Through the Wall   By: Cleveland Moffett (1863-1926)

BY

CLEVELAND MOFFETT

AUTHOR OF

THE BATTLE, ETC.

With Illustrations by

H. HEYER

NEW YORK 1909

TO

MY WIFE

AND OUR DELIGHTFUL PARIS HOME IN THE

VILLA MONTMORENCY, WHERE THIS

BOOK WAS WRITTEN

C. M.

NEW YORK, AUGUST 1, 1909.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. A BLOOD RED SKY II. COQUENIL'S GREATEST CASE III. PRIVATE ROOM NUMBER SIX IV. "IN THE NAME OF THE LAW" V. COQUENIL GETS IN THE GAME VI. THE WEAPON VII. THE FOOTPRINTS VIII. THROUGH THE WALL IX. COQUENIL MARKS HIS MAN X. GIBELIN SCORES A POINT XI. THE TOWERS OF NOTRE DAME XII. BY SPECIAL ORDER XIII. LLOYD AND ALICE XIV. THE WOMAN IN THE CASE XV. PUSSY WILMOTT'S CONFESSION XVI. THE THIRD PAIR OF BOOTS XVII. "FROM HIGHER UP" XVIII. A LONG LITTLE FINGER XIX. TOUCHING A YELLOW TOOTH XX. THE MEMORY OF A DOG XXI. THE WOOD CARVER XXII. AT THE HAIRDRESSER'S XXIII. GROENER AT BAY XXIV. THIRTY IMPORTANT WORDS XXV. THE MOVING PICTURE XXVI. COQUENIL'S MOTHER XXVII. THE DIARY XXVIII. A GREAT CRIMINAL XXIX. THE LOST DOLLY XXX. MRS. LLOYD KITTREDGE

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

"'We'll show 'em, eh, Caesar?'" "'Alice,' he cried ... 'Say it isn't true'" "'I want you,' he said in a low voice" "'I didn't resign ; I was discharged'" "On the floor lay a man" "'Ask Beau Cocono,' he called back" "'Alice, I am innocent'" "'Have one?' said M. Paul, offering his cigarette case" "'There it lies to the left of that heavy doorway'" "' Cherche! ' he ordered" "He prolonged his victory, slowly increasing the pressure" "Gibelin beamed. 'The old school has its good points, after all'" "'I know why you are thinking about that prison'" "She was just bending over it when Coquenil entered" "'Did you write this?'" "And when he could think no longer, he listened to the pickpocket" "'They all swore black and blue that Addison told the truth'" "A door was opened suddenly and he was pushed into a room" "'Stand still, I won't hurt you'" "'There!' he said with a hideous grin, and he handed Tignol the tooth" "'My dog, my dog!'" "The confessional box was empty Alice was gone! " "'You mean that Father Anselm helped her to run away?' gasped Matthieu" "'No nonsense, or you'll break your arm'" "'It's the best disguise I ever saw, I'll take my hat off to you on that'" "'You have ordered handcuffs put on a prisoner for the last time '" "'No, no, no!' he shrieked. 'You dogs! You cowards!'" "'What's the matter? Your eyes are shut'" "And a moment later he had carried her safely through the flames"

CHAPTER I

A BLOOD RED SKY

It is worthy of note that the most remarkable criminal case in which the famous French detective, Paul Coquenil, was ever engaged, a case of more baffling mystery than the Palais Royal diamond robbery and of far greater peril to him than the Marseilles trunk drama in short, a case that ranks with the most important ones of modern police history would never have been undertaken by Coquenil (and in that event might never have been solved) but for the extraordinary faith this man had in certain strange intuitions or forms of half knowledge that came to him at critical moments of his life, bringing marvelous guidance. Who but one possessed of such faith would have given up fortune, high position, the reward of a whole career, simply because a girl whom he did not know spoke some chance words that neither he nor she understood . Yet that is exactly what Coquenil did.