第95章

"He did not deceive us long; our enemies themselves undertook his punishment.""It was I," cried Rouletabille, radiant again."It was I who wound up that career.I tell you that was managed right.It was I who rid you of him.Ah, I knew well enough, messieurs, in the bottom of my heart I knew that I could not be mistaken.Two and two make four always, don't they? And Rouletabille is always Rouletabille.

Messieurs, it is all right, after all."

But it was probable that it was also all wrong, for the gentleman of the Neva came up to him hat in hand and said:

"Monsieur, you know now why the witnesses at your trial did not raise a fact against you that, on the contrary, was entirely in your favor.Now it only remains for us to execute the sentence which is entirely justified on other grounds.""Ah, but - wait a little.What the devil! Now that I am sure Ihave not been mistaken and that I have been myself, Rouletabille, all the time I cling to life a little - oh, very much!"A hostile murmur showed the condemned man that the patience of his judges was getting near its limit.

"Monsieur," interposed the president, "we know that you do not belong to the orthodox religion; nevertheless, we will bring a priest if you wish it.""Yes, yes, that is it, go for the priest," cried Rouletabille.

And he said to himself, "It is so much time gained."One of the revolutionaries started over to a little cabin that had been transformed into a chapel, while the rest of them looked at the reporter with a good deal less sympathy than they had been showing.If his bravado had impressed them agreeably in the trial room, they were beginning to be rather disgusted by his cries, his protestations and all the maneuvers by which he so apparently was trying to hold off the hour of his death.

But all at once Rouletabille jumped up onto the fatal stool.They believed he had decided finally to make an end of the comedy and die with dignity; but he had mounted there only to give them a discourse.

"Messieurs, understand me now.If it is true that you are not suppressing me in order to avenge Michael Nikolaievitch., then why do you hang me? Why do you inflict this odious punishment on me?

Because you accuse me of causing Natacha Feodorovna's arrest? Truly I have been awkward.Of that, and that alone, I accuse myself.""It was you, with your revolver, who gave the signal to Koupriane's agents! You have done the dirty work for the police."Rouletabille tried vainly to protest, to explain, to say that his revolver shot, on the contrary, had saved the revolutionaries.But no one cared to listen and no one believed him.

"Here is the priest, monsieur," said the gentleman of the Neva.

"One second! These are my last words, and I swear to you that after this I will pass the rope about my neck myself! But listen to me! Listen to me closely! Natacha Feodorovna was the most precious recruit you had, was she not?""A veritable treasure," declared the president, his voice more and more impatient.

"It was a terrible blow, then," continued the reporter, "a terrible blow for you, this arrest?""Terrible," some of them ejaculated.