His guests pressed him with questions and he was
pleased to observe the interest that his remarks had created. The
he continued:
"The secret is lost. No one knows it. The legend is to the effect
that the former lords of the castle transmitted the secret from
father to son on their deathbeds, until Geoffroy, the last of the
race, was beheaded during the Revolution in his nineteenth year."
"That is over a century ago. Surely, someone has looked for it
since that time?"
"Yes, but they failed to find it. After I purchased the castle, I
made a diligent search for it, but without success. You must
remember that this tower is surrounded by water and connected with
the castle only by a bridge; consequently, the passage must be
underneath the old moat. The plan that was in the book in the
National Library showed a series of stairs with a total of forty-
eight steps, which indicates a depth of more than ten meters. You
see, the mystery lies within the walls of this room, and yet I
dislike to tear them down."
"Is there nothing to show where it is?"
"Nothing."
"Mon. Devanne, we should turn our attention to the two quotations,"
suggested Father Gelis.
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