with her. That his companionship was distasteful to her could not be doubted, but he was not to be shaken off, and his known ferocity of character deterred others from approaching the girl when he was present. Many times had he been heard to say, “ Madeline belongs to me ; let me see who is bold enough to dispute it.” And again and again that it would be an evil hour for the man who stepped between him and the woman ho loved. Even Pauline was loth to anger him, though when he and Madeline were seen together people would say, “ There go the wolf and the lamb.” This wretch it was who stood accused of the murder of the pretty flower girl. Her body had been found in the river lihone, with marks of violence upon it, and a handkerchief tightly twisted round its neck. The proofs of a cruel murder wore iucontostible, and suspicion fell immediately upon Gautran, who was the last person known to bo in Madeline’s company. Evidence of his guilt was soon forthcoming. After Pauline’s departure Madeline had expressed to companions her fears that, in consequence of her refusal to marry him, ho would one day do her a mischief; according to their statement ho had urged her to go to the priest with him while Pauline was absent. Ho was madly, brutally in love with her, and madly, brutally jealous of her. On the night of the murder they had been seen walking together on the bank of the river ; high words were heard to pass between them : the man’s exclamation, “ I will kill you, —I will kill you !” was sworn to by witnesses, and the handkerchief round her neck belonged to him. A thousand damning details were swiftly accumulated, all pointing to the wretch’s guilt, and the evidence was so complete and crushing that he was doomed by the public voice before ho was tried. It was well for him that ho did not fall into the hands of the populace. So incensed were they against him that they would have torn him to pieces.

But while ho lay in prison awaiting the day of his trial, there arrived in Geneva an Advocate of renown, who had tiavolioci thither with his wife in search of much needed repose from years or mental toil. His nhysicians, fearing that ho would break down in health, and knowing that lie would not spare himself, had imperatively insured that he should retire awhile from his professional duties, and no had reluctantly consented to obey them, inis man was famous in many countries. He was an indefatigable and earnest worker, and so important were his services deemed that phenominal fees were frequently pan! to secure them. But notwithstanding that his time was more valuable than that of any other member of his profession,, he had been known to refuse large sums of money in cases olferod to him, so that ho might devote himself to those which held out no prospect of pecuniary reward. Wealthy, and held in almost exaggerated esteem, it was confidently predicted that the highest honors of the State were in store for him, and it was ungrudgingly admitted that the loftiest office would be dignified by association with his name. The position ho had attained was duo as much to his intense enthusiasm in the cause he championed as to his wondrous capacity lor leading it to victory. As leader of a forlorn hope he was unrivalled. He had an insatiable appetite for obstacles. Criminal cases of great moment, in which life was in imminent peril, and in which there was a dark mystery _ to bo solved, possessed an irresistible fascination for him. The more intricate the task, the closer his study of it; the dooxier the mystery, the greater his patience in the unravelling of it; the more powerful the odds against him, tho higher his courage and the keener his desire to win the battle. His microscopic, penetrating mind detected tho minutest flaw, seized the smallest detail likely to he of advantage to him, and frequently from the most trivial thread ho spun a strand so strong as to drag the ship that was falling to pieces to a safe and secure haven. His satisfaction at these achievements was unbounded, but he rarely allowed an expression of exultation to escape him. His outward tranquility, oven in supreme crises, was astonishing. His nerve was of iron, and to his most intimate associates his inner life was a sealed book. Accompanied by his wife, the Advocate entered Geneva, and alighted a.t the Hotel de la Metropolo, four days before that on which tho trial of Gautran was to commence. Chapter 11. JACOB HAETBICH, THE BANKER, GIVES HIS REASONS POE BELIEVING GAUTRAN, THE

WOODMAN, GUILTY OP THE MURDER. “ I propose,” said the Advocate to his wife, when they wore shown into a private room, “ unless you wish to stay in Genova for a day or two, to start for Petit Sarconnex this afternoon.” ;> “ There is nothing new to be seen here, said the beautiful woman who stood before him, his junior by more than twenty years, “ and I am dying to take possession of Mr Balcomhe’s villa. I have been thinking of nothing else for the last week.” “ Captivated by the strange name it bears?” „ , w , “ Perhaps. The House of White Shadows ! Could anything be more enticing ? Do you know, Edward, why that name was given to it?” . “ No, until lately I was not aware that Balcomhe owned a villa hereabouts. Do not forget that he cautioned you not to take advantage of an offer made rashly and without consideration.” “It was a prohibition. What more was needed to set me longing for it ?” “ You are a true daughter -of Eve. Yes, it was unwise of him." . “ The moment ho warned me against the villa I fell in love with it. I shall discover a romance there.”

“ If it is gloomy ” , , “I will brighten it. Can I not? she asked in a tone so winning that it brought a light into his grave face. “ You can, for me, Adelaide,” he replied; “but I was not thinking of myself. I would not willingly sadden a heart as joyous as yours. You must promise me, if you are not happy there, to let mo know immediately.” “ Dismiss your fears, Edward. I shall be happy there. All last night I was dreaming of white shadows, and I woke up this morning in delightful | spirits. That is an answer to your forebodings.” “I am satisfied. When did you not contrive to have your own way ? I have some banking business to attend to in Genova, and I must leave you for an hour/’ She nodded and smiled at him. Before he reached the door, he turned and said, “ Are you still resolved to send your maid back ? She knows your ways so well, and you are so accustomed to her that her absence might put you to inconvenience. Had you not better keep her with you for awhile until you see whether you will be suited at Petit Sarconnex ?’

“ Edward,” she said gaily, “ have I not told you a hundred times, and have you not found out for yourself a hundred and a hundred times again, that your wife is a very wilful woman ? I shall love to be inconvenienced ; it will set my wits at work. But indeed I happen to know that there is a very pretty girl in the villa, the old housekeeper’s grand-daughter, who was born to do everything I wish done in just the way I wish it done.” “ Child of impulse, of fancy,” he said, kissing her hand, and then her lips, in response to a pouting invitation, “ it is well that you have a husband as serious as myself to keep guard and watch over you.” “To keep guard over mo, if you like, Edward,” she said in her lightest manner, “ but not to watch, the first is a proof of love, the second of suspicion.” “ A logician/too,” he said,laughing, “‘the air agrees with you.” So saying he left her, and the moment he was beyond the reach of her personal influenoe_ his grave nature assorted itself, and his features assumed their usual calm and serious expression. He drove to the Hue de la Corraterio, to the house of the banker, Jacob Hartrich, and was at once admitted to the banker’s private room. Jacob Hartrich. a Jew, holding, by virtue of wealth and intellect, a foremost position in social circles, had passed his sixtieth year, and was still halo and strong. His face was bland and full-fleshed, his eyes bright and, at times, joyous, his voice mellow, his hands fat and finely shaped, and given to a caressing petting of each other, denoting satisfaction with themselves and the world. The banker’s manner was easy and self possessed, a characteristic of his race. He was a gentleman, and a man of education.

He gazed at the Advocate with admiration and curiosity; he had a high respect for men who had achieved fame by force of intellect. “Your friend, Mr Balcombe,” he said, after the first few words of introduction, “ left a letter for you which he wished mo to deliver personally.” While the Advocate read the letter the banker looked over the documents handed to him by his visitor. The letter was short, undated, and without address, and in it the writer spoke of Jacob Hartrich as a man of sterling worth, in whom implicit faith might be placed in any private or business matter. It was signed, “Your faithful friend, Arthur Balcombe.”

“Mr Balcombe,” said the banker, “is very anxious that I _ should forward your views in every possible way. I shall be happy to do so, and, if it is in my power, to contribute to the pleasure of your visit.” “ I thank you,” said the Advocate, “ and I trust we shall see something of oach other. But I come for repose, not for pleasure. When did you last see Mr Balcombe ?”

“Ho called upon me this very day three weeks —for a fow minutes only, and only with respect to your business.” “ He is always thoughtful and considerate,” observed the Advocate. “ His letter has no address. I suppose [he was on his way to Paris when he called on you.”_ “ No ; I believe ho had been some time in the neighborhood of Genova before lie favored me with a visit. lie is still here.” “ Here 1” echoed the Advocate, in a tone of mingled pleasure and surprise. “ At least, in Switzerland.”

“ In what part ?” “ I cannot inform you ; but from the remarks he let fall, I should say in the mountains, where tourists are not likely to penetrate.” Perceiving that the Advocate was interested in the subject, Jacob Hartrich continued; —“ During the short time ho was with mo in this room, sitting in the chair you occupy, I was impressed by an unusual strangeness in his manner. He was restless, and ill at ease, us though bo were dissatisfied with himself, or was dominated by an evil influence.” The Advocate looked up quickly, and asked “ of a supernatural nature? ” “ I cannot say that. I expressed my sur?rise to him that be had been for weeks, as understood, in the neighborhood of Geneva without calling upon mo ; but he did not offer any explanation of his behaviour. He told me, however, that ho was tired of the gaiety, the light and the bustle of cities, and he declared his intention of seeking some solitude where he might, by a happy chance, rid himself of a terror which had taken possession of him. I have frequently thought of this remark, and of Mr Balcombe in connection with it." To be coniin ied.