The Mystery of the Yellow Room - Chapter 28

"The Mystery of the Yellow Room" by Gaston Leroux is a classic locked-room mystery set in France. When Mathilde Stangerson is found in a locked room with no apparent way in or out, journalist Joseph Rouletabille is determined to unravel the mystery. Leroux's tale is renowned for its suspenseful plot, clever twists, and exploration of themes like deception and truth. It's a gripping story that keeps readers guessing until the end, making it a seminal work in detective fiction.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Chapter twenty eight of the Mystery ofthe Yellow Room. This is a LibriVox
recording. All LibriVox recordings are inthe public domain. For more free audiobooks
all to volunteer, please visit LibriVoxdot org. Recording by Stuart Bell.
The Mystery of the Yellow Room byGaston LaRue, chapter twenty eight, in

(00:26):
which it is proved that one doesnot always think of everything. Great excitement
prevailed when Rouletabille had finished. Thecourt room became agitated with the murmurings of
suppressed applause made Andreas Robert could fromthe Germans of the trial, and was
supported in his motion by the publicprosecutor himself. The case was adjourned.

(00:53):
The next day. Monsieur Robert Darzacwas released on bail, while Daddy Jacques
received the immediate benetit of a nocause for action. Search was everywhere made
for Frederic Larsan, but in VainMonsieur Darzac finally escaped the awful calamity which
at one time had threatened him.After a visit to Mademoiselle Stangerson, he

(01:18):
was led to hope that she might, by careful nursing, one day,
recover her reason Rouletabille naturally became theman of the hour. On leaving the
Palais de Justice, the crowd borehim aloft. In triumph, the press
of the whole world published his exploitsand his photograph. He who had interviewed

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so many illustrous personages, had himselfbecome illustrious and was interviewed in his turn.
I am glad to say that theenormous success in no way turned his
head. We left Versailles together afterhaving dined at the Dog that Smokes.

(02:00):
I put a number of questions tohim, which during our meal had been
on the tip of my tongue,but which I had refrained from uttering,
knowing that he did not like totalk shop while eating my friend, I
said that larsan Case is wonderful.It is worthy of you. He begged
me to say no more, andhumorously pretended an anxiety for me should I

(02:23):
give way to silly praise of himbecause of a personal admiration for his ability.
I'll come to the point, then, I said, not a little
nettled, I am still in thedarkest your reason for going to America when
you left the Glandier you had foundout if I rightly understand all about Frederic
Larsan. You had discovered the exactway he had attempted the murder. Quite

(02:46):
so, And you, he said, turning the conversation, did you suspect
nothing? Nothing? It's incredible.I don't see how I could have suspected
anything. You took great pains toconceal your thoughts from me. Had you
already suspected Larsan when you sent forme to bring the revolvers? Yes,

(03:07):
I'd come to that conclusion through theincident of the inexplicable gallery Larsan's returned to
Marazarstangerson's room, However, had notthen been cleared up by the eyeglasses.
My suspicions were the outcome of myreasoning only, and the idea of Larsan
being the murderer seemed so extraordinary thatI resolved to wait for actual evidence before

(03:29):
venturing to act. Nevertheless, thesuspicion worried me, and I sometimes spoke
to the detective in a way thatought to have opened your eyes. I
spoke disparagingly of his methods, Butuntil I found the eyeglasses, I could
but look upon my suspicion of him. In the light of an absurd hypothesis.

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Only you can imagine my elation afterI had explained Larsan's movements. I
remember well rushing into my room likea madman and crying to you, I'll
get the better of the great Fred. I'll get the better of him in
a way that will make a sensation. I was then thinking of Larsan the
murderer. It was that same eveningthat Darzac begged me to watch over Mademoiselle

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Stangerson. I made no efforts untilwe had dined with Larsan until ten o'clock.
He was right there before me,and I could afford to wait.
You ought to have suspected, becausewhen we were talking of the murderer's arrival,
I said to you, I amquite sure Larsan will be here tonight.
But one important point escaped us both. It was one which orcho have

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opened our eyes to Larsan. Doyou remember the bamboo cane. I was
surprised to find Larsan had made nouse of that evidence against Robert Darzac,
had he not been purchased by aman whose description taled exactly with that of
Darzac. Well just before I sawhim off at the train after the recess

(04:57):
during the trial, I asked himwhy he had used the cane evidence.
He told me that he had neverhad any intention of doing so, that
our discovery of it in the littleinn at Epinay had much embarrassed him.
If you will remember, he toldus then that the cane had been given
him in London. Why did wenot immediately say to ourselves, Fred is

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lying, he could not have hadthis cane in London. He was not
in London. He bought it inParis. Then you found out on inquirer
cassettes that the cane had been boughtby a person dressed very like Robert Darzac,
though as we learned later from Darzachimself, it was not he who

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had made the purchase. Coupled thiswith the fact that we already know from
the letter at the poster Astant thatthere was actually a man in Paris who
was passing as Robert Darzac, whydid we not immediately fix on Fred himself?
Of course, this position that thesurrete was against us. But when

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he saw the evident eagerness on hispart to find convicting evidence against Darzac,
and that even the passion he displayedin his pursuit of the man. The
lie about the cane should have hada new meaning for us. If you
ask why Larsan bought the cane ifhe had no intention of manufacturing evidence against
Darzac by means of it, theanswer is quite simple. He had been

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wounded in the hand by Mademoiselle Stangerson, so that the cane was useful to
enable him to close his hand incarrying it. You remember, I noticed
that he always carried it. Allthese details came back to my mind when
I had once fixed on Larsan asthe criminal, but they were too late
then to be of any use tome. On the evening, when he

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pretended to be drugged, I lookedat his hand and saw a thin silk
bandage covering the signs of a slighthealing wound. Had we taken a quicker
initiative at the time Larsan told usthat lie about the cane, I am
certain he would have gone off toavoid suspicion. All the same, we

(07:08):
worried Larsan or Burmeya without our knowingit. But I interrupted, If Larsan
had no intention of using the caneas evidence against Darzac, why had he
made himself up to look like theman when he went in to buy it.
He had not specially made up asDarzac to buy the cane. He

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had come straight to Cassettes immediately afterhe had attacked Mademoiselle Stangerson. His wound
was troubling him, and as hewas passing along the avenuedd' opera, the
idea of the cane came to hismind, and he acted on it.
It was then eight o'clock, andI, who had hit upon the very
hour of the occurrence of the tragedy, almost convinced that Darzac was not the

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criminal, and knowing of the cane, I still never suspected Larsan. There
are times, There are times Isaid, when the greatest intellects Rouletabille shut
my mouth. I still continued tochide him, but finding he did not
reply, I saw he was nolonger paying any attention to what I was

(08:13):
saying. I found he was fastasleep. End of Chapter twenty eight recording
by Stuart Bell, Cambridge, Duque