The Secret Tomb · Chapters

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Chapter companions for The Secret Tomb by Maurice Leblanc.

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Chapter 1
I: The Château de Roborey
Dorothy wakes in the caravan to find Saint-Quentin missing and sets out to find him. She tracks him to the Château de Roborey, where she witnesses him descending the cliff face and saves him from a disguised peasant who was about to shoot him. After escaping, Saint-Quentin reveals he stole sapphire earrings from the château, offering them to Dorothy. She rebukes him, demanding he be honest and stop stealing, and he promises to reform.
Chapter 2
II: Dorothy's Circus
Dorothy's Circus arrives at the Château de Chagny-Roborey, where Dorothy investigates the grounds and senses danger. She demonstrates her marksmanship and performs a dazzling dance, while the troupe's comedic act with Captain Montfaucon delights the crowd. Dorothy decides to stay, driven by intuition and the mysterious name 'Roborey'.
Chapter 3
III: Extra-Lucid
Dorothy faces a crisis when Saint-Quentin reveals the earrings are missing from the basket, putting them both at risk of arrest. She uses her clairvoyance to describe the man in the blouse digging in the ravine, and later d'Estreicher discovers the hidden earrings in a cardboard box.
Chapter 4
IV: The Cross-Examination
Dorothy faces a cross-examination by the inspector, who checks her identification papers and the documents of her circus troupe. She reveals the tragic backgrounds of her adopted children—Saint-Quentin, Castor, Pollux, and Sire Montfaucon—each orphaned by the war. The inspector is satisfied with her explanations, but a mysterious cardboard box, given to the Countess for safekeeping, postpones a potential threat until the next day. The chapter ends with the Count reading a letter from Dorothy's father, Jean d'Argonne, which hints that his death may not have been due to his wound alone.
Chapter 5
V: “We Will Help You”
Dorothy confronts d'Estreicher, who proposes a partnership and threatens her with the cardboard box containing the earrings. She rejects him and later, with Saint-Quentin, breaks into the château to retrieve the earrings from the box. The Count reveals to Dorothy that her father may have been poisoned, based on a feverish letter describing a tattooed arm with the words 'In robore fortuna.'

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I: The Château de Roborey

II: Dorothy's Circus

III: Extra-Lucid

IV: The Cross-Examination

V: “We Will Help You”