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diff --git a/40203-8.txt b/40203-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index dbc5671..0000000 --- a/40203-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9481 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Arsène Lupin versus Herlock Sholmes, by Maurice LeBlanc - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Arsène Lupin versus Herlock Sholmes - -Author: Maurice LeBlanc - -Translator: George Moorehead - -Release Date: July 11, 2012 [EBook #40203] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ARSENE LUPIN VS HERLOCK SHOLMES *** - - - - -Produced by Sr Bianca Tempt & Marc D'Hooghe at -http://www.freeliterature.org (Images generously made -available by the Internet Archive.) - - - - - -The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin - -ARSÈNE LUPIN - -VERSUS HERLOCK SHOLMES - -BY - -MAURICE LEBLANC - -Translated from the French - -By GEORGE MOREHEAD - -M.A. DONOHUE & CO. - -CHICAGO - -1910 - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER I. Lottery Ticket No. 514 - CHAPTER II. The Blue Diamond - CHAPTER III. Herlock Sholmes Opens Hostilities - CHAPTER IV. Light in the Darkness - CHAPTER V. An Abduction - CHAPTER VI. Second Arrest of Arsène Lupin - CHAPTER VII. The Jewish Lamp - CHAPTER VIII. The Shipwreck - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -LOTTERY TICKET NO. 514. - - -On the eighth day of last December, Mon. Gerbois, professor of -mathematics at the College of Versailles, while rummaging in an old -curiosity-shop, unearthed a small mahogany writing-desk which pleased -him very much on account of the multiplicity of its drawers. - -"Just the thing for Suzanne's birthday present," thought he. And as he -always tried to furnish some simple pleasures for his daughter, -consistent with his modest income, he enquired the price, and, after -some keen bargaining, purchased it for sixty-five francs. As he was -giving his address to the shopkeeper, a young man, dressed with elegance -and taste, who had been exploring the stock of antiques, caught sight -of the writing-desk, and immediately enquired its price. - -"It is sold," replied the shopkeeper. - -"Ah! to this gentleman, I presume?" - -Monsieur Gerbois bowed, and left the store, quite proud to be the -possessor of an article which had attracted the attention of a gentleman -of quality. But he had not taken a dozen steps in the street, when he -was overtaken by the young man who, hat in hand and in a tone of perfect -courtesy, thus addressed him: - -"I beg your pardon, monsieur; I am going to ask you a question that you -may deem impertinent. It is this: Did you have any special object in -view when you bought that writing-desk?" - -"No, I came across it by chance and it struck my fancy." - -"But you do not care for it particularly?" - -"Oh! I shall keep it--that is all." - -"Because it is an antique, perhaps?" - -"No; because it is convenient," declared Mon. Gerbois. - -"In that case, you would consent to exchange it for another desk that -would be quite as convenient and in better condition?" - -"Oh! this one is in good condition, and I see no object in making an -exchange." - -"But----" - -Mon. Gerbois is a man of irritable disposition and hasty temper. So he -replied, testily: - -"I beg of you, monsieur, do not insist." - -But the young man firmly held his ground. - -"I don't know how much you paid for it, monsieur, but I offer you -double." - -"No." - -"Three times the amount." - -"Oh! that will do," exclaimed the professor, impatiently; "I don't wish -to sell it." - -The young man stared at him for a moment in a manner that Mon. Gerbois -would not readily forget, then turned and walked rapidly away. - -An hour later, the desk was delivered at the professor's house on the -Viroflay road. He called his daughter, and said: - -"Here is something for you, Suzanne, provided you like it." - -Suzanne was a pretty girl, with a gay and affectionate nature. She threw -her arms around her father's neck and kissed him rapturously. To her, -the desk had all the semblance of a royal gift. That evening, assisted -by Hortense, the servant, she placed the desk in her room; then she -dusted it, cleaned the drawers and pigeon-holes, and carefully arranged -within it her papers, writing material, correspondence, a collection of -post-cards, and some souvenirs of her cousin Philippe that she kept in -secret. - -Next morning, at half past seven, Mon. Gerbois went to the college. At -ten o'clock, in pursuance of her usual custom, Suzanne went to meet him, -and it was a great pleasure for him to see her slender figure and -childish smile waiting for him at the college gate. They returned home -together. - -"And your writing desk--how is it this morning?" - -"Marvellous! Hortense and I have polished the brass mountings until they -look like gold." - -"So you are pleased with it?" - -"Pleased with it! Why, I don't see how I managed to get on without it -for such a long time." - -As they were walking up the pathway to the house, Mon. Gerbois said: - -"Shall we go and take a look at it before breakfast?" - -"Oh! yes, that's a splendid idea!" - -She ascended the stairs ahead of her father, but, on arriving at the -door of her room, she uttered a cry of surprise and dismay. - -"What's the matter?" stammered Mon. Gerbois. - -"The writing-desk is gone!" - - * * * * * - -When the police were called in, they were astonished at the admirable -simplicity of the means employed by the thief. During Suzanne's absence, -the servant had gone to market, and while the house was thus left -unguarded, a drayman, wearing a badge--some of the neighbors saw -it--stopped his cart in front of the house and rang twice. Not knowing -that Hortense was absent, the neighbors were not suspicious; -consequently, the man carried on his work in peace and tranquility. - -Apart from the desk, not a thing in the house had been disturbed. Even -Suzanne's purse, which she had left upon the writing-desk, was found -upon an adjacent table with its contents untouched. It was obvious that -the thief had come with a set purpose, which rendered the crime even -more mysterious; because, why did he assume so great a risk for such a -trifling object? - -The only clue the professor could furnish was the strange incident of -the preceding evening. He declared: - -"The young man was greatly provoked at my refusal, and I had an idea -that he threatened me as he went away." - -But the clue was a vague one. The shopkeeper could not throw any light -on the affair. He did not know either of the gentlemen. As to the desk -itself, he had purchased it for forty francs at an executor's sale at -Chevreuse, and believed he had resold it at its fair value. The police -investigation disclosed nothing more. - -But Mon. Gerbois entertained the idea that he had suffered an enormous -loss. There must have been a fortune concealed in a secret drawer, and -that was the reason the young man had resorted to crime. - -"My poor father, what would we have done with that fortune?" asked -Suzanne. - -"My child! with such a fortune, you could make a most advantageous -marriage." - -Suzanne sighed bitterly. Her aspirations soared no higher than her -cousin Philippe, who was indeed a most deplorable object. And life, in -the little house at Versailles, was not so happy and contented as of -yore. - -Two months passed away. Then came a succession of startling events, a -strange blending of good luck and dire misfortune! - -On the first day of February, at half-past five, Mon. Gerbois entered -the house, carrying an evening paper, took a seat, put on his -spectacles, and commenced to read. As politics did not interest him, he -turned to the inside of the paper. Immediately his attention was -attracted by an article entitled: - -"Third Drawing of the Press Association Lottery. - -"No. 514, series 23, draws a million." - -The newspaper slipped from his fingers. The walls swam before his eyes, -and his heart ceased to beat. He held No. 514, series 23. He had -purchased it from a friend, to oblige him, without any thought of -success, and behold, it was the lucky number! - -Quickly, he took out his memorandum-book. Yes, he was quite right. The -No. 514, series 23, was written there, on the inside of the cover. But -the ticket? - -He rushed to his desk to find the envelope-box in which he had placed -the precious ticket; but the box was not there, and it suddenly occurred -to him that it had not been there for several weeks. He heard footsteps -on the gravel walk leading from the street. - -He called: - -"Suzanne! Suzanne!" - -She was returning from a walk. She entered hastily. He stammered, in a -choking voice: - -"Suzanne ... the box ... the box of envelopes?" - -"What box?" - -"The one I bought at the Louvre ... one Saturday ... it was at the end -of that table." - -"Don't you remember, father, we put all those things away together." - -"When?" - -"The evening ... you know ... the same evening...." - -"But where?... Tell me, quick!... Where?" - -"Where? Why, in the writing-desk." - -"In the writing-desk that was stolen?" - -"Yes." - -"Oh, mon Dieu!... In the stolen desk!" - -He uttered the last sentence in a low voice, in a sort of stupor. Then -he seized her hand, and in a still lower voice, he said: - -"It contained a million, my child." - -"Ah! father, why didn't you tell me?" she murmured, naively. - -"A million!" he repeated. "It contained the ticket that drew the grand -prize in the Press Lottery." - -The colossal proportions of the disaster overwhelmed them, and for a -long time they maintained a silence that they feared to break. At last, -Suzanne said: - -"But, father, they will pay you just the same." - -"How? On what proof?" - -"Must you have proof?" - -"Of course." - -"And you haven't any?" - -"It was in the box." - -"In the box that has disappeared." - -"Yes; and now the thief will get the money." - -"Oh! that would be terrible, father. You must prevent it." - -For a moment he was silent; then, in an outburst of energy, he leaped -up, stamped on the floor, and exclaimed: - -"No, no, he shall not have that million; he shall not have it! Why -should he have it? Ah! clever as he is, he can do nothing. If he goes to -claim the money, they will arrest him. Ah! now, we will see, my fine -fellow!" - -"What will you do, father?" - -"Defend our just rights, whatever happens! And we will succeed. The -million francs belong to me, and I intend to have them." - -A few minutes later, he sent this telegram: - - "Governor Crédit Foncier - - "rue Capucines, Paris. - - "Am holder of No. 514, series 23. Oppose by all legal means any - other claimant. - - "GERBOIS." - -Almost at the same moment, the Crédit Foncier received the following -telegram: - - "No. 514, series 23, is in my possession. - - "ARSÈNE LUPIN." - - * * * * * - -Every time I undertake to relate one of the many extraordinary -adventures that mark the life of Arsène Lupin, I experience a feeling of -embarrassment, as it seems to me that the most commonplace of those -adventures is already well known to my readers. In fact, there is not a -movement of our "national thief," as he has been so aptly described, -that has not been given the widest publicity, not an exploit that has -not been studied in all its phases, not an action that has not been -discussed with that particularity usually reserved for the recital of -heroic deeds. - -For instance, who does not know the strange history of "The Blonde -Lady," with those curious episodes which were proclaimed by the -newspapers with heavy black headlines, as follows: "Lottery Ticket No. -514!" ... "The Crime on the Avenue Henri-Martin!" ... "The Blue -Diamond!" ... The interest created by the intervention of the celebrated -English detective, Herlock Sholmes! The excitement aroused by the -various vicissitudes which marked the struggle between those famous -artists! And what a commotion on the boulevards, the day on which the -newsboys announced: "Arrest of Arsène Lupin!" - -My excuse for repeating these stories at this time is the fact that I -produce the key to the enigma. Those adventures have always been -enveloped in a certain degree of obscurity, which I now remove. I -reproduce old newspaper articles, I relate old-time interviews, I -present ancient letters; but I have arranged and classified all that -material and reduced it to the exact truth. My collaborators in this -work have been Arsène Lupin himself, and also the ineffable Wilson, the -friend and confidant of Herlock Sholmes. - -Every one will recall the tremendous burst of laughter which greeted the -publication of those two telegrams. The name "Arsène Lupin" was in -itself a stimulus to curiosity, a promise of amusement for the gallery. -And, in this case, the gallery means the entire world. - -An investigation was immediately commenced by the Crédit Foncier, which -established these facts: That ticket No. 514, series 23, had been sold -by the Versailles branch office of the Lottery to an artillery officer -named Bessy, who was afterward killed by a fall from his horse. Some -time before his death, he informed some of his comrades that he had -transferred his ticket to a friend. - -"And I am that friend," affirmed Mon. Gerbois. - -"Prove it," replied the governor of the Crédit Foncier. - -"Of course I can prove it. Twenty people can tell you that I was an -intimate friend of Monsieur Bessy, and that we frequently met at the -Café de la Place-d'Armes. It was there, one day, I purchased the ticket -from him for twenty francs--simply as an accommodation to him. - -"Have you any witnesses to that transaction?" - -"No." - -"Well, how do you expect to prove it?" - -"By a letter he wrote to me." - -"What letter?" - -"A letter that was pinned to the ticket." - -"Produce it." - -"It was stolen at the same time as the ticket." - -"Well, you must find it." - -It was soon learned that Arsène Lupin had the letter. A short paragraph -appeared in the _Echo de France_--which has the honor to be his official -organ, and of which, it is said, he is one of the principal -shareholders--the paragraph announced that Arsène Lupin had placed in -the hands of Monsieur Detinan, his advocate and legal adviser, the -letter that Monsieur Bessy had written to him--to him personally. - -This announcement provoked an outburst of laughter. Arsène Lupin had -engaged a lawyer! Arsène Lupin, conforming to the rules and customs of -modern society, had appointed a legal representative in the person of a -well-known member of the Parisian bar! - -Mon. Detinan had never enjoyed the pleasure of meeting Arsène Lupin--a -fact he deeply regretted--but he had actually been retained by that -mysterious gentleman and felt greatly honored by the choice. He was -prepared to defend the interests of his client to the best of his -ability. He was pleased, even proud, to exhibit the letter of Mon. -Bessy, but, although it proved the transfer of the ticket, it did not -mention the name of the purchaser. It was simply addressed to "My Dear -Friend." - -"My Dear Friend! that is I," added Arsène Lupin, in a note attached to -Mon. Bessy's letter. "And the best proof of that fact is that I hold the -letter." - -The swarm of reporters immediately rushed to see Mon. Gerbois, who could -only repeat: - -"My Dear Friend! that is I.... Arsène Lupin stole the letter with the -lottery ticket." - -"Let him prove it!" retorted Lupin to the reporters. - -"He must have done it, because he stole the writing-desk!" exclaimed -Mon. Gerbois before the same reporters. - -"Let him prove it!" replied Lupin. - -Such was the entertaining comedy enacted by the two claimants of ticket -No. 514; and the calm demeanor of Arsène Lupin contrasted strangely with -the nervous perturbation of poor Mon. Gerbois. The newspapers were -filled with the lamentations of that unhappy man. He announced his -misfortune with pathetic candor. - -"Understand, gentlemen, it was Suzanne's dowry that the rascal stole! -Personally, I don't care a straw for it,... but for Suzanne! Just think -of it, a whole million! Ten times one hundred thousand francs! Ah! I -knew very well that the desk contained a treasure!" - -It was in vain to tell him that his adversary, when stealing the desk, -was unaware that the lottery ticket was in it, and that, in any event, -he could not foresee that the ticket would draw the grand prize. He -would reply; - -"Nonsense! of course, he knew it ... else why would he take the trouble -to steal a poor, miserable desk?" - -"For some unknown reason; but certainly not for a small scrap of paper -which was then worth only twenty francs." - -"A million francs! He knew it;... he knows everything! Ah! you do not -know him--the scoundrel!... He hasn't robbed you of a million francs!" - -The controversy would have lasted for a much longer time, but, on the -twelfth day, Mon. Gerbois received from Arsène Lupin a letter, marked -"confidential," which read as follows: - - "Monsieur, the gallery is being amused at our expense. Do you not - think it is time for us to be serious? The situation is this: I - possess a ticket to which I have no legal right, and you have the - legal right to a ticket you do not possess. Neither of us can do - anything. You will not relinquish your rights to me; I will not - deliver the ticket to you. Now, what is to be done? - - "I see only one way out of the difficulty: Let us divide the - spoils. A half-million for you; a half-million for me. Is not that - a fair division? In my opinion, it is an equitable solution, and an - immediate one. I will give you three days' time to consider the - proposition. On Thursday morning I shall expect to read in the - personal column of the Echo de France a discreet message addressed - to _M. Ars. Lup_, expressing in veiled terms your consent to my - offer. By so doing you will recover immediate possession of the - ticket; then you can collect the money and send me half a million - in a manner that I will describe to you later. - - "In case of your refusal, I shall resort to other measures to - accomplish the same result. But, apart from the very serious - annoyances that such obstinacy on your part will cause you, it will - cost you twenty-five thousand francs for supplementary expenses. - - "Believe me, monsieur, I remain your devoted servant, ARSÈNE - LUPIN." - -In a fit of exasperation Mon. Gerbois committed the grave mistake of -showing that letter and allowing a copy of it to be taken. His -indignation overcame his discretion. - -"Nothing! He shall have nothing!" he exclaimed, before a crowd of -reporters. "To divide my property with him? Never! Let him tear up the -ticket if he wishes!" - -"Yet five hundred thousand francs is better than nothing." - -"That is not the question. It is a question of my just right, and that -right I will establish before the courts." - -"What! attack Arsène Lupin? That would be amusing." - -"No; but the Crédit Foncier. They must pay me the million francs." - -"Without producing the ticket, or, at least, without proving that you -bought it?" - -"That proof exists, since Arsène Lupin admits that he stole the -writing-desk." - -"But would the word of Arsène Lupin carry any weight with the court?" - -"No matter; I will fight it out." - -The gallery shouted with glee; and wagers were freely made upon the -result with the odds in favor of Lupin. On the following Thursday the -personal column in the _Echo de France_ was eagerly perused by the -expectant public, but it contained nothing addressed to _M. Ars. Lup_. -Mon. Gerbois had not replied to Arsène Lupin's letter. That was the -declaration of war. - -That evening the newspapers announced the abduction of Mlle. Suzanne -Gerbois. - - * * * * * - -The most entertaining feature in what might be called the Arsène Lupin -dramas is the comic attitude displayed by the Parisian police. Arsène -Lupin talks, plans, writes, commands, threatens and executes as if the -police did not exist. They never figure in his calculations. - -And yet the police do their utmost. But what can they do against such a -foe--a foe that scorns and ignores them? - -Suzanne had left the house at twenty minutes to ten; such was the -testimony of the servant. On leaving the college, at five minutes past -ten, her father did not find her at the place she was accustomed to wait -for him. Consequently, whatever had happened must have occurred during -the course of Suzanne's walk from the house to the college. Two -neighbors had met her about three hundred yards from the house. A lady -had seen, on the avenue, a young girl corresponding to Suzanne's -description. No one else had seen her. - -Inquiries were made in all directions; the employees of the railways and -street-car lines were questioned, but none of them had seen anything of -the missing girl. However, at Ville-d'Avray, they found a shopkeeper who -had furnished gasoline to an automobile that had come from Paris on the -day of the abduction. It was occupied by a blonde woman--extremely -blonde, said the witness. An hour later, the automobile again passed -through Ville-d'Avray on its way from Versailles to Paris. The -shopkeeper declared that the automobile now contained a second woman -who was heavily veiled. No doubt, it was Suzanne Gerbois. - -The abduction must have taken place in broad daylight, on a frequented -street, in the very heart of the town. How? And at what spot? Not a cry -was heard; not a suspicious action had been seen. The shopkeeper -described the automobile as a royal-blue limousine of twenty-four -horse-power made by the firm of Peugeon & Co. Inquiries were then made -at the Grand-Garage, managed by Madame Bob-Walthour, who made a -specialty of abductions by automobile. It was learned that she had -rented a Peugeon limousine on that day to a blonde woman whom she had -never seen before nor since. - -"Who was the chauffeur?" - -"A young man named Ernest, whom I had engaged only the day before. He -came well recommended." - -"Is he here now?" - -"No. He brought back the machine, but I haven't seen him since," said -Madame Bob-Walthour. - -"Do you know where we can find him?" - -"You might see the people who recommended him to me. Here are the -names." - -Upon inquiry, it was learned that none of these people knew the man -called Ernest. The recommendations were forged. - -Such was the fate of every clue followed by the police. It ended -nowhere. The mystery remained unsolved. - -Mon. Gerbois had not the strength or courage to wage such an unequal -battle. The disappearance of his daughter crushed him; he capitulated -to the enemy. A short announcement in the _Echo de France_ proclaimed -his unconditional surrender. - -Two days later, Mon. Gerbois visited the office of the Crédit Foncier -and handed lottery ticket number 514, series 23, to the governor, who -exclaimed, with surprise: - -"Ah! you have it! He has returned it to you!" - -"It was mislaid. That was all," replied Mon. Gerbois. - -"But you pretended that it had been stolen." - -"At first, I thought it had ... but here it is." - -"We will require some evidence to establish your right to the ticket." - -"Will the letter of the purchaser, Monsieur Bessy, be sufficient!" - -"Yes, that will do." - -"Here it is," said Mon. Gerbois, producing the letter. - -"Very well. Leave these papers with us. The rules of the lottery allow -us fifteen days' time to investigate your claim. I will let you know -when to call for your money. I presume you desire, as much as I do, that -this affair should be closed without further publicity." - -"Quite so." - -Mon. Gerbois and the governor henceforth maintained a discreet silence. -But the secret was revealed in some way, for it was soon commonly known -that Arsène Lupin had returned the lottery ticket to Mon. Gerbois. The -public received the news with astonishment and admiration. Certainly, he -was a bold gamester who thus threw upon the table a trump card of such -importance as the precious ticket. But, it was true, he still retained a -trump card of equal importance. However, if the young girl should -escape? If the hostage held by Arsène Lupin should be rescued? - -The police thought they had discovered the weak spot of the enemy, and -now redoubled their efforts. Arsène Lupin disarmed by his own act, -crushed by the wheels of his own machination, deprived of every sou of -the coveted million ... public interest now centered in the camp of his -adversary. - -But it was necessary to find Suzanne. And they did not find her, nor did -she escape. Consequently, it must be admitted, Arsène Lupin had won the -first hand. But the game was not yet decided. The most difficult point -remained. Mlle. Gerbois is in his possession, and he will hold her until -he receives five hundred thousand francs. But how and where will such an -exchange be made? For that purpose, a meeting must be arranged, and then -what will prevent Mon. Gerbois from warning the police and, in that way, -effecting the rescue of his daughter and, at the same time, keeping his -money? The professor was interviewed, but he was extremely reticent. His -answer was: - -"I have nothing to say." - -"And Mlle. Gerbois?" - -"The search is being continued." - -"But Arsène Lupin has written to you?" - -"No." - -"Do you swear to that?" - -"No." - -"Then it is true. What are his instructions?" - -"I have nothing to say." - -Then the interviewers attacked Mon. Detinan, and found him equally -discreet. - -"Monsieur Lupin is my client, and I cannot discuss his affairs," he -replied, with an affected air of gravity. - -These mysteries served to irritate the gallery. Obviously, some secret -negotiations were in progress. Arsène Lupin had arranged and tightened -the meshes of his net, while the police maintained a close watch, day -and night, over Mon. Gerbois. And the three and only possible -dénouements--the arrest, the triumph, or the ridiculous and pitiful -abortion--were freely discussed; but the curiosity of the public was -only partially satisfied, and it was reserved for these pages to reveal -the exact truth of the affair. - - * * * * * - -On Monday, March 12th, Mon. Gerbois received a notice from the Crédit -Foncier. On Wednesday, he took the one o'clock train for Paris. At two -o'clock, a thousand bank-notes of one thousand francs each were -delivered to him. Whilst he was counting them, one by one, in a state of -nervous agitation--that money, which represented Suzanne's ransom--a -carriage containing two men stopped at the curb a short distance from -the bank. One of the men had grey hair and an unusually shrewd -expression which formed a striking contrast to his shabby make-up. It -was Detective Ganimard, the relentless enemy of Arsène Lupin. Ganimard -said to his companion, Folenfant: - -"In five minutes, we will see our clever friend Lupin. Is everything -ready?" - -"Yes." - -"How many men have we?" - -"Eight--two of them on bicycles." - -"Enough, but not too many. On no account, must Gerbois escape us; if he -does, it is all up. He will meet Lupin at the appointed place, give half -a million in exchange for the girl, and the game will be over." - -"But why doesn't Gerbois work with us? That would be the better way, and -he could keep all the money himself." - -"Yes, but he is afraid that if he deceives the other, he will not get -his daughter." - -"What other?" - -"Lupin." - -Ganimard pronounced the word in a solemn tone, somewhat timidly, as if -he were speaking of some supernatural creature whose claws he already -felt. - -"It is very strange," remarked Folenfant, judiciously, "that we are -obliged to protect this gentleman contrary to his own wishes." - -"Yes, but Lupin always turns the world upside down," said Ganimard, -mournfully. - -A moment later, Mon. Gerbois appeared, and started up the street. At the -end of the rue des Capucines, he turned into the boulevards, walking -slowly, and stopping frequently to gaze at the shop-windows. - -"Much too calm, too self-possessed," said Ganimard. "A man with a -million in his pocket would not have that air of tranquillity." - -"What is he doing?" - -"Oh! nothing, evidently.... But I have a suspicion that it is -Lupin--yes, Lupin!" - -At that moment, Mon. Gerbois stopped at a news-stand, purchased a paper, -unfolded it and commenced to read it as he walked slowly away. A moment -later, he gave a sudden bound into an automobile that was standing at -the curb. Apparently, the machine had been waiting for him, as it -started away rapidly, turned at the Madeleine and disappeared. - -"Nom de nom!" cried Ganimard, "that's one of his old tricks!" - -Ganimard hastened after the automobile around the Madeleine. Then, he -burst into laughter. At the entrance to the Boulevard Malesherbes, the -automobile had stopped and Mon. Gerbois had alighted. - -"Quick, Folenfant, the chauffeur! It may be the man Ernest." - -Folenfant interviewed the chauffeur. His name was Gaston; he was an -employee of the automobile cab company; ten minutes ago, a gentleman had -engaged him and told him to wait near the news-stand for another -gentleman. - -"And the second man--what address did he give?" asked Folenfant. - -"No address. 'Boulevard Malesherbes ... avenue de Messine ... double -pourboire.' That is all." - -But, during this time, Mon. Gerbois had leaped into the first passing -carriage. - -"To the Concorde station, Metropolitan," he said to the driver. - -He left the underground at the Place du Palais-Royal, ran to another -carriage and ordered it to go to the Place de la Bourse. Then a second -journey by the underground to the Avenue de Villiers, followed by a -third carriage drive to number 25 rue Clapeyron. - -Number 25 rue Clapeyron is separated from the Boulevard des Batignolles -by the house which occupies the angle formed by the two streets. He -ascended to the first floor and rang. A gentleman opened the door. - -"Does Monsieur Detinan live here?" - -"Yes, that is my name. Are you Monsieur Gerbois?" - -"Yes." - -"I was expecting you. Step in." - -As Mon. Gerbois entered the lawyer's office, the clock struck three. He -said: - -"I am prompt to the minute. Is he here?" - -"Not yet." - -Mon. Gerbois took a seat, wiped his forehead, looked at his watch as if -he did not know the time, and inquired, anxiously: - -"Will he come?" - -"Well, monsieur," replied the lawyer, "that I do not know, but I am -quite as anxious and impatient as you are to find out. If he comes, he -will run a great risk, as this house has been closely watched for the -last two weeks. They distrust me." - -"They suspect me, too. I am not sure whether the detectives lost sight -of me or not on my way here." - -"But you were--" - -"It wouldn't be my fault," cried the professor, quickly. "You cannot -reproach me. I promised to obey his orders, and I followed them to the -very letter. I drew the money at the time fixed by him, and I came here -in the manner directed by him. I have faithfully performed my part of -the agreement--let him do his!" - -After a short silence, he asked, anxiously: - -"He will bring my daughter, won't he?" - -"I expect so." - -"But ... you have seen him?" - -"I? No, not yet. He made the appointment by letter, saying both of you -would be here, and asking me to dismiss my servants before three o'clock -and admit no one while you were here. If I would not consent to that -arrangement, I was to notify him by a few words in _the Echo de France_. -But I am only too happy to oblige Mon. Lupin, and so I consented." - -"Ah! how will this end?" moaned Mon. Gerbois. - -He took the bank-notes from his pocket, placed them on the table and -divided them into two equal parts. Then the two men sat there in -silence. From time to time, Mon. Gerbois would listen. Did someone -ring?... His nervousness increased every minute, and Monsieur Detinan -also displayed considerable anxiety. At last, the lawyer lost his -patience. He rose abruptly, and said: - -"He will not come.... We shouldn't expect it. It would be folly on his -part. He would run too great a risk." - -And Mon. Gerbois, despondent, his hands resting on the bank-notes, -stammered: - -"Oh! Mon Dieu! I hope he will come. I would give the whole of that money -to see my daughter again." - -The door opened. - -"Half of it will be sufficient, Monsieur Gerbois." - -These words were spoken by a well-dressed young man who now entered the -room and was immediately recognized by Mon. Gerbois as the person who -had wished to buy the desk from him at Versailles. He rushed toward him. - -"Where is my daughter--my Suzanne?" - -Arsène Lupin carefully closed the door, and, while slowly removing his -gloves, said to the lawyer: - -"My dear maître, I am indebted to you very much for your kindness in -consenting to defend my interests. I shall not forget it." - -Mon. Detinan murmured: - -"But you did not ring. I did not hear the door--" - -"Doors and bells are things that should work without being heard. I am -here, and that is the important point." - -"My daughter! Suzanne! Where is she!" repeated the professor. - -"Mon Dieu, monsieur," said Lupin, "what's your hurry? Your daughter will -be here in a moment." - -Lupin walked to and fro for a minute, then, with the pompous air of an -orator, he said: - -"Monsieur Gerbois, I congratulate you on the clever way in which you -made the journey to this place." - -Then, perceiving the two piles of bank-notes, he exclaimed: - -"Ah! I see! the million is here. We will not lose any time. Permit me." - -"One moment," said the lawyer, placing himself before the table. "Mlle. -Gerbois has not yet arrived." - -"Well?" - -"Is not her presence indispensable?" - -"I understand! I understand! Arsène Lupin inspires only a limited -confidence. He might pocket the half-million and not restore the -hostage. Ah! monsieur, people do not understand me. Because I have been -obliged, by force of circumstances, to commit certain actions a little -... out of the ordinary, my good faith is impugned ... I, who have -always observed the utmost scrupulosity and delicacy in business -affairs. Besides, my dear monsieur if you have any fear, open the window -and call. There are at least a dozen detectives in the street." - -"Do you think so?" - -Arsène Lupin raised the curtain. - -"I think that Monsieur Gerbois could not throw Ganimard off the -scent.... What did I tell you? There he is now." - -"Is it possible!" exclaimed the professor. "But I swear to you--" - -"That you have not betrayed me?... I do not doubt you, but those fellows -are clever--sometimes. Ah! I can see Folenfant, and Greaume, and -Dieuzy--all good friends of mine!" - -Mon. Detinan looked at Lupin in amazement. What assurance! He laughed as -merrily as if engaged in some childish sport, as if no danger threatened -him. This unconcern reassured the lawyer more than the presence of the -detectives. He left the table on which the bank-notes were lying. Arsène -Lupin picked up one pile of bills after the other, took from each of -them twenty-five bank-notes which he offered to Mon. Detinan, saying: - -"The reward of your services to Monsieur Gerbois and Arsène Lupin. You -well deserve it." - -"You owe me nothing," replied the lawyer. - -"What! After all the trouble we have caused you!" - -"And all the pleasure you have given me!" - -"That means, my dear monsieur, that you do not wish to accept anything -from Arsène Lupin. See what it is to have a bad reputation." - -He then offered the fifty thousand francs to Mon. Gerbois, saying: - -"Monsieur, in memory of our pleasant interview, permit me to return you -this as a wedding-gift to Mlle. Gerbois." - -Mon. Gerbois took the money, but said: - -"My daughter will not marry." - -"She will not marry if you refuse your consent; but she wishes to -marry." - -"What do you know about it?" - -"I know that young girls often dream of such things unknown to their -parents. Fortunately, there are sometimes good genii like Arsène Lupin -who discover their little secrets in the drawers of their writing -desks." - -"Did you find anything else?" asked the lawyer. "I confess I am curious -to know why you took so much trouble to get possession of that desk." - -"On account of its historic interest, my friend. Although despite the -opinion of Monsieur Gerbois, the desk contained no treasure except the -lottery ticket--and that was unknown to me--I had been seeking it for a -long time. That writing-desk of yew and mahogany was discovered in the -little house in which Marie Walêwska once lived in Boulogne, and, on one -of the drawers there is this inscription: '_Dedicated to Napoleon I, -Emperor of the French, by his very faithful servant, Mancion_.' And -above it, these words, engraved with the point of a knife: 'To you, -Marie.' Afterwards, Napoleon had a similar desk made for the Empress -Josephine; so that the secretary that was so much admired at the -Malmaison was only an imperfect copy of the one that will henceforth -form part of my collection." - -"Ah! if I had known, when in the shop, I would gladly have given it up -to you," said the professor. - -Arsène Lupin smiled, as he replied: - -"And you would have had the advantage of keeping for your own use -lottery ticket number 514." - -"And you would not have found it necessary to abduct my daughter." - -"Abduct your daughter?" - -"Yes." - -"My dear monsieur, you are mistaken. Mlle. Gerbois was not abducted." - -"No?" - -"Certainly not. Abduction means force or violence. And I assure you that -she served as hostage of her own free will." - -"Of her own free will!" repeated Mon. Gerbois, in amazement. - -"In fact, she almost asked to be taken. Why, do you suppose that an -intelligent young girl like Mlle. Gerbois, and who, moreover, nourishes -an unacknowledged passion, would hesitate to do what was necessary to -secure her dowry. Ah! I swear to you it was not difficult to make her -understand that it was the only way to overcome your obstinacy." - -Mon. Detinan was greatly amused. He replied to Lupin: - -"But I should think it was more difficult to get her to listen to you. -How did you approach her?" - -"Oh! I didn't approach her myself. I have not the honor of her -acquaintance. A friend of mine, a lady, carried on the negotiations." - -"The blonde woman in the automobile, no doubt." - -"Precisely. All arrangements were made at the first interview near the -college. Since then, Mlle. Gerbois and her new friend have been -travelling in Belgium and Holland in a manner that should prove most -pleasing and instructive to a young girl. She will tell you all about it -herself--" - -The bell of the vestibule door rang, three rings in quick succession, -followed by two isolated rings. - -"It is she," said Lupin. "Monsieur Detinan, if you will be so kind--" - -The lawyer hastened to the door. - -Two young women entered. One of them threw herself into the arms of Mon. -Gerbois. The other approached Lupin. The latter was a tall woman of a -good figure, very pale complexion, and with blond hair, parted over her -forehead in undulating waves, that glistened and shone like the setting -sun. She was dressed in black, with no display of jewelled ornaments; -but, on the contrary, her appearance indicated good taste and refined -elegance. Arsène Lupin spoke a few words to her; then, bowing to Mlle. -Gerbois, he said: - -"I owe you an apology, mademoiselle, for all your troubles, but I hope -you have not been too unhappy--" - -"Unhappy! Why, I should have been very happy, indeed, if it hadn't been -for leaving my poor father." - -"Then all is for the best. Kiss him again, and take advantage of the -opportunity--it is an excellent one--to speak to him about your cousin." - -"My cousin! What do you mean? I don't understand." - -"Of course, you understand. Your cousin Philippe. The young man whose -letters you kept so carefully." - -Suzanne blushed; but, following Lupin's advice, she again threw herself -into her father's arms. Lupin gazed upon them with a tender look. - -"Ah! Such is my reward for a virtuous act! What a touching picture! A -happy father and a happy daughter! And to know that their joy is your -work, Lupin! Hereafter these people will bless you, and reverently -transmit your name unto their descendants, even unto the fourth -generation. What a glorious reward, Lupin, for one act of kindness!" - -He walked to the window. - -"Is dear old Ganimard still waiting?... He would like very much to be -present at this charming domestic scene!... Ah! he is not there.... Nor -any of the others.... I don't see anyone. The deuce! The situation is -becoming serious. I dare say they are already under the porte-cochere -... talking to the concierge, perhaps ... or, even, ascending the -stairs!" - -Mon. Gerbois made a sudden movement. Now, that his daughter had been -restored to him, he saw the situation in a different light. To him, the -arrest of his adversary meant half-a-million francs. Instinctively, he -made a step forward. As if by chance, Lupin stood in his way. - -"Where are you going, Monsieur Gerbois? To defend me against them! That -is very kind of you, but I assure you it is not necessary. They are more -worried than I." - -Then he continued to speak, with calm deliberation: - -"But, really, what do they know? That you are here, and, perhaps, that -Mlle. Gerbois is here, for they may have seen her arrive with an unknown -lady. But they do not imagine that I am here. How is it possible that I -could be in a house that they ran-sacked from cellar to garret this -morning? They suppose that the unknown lady was sent by me to make the -exchange, and they will be ready to arrest her when she goes out--" - -At that moment, the bell rang. With a brusque movement, Lupin seized -Mon. Gerbois, and said to him, in an imperious tone: - -"Do not move! Remember your daughter, and be prudent--otherwise--As to -you, Monsieur Detinan, I have your promise." - -Mon. Gerbois was rooted to the spot. The lawyer did not stir. Without -the least sign of haste, Lupin picked up his hat and brushed the dust -from off it with his sleeve. - -"My dear Monsieur Detinan, if I can ever be of service to you.... My -best wishes, Mademoiselle Suzanne, and my kind regards to Monsieur -Philippe." - -He drew a heavy gold watch from his pocket. - -"Monsieur Gerbois, it is now forty-two minutes past three. At forty-six -minutes past three, I give you permission to leave this room. Not one -minute sooner than forty-six minutes past three." - -"But they will force an entrance," suggested Mon. Detinan. - -"You forget the law, my dear monsieur! Ganimard would never venture to -violate the privacy of a French citizen. But, pardon me, time flies, and -you are all slightly nervous." - -He placed his watch on the table, opened the door of the room and -addressing the blonde lady he said: - -"Are you ready my dear?" - -He drew back to let her pass, bowed respectfully to Mlle. Gerbois, and -went out, closing the door behind him. Then they heard him in the -vestibule, speaking, in a loud voice: "Good-day, Ganimard, how goes it? -Remember me to Madame Ganimard. One of these days, I shall invite her to -breakfast. Au revoir, Ganimard." - -The bell rang violently, followed by repeated rings, and voices on the -landing. - -"Forty-five minutes," muttered Mon. Gerbois. - -After a few seconds, he left the room and stepped into the vestibule. -Arsène Lupin and the blonde lady had gone. - -"Papa!... you mustn't! Wait!" cried Suzanne. - -"Wait! you are foolish!... No quarter for that rascal!... And the -half-million?" - -He opened the outer door. Ganimard rushed in. - -"That woman--where is she? And Lupin?" - -"He was here ... he is here." - -Ganimard uttered a cry of triumph. - -"We have him. The house is surrounded." - -"But the servant's stairway?" suggested Mon. Detinan. - -"It leads to the court," said Ganimard. "There is only one exit--the -street-door. Ten men are guarding it." - -"But he didn't come in by the street-door, and he will not go out that -way." - -"What way, then?" asked Ganimard. "Through the air?" - -He drew aside a curtain and exposed a long corridor leading to the -kitchen. Ganimard ran along it and tried the door of the servants' -stairway. It was locked. From the window he called to one of his -assistants: - -"Seen anyone?" - -"No." - -"Then they are still in the house!" he exclaimed. "They are hiding in -one of the rooms! They cannot have escaped. Ah! Lupin, you fooled me -before, but, this time, I get my revenge." - - * * * * * - -At seven o'clock in the evening, Mon. Dudonis, chief of the detective -service, astonished at not receiving any news, visited the rue -Clapeyron. He questioned the detectives who were guarding the house, -then ascended to Mon. Detinan's apartment. The lawyer led him into his -room. There, Mon. Dudonis beheld a man, or rather two legs kicking in -the air, while the body to which they belonged was hidden in the depths -of the chimney. - -"Ohé!... Ohé!" gasped a stifled voice. And a more distant voice, from on -high, replied: - -"Ohé!... Ohé!" - -Mon. Dudonis laughed, and exclaimed: - -"Here! Ganimard, have you turned chimney-sweep?" - -The detective crawled out of the chimney. With his blackened face, his -sooty clothes, and his feverish eyes, he was quite unrecognizable. - -"I am looking for _him_," he growled. - -"Who?" - -"Arsène Lupin ... and his friend." - -"Well, do you suppose they are hiding in the chimney?" - -Ganimard arose, laid his sooty hand on the sleeve of his superior -officer's coat, and exclaimed, angrily: - -"Where do you think they are, chief? They must be somewhere! They are -flesh and blood like you and me, and can't fade away like smoke." - -"No, but they have faded away just the same." - -"But how? How? The house is surrounded by our men--even on the roof." - -"What about the adjoining house?" - -"There's no communication with it." - -"And the apartments on the other floors?" - -"I know all the tenants. They have not seen anyone." - -"Are you sure you know all of them?" - -"Yes. The concierge answers for them. Besides, as an extra precaution, I -have placed a man in each apartment. They can't escape. If I don't get -them to-night, I will get them to-morrow. I shall sleep here." - -He slept there that night and the two following nights. Three days and -nights passed away without the discovery of the irrepressible Lupin or -his female companion; more than that, Ganimard did not unearth the -slightest clue on which to base a theory to explain their escape. For -that reason, he adhered to his first opinion. - -"There is no trace of their escape; therefore, they are here." - -It may be that, at the bottom of his heart, his conviction was less -firmly established, but he would not confess it. No, a thousand times, -no! A man and a woman could not vanish like the evil spirits in a fairy -tale. And, without losing his courage, he continued his searches, as if -he expected to find the fugitives concealed in some impenetrable -retreat, or embodied in the stone walls of the house. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -THE BLUE DIAMOND. - - -On the evening of March 27, at number 134 avenue Henri-Martin, in the -house that he had inherited from his brother six months before, the old -general Baron d'Hautrec, ambassador at Berlin under the second Empire, -was asleep in a comfortable armchair, while his secretary was reading to -him, and the Sister Auguste was warming his bed and preparing the -night-lamp. At eleven o'clock, the Sister, who was obliged to return to -the convent of her order at that hour, said to the secretary: - -"Mademoiselle Antoinette, my work is finished; I am going." - -"Very well, Sister." - -"Do not forget that the cook is away, and that you are alone in the -house with the servant." - -"Have no fear for the Baron. I sleep in the adjoining room and always -leave the door open." - -The Sister left the house. A few moments later, Charles, the servant, -came to receive his orders. The Baron was now awake, and spoke for -himself. - -"The usual orders, Charles: see that the electric bell rings in your -room, and, at the first alarm, run for the doctor. Now, Mademoiselle -Antoinette, how far did we get in our reading?" - -"Is Monsieur not going to bed now?" - -"No, no, I will go later. Besides, I don't need anyone." - -Twenty minutes later, he was sleeping again, and Antoinette crept away -on tiptoe. At that moment, Charles was closing the shutters on the lower -floor. In the kitchen, he bolted the door leading to the garden, and, in -the vestibule, he not only locked the door but hooked the chain as well. -Then he ascended to his room on the third floor, went to bed, and was -soon asleep. - -Probably an hour had passed, when he leaped from his bed in alarm. The -bell was ringing. It rang for some time, seven or eight seconds perhaps, -without intermission. - -"Well?" muttered Charles, recovering his wits, "another of the Baron's -whims." - -He dressed himself quickly, descended the stairs, stopped in front of -the door, and rapped, according to his custom. He received no reply. He -opened the door and entered. - -"Ah! no light," he murmured. "What is that for?" - -Then, in a low voice, he called: - -"Mademoiselle?" - -No reply. - -"Are you there, mademoiselle? What's the matter? Is Monsieur le Baron -ill?" - -No reply. Nothing but a profound silence that soon became depressing. He -took two steps forward; his foot struck a chair, and, having touched it, -he noticed that it was overturned. Then, with his hand, he discovered -other objects on the floor--a small table and a screen. Anxiously, he -approached the wall, felt for the electric button, and turned on the -light. - -In the centre of the room, between the table and dressing-case, lay the -body of his master, the Baron d'Hautrec. - -"What!... It can't be possible!" he stammered. - -He could not move. He stood there, with bulging eyes, gazing stupidly at -the terrible disorder, the overturned chairs, a large crystal candelabra -shattered in a thousand pieces, the clock lying on the marble -hearthstone, all evidence of a fearful and desperate struggle. The -handle of a stiletto glittered, not far from the corpse; the blade was -stained with blood. A handkerchief, marked with red spots, was lying on -the edge of the bed. - -Charles recoiled with horror: the body lying at his feet extended itself -for a moment, then shrunk up again; two or three tremors, and that was -the end. - -He stooped over the body. There was a clean-cut wound on the neck from -which the blood was flowing and then congealing in a black pool on the -carpet. The face retained an expression of extreme terror. - -"Some one has killed him!" he muttered, "some one has killed him!" - -Then he shuddered at the thought that there might be another dreadful -crime. Did not the baron's secretary sleep in the adjoining room! Had -not the assassin killed her also! He opened the door; the room was -empty. He concluded that Antoinette had been abducted, or else she had -gone away before the crime. He returned to the baron's chamber, his -glance falling on the secretary, he noticed that that article of -furniture remained intact. Then, he saw upon a table, beside a bunch of -keys and a pocketbook that the baron placed there every night, a -handful of golden louis. Charles seized the pocketbook, opened it, and -found some bank-notes. He counted them; there were thirteen notes of one -hundred francs each. - -Instinctively, mechanically, he put the bank-notes in his pocket, rushed -down the stairs, drew the bolt, unhooked the chain, closed the door -behind him, and fled to the street. - - * * * * * - -Charles was an honest man. He had scarcely left the gate, when, cooled -by the night air and the rain, he came to a sudden halt. Now, he saw his -action in its true light, and it filled him with horror. He hailed a -passing cab, and said to the driver: - -"Go to the police-office, and bring the commissary. Hurry! There has -been a murder in that house." - -The cab-driver whipped his horse. Charles wished to return to the house, -but found the gate locked. He had closed it himself when he came out, -and it could not be opened from the outside. On the other hand, it was -useless to ring, as there was no one in the house. - -It was almost an hour before the arrival of the police. When they came, -Charles told his story and handed the bank-notes to the commissary. A -locksmith was summoned, and, after considerable difficulty, he succeeded -in forcing open the garden gate and the vestibule door. The commissary -of police entered the room first, but, immediately, turned to Charles -and said: - -"You told me that the room was in the greatest disorder." - -Charles stood at the door, amazed, bewildered; all the furniture had -been restored to its accustomed place. The small table was standing -between the two windows, the chairs were upright, and the clock was on -the centre of the mantel. The debris of the candelabra had been removed. - -"Where is.... Monsieur le Baron?" stammered Charles. - -"That's so!" exclaimed the officer, "where is the victim?" - -He approached the bed, and drew aside a large sheet, under which reposed -the Baron d'Hautrec, formerly French Ambassador at Berlin. Over him, lay -his military coat, adorned with the Cross of Honor. His features were -calm. His eyes were closed. - -"Some one has been here," said Charles. - -"How did they get in?" - -"I don't know, but some one has been here during my absence. There was a -stiletto on the floor--there! And a handkerchief, stained with blood, on -the bed. They are not here now. They have been carried away. And some -one has put the room in order." - -"Who would do that?" - -"The assassin." - -"But we found all the doors locked." - -"He must have remained in the house." - -"Then he must be here yet, as you were in front of the house all the -time." - -Charles reflected a moment, then said, slowly: - -"Yes ... of course.... I didn't go away from the gate." - -"Who was the last person you saw with the baron?" - -"Mademoiselle Antoinette, his secretary." - -"What has become of her?" - -"I don't know. Her bed wasn't occupied, so she must have gone out. I am -not surprised at that, as she is young and pretty." - -"But how could she leave the house?" - -"By the door," said Charles. - -"But you had bolted and chained it." - -"Yes, but she must have left before that." - -"And the crime was committed after her departure?" - -"Of course," said the servant. - -The house was searched from cellar to garret, but the assassin had fled. -How? And when? Was it he or an accomplice who had returned to the scene -of the crime and removed everything that might furnish a clue to his -identity? Such were the questions the police were called upon to solve. - -The coroner came at seven o'clock; and, at eight o'clock, Mon. Dudouis, -the head of the detective service, arrived on the scene. They were -followed by the Procureur of the Republic and the investigating -magistrate. In addition to these officials, the house was overrun with -policemen, detectives, newspaper reporters, photographers, and relatives -and acquaintances of the murdered man. - -A thorough search was made; they studied out the position of the corpse -according to the information furnished by Charles; they questioned -Sister Auguste when she arrived; but they discovered nothing new. Sister -Auguste was astonished to learn of the disappearance of Antoinette -Bréhat. She had engaged the young girl twelve days before, on excellent -recommendations, and refused to believe that she would neglect her duty -by leaving the house during the night. - -"But, you see, she hasn't returned yet," said the magistrate, "and we -are still confronted with the question: What has become of her?" - -"I think she was abducted by the assassin," said Charles. - -The theory was plausible, and was borne out by certain facts. Mon. -Dudouis agreed with it. He said: - -"Abducted? ma foi! that is not improbable." - -"Not only improbable," said a voice, "but absolutely opposed to the -facts. There is not a particle of evidence to support such a theory." - -The voice was harsh, the accent sharp, and no one was surprised to learn -that the speaker was Ganimard. In no one else, would they tolerate such -a domineering tone. - -"Ah! it is you, Ganimard!" exclaimed Mon. Dudouis. "I had not seen you -before." - -"I have been here since two o'clock." - -"So you are interested in some things outside of lottery ticket number -514, the affair of the rue Clapeyron, the blonde lady and Arsène -Lupin?" - -"Ha-ha!" laughed the veteran detective. "I would not say that Lupin is a -stranger to the present case. But let us forget the affair of the -lottery ticket for a few moments, and try to unravel this new mystery." - - * * * * * - -Ganimard is not one of those celebrated detectives whose methods will -create a school, or whose name will be immortalized in the criminal -annals of his country. He is devoid of those flashes of genius which -characterize the work of Dupin, Lecoq and Sherlock Holmes. Yet, it must -be admitted, he possesses superior qualities of observation, sagacity, -perseverance and even intuition. His merit lies in his absolute -independence. Nothing troubles or influences him, except, perhaps, a -sort of fascination that Arsène Lupin holds over him. However that may -be, there is no doubt that his position on that morning, in the house of -the late Baron d'Hautrec, was one of undoubted superiority, and his -collaboration in the case was appreciated and desired by the -investigating magistrate. - -"In the first place," said Ganimard, "I will ask Monsieur Charles to be -very particular on one point: He says that, on the occasion of his -first visit to the room, various articles of furniture were overturned -and strewn about the place; now, I ask him whether, on his second visit -to the room, he found all those articles restored to their accustomed -places--I mean, of course, correctly placed." - -"Yes, all in their proper places," replied Charles. - -"It is obvious, then, that the person who replaced them must have been -familiar with the location of those articles." - -The logic of this remark was apparent to his hearers. Ganimard -continued: - -"One more question, Monsieur Charles. You were awakened by the ringing -of your bell. Now, who, do you think, rang it?" - -"Monsieur le baron, of course." - -"When could he ring it?" - -"After the struggle ... when he was dying." - -"Impossible; because you found him lying, unconscious, at a point more -than four metres from the bell-button." - -"Then he must have rung during the struggle." - -"Impossible," declared Ganimard, "since the ringing, as you have said, -was continuous and uninterrupted, and lasted seven or eight seconds. Do -you think his antagonist would have permitted him to ring the bell in -that leisurely manner?" - -"Well, then, it was before the attack." - -"Also, quite impossible, since you have told us that the lapse of time -between the ringing of the bell and your entrance to the room was not -more than three minutes. Therefore, if the baron rang before the attack, -we are forced to the conclusion that the struggle, the murder and the -flight of the assassin, all occurred within the short space of three -minutes. I repeat: that is impossible." - -"And yet," said the magistrate, "some one rang. If it were not the -baron, who was it?" - -"The murderer." - -"For what purpose?" - -"I do not know. But the fact that he did ring proves that he knew that -the bell communicated with the servant's room. Now, who would know that, -except an inmate of the house?" - -Ganimard was drawing the meshes of his net closer and tighter. In a few -clear and logical sentences, he had unfolded and defined his theory of -the crime, so that it seemed quite natural when the magistrate said: - -"As I understand it, Ganimard, you suspect the girl Antoinette Bréhat?" - -"I do not suspect her; I accuse her." - -"You accuse her of being an accomplice?" - -"I accuse her of having killed Baron d'Hautrec." - -"Nonsense! What proof have you?" - -"The handful of hair I found in the right hand of the victim." - -He produced the hair; it was of a beautiful blond color, and glittered -like threads of gold. Charles looked at it, and said: - -"That is Mademoiselle Antoinette's hair. There can be no doubt of it. -And, then, there is another thing. I believe that the knife, which I saw -on my first visit to the room, belonged to her. She used it to cut the -leaves of books." - -A long, dreadful silence followed, as if the crime had acquired an -additional horror by reason of having been committed by a woman. At -last, the magistrate said: - -"Let us assume, until we are better informed, that the baron was killed -by Antoinette Bréhat. We have yet to learn where she concealed herself -after the crime, how she managed to return after Charles left the house, -and how she made her escape after the arrival of the police. Have you -formed any opinion on those points Ganimard?" - -"None." - -"Well, then, where do we stand?" - -Ganimard was embarrassed. Finally, with a visible effort, he said: - -"All I can say is that I find in this case the same method of procedure -as we found in the affair of the lottery ticket number 514; the same -phenomena, which might be termed the faculty of disappearing. Antoinette -Bréhat has appeared and disappeared in this house as mysteriously as -Arsène Lupin entered the house of Monsieur Detinan and escaped therefrom -in the company of the blonde lady. - -"Does that signify anything?" - -"It does to me. I can see a probable connection between those two -strange incidents. Antoinette Bréhat was hired by Sister Auguste twelve -days ago, that is to say, on the day after the blonde Lady so cleverly -slipped through my fingers. In the second place, the hair of the blonde -Lady was exactly of the same brilliant golden hue as the hair found in -this case." - -"So that, in your opinion, Antoinette Bréhat--" - -"Is the blonde Lady--precisely." - -"And that Lupin had a hand in both cases?" - -"Yes, that is my opinion." - -This statement was greeted with an outburst of laughter. It came from -Mon. Dudouis. - -"Lupin! always Lupin! Lupin is into everything; Lupin is everywhere!" - -"Yes, Lupin is into everything of any consequence," replied Ganimard, -vexed at the ridicule of his superior. - -"Well, so far as I see," observed Mon. Dudouis, "you have not discovered -any motive for this crime. The secretary was not broken into, nor the -pocketbook carried away. Even, a pile of gold was left upon the table." - -"Yes, that is so," exclaimed Ganimard, "but the famous diamond?" - -"What diamond?" - -"The blue diamond! The celebrated diamond which formed part of the royal -crown of France, and which was given by the Duke d'Aumale to Leonide -Lebrun, and, at the death of Leonide Lebrun, was purchased by the Baron -d'Hautrec as a souvenir of the charming comedienne that he had loved so -well. That is one of those things that an old Parisian, like I, does not -forget." - -"It is obvious that if the blue diamond is not found, the motive for the -crime is disclosed," said the magistrate. "But where should we search -for it?" - -"On the baron's finger," replied Charles. "He always wore the blue -diamond on his left hand." - -"I saw that hand, and there was only a plain gold ring on it," said -Ganimard, as he approached the corpse. - -"Look in the palm of the hand," replied the servant. - -Ganimard opened the stiffened hand. The bezel was turned inward, and, in -the centre of that bezel, the blue diamond shone with all its glorious -splendor. - -"The deuce!" muttered Ganimard, absolutely amazed, "I don't understand -it." - -"You will now apologize to Lupin for having suspected him, eh?" said -Mon. Dudouis, laughing. - -Ganimard paused for a moment's reflection, and then replied, -sententiously: - -"It is only when I do not understand things that I suspect Arsène -Lupin." - -Such were the facts established by the police on the day after the -commission of that mysterious crime. Facts that were vague and -incoherent in themselves, and which were not explained by any subsequent -discoveries. The movements of Antoinette Bréhat remained as inexplicable -as those of the blonde Lady, and the police discovered no trace of that -mysterious creature with the golden hair who had killed Baron d'Hautrec -and had failed to take from his finger the famous diamond that had once -shone in the royal crown of France. - - * * * * * - -The heirs of the Baron d'Hautrec could not fail to benefit by such -notoriety. They established in the house an exhibition of the furniture -and other objects which were to be sold at the auction rooms of Drouot & -Co. Modern furniture of indifferent taste, various objects of no -artistic value ... but, in the centre of the room, in a case of purple -velvet, protected by a glass globe, and guarded by two officers, was the -famous blue diamond ring. - -A large magnificent diamond of incomparable purity, and of that -indefinite blue which the clear water receives from an unclouded sky, of -that blue which can be detected in the whiteness of linen. Some admired, -some enthused ... and some looked with horror on the chamber of the -victim, on the spot where the corpse had lain, on the floor divested of -its blood-stained carpet, and especially the walls, the unsurmountable -walls over which the criminal must have passed. Some assured themselves -that the marble mantel did not move, others imagined gaping holes, -mouths of tunnels, secret connections with the sewers, and the -catacombs-- - -The sale of the blue diamond took place at the salesroom of Drouot & Co. -The place was crowded to suffocation, and the bidding was carried to the -verge of folly. The sale was attended by all those who usually appear at -similar events in Paris; those who buy, and those who make a pretense of -being able to buy; bankers, brokers, artists, women of all classes, two -cabinet ministers, an Italian tenor, an exiled king who, in order to -maintain his credit, bid, with much ostentation, and in a loud voice, as -high as one hundred thousand francs. One hundred thousand francs! He -could offer that sum without any danger of his bid being accepted. The -Italian tenor risked one hundred and fifty thousand, and a member of the -Comédie-Française bid one hundred and seventy-five thousand francs. - -When the bidding reached two hundred thousand francs, the smaller -competitors fell out of the race. At two hundred and fifty thousand, -only two bidders remained in the field: Herschmann, the well-known -capitalist, the king of gold mines; and the Countess de Crozon, the -wealthy American, whose collection of diamonds and precious stones is -famed throughout the world. - -"Two hundred and sixty thousand ... two hundred and seventy thousand ... -seventy-five ... eighty...." exclaimed the auctioneer, as he glanced at -the two competitors in succession. "Two hundred and eighty thousand for -madame.... Do I hear any more?" - -"Three hundred thousand," said Herschmann. - -There was a short silence. The countess was standing, smiling, but pale -from excitement. She was leaning against the back of the chair in front -of her. She knew, and so did everyone present, that the issue of the -duel was certain; logically, inevitably, it must terminate to the -advantage of the capitalist, who had untold millions with which to -indulge his caprices. However, the countess made another bid: - -"Three hundred and five thousand." - -Another silence. All eyes were now directed to the capitalist in the -expectation that he would raise the bidding. But Herschmann was not -paying any attention to the sale; his eyes were fixed on a sheet of -paper which he held in his right hand, while the other hand held a torn -envelope. - -"Three hundred and five thousand," repeated the auctioneer. "Once!... -Twice!... For the last time.... Do I hear any more?... Once!... -Twice!... Am I offered any more? Last chance!..." - -Herschmann did not move. - -"Third and last time!... Sold!" exclaimed the auctioneer, as his hammer -fell. - -"Four hundred thousand," cried Herschman, starting up, as if the sound -of the hammer had roused him from his stupor. - -Too late; the auctioneer's decision was irrevocable. Some of -Herschmann's acquaintances pressed around him. What was the matter? Why -did he not speak sooner? He laughed, and said: - -"Ma foi! I simply forgot--in a moment of abstraction." - -"That is strange." - -"You see, I just received a letter." - -"And that letter was sufficient--" - -"To distract my attention? Yes, for a moment." - -Ganimard was there. He had come to witness the sale of the ring. He -stopped one of the attendants of the auction room, and said: - -"Was it you who carried the letter to Monsieur Herschmann?" - -"Yes." - -"Who gave it to you?" - -"A lady." - -"Where is she?" - -"Where is she?... She was sitting down there ... the lady who wore a -thick veil." - -"She has gone?" - -"Yes, just this moment." - -Ganimard hastened to the door, and saw the lady descending the stairs. -He ran after her. A crush of people delayed him at the entrance. When -he reached the sidewalk, she had disappeared. He returned to the auction -room, accosted Herschmann, introduced himself, and enquired about the -letter. Herschmann handed it to him. It was carelessly scribbled in -pencil, in a handwriting unknown to the capitalist, and contained these -few words: - -_"The blue diamond brings misfortune. Remember the Baron d'Hautrec."_ - - * * * * * - -The vicissitudes of the blue diamond were not yet at an end. Although it -had become well-known through the murder of the Baron d'Hautrec and the -incidents at the auction-rooms, it was six months later that it attained -even greater celebrity. During the following summer, the Countess de -Crozon was robbed of the famous jewel she had taken so much trouble to -acquire. - -Let me recall that strange affair, of which the exciting and dramatic -incidents sent a thrill through all of us, and over which I am now -permitted to throw some light. - -On the evening of August 10, the guests of the Count and Countess de -Crozon were assembled in the drawing-room of the magnificent château -which overlooks the Bay de Somme. To entertain her friends, the countess -seated herself at the piano to play for them, after first placing her -jewels on a small table near the piano, and, amongst them, was the ring -of the Baron d'Hautrec. - -An hour later, the count and the majority of the guests retired, -including his two cousins and Madame de Réal, an intimate friend of the -countess. The latter remained in the drawing-room with Herr Bleichen, -the Austrian consul, and his wife. - -They conversed for a time, and then the countess extinguished the large -lamp that stood on a table in the centre of the room. At the same -moment, Herr Bleichen extinguished the two piano lamps. There was a -momentary darkness; then the consul lighted a candle, and the three of -them retired to their rooms. But, as soon as she reached her apartment, -the countess remembered her jewels and sent her maid to get them. When -the maid returned with the jewels, she placed them on the mantel without -the countess looking at them. Next day, Madame de Crozon found that one -of her rings was missing; it was the blue diamond ring. - -She informed her husband, and, after talking it over, they reached the -conclusion that the maid was above suspicion, and that the guilty party -must be Herr Bleichen. - -The count notified the commissary of police at Amiens, who commenced an -investigation and, discreetly, exercised a strict surveillance over the -Austrian consul to prevent his disposing of the ring. - -The château was surrounded by detectives day and night. Two weeks passed -without incident. Then Herr Bleichen announced his intended departure. -That day, a formal complaint was entered against him. The police made an -official examination of his luggage. In a small satchel, the key to -which was always carried by the consul himself, they found a bottle of -dentifrice, and in that bottle they found the ring. - -Madame Bleichen fainted. Her husband was placed under arrest. - -Everyone will remember the line of defense adopted by the accused man. -He declared that the ring must have been placed there by the Count de -Crozen as an act of revenge. He said: - -"The count is brutal and makes his wife very unhappy. She consulted me, -and I advised her to get a divorce. The count heard of it in some way, -and, to be revenged on me, he took the ring and placed it in my -satchel." - -The count and countess persisted in pressing the charge. Between the -explanation which they gave and that of the consul, both equally -possible and equally probable, the public had to choose. No new fact was -discovered to turn the scale in either direction. A month of gossip, -conjectures and investigations failed to produce a single ray of light. - -Wearied of the excitement and notoriety, and incapable of securing the -evidence necessary to sustain their charge against the consul, the count -and countess at last sent to Paris for a detective competent to unravel -the tangled threads of this mysterious skein. This brought Ganimard into -the case. - -For four days, the veteran detective searched the house from top to -bottom, examined every foot of the ground, had long conferences with the -maid, the chauffeur, the gardeners, the employees in the neighboring -post-offices, visited the rooms that had been occupied by the various -guests. Then, one morning, he disappeared without taking leave of his -host or hostess. But a week later, they received this telegram: - -"Please come to the Japanese Tea-room, rue Boissy d'Anglas, to-morrow, -Friday, evening at five o'clock. Ganimard." - - * * * * * - -At five o'clock, Friday evening, their automobile stopped in front of -number nine rue Boissy-d'Anglas. The old detective was standing on the -sidewalk, waiting for them. Without a word, he conducted them to the -first floor of the Japanese Tea-room. In one of the rooms, they met two -men, whom Ganimard introduced in these words: - -"Monsieur Gerbois, professor in the College of Versailles, from whom, -you will remember, Arsène Lupin stole half a million; Monsieur Léonce -d'Hautrec, nephew and sole legatee of the Baron d'Hautrec." - -A few minutes later, another man arrived. It was Mon. Dudouis, head of -the detective service, and he appeared to be in a particularly bad -temper. He bowed, and then said: - -"What's the trouble now, Ganimard? I received your telephone message -asking me to come here. Is it anything of consequence?" - -"Yes, chief, it is a very important matter. Within an hour, the last two -cases to which I was assigned will have their dénouement here. It -seemed to me that your presence was indispensable." - -"And also the presence of Dieuzy and Folenfant, whom I noticed standing -near the door as I came in?" - -"Yes, chief." - -"For what? Are you going to make an arrest, and you wish to do it with a -flourish? Come, Ganimard, I am anxious to hear about it." - -Ganimard hesitated a moment, then spoke with the obvious intention of -making an impression on his hearers: - -"In the first place, I wish to state that Herr Bleichen had nothing to -do with the theft of the ring." - -"Oh! oh!" exclaimed Mon. Dudouis, "that is a bold statement and a very -serious one." - -"And is that all you have discovered?" asked the Count de Crozon. - -"Not at all. On the second day after the theft, three of your guests -went on an automobile trip as far as Crécy. Two of them visited the -famous battlefield; and, while they were there, the third party paid a -hasty visit to the post-office, and mailed a small box, tied and sealed -according to the regulations, and declared its value to be one hundred -francs." - -"I see nothing strange in that," said the count. - -"Perhaps you will see something strange in it when I tell you that this -person, in place of giving her true name, sent the box under the name of -Rousseau, and the person to whom it was addressed, a certain Monsieur -Beloux of Paris, moved his place of residence immediately after -receiving the box, in other words, the ring." - -"I presume you refer to one of my cousins d'Andelle?" - -"No," replied Ganimard. - -"Madame de Réal, then?" - -"Yes." - -"You accuse my friend, Madam de Réal?" cried the countess, shocked and -amazed. - -"I wish to ask you one question, madame," said Ganimard. "Was Madam de -Réal present when you purchased the ring?" - -"Yes, but we did not go there together." - -"Did she advise you to buy the ring?" - -The countess considered for a moment, then said: - -"Yes, I think she mentioned it first--" - -"Thank you, madame. Your answer establishes the fact that it was Madame -de Réal who was the first to mention the ring, and it was she who -advised you to buy it." - -"But, I consider my friend is quite incapable--" - -"Pardon me, countess, when I remind you that Madame de Réal is only a -casual acquaintance and not your intimate friend, as the newspapers have -announced. It was only last winter that you met her for the first time. -Now, I can prove that everything she has told you about herself, her -past life, and her relatives, is absolutely false; that Madame Blanche -de Réal had no actual existence before she met you, and she has now -ceased to exist." - -"Well?" - -"Well?" replied Ganimard. - -"Your story is a very strange one," said the countess, "but it has no -application to our case. If Madame de Réal had taken the ring, how do -you explain the fact that it was found in Herr Bleichen's tooth-powder? -Anyone who would take the risk and trouble of stealing the blue diamond -would certainly keep it. What do you say to that?" - -"I--nothing--but Madame de Réal will answer it." - -"Oh! she does exist, then?" - -"She does--and does not. I will explain in a few words. Three days ago, -while reading a newspaper, I glanced over the list of hotel arrivals at -Trouville, and there I read: 'Hôtel Beaurivage--Madame de Réal, etc.' - -"I went to Trouville immediately, and interviewed the proprietor of the -hotel. From the description and other information I received from him, I -concluded that she was the very Madame de Réal that I was seeking; but -she had left the hotel, giving her address in Paris as number three rue -de Colisée. The day before yesterday I went to that address, and learned -that there was no person there called Madame de Réal, but there was a -Madame Réal, living on the second floor, who acted as a diamond broker -and was frequently away from home. She had returned from a journey on -the preceding evening. Yesterday, I called on her and, under an assumed -name, I offered to act as an intermedium in the sale of some diamonds to -certain wealthy friends of mine. She is to meet me here to-day to carry -out that arrangement." - -"What! You expect her to come here?" - -"Yes, at half-past five." - -"Are you sure it is she?" - -"Madame de Réal of the Château de Crozon? Certainly. I have convincing -evidence of that fact. But ... listen!... I hear Folenfant's signal." - -It was a whistle. Ganimard arose quickly. - -"There is no time to lose. Monsieur and Madame de Crozon, will you be -kind enough to go into the next room. You also, Monsieur d'Hautrec, and -you, Monsieur Gerbois. The door will remain open, and when I give the -signal, you will come out. Of course, Chief, you will remain here." - -"We may be disturbed by other people," said Mon. Dudouis. - -"No. This is a new establishment, and the proprietor is one of my -friends. He will not let anyone disturb us--except the blonde Lady." - -"The blonde Lady! What do you mean?" - -"Yes, the blonde Lady herself, chief; the friend and accomplice of -Arsène Lupin, the mysterious blonde Lady against whom I hold convincing -evidence; but, in addition to that, I wish to confront her with all the -people she has robbed." - -He looked through the window. - -"I see her. She is coming in the door now. She can't escape: Folenfant -and Dieuzy are guarding the door.... The blonde Lady is captured at -last, Chief!" - -A moment later a woman appeared at the door; she was tall and slender, -with a very pale complexion and bright golden hair. Ganimard trembled -with excitement; he could not move, nor utter a word. She was there, in -front of him, at his mercy! What a victory over Arsène Lupin! And what a -revenge! And, at the same time, the victory was such an easy one that he -asked himself if the blonde Lady would not yet slip through his fingers -by one of those miracles that usually terminated the exploits of Arsène -Lupin. She remained standing near the door, surprised at the silence, -and looked about her without any display of suspicion or fear. - -"She will get away! She will disappear!" thought Ganimard. - -Then he managed to get between her and the door. She turned to go out. - -"No, no!" he said. "Why are you going away?" - -"Really, monsieur, I do not understand what this means. Allow me--" - -"There is no reason why you should go, madame, and very good reasons -why you should remain." - -"But--" - -"It is useless, madame. You cannot go." - -Trembling, she sat on a chair, and stammered: - -"What is it you want?" - -Ganimard had won the battle and captured the blonde Lady. He said to -her: - -"Allow me to present the friend I mentioned, who desires to purchase -some diamonds. Have you procured the stones you promised to bring?" - -"No--no--I don't know. I don't remember." - -"Come! Jog your memory! A person of your acquaintance intended to send -you a tinted stone.... 'Something like the blue diamond,' I said, -laughing; and you replied: 'Exactly, I expect to have just what you -want.' Do you remember?" - -She made no reply. A small satchel fell from her hand. She picked it up -quickly, and held it securely. Her hands trembled slightly. - -"Come!" said Ganimard, "I see you have no confidence in us, Madame de -Réal. I shall set you a good example by showing you what I have." - -He took from his pocketbook a paper which he unfolded, and disclosed a -lock of hair. - -"These are a few hairs torn from the head of Antoinette Bréhat by the -Baron d'Hautrec, which I found clasped in his dead hand. I have shown -them to Mlle. Gerbois, who declares they are of the exact color of the -hair of the blonde Lady. Besides, they are exactly the color of your -hair--the identical color." - -Madame Réal looked at him in bewilderment, as if she did not understand -his meaning. He continued: - -"And here are two perfume bottles, without labels, it is true, and -empty, but still sufficiently impregnated with their odor to enable -Mlle. Gerbois to recognize in them the perfume used by that blonde Lady -who was her traveling companion for two weeks. Now, one of these bottles -was found in the room that Madame de Réal occupied at the Château de -Crozon, and the other in the room that you occupied at the Hôtel -Beaurivage." - -"What do you say?... The blonde Lady ... the Château de Crozon...." - -The detective did not reply. He took from his pocket and placed on the -table, side by side, four small sheets of paper. Then he said: - -"I have, on these four pieces of paper, various specimens of -handwriting; the first is the writing of Antoinette Bréhat; the second -was written by the woman who sent the note to Baron Herschmann at the -auction sale of the blue diamond; the third is that of Madame de Réal, -written while she was stopping at the Château de Crozon; and the fourth -is your handwriting, madame ... it is your name and address, which you -gave to the porter of the Hôtel Beaurivage at Trouville. Now, compare -the four handwritings. They are identical." - -"What absurdity is this? really, monsieur, I do not understand. What -does it mean?" - -"It means, madame," exclaimed Ganimard, "that the blonde Lady, the -friend and accomplice of Arsène Lupin, is none other than you, Madame -Réal." - -Ganimard went to the adjoining room and returned with Mon. Gerbois, whom -he placed in front of Madame Réal, as he said: - -"Monsieur Gerbois, is this the person who abducted your daughter, the -woman you saw at the house of Monsieur Detinan?" - -"No." - -Ganimard was so surprised that he could not speak for a moment; finally, -he said: "No?... You must be mistaken...." - -"I am not mistaken. Madame is blonde, it is true, and in that respect -resembles the blonde Lady; but, in all other respects, she is totally -different." - -"I can't believe it. You must be mistaken." - -Ganimard called in his other witnesses. - -"Monsieur d'Hautrec," he said, "do you recognize Antoinette Bréhat?" - -"No, this is not the person I saw at my uncle's house." - -"This woman is not Madame de Réal," declared the Count de Crozon. - -That was the finishing touch. Ganimard was crushed. He was buried -beneath the ruins of the structure he had erected with so much care and -assurance. His pride was humbled, his spirit was broken, by the force of -this unexpected blow. - -Mon. Dudouis arose, and said: - -"We owe you an apology, madame, for this unfortunate mistake. But, since -your arrival here, I have noticed your nervous agitation. Something -troubles you; may I ask what it is?" - -"Mon Dieu, monsieur, I was afraid. My satchel contains diamonds to the -value of a hundred thousand francs, and the conduct of your friend was -rather suspicious." - -"But you were frequently absent from Paris. How do you explain that?" - -"I make frequent journeys to other cities in the course of my business. -That is all." - -Mon. Dudouis had nothing more to ask. He turned to his subordinate, and -said: - -"Your investigation has been very superficial, Ganimard, and your -conduct toward this lady is really deplorable. You will come to my -office to-morrow and explain it." - -The interview was at an end, and Mon. Dudouis was about to leave the -room when a most annoying incident occurred. Madame Réal turned to -Ganimard, and said: - -"I understand that you are Monsieur Ganimard. Am I right?" - -"Yes." - -"Then, this letter must be for you. I received it this morning. It was -addressed to 'Mon. Justin Ganimard, care of Madame Réal.' I thought it -was a joke, because I did not know you under that name, but it appears -that your unknown correspondent knew of our rendezvous." - -Ganimard was inclined to put the letter in his pocket unread, but he -dared not do so in the presence of his superior, so he opened the -envelope and read the letter aloud, in an almost inaudible tone: - - "Once upon a time, there were a blonde Lady, a Lupin, and a - Ganimard. Now, the wicked Ganimard had evil designs on the pretty - blonde Lady, and the good Lupin was her friend and protector. When - the good Lupin wished the blonde Lady to become the friend of the - Countess de Crozon, he caused her to assume the name of Madame de - Réal, which is a close resemblance to the name of a certain diamond - broker, a woman with a pale complexion and golden hair. And the - good Lupin said to himself: If ever the wicked Ganimard gets upon - the track of the blonde Lady, how useful it will be to me if he - should be diverted to the track of the honest diamond broker. A - wise precaution that has borne good fruit. A little note sent to - the newspaper read by the wicked Ganimard, a perfume bottle - intentionally forgotten by the genuine blonde Lady at the Hôtel - Beaurivage, the name and address of Madame Réal written on the - hotel register by the genuine blonde Lady, and the trick is played. - What do you think of it, Ganimard! I wished to tell you the true - story of this affair, knowing that you would be the first to laugh - over it. Really, it is quite amusing, and I have enjoyed it very - much. - - "Accept my best wishes, dear friend, and give my kind regards to - the worthy Mon. Dudouis. - - "ARSÈNE LUPIN." - -"He knows everything," muttered Ganimard, but he did not see the humor -of the situation as Lupin had predicted. "He knows some things I have -never mentioned to any one. How could he find out that I was going to -invite you here, chief? How could he know that I had found the first -perfume bottle? How could he find out those things?" - -He stamped his feet and tore his hair--a prey to the most tragic -despair. Mon. Dudouis felt sorry for him, and said: - -"Come, Ganimard, never mind; try to do better next time." - -And Mon. Dudouis left the room, accompanied by Madame Réal. - - * * * * * - -During the next ten minutes, Ganimard read and re-read the letter of -Arsène Lupin. Monsieur and Madame de Crozon, Monsieur d'Hautrec and -Monsieur Gerbois were holding an animated discussion in a corner of the -room. At last, the count approached the detective, and said: - -"My dear monsieur, after your investigation, we are no nearer the truth -than we were before." - -"Pardon me, but my investigation has established these facts: that the -blonde Lady is the mysterious heroine of these exploits, and that Arsène -Lupin directed them." - -"Those facts do not solve the mystery; in fact, they render it more -obscure. The blonde Lady commits a murder in order to steal the blue -diamond, and yet she does not steal it. Afterward she steals it and gets -rid of it by secretly giving it to another person. How do you explain -her strange conduct?" - -"I cannot explain it." - -"Of course; but, perhaps, someone else can." - -"Who?" - -The Count hesitated, so the Countess replied, frankly: - -"There is only one man besides yourself who is competent to enter the -arena with Arsène Lupin and overcome him. Have you any objection to our -engaging the services of Herlock Sholmes in this case?" - -Ganimard was vexed at the question, but stammered a reply: - -"No ... but ... I do not understand what----" - -"Let me explain. All this mystery annoys me. I wish to have it cleared -up. Monsieur Gerbois and Monsieur d'Hautrec have the same desire, and we -have agreed to send for the celebrated English detective." - -"You are right, madame," replied the detective, with a loyalty that did -him credit, "you are right. Old Ganimard is not able to overcome Arsène -Lupin. But will Herlock Sholmes succeed? I hope so, as I have the -greatest admiration for him. But ... it is improbable." - -"Do you mean to say that he will not succeed?" - -"That is my opinion. I can foresee the result of a duel between Herlock -Sholmes and Arsène Lupin. The Englishman will be defeated." - -"But, in any event, can we count on your assistance?" - -"Quite so, madame. I shall be pleased to render Monsieur Sholmes all -possible assistance." - -"Do you know his address?" - -"Yes; 219 Parker street." - -That evening Monsieur and Madame de Crozon withdrew the charge they had -made against Herr Bleichen, and a joint letter was addressed to Herlock -Sholmes. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -HERLOCK SHOLMES OPENS HOSTILITIES. - - -"What does monsieur wish?" - -"Anything," replied Arsène Lupin, like a man who never worries over the -details of a meal; "anything you like, but no meat or alcohol." - -The waiter walked away, disdainfully. - -"What! still a vegetarian?" I exclaimed. - -"More so than ever," replied Lupin. - -"Through taste, faith, or habit?" - -"Hygiene." - -"And do you never fall from grace?" - -"Oh! yes ... when I am dining out ... and wish to avoid being considered -eccentric." - -We were dining near the Northern Railway station, in a little restaurant -to which Arsène Lupin had invited me. Frequently he would send me a -telegram asking me to meet him in some obscure restaurant, where we -could enjoy a quiet dinner, well served, and which was always made -interesting to me by his recital of some startling adventure -theretofore unknown to me. - -On that particular evening he appeared to be in a more lively mood than -usual. He laughed and joked with careless animation, and with that -delicate sarcasm that was habitual with him--a light and spontaneous -sarcasm that was quite free from any tinge of malice. It was a pleasure -to find him in that jovial mood, and I could not resist the desire to -tell him so. - -"Ah! yes," he exclaimed, "there are days in which I find life as bright -and gay as a spring morning; then life seems to be an infinite treasure -which I can never exhaust. And yet God knows I lead a careless -existence!" - -"Too much so, perhaps." - -"Ah! but I tell you, the treasure is infinite. I can spend it with a -lavish hand. I can cast my youth and strength to the four winds of -Heaven, and it is replaced by a still younger and greater force. -Besides, my life is so pleasant!... If I wished to do so, I might -become--what shall I say?... An orator, a manufacturer, a politician.... -But, I assure you, I shall never have such a desire. Arsène Lupin, I am; -Arsène Lupin, I shall remain. I have made a vain search in history to -find a career comparable to mine; a life better filled or more -intense.... Napoleon? Yes, perhaps.... But Napoleon, toward the close of -his career, when all Europe was trying to crush him, asked himself on -the eve of each battle if it would not be his last." - -Was he serious? Or was he joking? He became more animated as he -proceeded: - -"That is everything, do you understand, the danger! The continuous -feeling of danger! To breathe it as you breathe the air, to scent it in -every breath of wind, to detect it in every unusual sound.... And, in -the midst of the tempest, to remain calm ... and not to stumble! -Otherwise, you are lost. There is only one sensation equal to it: that -of the chauffeur in an automobile race. But that race lasts only a few -hours; my race continues until death!" - -"What fantasy!" I exclaimed. "And you wish me to believe that you have -no particular motive for your adoption of that exciting life?" - -"Come," he said, with a smile, "you are a clever psychologist. Work it -out for yourself." - -He poured himself a glass of water, drank it, and said: - -"Did you read _'Le Temps'_ to-day?" - -"No." - -"Herlock Sholmes crossed the Channel this afternoon, and arrived in -Paris about six o'clock." - -"The deuce! What is he coming for?" - -"A little journey he has undertaken at the request of the Count and -Countess of Crozon, Monsieur Gerbois, and the nephew of Baron d'Hautrec. -They met him at the Northern Railway station, took him to meet Ganimard, -and, at this moment, the six of them are holding a consultation." - -Despite a strong temptation to do so, I had never ventured to question -Arsène Lupin concerning any action of his private life, unless he had -first mentioned the subject to me. Up to that moment his name had not -been mentioned, at least officially, in connection with the blue -diamond. Consequently, I consumed my curiosity in patience. He -continued: - -"There is also in _'Le Temps'_ an interview with my old friend Ganimard, -according to whom a certain blonde lady, who should be my friend, must -have murdered the Baron d'Hautrec and tried to rob Madame de Crozon of -her famous ring. And--what do you think?--he accuses me of being the -instigator of those crimes." - -I could not suppress a slight shudder. Was this true? Must I believe -that his career of theft, his mode of existence, the logical result of -such a life, had drawn that man into more serious crimes, including -murder? I looked at him. He was so calm, and his eyes had such a frank -expression! I observed his hands: they had been formed from a model of -exceeding delicacy, long and slender; inoffensive, truly; and the hands -of an artist.... - -"Ganimard has pipe-dreams," I said. - -"No, no!" protested Lupin. "Ganimard has some cleverness; and, at times, -almost inspiration." - -"Inspiration!" - -"Yes. For instance, that interview is a master-stroke. In the first -place, he announces the coming of his English rival in order to put me -on my guard, and make his task more difficult. In the second place, he -indicates the exact point to which he has conducted the affair in order -that Sholmes will not get credit for the work already done by Ganimard. -That is good warfare." - -"Whatever it may be, you have two adversaries to deal with, and such -adversaries!" - -"Oh! one of them doesn't count." - -"And the other?" - -"Sholmes? Oh! I confess he is a worthy foe; and that explains my present -good humor. In the first place, it is a question of self-esteem; I am -pleased to know that they consider me a subject worthy the attention of -the celebrated English detective. In the next place, just imagine the -pleasure a man, such as I, must experience in the thought of a duel with -Herlock Sholmes. But I shall be obliged to strain every muscle; he is a -clever fellow, and will contest every inch of the ground." - -"Then you consider him a strong opponent?" - -"I do. As a detective, I believe, he has never had an equal. But I have -one advantage over him; he is making the attack and I am simply -defending myself. My rôle is the easier one. Besides, I am familiar with -his method of warfare, and he does not know mine. I am prepared to show -him a few new tricks that will give him something to think about." - -He tapped the table with his fingers as he uttered the following -sentences, with an air of keen delight: - -"Arsène Lupin against Herlock Sholmes.... France against England.... -Trafalgar will be revenged at last.... Ah! the rascal ... he doesn't -suspect that I am prepared ... and a Lupin warned--" - -He stopped suddenly, seized with a fit of coughing, and hid his face in -his napkin, as if something had stuck in his throat. - -"A bit of bread?" I inquired. "Drink some water." - -"No, it isn't that," he replied, in a stifled voice. - -"Then, what is it?" - -"The want of air." - -"Do you wish a window opened?" - -"No, I shall go out. Give me my hat and overcoat, quick! I must go." - -"What's the matter?" - -"The two gentlemen who came in just now.... Look at the taller one ... -now, when we go out, keep to my left, so he will not see me." - -"The one who is sitting behind you?" - -"Yes. I will explain it to you, outside." - -"Who is it?" - -"Herlock Sholmes." - -He made a desperate effort to control himself, as if he were ashamed of -his emotion, replaced his napkin, drank a glass of water, and, quite -recovered, said to me, smiling: - -"It is strange, hein, that I should be affected so easily, but that -unexpected sight--" - -"What have you to fear, since no one can recognize you, on account of -your many transformations? Every time I see you it seems to me your face -is changed; it's not at all familiar. I don't know why." - -"But _he_ would recognize me," said Lupin. "He has seen me only once; -but, at that time, he made a mental photograph of me--not of my external -appearance but of my very soul--not what I appear to be but just what I -am. Do you understand? And then ... and then.... I did not expect to -meet him here.... Such a strange encounter!... in this little -restaurant...." - -"Well, shall we go out?" - -"No, not now," said Lupin. - -"What are you going to do?" - -"The better way is to act frankly ... to have confidence in him--trust -him...." - -"You will not speak to him?" - -"Why not! It will be to my advantage to do so, and find out what he -knows, and, perhaps, what he thinks. At present I have the feeling that -his gaze is on my neck and shoulders, and that he is trying to remember -where he has seen them before." - -He reflected a moment. I observed a malicious smile at the corner of his -mouth; then, obedient, I think, to a whim of his impulsive nature, and -not to the necessities of the situation, he arose, turned around, and, -with a bow and a joyous air, he said: - -"By what lucky chance? Ah! I am delighted to see you. Permit me to -introduce a friend of mine." - -For a moment the Englishman was disconcerted; then he made a movement as -if he would seize Arsène Lupin. The latter shook his head, and said: - -"That would not be fair; besides, the movement would be an awkward one -and ... quite useless." - -The Englishman looked about him, as if in search of assistance. - -"No use," said Lupin. "Besides, are you quite sure you can place your -hand on me? Come, now, show me that you are a real Englishman and, -therefore, a good sport." - -This advice seemed to commend itself to the detective, for he partially -rose and said, very formally: - -"Monsieur Wilson, my friend and assistant--Monsieur Arsène Lupin." - -Wilson's amazement evoked a laugh. With bulging eyes and gaping mouth, -he looked from one to the other, as if unable to comprehend the -situation. Herlock Sholmes laughed and said: - -"Wilson, you should conceal your astonishment at an incident which is -one of the most natural in the world." - -"Why do you not arrest him?" stammered Wilson. - -"Have you not observed, Wilson, that the gentleman is between me and the -door, and only a few steps from the door. By the time I could move my -little finger he would be outside." - -"Don't let that make any difference," said Lupin, who now walked around -the table and seated himself so that the Englishman was between him and -the door--thus placing himself at the mercy of the foreigner. - -Wilson looked at Sholmes to find out if he had the right to admire this -act of wanton courage. The Englishman's face was impenetrable; but, a -moment later, he called: - -"Waiter!" - -When the waiter came he ordered soda, beer and whisky. The treaty of -peace was signed--until further orders. In a few moments the four men -were conversing in an apparently friendly manner. - - * * * * * - -Herlock Sholmes is a man such as you might meet every day in the -business world. He is about fifty years of age, and looks as if he might -have passed his life in an office, adding up columns of dull figures or -writing out formal statements of business accounts. There was nothing to -distinguish him from the average citizen of London, except the -appearance of his eyes, his terribly keen and penetrating eyes. - -But then he is Herlock Sholmes--which means that he is a wonderful -combination of intuition, observation, clairvoyance and ingenuity. One -could readily believe that nature had been pleased to take the two most -extraordinary detectives that the imagination of man has hitherto -conceived, the Dupin of Edgar Allen Poe and the Lecoq of Emile Gaboriau, -and, out of that material, constructed a new detective, more -extraordinary and supernatural than either of them. And when a person -reads the history of his exploits, which have made him famous -throughout the entire world, he asks himself whether Herlock Sholmes is -not a mythical personage, a fictitious hero born in the brain of a great -novelist--Conan Doyle, for instance. - -When Arsène Lupin questioned him in regard to the length of his sojourn -in France he turned the conversation into its proper channel by saying: - -"That depends on you, monsieur." - -"Oh!" exclaimed Lupin, laughing, "if it depends on me you can return to -England to-night." - -"That is a little too soon, but I expect to return in the course of -eight or nine days--ten at the outside." - -"Are you in such a hurry?" - -"I have many cases to attend to; such as the robbery of the -Anglo-Chinese Bank, the abduction of Lady Eccleston.... But, don't you -think, Monsieur Lupin, that I can finish my business in Paris within a -week?" - -"Certainly, if you confine your efforts to the case of the blue diamond. -It is, moreover, the length of time that I require to make preparations -for my safety in case the solution of that affair should give you -certain dangerous advantages over me." - -"And yet," said the Englishman, "I expect to close the business in eight -or ten days." - -"And arrest me on the eleventh, perhaps?" - -"No, the tenth is my limit." - -Lupin shook his head thoughtfully, as he said: - -"That will be difficult--very difficult." - -"Difficult, perhaps, but possible, therefore certain--" - -"Absolutely certain," said Wilson, as if he had clearly worked out the -long series of operations which would conduct his collaborator to the -desired result. - -"Of course," said Herlock Sholmes, "I do not hold all the trump cards, -as these cases are already several months old, and I lack certain -information and clues upon which I am accustomed to base my -investigations." - -"Such as spots of mud and cigarette ashes," said Wilson, with an air of -importance. - -"In addition to the remarkable conclusions formed by Monsieur Ganimard, -I have obtained all the articles written on the subject, and have formed -a few deductions of my own." - -"Some ideas which were suggested to us by analysis or hypothesis," -added Wilson, sententiously. - -"I wish to enquire," said Arsène Lupin, in that deferential tone which -he employed in speaking to Sholmes, "would I be indiscreet if I were to -ask you what opinion you have formed about the case?" - -Really, it was a most exciting situation to see those two men facing -each other across the table, engaged in an earnest discussion as if they -were obliged to solve some abstruse problem or come to an agreement upon -some controverted fact. Wilson was in the seventh heaven of delight. -Herlock Sholmes filled his pipe slowly, lighted it, and said: - -"This affair is much simpler than it appeared to be at first sight." - -"Much simpler," said Wilson, as a faithful echo. - -"I say 'this affair,' for, in my opinion, there is only one," said -Sholmes. "The death of the Baron d'Hautrec, the story of the ring, and, -let us not forget, the mystery of lottery ticket number 514, are only -different phases of what one might call the mystery of the blonde Lady. -Now, according to my view, it is simply a question of discovering the -bond that unites those three episodes in the same story--the fact which -proves the unity of the three events. Ganimard, whose judgment is rather -superficial, finds that unity in the faculty of disappearance; that is, -in the power of coming and going unseen and unheard. That theory does -not satisfy me." - -"Well, what is your idea?" asked Lupin. - -"In my opinion," said Sholmes, "the characteristic feature of the three -episodes is your design and purpose of leading the affair into a certain -channel previously chosen by you. It is, on your part, more than a plan; -it is a necessity, an indispensable condition of success." - -"Can you furnish any details of your theory?" - -"Certainly. For example, from the beginning of your conflict with -Monsieur Gerbois, is it not evident that the apartment of Monsieur -Detinan is the place selected by you, the inevitable spot where all the -parties must meet? In your opinion, it was the only safe place, and you -arranged a rendezvous there, publicly, one might say, for the blonde -Lady and Mademoiselle Gerbois." - -"The professor's daughter," added Wilson. "Now, let us consider the -case of the blue diamond. Did you try to appropriate it while the Baron -d'Hautrec possessed it! No. But the baron takes his brother's house. Six -months later we have the intervention of Antoinette Bréhat and the first -attempt. The diamond escapes you, and the sale is widely advertised to -take place at the Drouot auction-rooms. Will it be a free and open sale? -Is the richest amateur sure to carry off the jewel! No. Just as the -banker Herschmann is on the point of buying the ring, a lady sends him a -letter of warning, and it is the Countess de Crozon, prepared and -influenced by the same lady, who becomes the purchaser of the diamond. -Will the ring disappear at once? No; you lack the opportunity. -Therefore, you must wait. At last the Countess goes to her château. That -is what you were waiting for. The ring disappears." - -"To reappear again in the tooth-powder of Herr Bleichen," remarked -Lupin. - -"Oh! such nonsense!" exclaimed Sholmes, striking the table with his -fist, "don't tell me such a fairy tale. I am too old a fox to be led -away by a false scent." - -"What do you mean?" - -"What do I mean?" said Sholmes, then paused a moment as if he wished to -arrange his effect. At last he said: - -"The blue diamond that was found in the tooth-powder was false. You kept -the genuine stone." - -Arsène Lupin remained silent for a moment; then, with his eyes fixed on -the Englishman, he replied, calmly: - -"You are impertinent, monsieur." - -"Impertinent, indeed!" repeated Wilson, beaming with admiration. - -"Yes," said Lupin, "and, yet, to do you credit, you have thrown a strong -light on a very mysterious subject. Not a magistrate, not a special -reporter, who has been engaged on this case, has come so near the truth. -It is a marvellous display of intuition and logic." - -"Oh! a person has simply to use his brains," said Herlock Sholmes, -nattered at the homage of the expert criminal. - -"And so few have any brains to use," replied Lupin. "And, now, that the -field of conjectures has been narrowed down, and the rubbish cleared -away----" - -"Well, now, I have simply to discover why the three episodes were -enacted at 25 rue Clapeyron, 134 avenue Henri-Martin, and within the -walls of the Château de Crozon and my work will be finished. What -remains will be child's play. Don't you think so?" - -"Yes, I think you are right." - -"In that case, Monsieur Lupin, am I wrong in saying that my business -will be finished in ten days?" - -"In ten days you will know the whole truth," said Lupin. - -"And you will be arrested." - -"No." - -"No?" - -"In order that I may be arrested there must occur such a series of -improbable and unexpected misfortunes that I cannot admit the -possibility of such an event." - -"We have a saying in England that 'the unexpected always happens.'" - -They looked at each other for a moment calmly and fearlessly, without -any display of bravado or malice. They met as equals in a contest of wit -and skill. And this meeting was the formal crossing of swords, -preliminary to the duel. - -"Ah!" exclaimed Lupin, "at last I shall have an adversary worthy of the -name--one whose defeat will be the proudest achievement in my career." - -"Are you not afraid!" asked Wilson. - -"Almost, Monsieur Wilson," replied Lupin, rising from his chair, "and -the proof is that I am about to make a hasty retreat. Then, we will say -ten days, Monsieur Sholmes?" - -"Yes, ten days. This is Sunday. A week from next Wednesday, at eight -o'clock in the evening, it will be all over." - -"And I shall be in prison?" - -"No doubt of it." - -"Ha! not a pleasant outlook for a man who gets so much enjoyment out of -life as I do. No cares, a lively interest in the affairs of the world, a -justifiable contempt for the police, and the consoling sympathy of -numerous friends and admirers. And now, behold, all that is about to be -changed! It is the reverse side of the medal. After sunshine comes the -rain. It is no longer a laughing matter. Adieu!" - -"Hurry up!" said Wilson, full of solicitude for a person in whom Herlock -Sholmes had inspired so much respect, "do not lose a minute." - -"Not a minute, Monsieur Wilson; but I wish to express my pleasure at -having met you, and to tell you how much I envy the master in having -such a valuable assistant as you seem to be." - -Then, after they had courteously saluted each other, like adversaries in -a duel who entertain no feeling of malice but are obliged to fight by -force of circumstances, Lupin seized me by the arm and drew me outside. - -"What do you think of it, dear boy? The strange events of this evening -will form an interesting chapter in the memoirs you are now preparing -for me." - -He closed the door of the restaurant behind us, and, after taking a few -steps, he stopped and said: - -"Do you smoke?" - -"No. Nor do you, it seems to me." - -"You are right, I don't." - -He lighted a cigarette with a wax-match, which he shook several times in -an effort to extinguish it. But he threw away the cigarette immediately, -ran across the street, and joined two men who emerged from the shadows -as if called by a signal. He conversed with them for a few minutes on -the opposite sidewalk, and then returned to me. - -"I beg your pardon, but I fear that cursed Sholmes is going to give me -trouble. But, I assure you, he is not yet through with Arsène Lupin. He -will find out what kind of fuel I use to warm my blood. And now--au -revoir! The genial Wilson is right; there is not a moment to lose." - -He walked away rapidly. - -Thus ended the events of that exciting evening, or, at least, that part -of them in which I was a participant. Subsequently, during the course of -the evening, other stirring incidents occurred which have come to my -knowledge through the courtesy of other members of that unique -dinner-party. - - * * * * * - -At the very moment in which Lupin left me, Herlock Sholmes rose from the -table, and looked at his watch. - -"Twenty minutes to nine. At nine o'clock I am to meet the Count and -Countess at the railway station." - -"Then, we must be off!" exclaimed Wilson, between two drinks of whisky. - -They left the restaurant. - -"Wilson, don't look behind. We may be followed, and, in that case, let -us act as if we did not care. Wilson, I want your opinion: why was Lupin -in that restaurant?" - -"To get something to eat," replied Wilson, quickly. - -"Wilson, I must congratulate you on the accuracy of your deduction. I -couldn't have done better myself." - -Wilson blushed with pleasure, and Sholmes continued: - -"To get something to eat. Very well, and, after that, probably, to -assure himself whether I am going to the Château de Crozon, as announced -by Ganimard in his interview. I must go in order not to disappoint him. -But, in order to gain time on him, I shall not go." - -"Ah!" said Wilson, nonplused. - -"You, my friend, will walk down this street, take a carriage, two, three -carriages. Return later and get the valises that we left at the station, -and make for the Elysée-Palace at a galop." - -"And when I reach the Elysée-Palace?" - -"Engage a room, go to sleep, and await my orders." - -Quite proud of the important rôle assigned to him, Wilson set out to -perform his task. Herlock Sholmes proceeded to the railway station, -bought a ticket, and repaired to the Amiens' express in which the Count -and Countess de Crozon were already installed. He bowed to them, lighted -his pipe, and had a quiet smoke in the corridor. The train started. Ten -minutes later he took a seat beside the Countess, and said to her: - -"Have you the ring here, madame?" - -"Yes." - -"Will you kindly let me see it?" - -He took it, and examined it closely. - -"Just as I suspected: it is a manufactured diamond." - -"A manufactured diamond?" - -"Yes; a new process which consists in submitting diamond dust to a -tremendous heat until it melts and is then molded into a single stone." - -"But my diamond is genuine." - -"Yes, _your_ diamond is; but this is not yours." - -"Where is mine?" - -"It is held by Arsène Lupin." - -"And this stone?" - -"Was substituted for yours, and slipped into Herr Bleichen's -tooth-powder, where it was afterwards found." - -"Then you think this is false?" - -"Absolutely false." - -The Countess was overwhelmed with surprise and grief, while her husband -scrutinized the diamond with an incredulous air. Finally she stammered: - -"Is it possible? And why did they not merely steal it and be done with -it? And how did they steal it?" - -"That is exactly what I am going to find out." - -"At the Château de Crozon?" - -"No. I shall leave the train at Creil and return to Paris. It is there -the game between me and Arsène Lupin must be played. In fact, the game -has commenced already, and Lupin thinks I am on my way to the château." - -"But--" - -"What does it matter to you, madame? The essential thing is your -diamond, is it not?" - -"Yes." - -"Well, don't worry. I have just undertaken a much more difficult task -than that. You have my promise that I will restore the true diamond to -you within ten days." - -The train slackened its speed. He put the false diamond in his pocket -and opened the door. The Count cried out: - -"That is the wrong side of the train. You are getting out on the -tracks." - -"That is my intention. If Lupin has anyone on my track, he will lose -sight of me now. Adieu." - -An employee protested in vain. After the departure of the train, the -Englishman sought the station-master's office. Forty minutes later he -leaped into a train that landed him in Paris shortly before midnight. He -ran across the platform, entered the lunch-room, made his exit at -another door, and jumped into a cab. - -"Driver--rue Clapeyron." - -Having reached the conclusion that he was not followed, he stopped the -carriage at the end of the street, and proceeded to make a careful -examination of Monsieur Detinan's house and the two adjoining houses. He -made measurements of certain distances and entered the figures in his -notebook. - -"Driver--avenue Henri-Martin." - -At the corner of the avenue and the rue de la Pompe, he dismissed the -carriage, walked down the street to number 134, and performed the same -operations in front of the house of the late Baron d'Hautrec and the two -adjoining houses, measuring the width of the respective façades and -calculating the depth of the little gardens that stood in front of -them. - -The avenue was deserted, and was very dark under its four rows of trees, -between which, at considerable intervals, a few gas-lamps struggled in -vain to light the deep shadows. One of them threw a dim light over a -portion of the house, and Sholmes perceived the "To-let" sign posted on -the gate, the neglected walks which encircled the small lawn, and the -large bare windows of the vacant house. - -"I suppose," he said to himself, "the house has been unoccupied since -the death of the baron.... Ah! if I could only get in and view the scene -of the murder!" - -No sooner did the idea occur to him than he sought to put it in -execution. But how could he manage it? He could not climb over the gate; -it was too high. So he took from his pocket an electric lantern and a -skeleton key which he always carried. Then, to his great surprise, he -discovered that the gate was not locked; in fact, it was open about -three or four inches. He entered the garden, and was careful to leave -the gate as he had found it--partly open. But he had not taken many -steps from the gate when he stopped. He had seen a light pass one of -the windows on the second floor. - -He saw the light pass a second window and a third, but he saw nothing -else, except a silhouette outlined on the walls of the rooms. The light -descended to the first floor, and, for a long time, wandered from room -to room. - -"Who the deuce is walking, at one o'clock in the morning, through the -house in which the Baron d'Hautrec was killed?" Herlock Sholmes asked -himself, deeply interested. - -There was only one way to find out, and that was to enter the house -himself. He did not hesitate, but started for the door of the house. -However, at the moment when he crossed the streak of gaslight that came -from the street-lamp, the man must have seen him, for the light in the -house was suddenly extinguished and Herlock Sholmes did not see it -again. Softly, he tried the door. It was open, also. Hearing no sound, -he advanced through the hallway, encountered the foot of the stairs, and -ascended to the first floor. Here there was the same silence, the same -darkness. - -He entered, one of the rooms and approached a window through which came -a feeble light from the outside. On looking through the window he saw -the man, who had no doubt descended by another stairway and escaped by -another door. The man was threading his way through the shrubbery which -bordered the wall that separated the two gardens. - -"The deuce!" exclaimed Sholmes, "he is going to escape." - -He hastened down the stairs and leaped over the steps in his eagerness -to cut off the man's retreat. But he did not see anyone, and, owing to -the darkness, it was several seconds before he was able to distinguish a -bulky form moving through the shrubbery. This gave the Englishman food -for reflection. Why had the man not made his escape, which he could have -done so easily? Had he remained in order to watch the movements of the -intruder who had disturbed him in his mysterious work? - -"At all events," concluded Sholmes, "it is not Lupin; he would be more -adroit. It may be one of his men." - -For several minutes Herlock Sholmes remained motionless, with his gaze -fixed on the adversary who, in his turn was watching the detective. But -as that adversary had become passive, and as the Englishman was not one -to consume his time in idle waiting, he examined his revolver to see if -it was in good working order, remove his knife from its sheath, and -walked toward the enemy with that cool effrontery and scorn of danger -for which he had become famous. - -He heard a clicking sound; it was his adversary preparing his revolver. -Herlock Sholmes dashed boldly into the thicket, and grappled with his -foe. There was a sharp, desperate struggle, in the course of which -Sholmes suspected that the man was trying to draw a knife. But the -Englishman, believing his antagonist to be an accomplice of Arsène Lupin -and anxious to win the first trick in the game with that redoubtable -foe, fought with unusual strength and determination. He hurled his -adversary to the ground, held him there with the weight of his body, -and, gripping him by the throat with one hand, he used his free hand to -take out his electric lantern, press the button, and throw the light -over the face of his prisoner. - -"Wilson!" he exclaimed, in amazement. - -"Herlock Sholmes!" stammered a weak, stifled voice. - - * * * * * - -For a long time they remained silent, astounded, foolish. The shriek of -an automobile rent the air. A slight breeze stirred the leaves. -Suddenly, Herlock Sholmes seized his friend by the shoulders and shook -him violently, as he cried: - -"What are you doing here? Tell me.... What?... Did I tell you to hide in -the bushes and spy on me!" - -"Spy on you!" muttered Wilson, "why, I didn't know it was you." - -"But what are you doing here? You ought to be in bed." - -"I was in bed." - -"You ought to be asleep." - -"I was asleep." - -"Well, what brought you here?" asked Sholmes. - -"Your letter." - -"My letter? I don't understand." - -"Yes, a messenger brought it to me at the hotel." - -"From me? Are you crazy?" - -"It is true--I swear it." - -"Where is the letter?" - -Wilson handed him a sheet of paper, which he read by the light of his -lantern. It was as follows: - -"Wilson, come at once to avenue Henri-Martin. The house is empty. -Inspect the whole place and make an exact plan. Then return to -hotel.--Herlock Sholmes." - -"I was measuring the rooms," said Wilson, "when I saw a shadow in the -garden. I had only one idea----" - -"That was to seize the shadow.... The idea was excellent.... But -remember this, Wilson, whenever you receive a letter from me, be sure it -is my handwriting and not a forgery." - -"Ah!" exclaimed Wilson, as the truth dawned on him, "then the letter -wasn't from you?" - -"No." - -"Who sent it, then?" - -"Arsène Lupin." - -"Why? For what purpose?" asked Wilson. - -"I don't know, and that's what worries me. I don't understand why he -took the trouble to disturb you. Of course, if he had sent me on such a -foolish errand I wouldn't be surprised; but what was his object in -disturbing you?" - -"I must hurry back to the hotel." - -"So must I, Wilson." - -They arrived at the gate. Wilson, who was ahead, took hold of it and -pulled. - -"Ah! you closed it?" he said. - -"No, I left it partly open." - -Sholmes tried the gate; then, alarmed, he examined the lock. An oath -escaped him: - -"Good God! it is locked! locked with a key!" - -He shook the gate with all his strength; then, realizing the futility of -his efforts, he dropped his arms, discouraged, and muttered, in a jerky -manner: - -"I can see it all now--it is Lupin. He fore-saw that I would leave the -train at Creil, and he prepared this neat little trap for me in case I -should commence my investigation this evening. Moreover, he was kind -enough to send me a companion to share my captivity. All done to make me -lose a day, and, perhaps, also, to teach me to mind my own business." - -"Do you mean to say we are prisoners?" - -"Exactly. Herlock Sholmes and Wilson are the prisoners of Arsène Lupin. -It's a bad beginning; but he laughs best who laughs last." - -Wilson seized Sholmes' arm, and exclaimed: - -"Look!... Look up there!... A light...." - -A light shone through one of the windows of the first floor. Both of -them ran to the house, and each ascended by the stairs he had used on -coming out a short time before, and they met again at the entrance to -the lighted chamber. A small piece of a candle was burning in the center -of the room. Beside it there was a basket containing a bottle, a roasted -chicken, and a loaf of bread. - -Sholmes was greatly amused, and laughed heartily. - -"Wonderful! we are invited to supper. It is really an enchanted place, a -genuine fairy-land. Come, Wilson, cheer up! this is not a funeral. It's -all very funny." - -"Are you quite sure it is so very funny?" asked Wilson, in a lugubrious -tone. - -"Am I sure?" exclaimed Sholmes, with a gaiety that was too boisterous to -be natural, "why, to tell the truth, it's the funniest thing I ever saw. -It's a jolly good comedy! What a master of sarcasm this Arsène Lupin is! -He makes a fool of you with the utmost grace and delicacy. I wouldn't -miss this feast for all the money in the Bank of England. Come, Wilson, -you grieve me. You should display that nobility of character which -rises superior to misfortune. I don't see that you have any cause for -complaint, really, I don't." - -After a time, by dint of good humor and sarcasm, he managed to restore -Wilson to his normal mood, and make him swallow a morsel of chicken and -a glass of wine. But when the candle went out and they prepared to spend -the night there, with the bare floor for a mattress and the hard wall -for a pillow, the harsh and ridiculous side of the situation was -impressed upon them. That particular incident will not form a pleasant -page in the memoirs of the famous detective. - -Next morning Wilson awoke, stiff and cold. A slight noise attracted his -attention: Herlock Sholmes was kneeling on the floor, critically -examining some grains of sand and studying some chalk-marks, now almost -effaced, which formed certain figures and numbers, which figures he -entered in his notebook. - -Accompanied by Wilson, who was deeply interested in the work, he -examined each room, and found similar chalk-marks in two other -apartments. He noticed, also, two circles on the oaken panels, an arrow -on a wainscot, and four figures on four steps of the stairs. At the end -of an hour Wilson said: - -"The figures are correct, aren't they?" - -"I don't know; but, at all events, they mean something," replied -Sholmes, who had forgotten the discomforts of the night in the joy -created by his new discoveries. - -"It is quite obvious," said Wilson, "they represent the number of pieces -in the floor." - -"Ah!" - -"Yes. And the two circles indicate that the panels are false, as you can -readily ascertain, and the arrow points in the direction in which the -panels move." - -Herlock Sholmes looked at Wilson, in astonishment. - -"Ah! my dear friend, how do you know all that? Your clairvoyance makes -my poor ability in that direction look quite insignificant." - -"Oh! it is very simple," said Wilson, inflated with pride; "I examined -those marks last night, according to your instructions, or, rather, -according to the instructions of Arsène Lupin, since he wrote the letter -you sent to me." - -At that moment Wilson faced a greater danger than he had during his -struggle in the garden with Herlock Sholmes. The latter now felt a -furious desire to strangle him. But, dominating his feelings, Sholmes -made a grimace which was intended for a smile, and said: - -"Quite so, Wilson, you have done well, and your work shows commendable -progress. But, tell me, have you exercised your powers of observation -and analysis on any other points? I might profit by your deductions." - -"Oh! no, I went no farther." - -"That's a pity. Your début was such a promising one. But, since that is -all, we may as well go." - -"Go! but how can we get out?" - -"The way all honest people go out: through the gate." - -"But it is locked." - -"It will be opened." - -"By whom?" - -"Please call the two policemen who are strolling down the avenue." - -"But----" - -"But what?" - -"It is very humiliating. What will be said when it becomes known that -Herlock Sholmes and Wilson were the prisoners of Arsène Lupin?" - -"Of course, I understand they will roar with laughter," replied Herlock -Sholmes, in a dry voice and with frowning features, "but we can't set up -housekeeping in this place." - -"And you will not try to find another way out?" - -"No." - -"But the man who brought us the basket of provisions did not cross the -garden, coming or going. There is some other way out. Let us look for -it, and not bother with the police." - -"Your argument is sound, but you forget that all the detectives in Paris -have been trying to find it for the last six months, and that I searched -the house from top to bottom while you were asleep. Ah! my dear Wilson, -we have not been accustomed to pursue such game as Arsène Lupin. He -leaves no trail behind him." - - * * * * * - -At eleven o'clock, Herlock Sholmes and Wilson were liberated, and -conducted to the nearest police station, where the commissary, after -subjecting them to a severe examination, released them with an -affectation of good-will that was quite exasperating. - -"I am very sorry, messieurs, that this unfortunate incident has -occurred. You will have a very poor opinion of French hospitality. Mon -Dieu! what a night you must have passed! Ah! that rascally Lupin is no -respecter of persons." - -They took a carriage to their hotel. At the office Wilson asked for the -key of his room. - -After some search the clerk replied, much astonished: - -"But, monsieur, you have given up the room." - -"I gave it up? When?" - -"This morning, by the letter your friend brought here." - -"What friend?" - -"The gentleman who brought your letter.... Ah! your card is still -attached to the letter. Here they are." - -Wilson looked at them. Certainly, it was one of his cards, and the -letter was in his handwriting. - -"Good Lord!" he muttered, "this is another of his tricks," and he added, -aloud: "Where is my luggage?" - -"Your friend took it." - -"Ah!... and you gave it to him?" - -"Certainly; on the strength of your letter and card." - -"Of course ... of course." - -They left the hotel and walked, slowly and thoughtfully, through the -Champs-Elysées. The avenue was bright and cheerful beneath a clear -autumn sun; the air was mild and pleasant. - -At Rond-Point, Herlock Sholmes lighted his pipe. Then Wilson spoke: - -"I can't understand you, Sholmes. You are so calm and unruffled. They -play with you as a cat plays with a mouse, and yet you do not say a -word." - -Sholmes stopped, as he replied: - -"Wilson, I was thinking of your card." - -"Well?" - -"The point is this: here is a man who, in view of a possible struggle -with us, procures specimens of our handwriting, and who holds, in his -possession, one or more of your cards. Now, have you considered how much -precaution and skill those facts represent?" - -"Well?" - -"Well, Wilson, to overcome an enemy so well prepared and so thoroughly -equipped requires the infinite shrewdness of ... of a Herlock Sholmes. -And yet, as you have seen, Wilson, I have lost the first round." - - * * * * * - -At six o'clock the _Echo de France_ published the following article in -its evening edition: - -"This morning Mon. Thenard, commissary of police in the sixteenth -district, released Herlock Sholmes and his friend Wilson, both of whom -had been locked in the house of the late Baron d'Hautrec, where they -spent a very pleasant night--thanks to the thoughtful care and attention -of Arsène Lupin." - -"In addition to their other troubles, these gentlemen have been robbed -of their valises, and, in consequence thereof, they have entered a -formal complaint against Arsène Lupin." - -"Arsène Lupin, satisfied that he has given them a mild reproof, hopes -these gentlemen will not force him to resort to more stringent -measures." - -"Bah!" exclaimed Herlock Sholmes, crushing the paper in his hands, "that -is only child's play! And that is the only criticism I have to make of -Arsène Lupin: he plays to the gallery. There is that much of the fakir -in him." - -"Ah! Sholmes, you are a wonderful man! You have such a command over your -temper. Nothing ever disturbs you." - -"No, nothing disturbs me," replied Sholmes, in a voice that trembled -from rage; "besides, what's the use of losing my temper?... I am quite -confident of the final result; I shall have the last word." - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS. - - -However well-tempered a man's character may be--and Herlock Sholmes is -one of those men over whom ill-fortune has little or no hold--there are -circumstances wherein the most courageous combatant feels the necessity -of marshaling his forces before risking the chances of a battle. - -"I shall take a vacation to-day," said Sholmes. - -"And what shall I do?" asked Wilson. - -"You, Wilson--let me see! You can buy some underwear and linen to -replenish our wardrobe, while I take a rest." - -"Very well, Sholmes, I will watch while you sleep." - -Wilson uttered these words with all the importance of a sentinel on -guard at the outpost, and therefore exposed to the greatest danger. His -chest was expanded; his muscles were tense. Assuming a shrewd look, he -scrutinized, officially, the little room in which they had fixed their -abode. - -"Very well, Wilson, you can watch. I shall occupy myself in the -preparation of a line of attack more appropriate to the methods of the -enemy we are called upon to meet. Do you see, Wilson, we have been -deceived in this fellow Lupin. My opinion is that we must commence at -the very beginning of this affair." - -"And even before that, if possible. But have we sufficient time?" - -"Nine days, dear boy. That is five too many." - -The Englishman spent the entire afternoon in smoking and sleeping. He -did not enter upon his new plan of attack until the following day. Then -he said: - -"Wilson, I am ready. Let us attack the enemy." - -"Lead on, Macduff!" exclaimed Wilson, full of martial ardor. "I wish to -fight in the front rank. Oh! have no fear. I shall do credit to my King -and country, for I am an Englishman." - -In the first place, Sholmes had three long and important interviews: -With Monsieur Detinan, whose rooms he examined with the greatest care -and precision; with Suzanne Gerbois, whom he questioned in regard to the -blonde Lady; and with Sister Auguste, who had retired to the convent of -the Visitandines since the murder of Baron d'Hautrec. - -At each of these interviews Wilson had remained outside; and each time -he asked: - -"Satisfactory?" - -"Quite so." - -"I was sure we were on the right track." - -They paid a visit to the two houses adjoining that of the late Baron -d'Hautrec in the avenue Henri-Martin; then they visited the rue -Clapeyron, and, while he was examining the front of number 25, Sholmes -said: - -"All these houses must be connected by secret passages, but I can't find -them." - -For the first time in his life, Wilson doubted the omnipotence of his -famous associate. Why did he now talk so much and accomplish so little? - -"Why?" exclaimed Sholmes, in answer to Wilson's secret thought, -"because, with this fellow Lupin, a person has to work in the dark, and, -instead of deducting the truth from established facts, a man must -extract it from his own brain, and afterward learn if it is supported by -the facts in the case." - -"But what about the secret passages?" - -"They must exist. But even though I should discover them, and thus learn -how Arsène Lupin made his entrance to the lawyer's house and how the -blonde Lady escaped from the house of Baron d'Hautrec after the murder, -what good would it do? How would it help me? Would it furnish me with a -weapon of attack?" - -"Let us attack him just the same," exclaimed Wilson, who had scarcely -uttered these words when he jumped back with a cry of alarm. Something -had fallen at their feet; it was a bag filled with sand which might have -caused them serious injury if it had struck them. - -Sholmes looked up. Some men were working on a scaffolding attached to -the balcony at the fifth floor of the house. He said: - -"We were lucky; one step more, and that heavy bag would have fallen on -our heads. I wonder if--" - -Moved by a sudden impulse, he rushed into the house, up the five flights -of stairs, rang the bell, pushed his way into the apartment to the great -surprise and alarm of the servant who came to the door, and made his -way to the balcony in front of the house. But there was no one there. - -"Where are the workmen who were here a moment ago?" he asked the -servant. - -"They have just gone." - -"Which way did they go?" - -"By the servants' stairs." - -Sholmes leaned out of the window. He saw two men leaving the house, -carrying bicycles. They mounted them and quickly disappeared around the -corner. - -"How long have they been working on this scaffolding?" - -"Those men?... only since this morning. It's their first day." - -Sholmes returned to the street, and joined Wilson. Together they -returned to the hotel, and thus the second day ended in a mournful -silence. - -On the following day their programme was almost similar. They sat -together on a bench in the avenue Henri-Martin, much to Wilson's -disgust, who did not find it amusing to spend long hours watching the -house in which the tragedy had occurred. - -"What do you expect, Sholmes? That Arsène Lupin will walk out of the -house?" - -"No." - -"That the blonde Lady will make her appearance?" - -"No." - -"What then/" - -"I am looking for something to occur; some slight incident that will -furnish me with a clue to work on." - -"And if it does not occur!" - -"Then I must, myself, create the spark that will set fire to the -powder." - -A solitary incident--and that of a disagreeable nature--broke the -monotony of the forenoon. - -A gentleman was riding along the avenue when his horse suddenly turned -aside in such a manner that it ran against the bench on which they were -sitting, and struck Sholmes a slight blow on the shoulder. - -"Ha!" exclaimed Sholmes, "a little more and I would have had a broken -shoulder." - -The gentleman struggled with his horse. The Englishman drew his revolver -and pointed it; but Wilson seized his arm, and said: - -"Don't be foolish! What are you going to do! Kill the man!" - -"Leave me alone, Wilson! Let go!" - -During the brief struggle between Sholmes and Wilson the stranger rode -away. - -"Now, you can shoot," said Wilson, triumphantly, when the horseman was -at some distance. - -"Wilson, you're an idiot! Don't you understand that the man is an -accomplice of Arsène Lupin?" - -Sholmes was trembling from rage. Wilson stammered pitifully: - -"What!... that man ... an accomplice?" - -"Yes, the same as the workmen who tried to drop the bag of sand on us -yesterday." - -"It can't be possible!" - -"Possible or not, there was only one way to prove it." - -"By killing the man?" - -"No--by killing the horse. If you hadn't grabbed my arm, I should have -captured one of Lupin's accomplices. Now, do you understand the folly of -your act?" - -Throughout the afternoon both men were morose. They did not speak a word -to each other. At five o'clock they visited the rue Clapeyron, but were -careful to keep at a safe distance from the houses. However, three young -men who were passing through the street, arm in arm, singing, ran -against Sholmes and Wilson and refused to let them pass. Sholmes, who -was in an ill humor, contested the right of way with them. After a brief -struggle, Sholmes resorted to his fists. He struck one of the men a hard -blow on the chest, another a blow in the face, and thus subdued two of -his adversaries. Thereupon the three of them took to their heels and -disappeared. - -"Ah!" exclaimed Sholmes, "that does me good. I needed a little -exercise." - -But Wilson was leaning against the wall. Sholmes said: - -"What's the matter, old chap? You're quite pale." - -Wilson pointed to his left arm, which hung inert, and stammered: - -"I don't know what it is. My arm pains me." - -"Very much?... Is it serious?" - -"Yes, I am afraid so." - -He tried to raise his arm, but it was helpless. Sholmes felt it, gently -at first, then in a rougher way, "to see how badly it was hurt," he -said. He concluded that Wilson was really hurt, so he led him to a -neighboring pharmacy, where a closer examination revealed the fact that -the arm was broken and that Wilson was a candidate for the hospital. In -the meantime they bared his arm and applied some remedies to ease his -suffering. - -"Come, come, old chap, cheer up!" said Sholmes, who was holding Wilson's -arm, "in five or six weeks you will be all right again. But I will pay -them back ... the rascals! Especially Lupin, for this is his work ... no -doubt of that. I swear to you if ever----" - -He stopped suddenly, dropped the arm--which caused Wilson such an access -of pain that he almost fainted--and, striking his forehead, Sholmes -said: - -"Wilson, I have an idea. You know, I have one occasionally." - -He stood for a moment, silent, with staring eyes, and then muttered, in -short, sharp phrases: - -"Yes, that's it ... that will explain all ... right at my feet ... and I -didn't see it ... ah, parbleu! I should have thought of it before.... -Wilson, I shall have good news for you." - -Abruptly leaving his old friend, Sholmes ran into the street and went -directly to the house known as number 25. On one of the stones, to the -right of the door, he read this inscription: "Destange, architect, -1875." - -There was a similar inscription on the house numbered 23. - -Of course, there was nothing unusual in that. But what might be read on -the houses in the avenue Henri-Martin? - -A carriage was passing. He engaged it and directed the driver to take -him to No. 134 avenue Henri-Martin. He was roused to a high pitch of -excitement. He stood up in the carriage and urged the horse to greater -speed. He offered extra pourboires to the driver. Quicker! Quicker! - -How great was his anxiety as they turned from the rue de la Pompe! Had -he caught a glimpse of the truth at last? - -On one of the stones of the late Baron's house he read the words: -"Destange, architect, 1874." And a similar inscription appeared on the -two adjoining houses. - - * * * * * - -The reaction was such that he settled down in the seat of the carriage, -trembling from joy. At last, a tiny ray of light had penetrated the dark -shadows which encompassed these mysterious crimes! In the vast sombre -forest wherein a thousand pathways crossed and re-crossed, he had -discovered the first clue to the track followed by the enemy! - -He entered a branch postoffice and obtained telephonic connection with -the château de Crozon. The Countess answered the telephone call. - -"Hello!... Is that you, madame?" - -"Monsieur Sholmes, isn't it? Everything going all right?" - -"Quite well, but I wish to ask you one question.... Hello!" - -"Yes, I hear you." - -"Tell me, when was the château de Crozon built?" - -"It was destroyed by fire and rebuilt about thirty years ago." - -"Who built it, and in what year?" - -"There is an inscription on the front of the house which reads: 'Lucien -Destange, architect, 1877.'" - -"Thank you, madame, that is all. Good-bye." - -He went away, murmuring: "Destange ... Lucien Destange ... that name has -a familiar sound." - -He noticed a public reading-room, entered, consulted a dictionary of -modern biography, and copied the following information: "Lucien -Destange, born 1840, Grand-Prix de Rome, officer of the Legion of Honor, -author of several valuable books on architecture, etc...." - -Then he returned to the pharmacy and found that Wilson had been taken to -the hospital. There Sholmes found him with his arm in splints, and -shivering with fever. - -"Victory! Victory!" cried Sholmes. "I hold one end of the thread." - -"Of what thread?" - -"The one that leads to victory. I shall now be walking on solid ground, -where there will be footprints, clues...." - -"Cigarette ashes?" asked Wilson, whose curiosity had overcome his pain. - -"And many other things! Just think, Wilson, I have found the mysterious -link which unites the different adventures in which the blonde Lady -played a part. Why did Lupin select those three houses for the scenes of -his exploits?" - -"Yes, why?" - -"Because those three houses were built by the same architect. That was -an easy problem, eh? Of course ... but who would have thought of it?" - -"No one but you." - -"And who, except I, knows that the same architect, by the use of -analogous plans, has rendered it possible for a person to execute three -distinct acts which, though miraculous in appearance, are, in reality, -quite simple and easy?" - -"That was a stroke of good luck." - -"And it was time, dear boy, as I was becoming very impatient. You know, -this is our fourth day." - -"Out of ten." - -"Oh! after this----" - -Sholmes was excited, delighted, and gayer than usual. - -"And when I think that these rascals might have attacked me in the -street and broken my arm just as they did yours! Isn't that so, Wilson?" - -Wilson simply shivered at the horrible thought. Sholmes continued: - -"We must profit by the lesson. I can see, Wilson, that we were wrong to -try and fight Lupin in the open, and leave ourselves exposed to his -attacks." - -"I can see it, and feel it, too, in my broken arm," said Wilson. - -"You have one consolation, Wilson; that is, that I escaped. Now, I must -be doubly cautious. In an open fight he will defeat me; but if I can -work in the dark, unseen by him, I have the advantage, no matter how -strong his forces may be." - -"Ganimard might be of some assistance." - -"Never! On the day that I can truly say: Arsène Lupin is there; I show -you the quarry, and how to catch it; I shall go and see Ganimard at one -of the two addresses that he gave me--his residence in the rue -Pergolese, or at the Suisse tavern in the Place du Châtelet. But, until -that time, I shall work alone." - -He approached the bed, placed his hand on Wilson's shoulder--on the sore -one, of course--and said to him: - -"Take care of yourself, old fellow. Henceforth your rôle will be to keep -two or three of Arsène Lupin's men busy watching here in vain for my -return to enquire about your health. It is a secret mission for you, -eh?" - -"Yes, and I shall do my best to fulfil it conscientiously. Then you do -not expect to come here any more?" - -"What for?" asked Sholmes. - -"I don't know ... of course.... I am getting on as well as possible. -But, Herlock, do me a last service: give me a drink." - -"A drink?" - -"Yes, I am dying of thirst; and with my fever----" - -"To be sure--directly----" - -He made a pretense of getting some water, perceived a package of -tobacco, lighted his pipe, and then, as if he had not heard his friend's -request, he went away, whilst Wilson uttered a mute prayer for the -inaccessible water. - - * * * * * - -"Monsieur Destange!" - -The servant eyed from head to foot the person to whom he had opened the -door of the house--the magnificent house that stood at the corner of the -Place Malesherbes and the rue Montchanin--and at the sight of the man -with gray hairs, badly shaved, dressed in a shabby black coat, with a -body as ill-formed and ungracious as his face, he replied with the -disdain which he thought the occasion warranted: - -"Monsieur Destange may or may not be at home. That depends. Has monsieur -a card?" - -Monsieur did not have a card, but he had a letter of introduction and, -after the servant had taken the letter to Mon. Destange, he was -conducted into the presence of that gentleman who was sitting in a large -circular room or rotunda which occupied one of the wings of the house. -It was a library, and contained a profusion of books and architectural -drawings. When the stranger entered, the architect said to him: - -"You are Monsieur Stickmann?" - -"Yes, monsieur." - -"My secretary tells me that he is ill, and has sent you to continue the -general catalogue of the books which he commenced under my direction, -and, more particularly, the catalogue of German books. Are you familiar -with that kind of work?" - -"Yes, monsieur, quite so," he replied, with a strong German accent. - -Under those circumstances the bargain was soon concluded, and Mon. -Destange commenced work with his new secretary. - -Herlock Sholmes had gained access to the house. - -In order to escape the vigilance of Arsène Lupin and gain admittance to -the house occupied by Lucien Destange and his daughter Clotilde, the -famous detective had been compelled to resort to a number of -stratagems, and, under a variety of names, to ingratiate himself into -the good graces and confidence of a number of persons--in short, to -live, during forty-eight hours, a most complicated life. During that -time he had acquired the following information: Mon. Destange, having -retired from active business on account of his failing health, now lived -amongst the many books he had accumulated on the subject of -architecture. He derived infinite pleasure in viewing and handling those -dusty old volumes. - -His daughter Clotilde was considered eccentric. She passed her time in -another part of the house, and never went out. - -"Of course," Sholmes said to himself, as he wrote in a register the -titles of the books which Mon. Destange dictated to him, "all that is -vague and incomplete, but it is quite a long step in advance. I shall -surely solve one of these absorbing problems: Is Mon. Destange -associated with Arsène Lupin? Does he continue to see him? Are the -papers relating to the construction of the three houses still in -existence? Will those papers not furnish me with the location of other -houses of similar construction which Arsène Lupin and his associates -will plunder in the future? - -"Monsieur Destange, an accomplice of Arsène Lupin! That venerable man, -an officer of the Legion of Honor, working in league with a -burglar--such an idea was absurd! Besides, if we concede that such a -complicity exists, how could Mon. Destange, thirty years ago, have -possibly foreseen the thefts of Arsène Lupin, who was then an infant?" - -No matter! The Englishman was implacable. With his marvellous scent, and -that instinct which never fails him, he felt that he was in the heart of -some strange mystery. Ever since he first entered the house, he had been -under the influence of that impression, and yet he could not define the -grounds on which he based his suspicions. - -Up to the morning of the second day he had not made any significant -discovery. At two o'clock of that day he saw Clotilde Destange for the -first time; she came to the library in search of a book. She was about -thirty years of age, a brunette, slow and silent in her movements, with -features imbued with that expression of indifference which is -characteristic of people who live a secluded life. She exchanged a few -words with her father, and then retired, without even looking at -Sholmes. - -The afternoon dragged along monotonously. At five o'clock Mon. Destange -announced his intention to go out. Sholmes was alone on the circular -gallery that was constructed about ten feet above the floor of the -rotunda. It was almost dark. He was on the point of going out, when he -heard a slight sound and, at the same time, experienced the feeling that -there was someone in the room. Several minutes passed before he saw or -heard anything more. Then he shuddered; a shadowy form emerged from the -gloom, quite close to him, upon the balcony. It seemed incredible. How -long had this mysterious visitor been there? Whence did he come? - -The strange man descended the steps and went directly to a large oaken -cupboard. Sholmes was a keen observer of the man's movements. He watched -him searching amongst the papers with which the cupboard was filled. -What was he looking for? - -Then the door opened and Mlle. Destange entered, speaking to someone who -was following her: - -"So you have decided not to go out, father?... Then I will make a light -... one second ... do not move...." - -The strange man closed the cupboard and hid in the embrasure of a large -window, drawing the curtains together. Did Mlle. Destange not see him? -Did she not hear him? Calmly she turned on the electric lights; she and -her father sat down close to each other. She opened a book she had -brought with her, and commenced to read. After the lapse of a few -minutes she said: - -"Your secretary has gone." - -"Yes, I don't see him." - -"Do you like him as well as you did at first?" she asked, as if she were -not aware of the illness of the real secretary and his replacement by -Stickmann. - -"Oh! yes." - -Monsieur Destange's head bobbed from one side to the other. He was -asleep. The girl resumed her reading. A moment later one of the window -curtains was pushed back, and the strange man emerged and glided along -the wall toward the door, which obliged him to pass behind Mon. Destange -but in front of Clotilde, and brought him into the light so that -Herlock Sholmes obtained a good view of the man's face. It was Arsène -Lupin. - -The Englishman was delighted. His forecast was verified; he had -penetrated to the very heart of the mystery, and found Arsène Lupin to -be the moving spirit in it. - -Clotilde had not yet displayed any knowledge of his presence, although -it was quite improbable that any movement of the intruder had escaped -her notice. Lupin had almost reached the door and, in fact, his hand was -already seeking the door-knob, when his coat brushed against a small -table and knocked something to the floor. Monsieur Destange awoke with a -start. Arsène Lupin was already standing in front of him, hat in hand, -smiling. - -"Maxime Bermond," exclaimed Mon. Destange, joyfully. "My dear Maxime, -what lucky chance brings you here?" - -"The wish to see you and Mademoiselle Destange." - -"When did you return from your journey?" - -"Yesterday." - -"You must stay to dinner." - -"No, thank you, I am sorry, but I have an appointment to dine with some -friends at a restaurant." - -"Come, to-morrow, then, Clotilde, you must urge him to come to-morrow. -Ah! my dear Maxime.... I thought of you many times during your absence." - -"Really?" - -"Yes, I went through all my old papers in that cupboard, and found our -last statement of account." - -"What account?" - -"Relating to the avenue Henri-Martin." - -"Ah! do you keep such papers? What for?" - -Then the three of them left the room, and continued their conversation -in a small parlor which adjoined the library. - -"Is it Lupin?" Sholmes asked himself, in a sudden access of doubt. -Certainly, from all appearances, it was he; and yet it was also someone -else who resembled Arsène Lupin in certain respects, and who still -maintained his own individuality, features, and color of hair. Sholmes -could hear Lupin's voice in the adjoining room. He was relating some -stories at which Mon. Destange laughed heartily, and which even brought -a smile to the lips of the melancholy Clotilde. And each of those -smiles appeared to be the reward which Arsène Lupin was seeking, and -which he was delighted to have secured. His success caused him to -redouble his efforts and, insensibly, at the sound of that clear and -happy voice, Clotilde's face brightened and lost that cold and listless -expression which usually pervaded it. - -"They love each other," thought Sholmes, "but what the deuce can there -be in common between Clotilde Destange and Maxime Bermond? Does she know -that Maxime is none other than Arsène Lupin?" - -Until seven o'clock Sholmes was an anxious listener, seeking to profit -by the conversation. Then, with infinite precaution, he descended from -the gallery, crept along the side of the room to the door in such a -manner that the people in the adjoining room did not see him. - -When he reached the street Sholmes satisfied himself that there was -neither an automobile nor a cab waiting there; then he slowly limped -along the boulevard Malesherbes. He turned into an adjacent street, -donned the overcoat which he had carried on his arm, altered the shape -of his hat, assumed an upright carriage, and, thus transformed, -returned to a place whence he could watch the door of Mon. Destange's -house. - -In a few minutes Arsène Lupin came out, and proceeded to walk toward the -center of Paris by way of the rues de Constantinople and London. Herlock -Sholmes followed at a distance of a hundred paces. - -Exciting moments for the Englishman! He sniffed the air, eagerly, like a -hound following a fresh scent. It seemed to him a delightful thing thus -to follow his adversary. It was no longer Herlock Sholmes who was being -watched, but Arsène Lupin, the invisible Arsène Lupin. He held him, so -to speak, within the grasp of his eye, by an imperceptible bond that -nothing could break. And he was pleased to think that the quarry -belonged to him. - -But he soon observed a suspicious circumstance. In the intervening space -between him and Arsène Lupin he noticed several people traveling in the -same direction, particularly two husky fellows in slouch hats on the -left side of the street, and two others on the right wearing caps and -smoking cigarettes. Of course, their presence in that vicinity may have -been the result of chance, but Sholmes was more astonished when he -observed that the four men stopped when Lupin entered a tobacco shop; -and still more surprised when the four men started again after Lupin -emerged from the shop, each keeping to his own side of the street. - -"Curse it!" muttered Sholmes; "he is being followed." - -He was annoyed at the idea that others were on the trail of Arsène -Lupin; that someone might deprive him, not of the glory--he cared little -for that--but of the immense pleasure of capturing, single-handed, the -most formidable enemy he had ever met. And he felt that he was not -mistaken; the men presented to Sholmes' experienced eye the appearance -and manner of those who, while regulating their gait to that of another, -wish to present a careless and natural air. - -"Is this some of Ganimard's work?" muttered Sholmes. "Is he playing me -false?" - -He felt inclined to speak to one of the men with a view of acting in -concert with him; but as they were now approaching the boulevard the -crowd was becoming denser, and he was afraid he might lose sight of -Lupin. So he quickened his pace and turned into the boulevard just in -time to see Lupin ascending the steps of the Hungarian restaurant at the -corner of the rue du Helder. The door of the restaurant was open, so -that Sholmes, while sitting on a bench on the other side of the -boulevard, could see Lupin take a seat at a table, luxuriously appointed -and decorated with flowers, at which three gentlemen and two ladies of -elegant appearance were already seated and who extended to Lupin a -hearty greeting. - -Sholmes now looked about for the four men and perceived them amongst a -crowd of people who were listening to a gipsy orchestra that was playing -in a neighboring café. It was a curious thing that they were paying no -attention to Arsène Lupin, but seemed to be friendly with the people -around them. One of them took a cigarette from his pocket and approached -a gentleman who wore a frock coat and silk hat. The gentleman offered -the other his cigar for a light, and Sholmes had the impression that -they talked to each other much longer than the occasion demanded. -Finally the gentleman approached the Hungarian restaurant, entered and -looked around. When he caught sight of Lupin he advanced and spoke to -him for a moment, then took a seat at an adjoining table. Sholmes now -recognized this gentleman as the horseman who had tried to run him down -in the avenue Henri-Martin. - -Then Sholmes understood that these men were not tracking Arsène Lupin; -they were a part of his band. They were watching over his safety. They -were his bodyguard, his satellites, his vigilant escort. Wherever danger -threatened Lupin, these confederates were at hand to avert it, ready to -defend him. The four men were accomplices. The gentleman in the frock -coat was an accomplice. These facts furnished the Englishman with food -for reflection. Would he ever succeed in capturing that inaccessible -individual? What unlimited power was possessed by such an organization, -directed by such a chief! - -He tore a leaf from his notebook, wrote a few lines in pencil, which he -placed in an envelope, and said to a boy about fifteen years of age who -was sitting on the bench beside him: - -"Here, my boy; take a carriage and deliver this letter to the cashier of -the Suisse tavern, Place du Châtelet. Be quick!" - -He gave him a five-franc piece. The boy disappeared. - -A half hour passed away. The crowd had grown larger, and Sholmes -perceived only at intervals the accomplices of Arsène Lupin. Then -someone brushed against him and whispered in his ear: - -"Well? what is it, Monsieur Sholmes?" - -"Ah! it is you, Ganimard?" - -"Yes; I received your note at the tavern. What's the matter?" - -"He is there." - -"What do you mean?" - -"There ... in the restaurant. Lean to the right.... Do you see him now?" - -"No." - -"He is pouring a glass of champagne for the lady." - -"That is not Lupin." - -"Yes, it is." - -"But I tell you.... Ah! yet, it may be. It looks a great deal like him," -said Ganimard, naively. "And the others--accomplices?" - -"No; the lady sitting beside him is Lady Cliveden; the other is the -Duchess de Cleath. The gentleman sitting opposite Lupin is the Spanish -Ambassador to London." - -Ganimard took a step forward. Sholmes retained him. - -"Be prudent. You are alone." - -"So is he." - -"No, he has a number of men on the boulevard mounting guard. And inside -the restaurant that gentleman----" - -"And I, when I take Arsène Lupin by the collar and announce his name, I -shall have the entire room on my side and all the waiters." - -"I should prefer to have a few policemen." - -"But, Monsieur Sholmes, we have no choice. We must catch him when we -can." - -He was right; Sholmes knew it. It was better to take advantage of the -opportunity and make the attempt. Sholmes simply gave this advice to -Ganimard: - -"Conceal your identity as long as possible." - -Sholmes glided behind a newspaper kiosk, whence he could still watch -Lupin, who was leaning toward Lady Cliveden, talking and smiling. - -Ganimard crossed the street, hands in his pockets, as if he were going -down the boulevard, but when he reached the opposite sidewalk he turned -quickly and bounded up the steps of the restaurant. There was a shrill -whistle. Ganimard ran against the head waiter, who had suddenly planted -himself in the doorway and now pushed Ganimard back with a show of -indignation, as if he were an intruder whose presence would bring -disgrace upon the restaurant. Ganimard was surprised. At the same moment -the gentleman in the frock coat came out. He took the part of the -detective and entered into an exciting argument with the waiter; both of -them hung on to Ganimard, one pushing him in, the other pushing him out -in such a manner that, despite all his efforts and despite his furious -protestations, the unfortunate detective soon found himself on the -sidewalk. - -The struggling men were surrounded by a crowd. Two policemen, attracted -by the noise, tried to force their way through the crowd, but -encountered a mysterious resistance and could make no headway through -the opposing backs and pressing shoulders of the mob. - -But suddenly, as if by magic, the crowd parted and the passage to the -restaurant was clear. The head waiter, recognizing his mistake, was -profuse in his apologies; the gentleman in the frock coat ceased his -efforts on behalf of the detective, the crowd dispersed, the policemen -passed on, and Ganimard hastened to the table at which the six guests -were sitting. But now there were only five! He looked around.... The -only exit was the door. - -"The person who was sitting here!" he cried to the five astonished -guests. "Where is he?" - -"Monsieur Destro?" - -"No; Arsène Lupin!" - -A waiter approached and said: - -"The gentleman went upstairs." - -Ganimard rushed up in the hope of finding him. The upper floor of the -restaurant contained private dining-rooms and had a private stairway -leading to the boulevard. - -"No use looking for him now," muttered Ganimard. "He is far away by this -time." - - * * * * * - -He was not far away--two hundred yards at most--in the -Madeleine-Bastille omnibus, which was rolling along very peacefully with -its three horses across the Place de l'Opéra toward the Boulevard des -Capucines. Two sturdy fellows were talking together on the platform. On -the roof of the omnibus near the stairs an old fellow was sleeping; it -was Herlock Sholmes. - -With bobbing head, rocked by the movement of the vehicle, the Englishman -said to himself: - -"If Wilson could see me now, how proud he would be of his -collaborator!... Bah! It was easy to foresee that the game was lost, as -soon as the man whistled; nothing could be done but watch the exits and -see that our man did not escape. Really, Lupin makes life exciting and -interesting." - -At the terminal point Herlock Sholmes, by leaning over, saw Arsène Lupin -leaving the omnibus, and as he passed in front of the men who formed his -bodyguard Sholmes heard him say: "A l'Etoile." - -"A l'Etoile, exactly, a rendezvous. I shall be there," thought Sholmes. -"I will follow the two men." - -Lupin took an automobile; but the men walked the entire distance, -followed by Sholmes. They stopped at a narrow house, No. 40 rue -Chalgrin, and rang the bell. Sholmes took his position in the shadow of -a doorway, whence he could watch the house in question. A man opened one -of the windows of the ground floor and closed the shutters. But the -shutters did not reach to the top of the window. The impost was clear. - -At the end of ten minutes a gentleman rang at the same door and a few -minutes later another man came. A short time afterward an automobile -stopped in front of the house, bringing two passengers: Arsène Lupin and -a lady concealed beneath a large cloak and a thick veil. - -"The blonde Lady, no doubt," said Sholmes to himself, as the automobile -drove away. - -Herlock Sholmes now approached the house, climbed to the window-ledge -and, by standing on tiptoe, he was able to see through the window above -the shutters. What did he see? - -Arsène Lupin, leaning against the mantel, was speaking with considerable -animation. The others were grouped around him, listening to him -attentively. Amongst them Sholmes easily recognized the gentleman in the -frock coat and he thought one of the other men resembled the head-waiter -of the restaurant. As to the blonde Lady, she was seated in an armchair -with her back to the window. - -"They are holding a consultation," thought Sholmes. "They are worried -over the incident at the restaurant and are holding a council of war. -Ah! what a master stroke it would be to capture all of them at one fell -stroke!" - -One of them, having moved toward the door, Sholmes leaped to the ground -and concealed himself in the shadow. The gentleman in the frock coat and -the head-waiter left the house. A moment later a light appeared at the -windows of the first floor, but the shutters were closed immediately and -the upper part of the house was dark as well as the lower. - -"Lupin and the woman are on the ground floor; the two confederates live -on the upper floor," said Sholmes. - -Sholmes remained there the greater part of the night, fearing that if he -went away Arsène Lupin might leave during his absence. At four o'clock, -seeing two policemen at the end of the street, he approached them, -explained the situation and left them to watch the house. He went to -Ganimard's residence in the rue Pergolese and wakened him. - -"I have him yet," said Sholmes. - -"Arsène Lupin?" - -"Yes." - -"If you haven't got any better hold on him than you had a while ago, I -might as well go back to bed. But we may as well go to the -station-house." - -They went to the police station in the rue Mesnil and from there to the -residence of the commissary, Mon. Decointre. Then, accompanied by half a -dozen policemen, they went to the rue Chalgrin. - -"Anything new?" asked Sholmes, addressing the two policemen. - -"Nothing." - -It was just breaking day when, after taking necessary measures to -prevent escape, the commissary rang the bell and commenced to question -the concierge. The woman was greatly frightened at this early morning -invasion, and she trembled as she replied that there were no tenants on -the ground floor. - -"What! not a tenant?" exclaimed Ganimard. - -"No; but on the first floor there are two men named Leroux. They have -furnished the apartment on the ground floor for some country relations." - -"A gentleman and lady." - -"Yes." - -"Who came here last night." - -"Perhaps ... but I don't know ... I was asleep. But I don't think so, -for the key is here. They did not ask for it." - -With that key the commissary opened the door of the ground-floor -apartment. It comprised only two rooms and they were empty. - -"Impossible!" exclaimed Sholmes. "I saw both of them in this room." - -"I don't doubt your word," said the commissary; "but they are not here -now." - -"Let us go to the first floor. They must be there." - -"The first floor is occupied by two men named Leroux." - -"We will examine the Messieurs Leroux." - -They all ascended the stairs and the commissary rang. At the second ring -a man opened the door; he was in his shirt-sleeves. Sholmes recognized -him as one of Lupin's bodyguard. The man assumed a furious air: - -"What do you mean by making such a row at this hour of the morning ... -waking people up...." - -But he stopped suddenly, astounded. - -"God forgive me!... really, gentlemen, I didn't notice who it was. Why, -it is Monsieur Decointre!... and you, Monsieur Ganimard. What can I do -for you!" - -Ganimard burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter, which caused him -to bend double and turn black in the face. - -"Ah! it is you, Leroux," he stammered. "Oh! this is too funny! Leroux, -an accomplice of Arsène Lupin! Oh, I shall die! and your brother, -Leroux, where is he?" - -"Edmond!" called the man. "It is Ganimard, who has come to visit us." - -Another man appeared and at sight of him Ganimard's mirth redoubled. - -"Oh! oh! we had no idea of this! Ah! my friends, you are in a bad fix -now. Who would have ever suspected it?" - -Turning to Sholmes, Ganimard introduced the man: - -"Victor Leroux, a detective from our office, one of the best men in the -iron brigade ... Edmond Leroux, chief clerk in the anthropometric -service." - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -AN ABDUCTION. - - -Herlock Sholmes said nothing. To protest? To accuse the two men? That -would be useless. In the absence of evidence which he did not possess -and had no time to seek, no one would believe him. Moreover, he was -stifled with rage, but would not display his feelings before the -triumphant Ganimard. So he bowed respectfully to the brothers Leroux, -guardians of society, and retired. - -In the vestibule he turned toward a low door which looked like the -entrance to a cellar, and picked up a small red stone; it was a garnet. -When he reached the street he turned and read on the front of the house -this inscription: "Lucien Destange, architect, 1877." - -The adjoining house, No. 42, bore the same inscription. - -"Always the double passage--numbers 40 and 42 have a secret means of -communication. Why didn't I think of that? I should have remained with -the two policemen." - -He met the policemen near the corner and said to them: - -"Two people came out of house No. 42 during my absence, didn't they?" - -"Yes; a gentleman and lady." - -Ganimard approached. Sholmes took his arm, and as they walked down the -street he said: - -"Monsieur Ganimard, you have had a good laugh and will no doubt forgive -me for the trouble I have caused you." - -"Oh! there's no harm done; but it was a good joke." - -"I admit that; but the best jokes have only a short life, and this one -can't last much longer." - -"I hope not." - -"This is now the seventh day, and I can remain only three days more. -Then I must return to London." - -"Oh!" - -"I wish to ask you to be in readiness, as I may call on you at any hour -on Tuesday or Wednesday night." - -"For an expedition of the same kind as we had to-night?" - -"Yes, monsieur, the very same." - -"With what result?" - -"The capture of Arsène Lupin," replied Sholmes. - -"Do you think so?" - -"I swear it, on my honor, monsieur." - -Sholmes bade Ganimard good-bye and went to the nearest hotel for a few -hours' sleep; after which, refreshed and with renewed confidence in -himself, he returned to the rue Chalgrin, slipped two louis into the -hand of the concierge, assured himself that the brothers Leroux had gone -out, learned that the house belonged to a Monsieur Harmingeat, and, -provided with a candle, descended to the cellar through the low door -near which he had found the garnet. At the bottom of the stairs he found -another exactly like it. - -"I am not mistaken," he thought; "this is the means of communication. -Let me see if my skeleton-key will open the cellar reserved for the -tenant of the ground floor. Yes; it will. Now, I will examine those -cases of wine... oh! oh! here are some places where the dust has been -cleared away ... and some footprints on the ground...." - -A slight noise caused him to listen attentively. Quickly he pushed the -door shut, blew out his candle and hid behind a pile of empty wine -cases. After a few seconds he noticed that a portion of the wall swung -on a pivot, the light of a lantern was thrown into the cellar, an arm -appeared, then a man entered. - -He was bent over, as if he were searching for something. He felt in the -dust with his fingers and several times he threw something into a -cardboard box that he carried in his left hand. Afterward he obliterated -the traces of his footsteps, as well as the footprints left by Lupin and -the blonde lady, and he was about to leave the cellar by the same way as -he had entered, when he uttered a harsh cry and fell to the ground. -Sholmes had leaped upon him. It was the work of a moment, and in the -simplest manner in the world the man found himself stretched on the -ground, bound and handcuffed. The Englishman leaned over him and said: - -"Have you anything to say?... To tell what you know?" - -The man replied by such an ironical smile that Sholmes realized the -futility of questioning him. So he contented himself by exploring the -pockets of his captive, but he found only a bunch of keys, a -handkerchief and the small cardboard box which contained a dozen -garnets similar to those which Sholmes had found. - -Then what was he to do with the man? Wait until his friends came to his -help and deliver all of them to the police? What good would that do? -What advantage would that give him over Lupin? - -He hesitated; but an examination of the box decided the question. The -box bore this name and address: "Leonard, jeweler, rue de la Paix." - -He resolved to abandon the man to his fate. He locked the cellar and -left the house. At a branch postoffice he sent a telegram to Monsieur -Destange, saying that he could not come that day. Then he went to see -the jeweler and, handing him the garnets, said: - -"Madame sent me with these stones. She wishes to have them reset." - -Sholmes had struck the right key. The jeweler replied: - -"Certainly; the lady telephoned to me. She said she would be here -to-day." - -Sholmes established himself on the sidewalk to wait for the lady, but it -was five o'clock when he saw a heavily-veiled lady approach and enter -the store. Through the window he saw her place on the counter a piece -of antique jewelry set with garnets. - -She went away almost immediately, walking quickly and passed through -streets that were unknown to the Englishman. As it was now almost dark, -he walked close behind her and followed her into a five-story house of -double flats and, therefore, occupied by numerous tenants. At the second -floor she stopped and entered. Two minutes later the Englishman -commenced to try the keys on the bunch he had taken from the man in the -rue Chalgrin. The fourth key fitted the lock. - -Notwithstanding the darkness of the rooms, he perceived that they were -absolutely empty, as if unoccupied, and the various doors were standing -open so that he could see all the apartments. At the end of a corridor -he perceived a ray of light and, by approaching on tiptoe and looking -through the glass door, he saw the veiled lady who had removed her hat -and dress and was now wearing a velvet dressing-gown. The discarded -garments were lying on the only chair in the room and a lighted lamp -stood on the mantel. - -Then he saw her approach the fireplace and press what appeared to be the -button of an electric bell. Immediately the panel to the right of the -fireplace moved and slowly glided behind the adjoining panel, thus -disclosing an opening large enough for a person to pass through. The -lady disappeared through this opening, taking the lamp with her. - -The operation was a very simple one. Sholmes adopted it and followed the -lady. He found himself in total darkness and immediately he felt his -face brushed by some soft articles. He lighted a match and found that he -was in a very small room completely filled with cloaks and dresses -suspended on hangers. He picked his way through until he reached a door -that was draped with a portiere. He peeped through and, behold, the -blonde lady was there, under his eyes, and almost within reach of his -hand. - -She extinguished the lamp and turned on the electric lights. Then for -the first time Herlock Sholmes obtained a good look at her face. He was -amazed. The woman, whom he had overtaken after so much trouble and after -so many tricks and manoeuvres, was none other than Clotilde Destange. - - * * * * * - -Clotilde Destange, the assassin of the Baron d'Hautrec and the thief who -stole the blue diamond! Clotilde Destange, the mysterious friend of -Arsène Lupin! And the blonde lady! - -"Yes, I am only a stupid ass," thought Herlock Sholmes at that moment. -"Because Lupin's friend was a blonde and Clotilde is a brunette, I never -dreamed that they were the same person. But how could the blonde lady -remain a blonde after the murder of the baron and the theft of the -diamond?" - -Sholmes could see a portion of the room; it was a boudoir, furnished -with the most delightful luxury and exquisite taste, and adorned with -beautiful tapestries and costly ornaments. A mahogany couch, upholstered -in silk, was located on the side of the room opposite the door at which -Sholmes was standing. Clotilde was sitting on this couch, motionless, -her face covered by her hands. Then he perceived that she was weeping. -Great tears rolled down her pale cheeks and fell, drop by drop, on the -velvet corsage. The tears came thick and fast, as if their source were -inexhaustible. - -A door silently opened behind her and Arsène Lupin entered. He looked at -her for a long time without making his presence known; then he -approached her, knelt at her feet, pressed her head to his breast, -folded her in his arms, and his actions indicated an infinite measure -of love and sympathy. For a time not a word was uttered, but her tears -became less abundant. - -"I was so anxious to make you happy," he murmured. - -"I am happy." - -"No; you are crying.... Your tears break my heart, Clotilde." - -The caressing and sympathetic tone of his voice soothed her, and she -listened to him with an eager desire for hope and happiness. Her -features were softened by a smile, and yet how sad a smile! He continued -to speak in a tone of tender entreaty: - -"You should not be unhappy, Clotilde; you have no cause to be." - -She displayed her delicate white hands and said, solemnly: - -"Yes, Maxime; so long as I see those hands I shall be sad." - -"Why?" - -"They are stained with blood." - -"Hush! Do not think of that!" exclaimed Lupin. "The dead is past and -gone. Do not resurrect it." - -And he kissed the long, delicate hand, while she regarded him with a -brighter smile as if each kiss effaced a portion of that dreadful -memory. - -"You must love me, Maxime; you must--because no woman will ever love you -as I do. For your sake, I have done many things, not at your order or -request, but in obedience to your secret desires. I have done things at -which my will and conscience revolted, but there was some unknown power -that I could not resist. What I did I did involuntarily, mechanically, -because it helped you, because you wished it ... and I am ready to do it -again to-morrow ... and always." - -"Ah, Clotilde," he said, bitterly, "why did I draw you into my -adventurous life? I should have remained the Maxime Bermond that you -loved five years ago, and not have let you know the ... other man that I -am." - -She replied in a low voice: - -"I love the other man, also, and I have nothing to regret." - -"Yes, you regret your past life--the free and happy life you once -enjoyed." - -"I have no regrets when you are here," she said, passionately. "All -faults and crimes disappear when I see you. When you are away I may -suffer, and weep, and be horrified at what I have done; but when you -come it is all forgotten. Your love wipes it all away. And I am happy -again.... But you must love me!" - -"I do not love you on compulsion, Clotilde. I love you simply because -... I love you." - -"Are you sure of it?" - -"I am just as sure of my own love as I am of yours. Only my life is a -very active and exciting one, and I cannot spend as much time with you -as I would like--just now." - -"What is it? Some new danger? Tell me!" - -"Oh! nothing serious. Only...." - -"Only what?" she asked. - -"Well, he is on our track." - -"Who? Herlock Sholmes?" - -"Yes; it was he who dragged Ganimard into that affair at the Hungarian -restaurant. It was he who instructed the two policemen to watch the -house in the rue Chalgrin. I have proof of it. Ganimard searched the -house this morning and Sholmes was with him. Besides----" - -"Besides? What?" - -"Well, there is another thing. One of our men is missing." - -"Who?" - -"Jeanniot." - -"The concierge?" - -"Yes." - -"Why, I sent him to the rue Chalgrin this morning to pick up the garnets -that fell out of my brooch." - -"There is no doubt, then, that Sholmes caught him." - -"No; the garnets were delivered to the jeweler in the rue de la Paix." - -"Then, what has become of him!" - -"Oh! Maxime, I am afraid." - -"There is nothing to be afraid of, but I confess the situation is very -serious. What does he know? Where does he hide himself? His isolation is -his strong card. I cannot reach him." - -"What are you going to do?" - -"Act with extreme prudence, Clotilde. Some time ago I decided to change -my residence to a safer place, and Sholmes' appearance on the scene has -prompted me to do so at once. When a man like that is on your track, you -must be prepared for the worst. Well, I am making my preparations. Day -after to-morrow, Wednesday, I shall move. At noon it will be finished. -At two o'clock I shall leave the place, after removing the last trace -of our residence there, which will be no small matter. Until then----" - -"Well?" - -"Until then we must not see each other and no one must see you, -Clotilde. Do not go out. I have no fear for myself, but I have for you." - -"That Englishman cannot possibly reach me." - -"I am not so sure of that. He is a dangerous man. Yesterday I came here -to search the cupboard that contains all of Monsieur Destange's old -papers and records. There is danger there. There is danger everywhere. I -feel that he is watching us--that he is drawing his net around us closer -and closer. It is one of those intuitions which never deceive me." - -"In that case, Maxime, go, and think no more of my tears. I shall be -brave, and wait patiently until the danger is past. Adieu, Maxime." - -They held one another for some time in a last fond embrace. And it was -she that gently pushed him outside. Sholmes could hear the sound of -their voices in the distance. - -Emboldened by the necessities of the situation and the urgent need of -bringing his investigation to a speedy termination, Sholmes proceeded -to make an examination of the house in which he now found himself. He -passed through Clotilde's boudoir into a corridor, at the end of which -there was a stairway leading to the lower floor; he was about to descend -this stairway when he heard voices below, which caused him to change his -route. He followed the corridor, which was a circular one, and -discovered another stairway, which he descended and found himself amidst -surroundings that bore a familiar appearance. He passed through a door -that stood partly open and entered a large circular room. It was -Monsieur Destange's library. - -"Ah! splendid!" he exclaimed. "Now I understand everything. The boudoir -of Mademoiselle Clotilde--the blonde Lady--communicates with a room in -the adjoining house, and that house does not front on the Place -Malesherbes, but upon an adjacent street, the rue Montchanin, if I -remember the name correctly.... And I now understand how Clotilde -Destange can meet her lover and at the same time create the impression -that she never leaves the house; and I understand also how Arsène Lupin -was enabled to make his mysterious entrance to the gallery last night. -Ah! there must be another connection between the library and the -adjoining room. One more house full of ways that are dark! And no doubt -Lucien Destange was the architect, as usual!... I should take advantage -of this opportunity to examine the contents of the cupboard and perhaps -learn the location of other houses with secret passages constructed by -Monsieur Destange." - -Sholmes ascended to the gallery and concealed himself behind some -draperies, where he remained until late in the evening. At last a -servant came and turned off the electric lights. An hour later the -Englishman, by the light of his lantern, made his way to the cupboard. -As he had surmised, it contained the architect's old papers, plans, -specifications and books of account. It also contained a series of -registers, arranged according to date, and Sholmes, having selected -those of the most recent dates, searched in the indexes for the name -"Harmingeat." He found it in one of the registers with a reference to -page 63. Turning to that page, he read: - -"Harmingeat, 40 rue Chalgrin." - -This was followed by a detailed account of the work done in and about -the installation of a furnace in the house. And in the margin of the -book someone had written these words: "See account M.B." - -"Ah! I thought so!" said Sholmes; "the account M.B. is the one I want. I -shall learn from it the actual residence of Monsieur Lupin." - -It was morning before he found that important account. It comprised -sixteen pages, one of which was a copy of the page on which was -described the work done for Mon. Harmingeat of the rue Chalgrin. Another -page described the work performed for Mon. Vatinel as owner of the house -at No. 25 rue Clapeyron. Another page was reserved for the Baron -d'Hautrec, 134 avenue Henri-Martin; another was devoted to the Château -de Crozon, and the eleven other pages to various owners of houses in -Paris. - -Sholmes made a list of those eleven names and addresses; after which he -returned the books to their proper places, opened a window, jumped out -onto the deserted street and closed the shutters behind him. - -When he reached his room at the hotel he lighted his pipe with all the -solemnity with which he was wont to characterize that act, and amidst -clouds of smoke he studied the deductions that might be drawn from the -account of M.B., or rather, from the account of Maxime Bermond alias -Arsène Lupin. - -At eight o'clock he sent the following message to Ganimard: - - "I expect to pass through the rue Pergolese this forenoon and will - inform you of a person whose arrest is of the highest importance. - In any event, be at home to-night and to-morrow until noon and have - at least thirty men at your service." - -Then he engaged an automobile at the stand on the boulevard, choosing -one whose chauffeur looked good-natured but dull-witted, and instructed -him to drive to the Place Malesherbes, where he stopped him about one -hundred feet from Monsieur Destange's house. - -"My boy, close your carriage," he said to the chauffeur; "turn up the -collar of your coat, for the wind is cold, and wait patiently. At the -end of an hour and a half, crank up your machine. When I return we will -go to the rue Pergolese." - -As he was ascending the steps leading to the door a doubt entered his -mind. Was it not a mistake on his part to be spending his time on the -affairs of the blonde Lady, while Arsène Lupin was preparing to move? -Would he not be better engaged in trying to find the abode of his -adversary amongst the eleven houses on his list? - -"Ah!" he exclaimed, "when the blonde Lady becomes my prisoner, I shall -be master of the situation." - -And he rang the bell. - - * * * * * - -Monsieur Destange was already in the library. They had been working only -a few minutes, when Clotilde entered, bade her father good morning, -entered the adjoining parlor and sat down to write. From his place -Sholmes could see her leaning over the table and from time to time -absorbed in deep meditation. After a short time he picked up a book and -said to Monsieur Destange: - -"Here is a book that Mademoiselle Destange asked me to bring to her when -I found it." - -He went into the little parlor, stood before Clotilde in such a manner -that her father could not see her, and said: - -"I am Monsieur Stickmann, your father's new secretary." - -"Ah!" said Clotilde, without moving, "my father has changed his -secretary? I didn't know it." - -"Yes, mademoiselle, and I desire to speak with you." - -"Kindly take a seat, monsieur; I have finished." - -She added a few words to her letter, signed it, enclosed it in the -envelope, sealed it, pushed her writing material away, rang the -telephone, got in communication with her dressmaker, asked the latter to -hasten the completion of a traveling dress, as she required it at once, -and then, turning to Sholmes, she said: - -"I am at your service, monsieur. But do you wish to speak before my -father? Would not that be better?" - -"No, mademoiselle; and I beg of you, do not raise your voice. It is -better that Monsieur Destange should not hear us." - -"For whose sake is it better?" - -"Yours, mademoiselle." - -"I cannot agree to hold any conversation with you that my father may not -hear." - -"But you must agree to this. It is imperative." - -Both of them arose, eye to eye. She said: - -"Speak, monsieur." - -Still standing, he commenced: - -"You will be so good as to pardon me if I am mistaken on certain points -of secondary importance. I will guarantee, however, the general accuracy -of my statements." - -"Can we not dispense with these preliminaries, monsieur? Or are they -necessary?" - -Sholmes felt the young woman was on her guard, so he replied: - -"Very well; I will come to the point. Five years ago your father made -the acquaintance of a certain young man called Maxime Bermond, who was -introduced as a contractor or an architect, I am not sure which it was; -but it was one or the other. Monsieur Destange took a liking to the -young man, and as the state of his health compelled him to retire from -active business, he entrusted to Monsieur Bermond the execution of -certain orders he had received from some of his old customers and which -seemed to come within the scope of Monsieur Bermond's ability." - -Herlock Sholmes stopped. It seemed to him that the girl's pallor had -increased. Yet there was not the slightest tremor in her voice when she -said: - -"I know nothing about the circumstances to which you refer, monsieur, -and I do not see in what way they can interest me." - -"In this way, mademoiselle: You know, as well as I, that Maxime Bermond -is also known by the name of Arsène Lupin." - -She laughed, and said: - -"Nonsense! Arsène Lupin? Maxime Bermond is Arsène Lupin? Oh! no! It -isn't possible!" - -"I have the honor to inform you of that fact, and since you refuse to -understand my meaning, I will add that Arsène Lupin has found in this -house a friend--more than a friend--and accomplice, blindly and -passionately devoted to him." - -Without emotion, or at least with so little emotion that Sholmes was -astonished at her self-control, she declared: - -"I do not understand your object, monsieur, and I do not care to; but I -command you to say no more and leave this house." - -"I have no intention of forcing my presence on you," replied Sholmes, -with equal sang-froid, "but I shall not leave this house alone." - -"And who will accompany you, monsieur?" - -"You will." - -"I?" - -"Yes, mademoiselle, we will leave this house together, and you will -follow me without one word of protest." - -The strange feature of the foregoing interview was the absolute coolness -of the two adversaries. It bore no resemblance to an implacable duel -between two powerful wills; but, judging solely from their attitude and -the tone of their voices, an onlooker would have supposed their -conversation to be nothing more serious than a courteous argument over -some impersonal subject. - -Clotilde resumed her seat without deigning to reply to the last remark -of Herlock Sholmes, except by a shrug of her shoulders. Sholmes looked -at his watch and said: - -"It is half-past ten. We will leave here in five minutes." - -"Perhaps." - -"If not, I shall go to Monsieur Destange, and tell him----" - -"What?" - -"The truth. I will tell him of the vicious life of Maxime Bermond, and I -will tell him of the double life of his accomplice." - -"Of his accomplice?" - -"Yes, of the woman known as the blonde Lady, of the woman who was -blonde." - -"What proofs will you give him?" - -"I will take him to the rue Chalgrin, and show him the secret passage -made by Arsène Lupin's workmen,--while doing the work of which he had -the control--between the houses numbered 40 and 42; the passage which -you and he used two nights ago." - -"Well?" - -"I will then take Monsieur Destange to the house of Monsieur Detinan; we -will descend the servant's stairway which was used by you and Arsène -Lupin when you escaped from Ganimard, and we will search together the -means of communication with the adjoining house, which fronts on the -Boulevard des Batignolles, and not upon the rue Clapeyron." - -"Well?" - -"I will take Monsieur Destange to the château de Crozon, and it will be -easy for him, who knows the nature of the work performed by Arsène Lupin -in the restoration of the Château, to discover the secret passages -constructed there by his workmen. It will thus be established that those -passages allowed the blonde Lady to make a nocturnal visit to the -Countess' room and take the blue diamond from the mantel; and, two weeks -later, by similar means, to enter the room of Herr Bleichen and conceal -the blue diamond in his tooth-powder--a strange action, I confess; a -woman's revenge, perhaps; but I don't know, and I don't care." - -"Well?" - -"After that," said Herlock Sholmes, in a more serious tone, "I will take -Monsieur Destange to 134 avenue Henri-Martin, and we will learn how the -Baron d'Hautrec----" - -"No, no, keep quiet," stammered the girl, struck with a sudden terror, -"I forbid you!... you dare to say that it was I ... you accuse me?..." - -"I accuse you of having killed the Baron d'Hautrec." - -"No, no, it is a lie." - -"You killed the Baron d'Hautrec, mademoiselle. You entered his service -under the name of Antoinette Bréhat, for the purpose of stealing the -blue diamond and you killed him." - -"Keep quiet, monsieur," she implored him. "Since you know so much, you -must know that I did not murder the baron." - -"I did not say that you murdered him, mademoiselle. Baron d'Hautrec was -subject to fits of insanity that only Sister Auguste could control. She -told me so herself. In her absence, he must have attacked you, and in -the course of the struggle you struck him in order to save your own -life. Frightened at your awful situation, you rang the bell, and fled -without even taking the blue diamond from the finger of your victim. A -few minutes later you returned with one of Arsène Lupin's accomplices, -who was a servant in the adjoining house, you placed the baron on the -bed, you put the room in order, but you were afraid to take the blue -diamond. Now, I have told you what happened on that night. I repeat, you -did not murder the baron, and yet it was your hand that struck the -blow." - -She had crossed them over her forehead--those long delicate white -hands--and kept them thus for a long time. At last, loosening her -fingers, she said, in a voice rent by anguish: - -"And do you intend to tell all that to my father?" - -"Yes; and I will tell him that I have secured as witnesses: Mademoiselle -Gerbois, who will recognize the blonde Lady; Sister Auguste, who will -recognize Antoinette Bréhat; and the Countess de Crozon, who will -recognize Madame de Réal. That is what I shall tell him." - -"You will not dare," she said, recovering her self-possession in the -face of an immediate peril. - -He arose, and made a step toward the library. Clotilde stopped him: - -"One moment, monsieur." - -She paused, reflected a moment, and then, perfect mistress of herself, -said: - -"You are Herlock Sholmes?" - -"Yes." - -"What do you want of me?" - -"What do I want? I am fighting a duel with Arsène Lupin, and I must win. -The contest is now drawing to a climax, and I have an idea that a -hostage as precious as you will give me an important advantage over my -adversary. Therefore, you will follow me, mademoiselle; I will entrust -you to one of my friends. As soon as the duel is ended, you will be set -at liberty." - -"Is that all?" - -"That is all. I do not belong to the police service of this country, -and, consequently, I do not consider that I am under any obligation ... -to cause your arrest." - -She appeared to have come to a decision ... yet she required a momentary -respite. She closed her eyes, the better to concentrate her thoughts. -Sholmes looked at her in surprise; she was now so tranquil and, -apparently, indifferent to the dangers which threatened her. Sholmes -thought: Does she believe that she is in danger? Probably not--since -Lupin protects her. She has confidence in him. She believes that Lupin -is omnipotent, and infallible. - -"Mademoiselle," he said, "I told you that we would leave here in five -minutes. That time has almost expired." - -"Will you permit me to go to my room, monsieur, to get some necessary -articles?" - -"Certainly, mademoiselle; and I will wait for you in the rue Montchanin. -Jeanniot, the concierge, is a friend of mine." - -"Ah! you know...." she said, visibly alarmed. - -"I know many things." - -"Very well. I will ring for the maid." - -The maid brought her hat and jacket. Then Sholmes said: - -"You must give Monsieur Destange some reason for our departure, and, if -possible, let your excuse serve for an absence of several days." - -"That shall not be necessary. I shall be back very soon." - -"They exchanged defiant glances and an ironic smile. - -"What faith you have in him!" said Sholmes. - -"Absolute." - -"He does everything well, doesn't he? He succeeds in everything he -undertakes. And whatever he does receives your approval and -cooperation." - -"I love him," she said, with a touch of passion in her voice. - -"And you think that he will save you?" - -She shrugged her shoulders, and, approaching her father, she said: - -"I am going to deprive you of Monsieur Stickmann. We are going to the -National Library." - -"You will return for luncheon?" - -"Perhaps ... no, I think not ... but don't be uneasy." - -Then she said to Sholmes, in a firm voice: - -"I am at your service, monsieur." - -"Absolutely?" - -"Quite so." - -"I warn you that if you attempt to escape, I shall call the police and -have you arrested. Do not forget that the blonde Lady is on parole." - -"I give you my word of honor that I shall not attempt to escape." - -"I believe you. Now, let us go." - -They left the house together, as he had predicted. - -The automobile was standing where Sholmes had left it. As they -approached it, Sholmes could hear the rumbling of the motor. He opened -the door, asked Clotilde to enter, and took a seat beside her. The -machine started at once, gained the exterior boulevards, the avenue -Hoche and the avenue de la Grande-Armée. Sholmes was considering his -plans. He thought: - -"Ganimard is at home. I will leave the girl in his care. Shall I tell -him who she is? No, he would take her to prison at once, and that would -spoil everything. When I am alone, I can consult my list of addresses -taken from the 'account M.B.,' and run them down. To-night, or to-morrow -morning at the latest, I shall go to Ganimard, as I agreed, and deliver -into his hands Arsène Lupin and all his band." - -He rubbed his hand, gleefully, at the thought that his duel with Lupin -was drawing to a close, and he could not see any serious obstacle in the -way of his success. And, yielding to an irrepressible desire to give -vent to his feelings--an unusual desire on his part--he exclaimed: - -"Excuse me, mademoiselle, if I am unable to conceal my satisfaction and -delight. The battle has been a difficult one, and my success is, -therefore, more enjoyable." - -"A legitimate success, monsieur, of which you have a just right to be -proud." - -"Thank you. But where are we going? The chauffeur must have -misunderstood my directions." - -At that moment they were leaving Paris by the gate de Neuilly. That was -strange, as the rue Pergolese is not outside the fortifications. Sholmes -lowered the glass, and said: - -"Chauffeur, you have made a mistake.... Rue Pergolese!" - -The man made no reply. Sholmes repeated, in a louder voice: - -"I told you to go to the rue Pergolese." - -Still the man did not reply. - -"Ah! but you are deaf, my friend. Or is he doing it on purpose? We are -very much out of our way.... Rue Pergolese!... Turn back at once!... Rue -Pergolese!" - -The chauffeur made no sign of having heard the order. The Englishman -fretted with impatience. He looked at Clotilde; a mysterious smile -played upon her lips. - -"Why do you laugh?" he said. "It is an awkward mistake, but it won't -help you." - -"Of course not," she replied. - -Then an idea occurred to him. He rose and made a careful scrutiny of the -chauffeur. His shoulders were not so broad; his bearing was not so stiff -and mechanical. A cold perspiration covered his forehead and his hands -clenched with sudden fear, as his mind was seized with the conviction -that the chauffeur was Arsène Lupin. - -"Well, Monsieur Sholmes, what do you think of our little ride?" - -"Delightful, monsieur, really delightful," replied Sholmes. - -Never in his life had he experienced so much difficulty in uttering a -few simple words without a tremor, or without betraying his feelings in -his voice. But quickly, by a sort of reaction, a flood of hatred and -rage burst its bounds, overcame his self-control, and, brusquely drawing -his revolver, he pointed it at Mademoiselle Destange. - -"Lupin, stop, this minute, this second, or I fire at mademoiselle." - -"I advise you to aim at the cheek if you wish to hit the temple," -replied Lupin, without turning his head. - -"Maxime, don't go so fast," said Clotilde, "the pavement is slippery and -I am very timid." - -She was smiling; her eyes were fixed on the pavement, over which the -carriage was traveling at enormous speed. - -"Let him stop! Let him stop!" said Sholmes to her, wild with rage, "I -warn you that I am desperate." - -The barrel of the revolver brushed the waving locks of her hair. She -replied, calmly: - -"Maxime is so imprudent. He is going so fast, I am really afraid of some -accident." - -Sholmes returned the weapon to his pocket and seized the handle of the -door, as if to alight, despite the absurdity of such an act. Clotilde -said to him: - -"Be careful, monsieur, there is an automobile behind us." - -He leaned over. There was an automobile close behind; a large machine of -formidable aspect with its sharp prow and blood-red body, and holding -four men clad in fur coats. - -"Ah! I am well guarded," thought Sholmes. "I may as well be patient." - -He folded his arms across his chest with that proud air of submission so -frequently assumed by heroes when fate has turned against them. And -while they crossed the river Seine and rushed through Suresnes, Rueil -and Chatou, motionless and resigned, controlling his actions and his -passions, he tried to explain to his own satisfaction by what miracle -Arsène Lupin had substituted himself for the chauffeur. It was quite -improbable that the honest-looking fellow he had selected on the -boulevard that morning was an accomplice placed there in advance. And -yet Arsène Lupin had received a warning in some way, and it must have -been after he, Sholmes, had approached Clotilde in the house, because no -one could have suspected his project prior to that time. Since then, -Sholmes had not allowed Clotilde out of his sight. - -Then an idea struck him: the telephone communication desired by Clotilde -and her conversation with the dressmaker. Now, it was all quite clear to -him. Even before he had spoken to her, simply upon his request to speak -to her as the new secretary of Monsieur Destange, she had scented the -danger, surmised the name and purpose of the visitor, and, calmly, -naturally, as if she were performing a commonplace action of her -every-day life, she had called Arsène Lupin to her assistance by some -preconcerted signal. - -How Arsène Lupin had come and caused himself to be substituted for the -chauffeur were matters of trifling importance. That which affected -Sholmes, even to the point of appeasing his fury, was the recollection -of that incident whereby an ordinary woman, a sweetheart it is true, -mastering her nerves, controlling her features, and subjugating the -expression of her eyes, had completely deceived the astute detective -Herlock Sholmes. How difficult to overcome an adversary who is aided by -such confederates, and who, by the mere force of his authority, inspires -in a woman so much courage and strength! - -They crossed the Seine and climbed the hill at Saint-Germain; but, some -five hundred metres beyond that town, the automobile slackened its -speed. The other automobile advanced, and the two stopped, side by side. -There was no one else in the neighborhood. - -"Monsieur Sholmes," said Lupin, "kindly exchange to the other machine. -Ours is really a very slow one." - -"Indeed!" said Sholmes, calmly, convinced that he had no choice. - -"Also, permit me to loan you a fur coat, as we will travel quite fast -and the air is cool. And accept a couple of sandwiches, as we cannot -tell when we will dine." - -The four men alighted from the other automobile. One of them approached, -and, as he raised his goggles, Sholmes recognized in him the gentleman -in the frock coat that he had seen at the Hungarian restaurant. Lupin -said to him: - -"You will return this machine to the chauffeur from whom I hired it. He -is waiting in the first wine-shop to the right as you go up the rue -Legendre. You will give him the balance of the thousand francs I -promised him.... Ah! yes, kindly give your goggles to Monsieur Sholmes." - -He talked to Mlle. Destange for a moment, then took his place at the -wheel and started, with Sholmes at his side and one of his men behind -him. Lupin had not exaggerated when he said "we will travel quite fast." -From the beginning he set a breakneck pace. The horizon rushed to meet -them, as if attracted by some mysterious force, and disappeared -instantly as though swallowed up in an abyss, into which many other -things, such as trees, houses, fields and forests, were hurled with the -tumultuous fury and haste of a torrent as it approached the cataract. - -Sholmes and Lupin did not exchange a word. Above their heads the leaves -of the poplars made a great noise like the waves of the sea, -rhythmically arranged by the regular spacing of the trees. And the towns -swept by like spectres: Manteo, Vernon, Gaillon. From one hill to the -other, from Bon-Secours to Canteleu, Rouen, its suburbs, its harbor, its -miles of wharves, Rouen seemed like the straggling street of a country -village. And this was Duclair, Caudebec, the country of Caux which they -skimmed over in their terrific flight, and Lillebonne, and Quillebeuf. -Then, suddenly, they found themselves on the banks of the Seine, at the -extremity of a little wharf, beside which lay a staunch sea-going yacht -that emitted great volumes of black smoke from its funnel. - -The automobile stopped. In two hours they had traveled over forty -leagues. - -A man, wearing a blue uniform and a goldlaced cap, came forward and -saluted. Lupin said to him: - -"All ready, captain? Did you receive my telegram?" - -"Yes, I got it." - -"Is _The Swallow_ ready?" - -"Yes, monsieur." - -"Come, Monsieur Sholmes." - -The Englishman looked around, saw a group of people on the terrace in -front of a café, hesitated a moment, then, realizing that before he -could secure any assistance he would be seized, carried aboard and -placed in the bottom of the hold, he crossed the gang-plank and followed -Lupin into the captain's cabin. It was quite a large room, scrupulously -clean, and presented a cheerful appearance with its varnished woodwork -and polished brass. Lupin closed the door and addressed Sholmes -abruptly, and almost rudely, as he said: - -"Well, what do you know?" - -"Everything." - -"Everything? Come, be precise." - -His voice contained no longer that polite, if ironical, tone, which he -had affected when speaking to the Englishman. Now, his voice had the -imperious tone of a master accustomed to command and accustomed to be -obeyed--even by a Herlock Sholmes. They measured each other by their -looks, enemies now--open and implacable foes. Lupin spoke again, but in -a milder tone: - -"I have grown weary of your pursuit, and do not intend to waste any more -time in avoiding the traps you lay for me. I warn you that my treatment -of you will depend on your reply. Now, what do you know?" - -"Everything, monsieur." - -Arsène Lupin controlled his temper and said, in a jerky manner: - -"I will tell you what you know. You know that, under the name of Maxime -Bermond, I have ... _improved_ fifteen houses that were originally -constructed by Monsieur Destange." - -"Yes." - -"Of those fifteen houses, you have seen four." - -"Yes." - -"And you have a list of the other eleven." - -"Yes." - -"You made that list at Monsieur Destange's house on that night, no -doubt." - -"Yes." - -"And you have an idea that, amongst those eleven houses, there is one -that I have kept for the use of myself and my friends, and you have -intrusted to Ganimard the task of finding my retreat." - -"No." - -"What does that signify?" - -"It signifies that I choose to act alone, and do not want his help." - -"Then I have nothing to fear, since you are in my hands." - -"You have nothing to fear as long as I remain in your hands." - -"You mean that you will not remain?" - -"Yes." - -Arsène Lupin approached the Englishman and, placing his hand on the -latter's shoulder, said: - -"Listen, monsieur; I am not in a humor to argue with you, and, -unfortunately for you, you are not in a position to choose. So let us -finish our business." - -"Very well." - -"You are going to give me your word of honor that you will not try to -escape from this boat until you arrive in English waters." - -"I give you my word of honor that I shall escape if I have an -opportunity," replied the indomitable Sholmes. - -"But, sapristi! you know quite well that at a word from me you would -soon be rendered helpless. All these men will obey me blindly. At a sign -from me they would place you in irons----" - -"Irons can be broken." - -"And throw you overboard ten miles from shore." - -"I can swim." - -"I hadn't thought of that," said Lupin, with a laugh. "Excuse me, master -... and let us finish. You will agree that I must take the measures -necessary to protect myself and my friends." - -"Certainly; but they will be useless." - -"And yet you do not wish me to take them." - -"It is your duty." - -"Very well, then." - -Lupin opened the door and called the captain and two sailors. The latter -seized the Englishman, bound him hand and foot, and tied him to the -captain's bunk. - -"That will do," said Lupin. "It was only on account of your obstinacy -and the unusual gravity of the situation, that I ventured to offer you -this indignity." - -The sailors retired. Lupin said to the captain: - -"Let one of the crew remain here to look after Monsieur Sholmes, and you -can give him as much of your own company as possible. Treat him with all -due respect and consideration. He is not a prisoner, but a guest. What -time have you, captain?" - -"Five minutes after two." - -Lupin consulted his watch, then looked at the clock that was attached to -the wall of the cabin. - -"Five minutes past two is right. How long will it take you to reach -Southampton?" - -"Nine hours, easy going." - -"Make it eleven. You must not land there until after the departure of -the midnight boat, which reaches Havre at eight o'clock in the morning. -Do you understand, captain? Let me repeat: As it would be very dangerous -for all of us to permit Monsieur to return to France by that boat, you -must not reach Southampton before one o'clock in the morning." - -"I understand." - -"Au revoir, master; next year, in this world or in the next." - -"Until to-morrow," replied Sholmes. - -A few minutes later Sholmes heard the automobile going away, and at the -same time the steam puffed violently in the depths of _The Swallow_. The -boat had started for England. About three o'clock the vessel left the -mouth of the river and plunged into the open sea. At that moment Sholmes -was lying on the captain's bunk, sound asleep. - - * * * * * - -Next morning--it being the tenth and last day of the duel between -Sholmes and Lupin--the _Echo de France_ published this interesting bit -of news: - -"Yesterday a judgment of ejectment was entered in the case of Arsène -Lupin against Herlock Sholmes, the English detective. Although signed at -noon, the judgment was executed the same day. At one o'clock this -morning Sholmes was landed at Southampton." - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -SECOND ARREST OF ARSÈNE LUPIN. - - -Since eight o'clock a dozen moving-vans had encumbered the rue Crevaux -between the avenue du Bois-de-Boulogne and the avenue Bugeaud. Mon. -Felix Davey was leaving the apartment in which he lived on the fourth -floor of No. 8; and Mon. Dubreuil, who had united into a single -apartment the fifth floor of the same house and the fifth floor of the -two adjoining houses, was moving on the same day--a mere coincidence, -since the gentlemen were unknown to each other--the vast collection of -furniture regarding which so many foreign agents visited him every day. - -A circumstance which had been noticed by some of the neighbors, but was -not spoken of until later, was this: None of the twelve vans bore the -name and address of the owner, and none of the men accompanying them -visited the neighboring wine shops. They worked so diligently that the -furniture was all out by eleven o'clock. Nothing remained but those -scraps of papers and rags that are always left behind in the corners of -the empty rooms. - -Mon. Felix Davey, an elegant young man, dressed in the latest fashion, -carried in his hand a walking-stick, the weight of which indicated that -its owner possessed extraordinary biceps--Mon. Felix Davey walked calmly -away and took a seat on a bench in the avenue du Bois-de-Boulogne facing -the rue Pergolese. Close to him a woman, dressed in a neat but -inexpensive costume, was reading a newspaper, whilst a child was playing -with a shovel in a heap of sand. - -After a few minutes Felix Davey spoke to the woman, without turning his -head: - -"Ganimard!" - -"Went out at nine o'clock this morning." - -"Where?" - -"To police headquarters." - -"Alone?" - -"Yes." - -"No telegram during the night?" - -"No." - -"Do they suspect you in the house?" - -"No; I do some little things for Madame Ganimard, and she tells me -everything her husband does. I have been with her all morning." - -"Very well. Until further orders come here every day at eleven o'clock." - -He rose and walked away in the direction of the Dauphine gate, stopping -at the Chinese pavilion, where he partook of a frugal repast consisting -of two eggs, with some fruit and vegetables. Then he returned to the rue -Crevaux and said to the concierge: - -"I will just glance through the rooms and then give you the keys." - -He finished his inspection of the room that he had used as a library; -then he seized the end of a gas-pipe, which hung down the side of the -chimney. The pipe was bent and a hole made in the elbow. To this hole he -fitted a small instrument in the form of an ear-trumpet and blew into -it. A slight whistling sound came by way of reply. Placing the trumpet -to his mouth, he said: - -"Anyone around, Dubreuil?" - -"No." - -"May I come up!" - -"Yes." - -He returned the pipe to its place, saying to himself: - -"How progressive we are! Our century abounds with little inventions -which render life really charming and picturesque. And so amusing!... -especially when a person knows how to enjoy life as I do." - -He turned one of the marble mouldings of the mantel, and the entire half -of the mantel moved, and the mirror above it glided in invisible -grooves, disclosing an opening and the lower steps of a stairs built in -the very body of the chimney; all very clean and complete--the stairs -were constructed of polished metal and the walls of white tiles. He -ascended the steps, and at the fifth floor there was the same opening in -the chimney. Mon. Dubreuil was waiting for him. - -"Have you finished in your rooms?" - -"Yes." - -"Everything cleared out?" - -"Yes." - -"And the people?" - -"Only the three men on guard." - -"Very well; come on." - -They ascended to the upper floor by the same means, one after the other, -and there found three men, one of whom was looking through the window. - -"Anything new?" - -"Nothing, governor." - -"All quiet in the street?" - -"Yes." - -"In ten minutes I will be ready to leave. You will go also. But in the -meantime if you see the least suspicious movement in the street, warn -me." - -"I have my finger on the alarm-bell all the time." - -"Dubreuil, did you tell the moving men not to touch the wire of that -bell?" - -"Certainly; it is working all right." - -"That is all I want to know." - -The two gentlemen then descended to the apartment of Felix Davey and the -latter, after adjusting the marble mantel, exclaimed, joyfully: - -"Dubreuil, I should like to see the man who is able to discover all the -ingenious devices, warning bells, net-works of electric wires and -acoustic tubes, invisible passages, moving floors and hidden stairways. -A real fairy-land!" - -"What fame for Arsène Lupin!" - -"Fame I could well dispense with. It's a pity to be compelled to leave a -place so well equipped, and commence all over again, Dubreuil ... and on -a new model, of course, for it would never do to duplicate this. Curse -Herlock Sholmes!" - -"Has he returned to Paris?" - -"How could he? There has been only one boat come from Southampton and it -left there at midnight; only one train from Havre, leaving there at -eight o'clock this morning and due in Paris at eleven fifteen. As he -could not catch the midnight boat at Southampton--and the instructions -to the captain on that point were explicit--he cannot reach France until -this evening via Newhaven and Dieppe." - -"Do you think he will come back?" - -"Yes; he never gives up. He will return to Paris; but it will be too -late. We will be far away." - -"And Mademoiselle Destange?" - -"I am to see her in an hour." - -"At her house?" - -"Oh! no; she will not return there for several days. But you, Dubreuil, -you must hurry. The loading of our goods will take a long time and you -should be there to look after them." - -"Are you sure that we are not being watched?" - -"By whom? I am not afraid of anyone but Sholmes." - -Dubreuil retired. Felix Davey made a last tour of the apartment, picked -up two or three torn letters, then, noticing a piece of chalk, he took -it and, on the dark paper of the drawing-room, drew a large frame and -wrote within it the following: - -"_Arsène Lupin, gentleman-burglar, lived here for five years at the -beginning of the twentieth century_." - -This little pleasantry seemed to please him very much. He looked at it -for a moment, whistling a lively air, then said to himself: - -"Now that I have placed myself in touch with the historians of future -generations, I can go. You must hurry, Herlock Sholmes, as I shall leave -my present abode in three minutes, and your defeat will be an -accomplished fact.... Two minutes more! you are keeping me waiting, -Monsieur Sholmes.... One minute more! Are you not coming? Well, then, I -proclaim your downfall and my apotheosis. And now I make my escape. -Farewell, kingdom of Arsène Lupin! I shall never see you again. Farewell -to the fifty-five rooms of the six apartments over which I reigned! -Farewell, my own royal bed chamber!" - -His outburst of joy was interrupted by the sharp ringing of a bell, -which stopped twice, started again and then ceased. It was the alarm -bell. - -What was wrong? What unforeseen danger? Ganimard? No; that wasn't -possible! - -He was on the point of returning to his library and making his escape. -But, first, he went to the window. There was no one in the street. Was -the enemy already in the house? He listened and thought he could discern -certain confused sounds. He hesitated no longer. He ran to his library, -and as he crossed the threshold he heard the noise of a key being -inserted in the lock of the vestibule door. - -"The deuce!" he murmured; "I have no time to lose. The house may be -surrounded. The servants' stairway--impossible! Fortunately, there is -the chimney." - -He pushed the moulding; it did not move. He made a greater effort--still -it refused to move. At the same time he had the impression that the door -below opened and that he could hear footsteps. - -"Good God!" he cried; "I am lost if this cursed mechanism--" - -He pushed with all his strength. Nothing moved--nothing! By some -incredible accident, by some evil stroke of fortune, the mechanism, -which had worked only a few moments ago, would not work now. - -He was furious. The block of marble remained immovable. He uttered -frightful imprecations on the senseless stone. Was his escape to be -prevented by that stupid obstacle? He struck the marble wildly, madly; -he hammered it, he cursed it. - -"Ah! what's the matter, Monsieur Lupin? You seem to be displeased about -something." - -Lupin turned around. Herlock Sholmes stood before him! - - * * * * * - -Herlock Sholmes!... Lupin gazed at him with squinting eyes as if his -sight were defective and misleading. Herlock Sholmes in Paris! Herlock -Sholmes, whom he had shipped to England only the day before as a -dangerous person, now stood before him free and victorious!... Ah! such -a thing was nothing less than a miracle; it was contrary to all natural -laws; it was the culmination of all that is illogical and abnormal.... -Herlock Sholmes here--before his face! - -And when the Englishman spoke his words were tinged with that keen -sarcasm and mocking politeness with which his adversary had so often -lashed him. He said: - -"Monsieur Lupin, in, the first place I have the honor to inform you that -at this time and place I blot from my memory forever all thoughts of -the miserable night that you forced me to endure in the house of Baron -d'Hautrec, of the injury done to my friend Wilson, of my abduction in -the automobile, and of the voyage I took yesterday under your orders, -bound to a very uncomfortable couch. But the joy of this moment effaces -all those bitter memories. I forgive everything. I forget everything--I -wipe out the debt. I am paid--and royally paid." - -Lupin made no reply. So the Englishman continued: - -"Don't you think so yourself?" - -He appeared to insist as if demanding an acquiescence, as a sort of -receipt in regard to the part. - -After a moment's reflection, during which the Englishman felt that he -was scrutinized to the very depth of his soul, Lupin declared: - -"I presume, monsieur, that your conduct is based upon serious motives?" - -"Very serious." - -"The fact that you have escaped from my captain and his crew is only a -secondary incident of our struggle. But the fact that you are here -before me alone--understand, alone--face to face with Arsène Lupin, -leads me to think that your revenge is as complete as possible." - -"As complete as possible." - -"This house?" - -"Surrounded." - -"The two adjoining houses?" - -"Surrounded." - -"The apartment above this?" - -"The _three_ apartments on the fifth floor that were formerly occupied -by Monsieur Dubreuil are surrounded." - -"So that----" - -"So that you are captured, Monsieur Lupin--absolutely captured." - -The feelings that Sholmes had experienced during his trip in the -automobile were now suffered by Lupin, the same concentrated fury, the -same revolt, and also, let us admit, the same loyalty of submission to -force of circumstances. Equally brave in victory or defeat. - -"Our accounts are squared, monsieur," said Lupin, frankly. - -The Englishman was pleased with that confession. After a short silence -Lupin, now quite self-possessed, said smiling: - -"And I am not sorry! It becomes monotonous to win all the time. -Yesterday I had only to stretch out my hand to finish you forever. -Today I belong to you. The game is yours." Lupin laughed heartily and -then continued: "At last the gallery will be entertained! Lupin in -prison! How will he get out? In prison!... What an adventure!... Ah! -Sholmes, life is just one damn thing after another!" - -He pressed his closed hands to his temples as if to suppress the -tumultuous joy that surged within him, and his actions indicated that he -was moved by an uncontrollable mirth. At last, when he had recovered his -self-possession, he approached the detective and said: - -"And now what are you waiting for?" - -"What am I waiting for?" - -"Yes; Ganimard is here with his men--why don't they come in?" - -"I asked him not to." - -"And he consented?" - -"I accepted his services on condition that he would be guided by me. -Besides, he thinks that Felix Davey is only an accomplice of Arsène -Lupin." - -"Then I will repeat my question in another form. Why did you come in -alone?" - -"Because I wished to speak to you alone." - -"Ah! ah! you have something to say to me." - -That idea seemed to please Lupin immensely. There are certain -circumstances in which words are preferable to deeds. - -"Monsieur Sholmes, I am sorry I cannot offer you an easy chair. How -would you like that broken box? Or perhaps you would prefer the window -ledge? I am sure a glass of beer would be welcome ... light or dark?... -But sit down, please." - -"Thank you; we can talk as well standing up." - -"Very well--proceed." - -"I will be brief. The object of my sojourn in France was not to -accomplish your arrest. If I have been led to pursue you, it was because -I saw no other way to achieve my real object." - -"Which was?" - -"To recover the blue diamond." - -"The blue diamond!" - -"Certainly; since the one found in Herr Bleichen's tooth-powder was only -an imitation." - -"Quite right; the genuine diamond was taken by the blonde Lady. I made -an exact duplicate of it and then, as I had designs on other jewels -belonging to the Countess and as the Consul Herr Bleichen was already -under suspicion, the aforesaid blonde Lady, in order to avert suspicion, -slipped the false stone into the aforesaid Consul's luggage." - -"While you kept the genuine diamond?" - -"Of course." - -"That diamond--I want it." - -"I am very sorry, but it is impossible." - -"I have promised it to the Countess de Crozon. I must have it." - -"How will you get it, since it is in my possession?" - -"That is precisely the reason--because it is in your possession." - -"Oh! I am to give it to you?" - -"Yes." - -"Voluntarily?" - -"I will buy it." - -"Ah!" exclaimed Lupin, in an access of mirth, "you are certainly an -Englishman. You treat this as a matter of business." - -"It is a matter of business." - -"Well? what is your offer?" - -"The liberty of Mademoiselle Destange." - -"Her liberty?... I didn't know she was under arrest." - -"I will give Monsieur Ganimard the necessary information. When deprived -of your protection, she can readily be taken." - -Lupin laughed again, and said: - -"My dear monsieur, you are offering me something you do not possess. -Mademoiselle Destange is in a place of safety, and has nothing to fear. -You must make me another offer." - -The Englishman hesitated, visibly embarrassed and vexed. Then, placing -his hand on the shoulder of his adversary, he said: - -"And if I should propose to you-" - -"My liberty?" - -"No ... but I can leave the room to consult with Ganimard." - -"And leave me alone!" - -"Yes." - -"Ah! mon dieu, what good would that be? The cursed mechanism will not -work," said Lupin, at the same time savagely pushing the moulding of the -mantel. He stifled a cry of surprise; this time fortune favored him--the -block of marble moved. It was his salvation; his hope of escape. In that -event, why submit to the conditions imposed by Sholmes? He paced up and -down the room, as if he were considering his reply. Then, in his turn, -he placed his hand on the shoulder of his adversary, and said: - -"All things considered, Monsieur Sholmes, I prefer to do my own business -in my own way." - -"But--" - -"No, I don't require anyone's assistance." - -"When Ganimard gets his hand on you, it will be all over. You can't -escape from them." - -"Who knows?" - -"Come, that is foolish. Every door and window is guarded." - -"Except one." - -"Which?" - -"_The one I will choose_." - -"Mere words! Your arrest is as good as made." - -"Oh! no--not at all." - -"Well?" - -"I shall keep the blue diamond." - -Sholmes looked at his watch, and said: - -"It is now ten minutes to three. At three o'clock I shall call -Ganimard." - -"Well, then, we have ten minutes to chat. And to satisfy my curiosity, -Monsieur Sholmes, I should like to know how you procured my address and -my name of Felix Davey?" - -Although his adversary's easy manner caused Sholmes some anxiety, he was -willing to give Lupin the desired information since it reflected credit -on his professional astuteness; so he replied: - -"Your address? I got it from the blonde Lady." - -"Clotilde!" - -"Herself. Do you remember, yesterday morning, when I wished to take her -away in the automobile, she telephoned to her dressmaker." - -"Well?" - -"Well, I understood, later, that you were the dressmaker. And last -night, on the boat, by exercising my memory--and my memory is something -I have good reason to be proud of--I was able to recollect the last two -figures of your telephone number--73. Then, as I possessed a list of the -houses you had 'improved,' it was an easy matter, on my arrival in Paris -at eleven o'clock this morning, to search in the telephone directory and -find there the name and address of Felix Davey. Having obtained that -information, I asked the aid of Monsieur Ganimard." - -"Admirable! I congratulate you. But bow did you manage to catch the -eight o'clock train at Havre! How did you escape from _The Swallow_?" - -"I did not escape." - -"But----" - -"You ordered the captain not to reach Southampton before one o'clock. He -landed me there at midnight. I was able to catch the twelve o'clock boat -for Havre." - -"Did the captain betray me? I can't believe it." - -"No, he did not betray you." - -"Well, what then?" - -"It was his watch." - -"His watch?" - -"Yes, I put it ahead one hour." - -"How?" - -"In the usual way, by turning the hands. We were sitting side by side, -talking, and I was telling him some funny stories.... Why! he never saw -me do it." - -"Bravo! a very clever trick. I shall not forget it. But the clock that -was hanging on the wall of the cabin?" - -"Ah! the clock was a more difficult matter, as my feet were tied, but -the sailor, who guarded me during the captain's absence, was kind -enough to turn the hands for me." - -"He? Nonsense! He wouldn't do it." - -"Oh! but he didn't know the importance of his act. I told him I must -catch the first train for London, at any price, and ... he allowed -himself to be persuaded----" - -"By means of----" - -"By means of a slight gift, which the excellent fellow, loyal and true -to his master, intends to send to you." - -"What was it!" - -"A mere trifle." - -"But what?" - -"The blue diamond." - -"The blue diamond!" - -"Yes, the false stone that you substituted for the Countess' diamond. -She gave it to me." - -There was a sudden explosion of violent laughter. Lupin laughed until -the tears started in his eyes. - -"Mon dieu, but it is funny! My false diamond palmed off on my innocent -sailor! And the captain's watch! And the hands of the clock!" - -Sholmes felt that the duel between him and Lupin was keener than ever. -His marvellous instinct warned him that, behind his adversary's display -of mirth, there was a shrewd intellect debating the ways and means to -escape. Gradually Lupin approached the Englishman, who recoiled, and, -unconsciously, slipped his hand into his watch-pocket. - -"It is three o'clock, Monsieur Lupin." - -"Three o'clock, already! What a pity! We were enjoying our chat so -much." - -"I am waiting for your answer." - -"My answer? Mon dieu! but you are particular!... And so this is the last -move in our little game--and the stake is my liberty!" - -"Or the blue diamond." - -"Very well. It's your play. What are you going to do!" - -"I play the king," said Sholmes, as he fired his revolver. - -"And I the ace," replied Lupin, as he struck at Sholmes with his fist. - -Sholmes had fired into the air, as a signal to Ganimard, whose -assistance he required. But Lupin's fist had caught Sholmes in the -stomach, and caused him to double up with pain. Lupin rushed to the -fireplace and set the marble slab in motion.... Too late! The door -opened. - -"Surrender, Lupin, or I fire!" - -Ganimard, doubtless stationed closer than Lupin had thought, Ganimard -was there, with his revolver turned on Lupin. And behind Ganimard there -were twenty men, strong and ruthless fellows, who would beat him like a -dog at the least sign of resistance. - -"Hands down! I surrender!" said Lupin, calmly; and he folded his arms -across his breast. - -Everyone was amazed. In the room, divested of its furniture and -hangings, Arsène Lupin's words sounded like an echo.... "I surrender!" -... It seemed incredible. No one would have been astonished if he had -suddenly vanished through a trap, or if a section of the wall had rolled -away and allowed him to escape. But he surrendered! - -Ganimard advanced, nervously, and with all the gravity that the -importance of the occasion demanded, he placed his hand on the shoulder -of his adversary, and had the infinite pleasure of saying: - -"I arrest you, Arsène Lupin." - -"Brrr!" said Lupin, "you make me shiver, my dear Ganimard. What a -lugubrious face! One would imagine you were speaking over the grave of -a friend. For Heaven's sake, don't assume such a funereal air." - -"I arrest you." - -"Don't let that worry you! In the name of the law, of which he is a -well-deserving pillar, Ganimard, the celebrated Parisian detective, -arrests the wicked Arsène Lupin. An historic event, of which you will -appreciate the true importance.... And it is the second time that it has -happened. Bravo, Ganimard, you are sure of advancement in your chosen -profession!" - -And he held out his wrists for the hand-cuffs. Ganimard adjusted them in -a most solemn manner. The numerous policemen, despite their customary -presumption and the bitterness of their feelings toward Lupin, conducted -themselves with becoming modesty, astonished at being permitted to gaze -upon that mysterious and intangible creature. - -"My poor Lupin," sighed our hero, "what would your aristocratic friends -say if they should see you in this humiliating position?" - -He pulled his wrists apart with all his strength. The veins in his -forehead expanded. The links of the chain cut into his flesh. The chain -fell off--broken. - -"Another, comrades, that one was useless." - -They placed two on him this time. - -"Quite right," he said. "You cannot be too careful." - -Then, counting the detectives and policemen, he said: - -"How many are you, my friends? Twenty-five? Thirty? That's too many. I -can't do anything. Ah! if there had been only fifteen!" - -There was something fascinating about Lupin; it was the fascination of -the great actor who plays his rôle with spirit and understanding, -combined with assurance and ease. Sholmes regarded him as one might -regard a beautiful painting with a due appreciation of all its -perfection in coloring and technique. And he really thought that it was -an equal struggle between those thirty men on one side, armed as they -were with all the strength and majesty of the law, and, on the other -side, that solitary individual, unarmed and handcuffed. Yes, the two -sides were well-matched. - -"Well, master," said Lupin to the Englishman, "this is your work. Thanks -to you, Lupin is going to rot on the damp straw of a dungeon. Confess -that your conscience pricks you a little, and that your soul is filled -with remorse." - -In spite of himself, Sholmes shrugged his shoulders, as if to say: "It's -your own fault." - -"Never! never!" exclaimed Lupin. "Give you the blue diamond? Oh! no, it -has cost me too much trouble. I intend to keep it. On my occasion of my -first visit to you in London--which will probably be next month--I will -tell you my reasons. But will you be in London next month? Or do you -prefer Vienna? Or Saint Petersburg?" - -Then Lupin received a surprise. A bell commenced to ring. It was not the -alarm-bell, but the bell of the telephone which was located between the -two windows of the room and had not yet been removed. - -The telephone! Ah! Who could it be? Who was about to fall into this -unfortunate trap? Arsène Lupin exhibited an access of rage against the -unlucky instrument as if he would like to break it into a thousand -pieces and thus stifle the mysterious voice that was calling for him. -But it was Ganimard who took down the receiver, and said: - -"Hello!... Hello!... number 648.73 ... yes, this is it." - -Then Sholmes stepped up, and, with an air of authority, pushed Ganimard -aside, took the receiver, and covered the transmitter with his -handkerchief in order to obscure the tone of his voice. At that moment -he glanced toward Lupin, and the look which they exchanged indicated -that the same idea had occurred to each of them, and that they fore-saw -the ultimate result of that theory: it was the blonde Lady who was -telephoning. She wished to telephone to Felix Davey, or rather to Maxime -Bermond, and it was to Sholmes she was about to speak. The Englishman -said: - -"Hello ... Hello!" - -Then, after a silence, he said: - -"Yes, it is I, Maxime." - -The drama had commenced and was progressing with tragic precision. -Lupin, the irrepressible and nonchalant Lupin, did not attempt to -conceal his anxiety, and he strained every nerve in a desire to hear or, -at least, to divine the purport of the conversation. And Sholmes -continued, in reply to the mysterious voice: - -"Hello!... Hello!... Yes, everything has been moved, and I am just -ready to leave here and meet you as we agreed.... Where?... Where you -are now.... Don't believe that he is here yet!..." - -Sholmes stopped, seeking for words. It was clear that he was trying to -question the girl without betraying himself, and that he was ignorant of -her whereabouts. Moreover, Ganimard's presence seemed to embarrass -him.... Ah! if some miracle would only interrupt that cursed -conversation! Lupin prayed for it with all his strength, with all the -intensity of his incited nerves! After a momentary pause, Sholmes -continued: - -"Hello!... Hello!... Do you hear me?... I can't hear you very well.... -Can scarcely make out what you say.... Are you listening? Well, I think -you had better return home.... No danger now.... But he is in England! I -have received a telegram from Southampton announcing his arrival." - -The sarcasm of those words! Sholmes uttered them with an inexpressible -comfort. And he added: - -"Very well, don't lose any time. I will meet you there." - -He hung up the receiver. - -"Monsieur Ganimard, can you furnish me with three men?" - -"For the blonde Lady, eh?" - -"Yes." - -"You know who she is, and where she is?" - -"Yes." - -"Good! That settles Monsieur Lupin.... Folenfant, take two men, and go -with Monsieur Sholmes." - -The Englishman departed, accompanied by the three men. - -The game was ended. The blonde Lady was, also, about to fall into the -hands of the Englishman. Thanks to his commendable persistence and to a -combination of fortuitous circumstances, the battle had resulted in a -victory for the detective, and in irreparable disaster for Lupin. - -"Monsieur Sholmes!" - -The Englishman stopped. - -"Monsieur Lupin?" - -Lupin was clearly shattered by this final blow. His forehead was marked -by deep wrinkles. He was sullen and dejected. However, he pulled himself -together, and, notwithstanding his defeat, he exclaimed, in a cheerful -tone: - -"You will concede that fate has been against me. A few minutes ago, it -prevented my escape through that chimney, and delivered me into your -hands. Now, by means of the telephone, it presents you with the blonde -Lady. I submit to its decrees." - -"What do you mean?" - -"I mean that I am ready to re-open our negotiation." - -Sholmes took Ganimard aside and asked, in a manner that did not permit a -reply, the authority to exchange a few words with the prisoner. Then he -approached Lupin, and said, in a sharp, nervous tone: - -"What do you want?" - -"Mademoiselle Destange's liberty." - -"You know the price." - -"Yes." - -"And you accept?" - -"Yes; I accept your terms." - -"Ah!" said the Englishman, in surprise, "but ... you refused ... for -yourself----" - -"Yes, I can look out for myself, Monsieur Sholmes, but now the question -concerns a young woman ... and a woman I love. In France, understand, we -have very decided ideas about such things. And Lupin has the same -feelings as other people." - -He spoke with simplicity and candor. Sholmes replied by an almost -imperceptible inclination of his head, and murmured: - -"Very well, the blue diamond." - -"Take my cane, there, at the end of the mantel. Press on the head of the -cane with one hand, and, with the other, turn the iron ferrule at the -bottom." - -Holmes took the cane and followed the directions. As he did so, the head -of the cane divided and disclosed a cavity which contained a small ball -of wax which, in turn, enclosed a diamond. He examined it. It was the -blue diamond. - -"Monsieur Lupin, Mademoiselle Destange is free." - -"Is her future safety assured? Has she nothing to fear from you?" - -"Neither from me, nor anyone else." - -"How can you manage it?" - -"Quite easily. I have forgotten her name and address." - -"Thank you. And au revoir--for I will see you again, sometime, Monsieur -Sholmes?" - -"I have no doubt of it." - -Then followed an animated conversation between Sholmes and Ganimard, -which was abruptly terminated by the Englishman, who said: - -"I am very sorry, Monsieur Ganimard, that we cannot agree on that point, -but I have no time to waste trying to convince you. I leave for England -within an hour." - -"But ... the blonde Lady?" - -"I do not know such a person." - -"And yet, a moment ago----" - -"You must take the affair as it stands. I have delivered Arsène Lupin -into your hands. Here is the blue diamond, which you will have the -pleasure of returning to the Countess de Crozon. What more do you want?" - -"The blonde Lady." - -"Find her." - -Sholmes pulled his cap down over his forehead and walked rapidly away, -like a man who is accustomed to go as soon as his business is finished. - -"Bon voyage, monsieur," cried Lupin, "and, believe me, I shall never -forget the friendly way in which our little business affairs have been -arranged. My regards to Monsieur Wilson." - -Not receiving any reply, Lupin added, sneeringly: - -"That is what is called 'taking British leave.' Ah! their insular -dignity lacks the flower of courtesy by which we are distinguished. -Consider for a moment, Ganimard, what a charming exit a Frenchman would -have made under similar circumstances! With what exquisite courtesy he -would have masked his triumph!... But, God bless me, Ganimard, what are -you doing? Making a search? Come, what's the use? There is nothing -left--not even a scrap of paper. I assure you my archives are in a safe -place." - -"I am not so sure of that," replied Ganimard. "I must search -everything." - -Lupin submitted to the operation. Held by two detectives and surrounded -by the others, he patiently endured the proceedings for twenty minutes, -then he said: - -"Hurry up, Ganimard, and finish!" - -"You are in a hurry." - -"Of course I am. An important appointment." - -"At the police station?" - -"No; in the city." - -"Ah! at what time?" - -"Two o'clock." - -"It is three o'clock now." - -"Just so; I will be late. And punctuality is one of my virtues." - -"Well, give me five minutes." - -"Not a second more," said Lupin. - -"I am doing my best to expedite----" - -"Oh! don't talk so much.... Still searching that cupboard? It is empty." - -"Here are some letters." - -"Old invoices, I presume!" - -"No; a packet tied with a ribbon." - -"A red ribbon? Oh! Ganimard, for God's sake, don't untie it!" - -"From a woman?" - -"Yes." - -"A woman of the world?" - -"The best in the world." - -"Her name?" - -"Madame Ganimard." - -"Very funny! very funny!" exclaimed the detective. - -At that moment the men, who had been sent to search the other rooms, -returned and announced their failure to find anything. Lupin laughed and -said: - -"Parbleu! Did you expect to find my visiting list, or evidence of my -business relations with the Emperor of Germany? But I can tell you what -you should investigate, Ganimard: All the little mysteries of this -apartment. For instance, that gas-pipe is a speaking tube. That chimney -contains a stairway. That wall is hollow. And the marvellous system of -bells! Ah! Ganimard, just press that button!" - -Ganimard obeyed. - -"Did you hear anything?" asked Lupin. - -"No." - -"Neither did I. And yet you notified my aeronaut to prepare the -dirigible balloon which will soon carry us into the clouds. - -"Come!" said Ganimard, who had completed his search; "we've had enough -nonsense--let's be off." - -He started away, followed by his men. Lupin did not move. His guardians -pushed him in vain. - -"Well," said Ganimard, "do you refuse to go?" - -"Not at all. But it depends." - -"On what?" - -"Where you want to take me." - -"To the station-house, of course." - -"Then I refuse to go. I have no business there." - -"Are you crazy?" - -"Did I not tell you that I had an important appointment?" - -"Lupin!" - -"Why, Ganimard, I have an appointment with the blonde Lady, and do you -suppose I would be so discourteous as to cause her a moment's anxiety? -That would be very ungentlemanly." - -"Listen, Lupin," said the detective, who was becoming annoyed by this -persiflage; "I have been very patient with you, but I will endure no -more. Follow me." - -"Impossible; I have an appointment and I shall keep it." - -"For the last time--follow me!" - -"Im-pos-sible!" - -At a sign from Ganimard two men seized Lupin by the arms; but they -released him at once, uttering cries of pain. Lupin had thrust two long -needles into them. The other men now rushed at Lupin with cries of rage -and hatred, eager to avenge their comrades and to avenge themselves for -the many affronts he had heaped upon them; and now they struck and beat -him to their heart's desire. A violent blow on the temple felled Lupin -to the floor. - -"If you hurt him you will answer to me," growled Ganimard, in a rage. - -He leaned over Lupin to ascertain his condition. Then, learning that he -was breathing freely, Ganimard ordered his men to carry the prisoner by -the head and feet, while he himself supported the body. - -"Go gently, now!... Don't jolt him. Ah! the brutes would have killed -him.... Well, Lupin, how goes it?" - -"None too well, Ganimard ... you let them knock me out." - -"It was your own fault; you were so obstinate," replied Ganimard. "But I -hope they didn't hurt you." - -They had left the apartment and were now on the landing. Lupin groaned -and stammered: - -"Ganimard ... the elevator ... they are breaking my bones." - -"A good idea, an excellent idea," replied Ganimard. "Besides, the -stairway is too narrow." - -He summoned the elevator. They placed Lupin on the seat with the -greatest care. Ganimard took his place beside him and said to his men: - -"Go down the stairs and wait for me below. Understand?" - -Ganimard closed the door of the elevator. Suddenly the elevator shot -upward like a balloon released from its cable. Lupin burst into a fit of -sardonic laughter. - -"Good God!" cried Ganimard, as he made a frantic search in the dark for -the button of descent. Having found it, he cried: - -"The fifth floor! Watch the door of the fifth floor." - -His assistants clambered up the stairs, two and three steps at a time. -But this strange circumstance happened: The elevator seemed to break -through the ceiling of the last floor, disappeared from the sight of -Ganimard's assistants, suddenly made its appearance on the upper -floor--the servants' floor--and stopped. Three men were there waiting -for it. They opened the door. Two of them seized Ganimard, who, -astonished at the sudden attack, scarcely made any defence. The other -man carried off Lupin. - -"I warned you, Ganimard ... about the dirigible balloon. Another time, -don't be so tender-hearted. And, moreover, remember that Arsène Lupin -doesn't allow himself to be struck and knocked down without sufficient -reason. Adieu." - -The door of the elevator was already closed on Ganimard, and the machine -began to descend; and it all happened so quickly that the old detective -reached the ground floor as soon as his assistants. Without exchanging a -word they crossed the court and ascended the servants' stairway, which -was the only way to reach the servants' floor through which the escape -had been made. - -A long corridor with several turns and bordered with little numbered -rooms led to a door that was not locked. On the other side of this door -and, therefore, in another house there was another corridor with similar -turns and similar rooms, and at the end of it a servants' stairway. -Ganimard descended it, crossed a court and a vestibule and found himself -in the rue Picot. Then he understood the situation: the two houses, -built the entire depth of the lots, touched at the rear, while the -fronts of the houses faced upon two streets that ran parallel to each -other at a distance of more than sixty metres apart. - -He found the concierge and, showing his card, enquired: - -"Did four men pass here just now?" - -"Yes; the two servants from the fourth and fifth floors, with two -friends." - -"Who lives on the fourth and fifth floors?" - -"Two men named Fauvel and their cousins, whose name is Provost. They -moved to-day, leaving the two servants, who went away just now." - -"Ah!" thought Ganimard; "what a grand opportunity we have missed! The -entire band lived in these houses." - -And he sank down on a chair in despair. - - * * * * * - -Forty minutes later two gentlemen were driven up to the station of the -Northern Railway and hurried to the Calais express, followed by a porter -who carried their valises. One of them had his arm in a sling, and the -pallor of his face denoted some illness. The other man was in a jovial -mood. - -"We must hurry, Wilson, or we will miss the train.... Ah! Wilson, I -shall never forget these ten days." - -"Neither will I." - -"Ah! it was a great struggle!" - -"Superb!" - -"A few repulses, here and there--" - -"Of no consequence." - -"And, at last, victory all along the line. Lupin arrested! The blue -diamond recovered!" - -"My arm broken!" - -"What does a broken arm count for in such a victory as that?" - -"Especially when it is my arm." - -"Ah! yes, don't you remember, Wilson, that it was at the very time you -were in the pharmacy, suffering like a hero, that I discovered the clue -to the whole mystery?" - -"How lucky!" - -The doors of the carriages were being closed. - -"All aboard. Hurry up, gentlemen!" - -The porter climbed into an empty compartment and placed their valises in -the rack, whilst Sholmes assisted the unfortunate Wilson. - -"What's the matter, Wilson? You're not done up, are you? Come, pull your -nerves together." - -"My nerves are all right." - -"Well, what is it, then?" - -"I have only one hand." - -"What of it?" exclaimed Sholmes, cheerfully. "You are not the only one -who has had a broken arm. Cheer up!" - -Sholmes handed the porter a piece of fifty centimes. - -"Thank you, Monsieur Sholmes," said the porter. - -The Englishman looked at him; it was Arsène Lupin. - -"You!... you!" he stammered, absolutely astounded. - -And Wilson brandished his sound arm in the manner of a man who -demonstrates a fact as he said: - -"You! you! but you were arrested! Sholmes told me so. When he left you -Ganimard and thirty men had you in charge." - -Lupin folded his arms and said, with an air of indignation: - -"Did you suppose I would let you go away without bidding you adieu? -After the very friendly relations that have always existed between us! -That would be discourteous and ungrateful on my part." - -The train whistled. Lupin continued: - -"I beg your pardon, but have you everything you need? Tobacco and -matches ... yes ... and the evening papers? You will find in them an -account of my arrest--your last exploit, Monsieur Sholmes. And now, au -revoir. Am delighted to have made your acquaintance. And if ever I can -be of any service to you, I shall be only too happy...." He leaped to -the platform and closed the door. - -"Adieu," he repeated, waving his handkerchief. "Adieu.... I shall write -to you.... You will write also, eh? And your arm broken, Wilson.... I am -truly sorry.... I shall expect to hear from both of you. A postal card, -now and then, simply address: Lupin, Paris. That is sufficient.... -Adieu.... See you soon." - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -THE JEWISH LAMP. - - -Herlock Sholmes and Wilson were sitting in front of the fireplace, in -comfortable armchairs, with the feet extended toward the grateful warmth -of a glowing coke fire. - -Sholmes' pipe, a short brier with a silver band, had gone out. He -knocked out the ashes, filled it, lighted it, pulled the skirts of his -dressing-gown over his knees, and drew from his pipe great puffs of -smoke, which ascended toward the ceiling in scores of shadow rings. - -Wilson gazed at him, as a dog lying curled up on a rug before the fire -might look at his master, with great round eyes which have no hope other -than to obey the least gesture of his owner. Was the master going to -break the silence? Would he reveal to Wilson the subject of his reverie -and admit his satellite into the charmed realm of his thoughts? When -Sholmes had maintained his silent attitude for some time. Wilson -ventured to speak: - -"Everything seems quiet now. Not the shadow of a case to occupy our -leisure moments." - -Sholmes did not reply, but the rings of smoke emitted by Sholmes were -better formed, and Wilson observed that his companion drew considerable -pleasure from that trifling fact--an indication that the great man was -not absorbed in any serious meditation. Wilson, discouraged, arose and -went to the window. - -The lonely street extended between the gloomy façades of grimy houses, -unusually gloomy this morning by reason of a heavy downfall of rain. A -cab passed; then another. Wilson made an entry of their numbers in his -memorandum-book. One never knows! - -"Ah!" he exclaimed, "the postman." - -The man entered, shown in by the servant. - -"Two registered letters, sir ... if you will sign, please?" - -Sholmes signed the receipts, accompanied the man to the door, and was -opening one of the letters as he returned. - -"It seems to please you," remarked Wilson, after a moment's silence. - -"This letter contains a very interesting proposition. You are anxious -for a case--here's one. Read----" - -Wilson read: - - "Monsieur, - - "I desire the benefit of your services and experience. I have been - the victim of a serious theft, and the investigation has as yet - been unsuccessful. I am sending to you by this mail a number of - newspapers which will inform you of the affair, and if you will - undertake the case, I will place my house at your disposal and ask - you to fill in the enclosed check, signed by me, for whatever sum - you require for your expenses. - - "Kindly reply by telegraph, and much oblige, - - "Your humble servant, - - "Baron Victor d'Imblevalle, - - "18 rue Murillo, Paris." - -"Ah!" exclaimed Sholmes, "that sounds good ... a little trip to Paris -... and why not, Wilson? Since my famous duel with Arsène Lupin, I have -not had an excuse to go there. I should be pleased to visit the capital -of the world under less strenuous conditions." - -He tore the check into four pieces and, while Wilson, whose arm had not -yet regained its former strength, uttered bitter words against Paris and -the Parisians, Sholmes opened the second envelope. Immediately, he made -a gesture of annoyance, and a wrinkle appeared on his forehead during -the reading of the letter; then, crushing the paper into a ball, he -threw it, angrily, on the floor. - -"Well? What's the matter?" asked Wilson, anxiously. - -He picked up the ball of paper, unfolded it, and read, with increasing -amazement: - - "My Dear Monsieur: - - "You know full well the admiration I have for you and the interest - I take in your renown. Well, believe me, when I warn you to have - nothing whatever to do with the case on which you have just now - been called to Paris. Your intervention will cause much harm; your - efforts will produce a most lamentable result; and you will be - obliged to make a public confession of your defeat. - - "Having a sincere desire to spare you such humiliation, I implore - you, in the name of the friendship that unites us, to remain - peacefully reposing at your own fireside. - - "My best wishes to Monsieur Wilson, and, for yourself, the sincere - regards of your devoted ARSÈNE LUPIN." - -"Arsène Lupin!" repeated Wilson, astounded. - -Sholmes struck the table with his fist, and exclaimed: - -"Ah! he is pestering me already, the fool! He laughs at me as if I were -a schoolboy! The public confession of my defeat! Didn't I force him to -disgorge the blue diamond?" - -"I tell you--he's afraid," suggested Wilson. - -"Nonsense! Arsène Lupin is not afraid, and this taunting letter proves -it." - -"But how did he know that the Baron d'Imblevalle had written to you?" - -"What do I know about it? You do ask some stupid questions, my boy." - -"I thought ... I supposed----" - -"What? That I am a clairvoyant? Or a sorcerer?" - -"No, but I have seen you do some marvellous things." - -"No person can perform _marvellous_ things. I no more than you. I -reflect, I deduct, I conclude--that is all; but I do not divine. Only -fools divine." - -Wilson assumed the attitude of a whipped cur, and resolved not to make a -fool of himself by trying to divine why Sholmes paced the room with -quick, nervous strides. But when Sholmes rang for the servant and -ordered his valise, Wilson thought that he was in possession of a -material fact which gave him the right to reflect, deduct and conclude -that his associate was about to take a journey. The same mental -operation permitted him to assert, with almost mathematical exactness: - -"Sholmes, you are going to Paris." - -"Possibly." - -"And Lupin's affront impels you to go, rather than the desire to assist -the Baron d'Imblevalle." - -"Possibly." - -"Sholmes, I shall go with you." - -"Ah; ah! my old friend," exclaimed Sholmes, interrupting his walking, -"you are not afraid that your right arm will meet the same fate as your -left?" - -"What can happen to me? You will be there." - -"That's the way to talk, Wilson. We will show that clever Frenchman that -he made a mistake when he threw his glove in our faces. Be quick, -Wilson, we must catch the first train." - -"Without waiting for the papers the baron has sent you?" - -"What good are they?" - -"I will send a telegram." - -"No; if you do that, Arsène Lupin will know of my arrival. I wish to -avoid that. This time, Wilson, we must fight under cover." - - * * * * * - -That afternoon, the two friends embarked at Dover. The passage was a -delightful one. In the train from Calais to Paris, Sholmes had three -hours sound sleep, while Wilson guarded the door of the compartment. - -Sholmes awoke in good spirits. He was delighted at the idea of another -duel with Arsène Lupin, and he rubbed his hands with the satisfied air -of a man who looks forward to a pleasant vacation. - -"At last!" exclaimed Wilson, "we are getting to work again." - -And he rubbed his hands with the same satisfied air. - -At the station, Sholmes took the wraps and, followed by Wilson, who -carried the valises, he gave up his tickets and started off briskly. - -"Fine weather, Wilson.... Blue sky and sunshine! Paris is giving us a -royal reception." - -"Yes, but what a crowd!" - -"So much the better, Wilson, we will pass unnoticed. No one will -recognize us in such a crowd." - -"Is this Monsieur Sholmes?" - -He stopped, somewhat puzzled. Who the deuce could thus address him by -his name? A woman stood beside him; a young girl whose simple dress -outlined her slender form and whose pretty face had a sad and anxious -expression. She repeated her enquiry: - -"You are Monsieur Sholmes?" - -As he still remained silent, as much from confusion as from a habit of -prudence, the girl asked a third time: - -"Have I the honor of addressing Monsieur Sholmes?" - -"What do you want?" he replied, testily, considering the incident a -suspicious one. - -"You must listen to me, Monsieur Sholmes, as it is a serious matter. I -know that you are going to the rue Murillo." - -"What do you say?" - -"I know ... I know ... rue Murillo ... number 18. Well, you must not go -... no, you must not. I assure you that you will regret it. Do not think -that I have any interest in the matter. I do it because it is right ... -because my conscience tells me to do it." - -Sholmes tried to get away, but she persisted: - -"Oh! I beg of you, don't neglect my advice.... Ah! if I only knew how to -convince you! Look at me! Look into my eyes! They are sincere ... they -speak the truth." - -She gazed at Sholmes, fearlessly but innocently, with those beautiful -eyes, serious and clear, in which her very soul seemed to be reflected. - -Wilson nodded his head, as he said: - -"Mademoiselle looks honest." - -"Yes," she implored, "and you must have confidence----" - -"I have confidence in you, mademoiselle," replied Wilson. - -"Oh, how happy you make me! And so has your friend? I feel it ... I am -sure of it! What happiness! Everything will be all right now!... What a -good idea of mine!... Ah! yes, there is a train for Calais in twenty -minutes. You will take it.... Quick, follow me ... you must come this -way ... there is just time." - -She tried to drag them along. Sholmes seized her arm, and in as gentle a -voice as he could assume, said to her: - -"Excuse me, mademoiselle, if I cannot yield to your wishes, but I never -abandon a task that I have once undertaken." - -"I beseech you ... I implore you.... Ah if you could only understand!" - -Sholmes passed outside and walked away at a quick pace. Wilson said to -the girl: - -"Have no fear ... he will be in at the finish. He never failed yet." - -And he ran to overtake Sholmes. - -HERLOCK SHOLMES--ARSÈNE LUPIN. - -These words, in great black letters, met their gaze as soon as they left -the railway station. A number of sandwich-men were parading through the -street, one behind the other, carrying heavy canes with iron ferrules -with which they struck the pavement in harmony, and, on their backs, -they carried large posters, on which one could read the following -notice: - -THE MATCH BETWEEN HERLOCK SHOLMES -AND ARSÈNE LUPIN. ARRIVAL OF THE ENGLISH -CHAMPION. THE GREAT DETECTIVE ATTACKS -THE MYSTERY OF THE RUE MURILLO. READ THE -DETAILS IN THE "ECHO DE FRANCE". - -Wilson shook his head, and said: - -"Look at that, Sholmes, and we thought we were traveling incognito! I -shouldn't be surprised to find the republican guard waiting for us at -the rue Murillo to give us an official reception with toasts and -champagne." - -"Wilson, when you get funny, you get beastly funny," growled Sholmes. - -Then he approached one of the sandwich-men with the obvious intention of -seizing him in his powerful grip and crushing him, together with his -infernal sign-board. There was quite a crowd gathered about the men, -reading the notices, and joking and laughing. - -Repressing a furious access of rage, Sholmes said to the man: - -"When did they hire you?" - -"This morning." - -"How long have you been parading?" - -"About an hour." - -"But the boards were ready before that?" - -"Oh, yes, they were ready when we went to the agency this morning." - -So then it appears that Arsène Lupin had foreseen that he, Sholmes, -would accept the challenge. More than that, the letter written by Lupin -showed that he was eager for the fray and that he was prepared to -measure swords once more with his formidable rival. Why? What motive -could Arsène Lupin have in renewing the struggle? - -Sholmes hesitated for a moment. Lupin must be very confident of his -success to show so much insolence in advance; and was not he, Sholmes, -falling into a trap by rushing into the battle at the first call for -help? - -However, he called a carriage. - -"Come, Wilson!... Driver, 18 rue Murillo!" he exclaimed, with an -outburst of his accustomed energy. With distended veins and clenched -fists, as if he were about to engage in a boxing bout, he jumped into -the carriage. - - * * * * * - -The rue Murillo is bordered with magnificent private residences, the -rear of which overlook the Parc Monceau. One of the most pretentious of -these houses is number 18, owned and occupied by the Baron d'Imblevalle -and furnished in a luxurious manner consistent with the owner's taste -and wealth. There was a courtyard in front of the house, and, in the -rear, a garden well filled with trees whose branches mingle with those -of the park. - -After ringing the bell, the two Englishmen were admitted, crossed the -courtyard, and were received at the door by a footman who showed them -into a small parlor facing the garden in the rear of the house. They sat -down and, glancing about, made a rapid inspection of the many valuable -objects with which the room was filled. - -"Everything very choice," murmured Wilson, "and in the best of taste. It -is a safe deduction to make that those who had the leisure to collect -these articles must now be at least fifty years of age." - -The door opened, and the Baron d'Imblevalle entered, followed by his -wife. Contrary to the deduction made by Wilson, they were both quite -young, of elegant appearance, and vivacious in speech and action. They -were profuse in their expressions of gratitude. - -"So kind of you to come! Sorry to have caused you so much trouble! The -theft now seems of little consequence, since it has procured us this -pleasure." - -"How charming these French people are!" thought Wilson, evolving one of -his commonplace deductions. - -"But time is money," exclaimed the baron, "especially your time, -Monsieur Sholmes. So I will come to the point. Now, what do you think of -the affair? Do you think you can succeed in it?" - -"Before I can answer that I must know what it is about." - -"I thought you knew." - -"No; so I must ask you for full particulars, even to the smallest -detail. First, what is the nature of the case?" - -"A theft." - -"When did it take place?" - -"Last Saturday," replied the baron, "or, at least, some time during -Saturday night or Sunday morning." - -"That was six days ago. Now, you can tell me all about it." - -"In the first place, monsieur, I must tell you that my wife and I, -conforming to the manner of life that our position demands, go out very -little. The education of our children, a few receptions, and the care -and decoration of our house--such constitutes our life; and nearly all -our evenings are spent in this little room, which is my wife's boudoir, -and in which we have gathered a few artistic objects. Last Saturday -night, about eleven o'clock, I turned off the electric lights, and my -wife and I retired, as usual, to our room." - -"Where is your room?" - -"It adjoins this. That is the door. Next morning, that is to say, Sunday -morning, I arose quite early. As Suzanne, my wife, was still asleep, I -passed into the boudoir as quietly as possible so as not to wake her. -What was my astonishment when I found that window open--as we had left -it closed the evening before!" - -"A servant----" - -"No one enters here in the morning until we ring. Besides, I always take -the precaution to bolt the second door which communicates with the -ante-chamber. Therefore, the window must have been opened from the -outside. Besides, I have some evidence of that: the second pane of glass -from the right--close to the fastening--had been cut." - -"And what does that window overlook?" - -"As you can see for yourself, it opens on a little balcony, surrounded -by a stone railing. Here, we are on the first floor, and you can see the -garden behind the house and the iron fence which separates it from the -Parc Monceau. It is quite certain that the thief came through the park, -climbed the fence by the aid of a ladder, and thus reached the terrace -below the window." - -"That is quite certain, you say!" - -"Well, in the soft earth on either side of the fence, they found the two -holes made by the bottom of the ladder, and two similar holes can be -seen below the window. And the stone railing of the balcony shows two -scratches which were doubtless made by the contact of the ladder." - -"Is the Parc Monceau closed at night?" - -"No; but if it were, there is a house in course of erection at number -14, and a person could enter that way." - -Herlock Sholmes reflected for a few minutes, and then said: - -"Let us come down to the theft. It must have been committed in this -room?" - -"Yes; there was here, between that twelfth century Virgin and that -tabernacle of chased silver, a small Jewish lamp. It has disappeared." - -"And is that all?" - -"That is all." - -"Ah!... And what is a Jewish lamp?" - -"One of those copper lamps used by the ancient Jews, consisting of a -standard which supported a bowl containing the oil, and from this bowl -projected several burners intended for the wicks." - -"Upon the whole, an object of small value." - -"No great value, of course. But this one contained a secret hiding-place -in which we were accustomed to place a magnificent jewel, a chimera in -gold, set with rubies and emeralds, which was of great value." - -"Why did you hide it there?" - -"Oh! I can't give any reason, monsieur, unless it was an odd fancy to -utilize a hiding-place of that kind." - -"Did anyone know it?" - -"No." - -"No one--except the thief," said Sholmes. "Otherwise he would not have -taken the trouble to steal the lamp." - -"Of course. But how could he know it, as it was only by accident that -the secret mechanism of the lamp was revealed to us." - -"A similar accident has revealed it to some one else ... a servant ... -or an acquaintance. But let us proceed: I suppose the police have been -notified?" - -"Yes. The examining magistrate has completed his investigation. The -reporter-detectives attached to the leading newspapers have also made -their investigations. But, as I wrote to you, it seems to me the mystery -will never be solved." - -Sholmes arose, went to the window, examined the casement, the balcony, -the terrace, studied the scratches on the stone railing with his -magnifying-glass, and then requested Mon. d'Imblevalle to show him the -garden. - -Outside, Sholmes sat down in a rattan chair and gazed at the roof of the -house in a dreamy way. Then he walked over to the two little wooden -boxes with which they had covered the holes made in the ground by the -bottom of the ladder with a view of preserving them intact. He raised -the boxes, kneeled on the ground, scrutinized the holes and made some -measurements. After making a similar examination of the holes near the -fence, he and the baron returned to the boudoir where Madame -d'Imblevalle was waiting for them. After a short silence Sholmes said: - -"At the very outset of your story, baron, I was surprised at the very -simple methods employed by the thief. To raise a ladder, cut a -window-pane, select a valuable article, and walk out again--no, that is -not the way such things are done. All that is too plain, too simple." - -"Well, what do you think?" - -"That the Jewish lamp was stolen under the direction of Arsène Lupin." - -"Arsène Lupin!" exclaimed the baron. - -"Yes, but he did not do it himself, as no one came from the outside. -Perhaps a servant descended from the upper floor by means of a -waterspout that I noticed when I was in the garden." - -"What makes you think so?" - -"Arsène Lupin would not leave this room empty-handed." - -"Empty-handed! But he had the lamp." - -"But that would not have prevented his taking that snuff-box, set with -diamonds, or that opal necklace. When he leaves anything, it is because -he can't carry it away." - -"But the marks of the ladder outside?" - -"A false scent. Placed there simply to avert suspicion." - -"And the scratches on the balustrade?" - -"A farce! They were made with a piece of sandpaper. See, here are scraps -of the paper that I picked up in the garden." - -"And what about the marks made by the bottom of the ladder?" - -"Counterfeit! Examine the two rectangular holes below the window, and -the two holes near the fence. They are of a similar form, but I find -that the two holes near the house are closer to each other than the two -holes near the fence. What does that fact suggest? To me, it suggested -that the four holes were made by a piece of wood prepared for the -purpose." - -"The better proof would be the piece of wood itself." - -"Here it is," said Sholmes, "I found it in the garden, under the box of -a laurel tree." - -The baron bowed to Sholmes in recognition of his skill. Only forty -minutes had elapsed since the Englishman had entered the house, and he -had already exploded all the theories theretofore formed, and which had -been based on what appeared to be obvious and undeniable facts. But what -now appeared to be the real facts of the case rested upon a more solid -foundation, to-wit, the astute reasoning of a Herlock Sholmes. - -"The accusation which you make against one of our household is a very -serious matter," said the baroness. "Our servants have been with us a -long time and none of them would betray our trust." - -"If none of them has betrayed you, how can you explain the fact that I -received this letter on the same day and by the same mail as the letter -you wrote to me?" - -He handed to the baroness the letter that he had received from Arsène -Lupin. She exclaimed, in amazement: - -"Arsène Lupin! How could he know?" - -"Did you tell anyone that you had written to me?" - -"No one," replied the baron. "The idea occurred to us the other evening -at the dinner-table." - -"Before the servants?" - -"No, only our two children. Oh, no ... Sophie and Henriette had left the -table, hadn't they, Suzanne?" - -Madame d'Imblevalle, after a moment's reflection, replied: - -"Yes, they had gone to Mademoiselle." - -"Mademoiselle?" queried Sholmes. - -"The governess, Mademoiselle Alice Demun." - -"Does she take her meals with you?" - -"No. Her meals are served in her room." - -Wilson had an idea. He said: - -"The letter written to my friend Herlock Sholmes was posted?" - -"Of course." - -"Who posted it?" - -"Dominique, who has been my valet for twenty years," replied the baron. -"Any search in that direction would be a waste of time." - -"One never wastes his time when engaged in a search," said Wilson, -sententiously. - -This preliminary investigation now ended, and Sholmes asked permission -to retire. - -At dinner, an hour later, he saw Sophie and Henriette, the two children -of the family, one was six and the other eight years of age. There was -very little conversation at the table. Sholmes responded to the friendly -advances of his hosts in such a curt manner that they were soon reduced -to silence. When the coffee was served, Sholmes swallowed the contents -of his cup, and rose to take his leave. - -At that moment, a servant entered with a telephone message addressed to -Sholmes. He opened it, and read: - - "You have my enthusiastic admiration. The results attained by you - in so short a time are simply marvellous. I am dismayed. - - "ARSÈNE LUPIN." - -Sholmes made a gesture of indignation and handed the message to the -baron, saying: - -"What do you think now, monsieur? Are the walls of your house furnished -with eyes and ears?" - -"I don't understand it," said the baron, in amazement. - -"Nor do I; but I do understand that Lupin has knowledge of everything -that occurs in this house. He knows every movement, every word. There is -no doubt of it. But how does he get his information? That is the first -mystery I have to solve, and when I know that I will know everything." - - * * * * * - -That night, Wilson retired with the clear conscience of a man who has -performed his whole duty and thus acquired an undoubted right to sleep -and repose. So he fell asleep very quickly, and was soon enjoying the -most delightful dreams in which he pursued Lupin and captured him -single-handed; and the sensation was so vivid and exciting that it woke -him from his sleep. Someone was standing at his bedside. He seized his -revolver, and cried: - -"Don't move, Lupin, or I'll fire." - -"The deuce! Wilson, what do you mean?" - -"Oh! it is you, Sholmes. Do you want me?" - -"I want to show you something. Get up." - -Sholmes led him to the window, and said: - -"Look!... on the other side of the fence...." - -"In the park?" - -"Yes. What do you see?" - -"I don't see anything." - -"Yes, you do see something." - -"Ah! of course, a shadow ... two of them." - -"Yes, close to the fence. See, they are moving. Come, quick!" - -Quickly they descended the stairs, and reached a room which opened into -the garden. Through the glass door they could see the two shadowy forms -in the same place. - -"It is very strange," said Sholmes, "but it seems to me I can hear a -noise inside the house." - -"Inside the house? Impossible! Everybody is asleep." - -"Well, listen----" - -At that moment a low whistle came from the other side of the fence, and -they perceived a dim light which appeared to come from the house. - -"The baron must have turned on the light in his room. It is just above -us." - -"That must have been the noise you heard," said Wilson. "Perhaps they -are watching the fence also." - -Then there was a second whistle, softer than before. - -"I don't understand it; I don't understand," said Sholmes, irritably. - -"No more do I," confessed Wilson. - -Sholmes turned the key, drew the bolt, and quietly opened the door. A -third whistle, louder than before, and modulated to another form. And -the noise above their heads became more pronounced. Sholmes said: - -"It seems to be on the balcony outside the boudoir window." - -He put his head through the half-opened door, but immediately recoiled, -with a stifled oath. Then Wilson looked. Quite close to them there was a -ladder, the upper end of which was resting on the balcony. - -"The deuce!" said Sholmes, "there is someone in the boudoir. That is -what we heard. Quick, let us remove the ladder." - -But at that instant a man slid down the ladder and ran toward the spot -where his accomplices were waiting for him outside the fence. He -carried the ladder with him. Sholmes and Wilson pursued the man and -overtook him just as he was placing the ladder against the fence. From -the other side of the fence two shots were fired. - -"Wounded?" cried Sholmes. - -"No," replied Wilson. - -Wilson seized the man by the body and tried to hold him, but the man -turned and plunged a knife into Wilson's breast. He uttered a groan, -staggered and fell. - -"Damnation!" muttered Sholmes, "if they have killed him I will kill -them." - -He laid Wilson on the grass and rushed toward the ladder. Too late--the -man had climbed the fence and, accompanied by his confederates, had fled -through the bushes. - -"Wilson, Wilson, it is not serious, hein? Merely a scratch." - -The house door opened, and Monsieur d'Imblevalle appeared, followed by -the servants, carrying candles. - -"What's the matter?" asked the baron. "Is Monsieur Wilson wounded?" - -"Oh! it's nothing--a mere scratch," repeated Sholmes, trying to deceive -himself. - -The blood was flowing profusely, and Wilson's face was livid. Twenty -minutes later the doctor ascertained that the point of the knife had -penetrated to within an inch and a half of the heart. - -"An inch and a half of the heart! Wilson always was lucky!" said -Sholmes, in an envious tone. - -"Lucky ... lucky...." muttered the doctor. - -"Of course! Why, with his robust constitution he will soon be out -again." - -"Six weeks in bed and two months of convalescence." - -"Not more?" - -"No, unless complications set in." - -"Oh! the devil! what does he want complications for?" - -Fully reassured, Sholmes joined the baron in the boudoir. This time the -mysterious visitor had not exercised the same restraint. Ruthlessly, he -had laid his vicious hand upon the diamond snuff-box, upon the opal -necklace, and, in a general way, upon everything that could find a place -in the greedy pockets of an enterprising burglar. - -The window was still open; one of the window-panes had been neatly cut; -and, in the morning, a summary investigation showed that the ladder -belonged to the house then in course of construction. - -"Now, you can see," said Mon. d'Imblevalle, with a touch of irony, "it -is an exact repetition of the affair of the Jewish lamp." - -"Yes, if we accept the first theory adopted by the police." - -"Haven't you adopted it yet? Doesn't this second theft shatter your -theory in regard to the first?" - -"It only confirms it, monsieur." - -"That is incredible! You have positive evidence that last night's theft -was committed by an outsider, and yet you adhere to your theory that the -Jewish lamp was stolen by someone in the house." - -"Yes, I am sure of it." - -"How do you explain it?" - -"I do not explain anything, monsieur; I have established two facts which -do not appear to have any relation to each other, and yet I am seeking -the missing link that connects them." - -His conviction seemed to be so earnest and positive that the baron -submitted to it, and said: - -"Very well, we will notify the police----" - -"Not at all!" exclaimed the Englishman, quickly, "not at all! I intend -to ask for their assistance when I need it--but not before." - -"But the attack on your friend?" - -"That's of no consequence. He is only wounded. Secure the license of the -doctor. I shall be responsible for the legal side of the affair." - - * * * * * - -The next two days proved uneventful. Yet Sholmes was investigating the -case with a minute care, and with a sense of wounded pride resulting -from that audacious theft, committed under his nose, in spite of his -presence and beyond his power to prevent it. He made a thorough -investigation of the house and garden, interviewed the servants, and -paid lengthy visits to the kitchen and stables. And, although his -efforts were fruitless, he did not despair. - -"I will succeed," he thought, "and the solution must be sought within -the walls of this house. This affair is quite different from that of the -blonde Lady, where I had to work in the dark, on unknown ground. This -time I am on the battlefield itself. The enemy is not the elusive and -invisible Lupin, but the accomplice, in flesh and blood, who lives and -moves within the confines of this house. Let me secure the slightest -clue and the game is mine!" - -That clue was furnished to him by accident. - -On the afternoon of the third day, when he entered a room located above -the boudoir, which served as a study for the children, he found -Henriette, the younger of the two sisters. She was looking for her -scissors. - -"You know," she said to Sholmes, "I make papers like that you received -the other evening." - -"The other evening?" - -"Yes, just as dinner was over, you received a paper with marks on it ... -you know, a telegram.... Well, I make them, too." - -She left the room. To anyone else these words would seem to be nothing -more than the insignificant remark of a child, and Sholmes himself -listened to them with a distracted air and continued his investigation. -But, suddenly, he ran after the child, and overtook her at the head of -the stairs. He said to her: - -"So you paste stamps and marks on papers?" - -Henriette, very proudly, replied: - -"Yes, I cut them out and paste them on." - -"Who taught you that little game?" - -"Mademoiselle ... my governess ... I have seen her do it often. She -takes words out of the newspapers and pastes them----" - -"What does she make out of them?" - -"Telegrams and letters that she sends away." - -Herlock Sholmes returned to the study, greatly puzzled by the -information and seeking to draw from it a logical deduction. There was a -pile of newspapers on the mantel. He opened them and found that many -words and, in some places, entire lines had been cut out. But, after -reading a few of the word's which preceded or followed, he decided that -the missing words had been cut out at random--probably by the child. It -was possible that one of the newspapers had been cut by mademoiselle; -but how could he assure himself that such was the case? - -Mechanically, Sholmes turned over the school-books on the table; then -others which were lying on the shelf of a bookcase. Suddenly he uttered -a cry of joy. In a corner of the bookcase, under a pile of old exercise -books, he found a child's alphabet-book, in which the letters were -ornamented with pictures, and on one of the pages of that book he -discovered a place where a word had been removed. He examined it. It -was a list of the days of the week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. The -word "Saturday" was missing. Now, the theft of the Jewish lamp had -occurred on a Saturday night. - -Sholmes experienced that slight fluttering of the heart which always -announced to him, in the clearest manner, that he had discovered the -road which leads to victory. That ray of truth, that feeling of -certainty, never deceived him. - -With nervous fingers he hastened to examine the balance of the book. -Very soon he made another discovery. It was a page composed of capital -letters, followed by a line of figures. Nine of those letters and three -of those figures had been carefully cut out. Sholmes made a list of the -missing letters and figures in his memorandum book, in alphabetical and -numerical order, and obtained the following result: - -CDEHNOPEZ--237. - -"Well? at first sight, it is a rather formidable puzzle," he murmured, -"but, by transposing the letters and using all of them, is it possible -to form one, two or three complete words?" - -Sholmes tried it, in vain. - -Only one solution seemed possible; it constantly appeared before him, no -matter which way he tried to juggle the letters, until, at length, he -was satisfied it was the true solution, since it harmonized with the -logic of the facts and the general circumstances of the case. - -As that page of the book did not contain any duplicate letters it was -probable, in fact quite certain, that the words he could form from those -letters would be incomplete, and that the original words had been -completed with letters taken from other pages. Under those conditions he -obtained the following solution, errors and omissions excepted: - -REPOND Z--CH--237. - -The first word was quite clear: répondez [reply], a letter E is missing -because it occurs twice in the word, and the book furnished only one -letter of each kind. - -As to the second incomplete word, no doubt it formed, with the aid of -the number 237, an address to which the reply was to be sent. They -appointed Saturday as the time, and requested a reply to be sent to the -address CH. 237. - -Or, perhaps, CH. 237 was an address for a letter to be sent to the -"general delivery" of some postoffice, or, again, they might form a -part of some incomplete word. Sholmes searched the book once more, but -did not discover that any other letters had been removed. Therefore, -until further orders, he decided to adhere to the foregoing -interpretation. - -Henriette returned and observed what he was doing. - -"Amusing, isn't it?" - -"Yes, very amusing," he replied. "But, have you any other papers?... Or, -rather, words already cut out that I can paste?" - -"Papers?... No.... And Mademoiselle wouldn't like it." - -"Mademoiselle?" - -"Yes, she has scolded me already." - -"Why?" - -"Because I have told you some things ... and she says that a person -should never tell things about those they love." - -"You are quite right." - -Henriette was delighted to receive his approbation, in fact so highly -pleased that she took from a little silk bag that was pinned to her -dress some scraps of cloth, three buttons, two cubes of sugar and, -lastly, a piece of paper which she handed to Sholmes. - -"See, I give it to you just the same." - -It was the number of a cab--8,279. - -"Where did this number come from?" - -"It fell out of her pocketbook." - -"When?" - -"Sunday, at mass, when she was taking out some sous for the collection." - -"Exactly! And now I shall tell you how to keep from being scolded again. -Do not tell Mademoiselle that you saw me." - -Sholmes then went to Mon. d'Imblevalle and questioned him in regard to -Mademoiselle. The baron replied, indignantly: - -"Alice Demun! How can you imagine such a thing? It is utterly -impossible!" - -"How long has she been in your service?" - -"Only a year, but there is no one in the house in whom I have greater -confidence." - -"Why have I not seen her yet?" - -"She has been away for a few days." - -"But she is here now." - -"Yes; since her return she has been watching at the bedside of your -friend. She has all the qualities of a nurse ... gentle ... thoughtful -... Monsieur Wilson seems much pleased...." - -"Ah!" said Sholmes, who had completely neglected to inquire about his -friend. After a moment's reflection he asked: - -"Did she go out on Sunday morning?" - -"The day after the theft?" - -"Yes." - -The baron called his wife and asked her. She replied: - -"Mademoiselle went to the eleven o'clock mass with the children, as -usual." - -"But before that?" - -"Before that? No.... Let me see!... I was so upset by the theft ... but -I remember now that, on the evening before, she asked permission to go -out on Sunday morning ... to see a cousin who was passing through Paris, -I think. But, surely, you don't suspect her?" - -"Of course not ... but I would like to see her." - -He went to Wilson's room. A woman dressed in a gray cloth dress, as in -the hospitals, was bending over the invalid, giving him a drink. When -she turned her face Sholmes recognized her as the young girl who had -accosted him at the railway station. - -Alice Demun smiled sweetly; her great serious, innocent eyes showed no -sign of embarrassment. The Englishman tried to speak, muttered a few -syllables, and stopped. Then she resumed her work, acting quite -naturally under Sholmes' astonished gaze, moved the bottles, unrolled -and rolled cotton bandages, and again regarded Sholmes with her charming -smile of pure innocence. - -He turned on his heels, descended the stairs, noticed Mon. -d'Imblevalle's automobile in the courtyard, jumped into it, and went to -Levallois, to the office of the cab company whose address was printed on -the paper he had received from Henriette. The man who had driven -carriage number 8,279 on Sunday morning not being there, Sholmes -dismissed the automobile and waited for the man's return. He told -Sholmes that he had picked up a woman in the vicinity of the Parc -Monceau, a young woman dressed in black, wearing a heavy veil, and, -apparently, quite nervous. - -"Did she have a package?" - -"Yes, quite a long package." - -"Where did you take her?" - -"Avenue des Ternes, corner of the Place Saint-Ferdinand. She remained -there about ten minutes, and then returned to the Parc Monceau." - -"Could you recognize the house in the avenue des Ternes?" - -"Parbleu! Shall I take you there?" - -"Presently. First take me to 36 quai des Orfèvres." - -At the police office he saw Detective Ganimard. - -"Monsieur Ganimard, are you at liberty?" - -"If it has anything to do with Lupin--no!" - -"It has something to do with Lupin." - -"Then I do not go." - -"What! you surrender----" - -"I bow to the inevitable. I am tired of the unequal struggle, in which -we are sure to be defeated. Lupin is stronger than I am--stronger than -the two of us; therefore, we must surrender." - -"I will not surrender." - -"He will make you, as he has all others." - -"And you would be pleased to see it--eh, Ganimard?" - -"At all events, it is true," said Ganimard, frankly. "And since you are -determined to pursue the game, I will go with you." - -Together they entered the carriage and were driven to the avenue des -Ternes. Upon their order the carriage stopped on the other side of the -street, at some distance from the house, in front of a little café, on -the terrace of which the two men took seats amongst the shrubbery. It -was commencing to grow dark. - -"Waiter," said Sholmes, "some writing material." - -He wrote a note, recalled the waiter and gave him the letter with -instructions to deliver it to the concierge of the house which he -pointed out. - -In a few minutes the concierge stood before them. Sholmes asked him if, -on the Sunday morning, he had seen a young woman dressed in black. - -"In black? Yes, about nine o'clock. She went to the second floor." - -"Have you seen her often?" - -"No, but for some time--well, during the last few weeks, I have seen her -almost every day." - -"And since Sunday?" - -"Only once ... until to-day." - -"What! Did she come to-day?" - -"She is here now." - -"Here now?" - -"Yes, she came about ten minutes ago. Her carriage is standing in the -Place Saint-Ferdinand, as usual. I met her at the door." - -"Who is the occupant of the second floor?" - -"There are two: a modiste, Mademoiselle Langeais, and a gentleman who -rented two furnished rooms a month ago under the name of Bresson." - -"Why do you say 'under the name'?" - -"Because I have an idea that it is an assumed name. My wife takes care -of his rooms, and ... well, there are not two shirts there with the same -initials." - -"Is he there much of the time?" - -"No; he is nearly always out. He has not been here for three days." - -"Was he here on Saturday night?" - -"Saturday night?... Let me think.... Yes, Saturday night, he came in and -stayed all night." - -"What sort of a man is he?" - -"Well, I can scarcely answer that. He is so changeable. He is, by turns, -big, little, fat, thin ... dark and light. I do not always recognize -him." - -Ganimard and Sholmes exchanged looks. - -"That is he, all right," said Ganimard. - -"Ah!" said the concierge, "there is the girl now." - -Mademoiselle had just emerged from the house and was walking toward her -carriage in the Place Saint-Ferdinand. - -"And there is Monsieur Bresson." - -"Monsieur Bresson? Which is he?" - -"The man with the parcel under his arm." - -"But he is not looking after the girl. She is going to her carriage -alone." - -"Yes, I have never seen them together." - -The two detectives had arisen. By the light of the street-lamps they -recognized the form of Arsène Lupin, who had started off in a direction -opposite to that taken by the girl. - -"Which will you follow?" asked Ganimard. - -"I will follow him, of course. He's the biggest game." - -"Then I will follow the girl," proposed Ganimard. - -"No, no," said Sholmes, quickly, who did not wish to disclose the girl's -identity to Ganimard, "I know where to find her. Come with me." - -They followed Lupin at a safe distance, taking care to conceal -themselves as well as possible amongst the moving throng and behind the -newspaper kiosks. They found the pursuit an easy one, as he walked -steadily forward without turning to the right or left, but with a -slight limp in the right leg, so slight as to require the keen eye of a -professional observer to detect it. Ganimard observed it, and said: - -"He is pretending to be lame. Ah! if we could only collect two or three -policemen and pounce on our man! We run a chance to lose him." - -But they did not meet any policemen before they reached the Porte des -Ternes, and, having passed the fortifications, there was no prospect of -receiving any assistance. - -"We had better separate," said Sholmes, "as there are so few people on -the street." - -They were now on the Boulevard Victor-Hugo. They walked one on each side -of the street, and kept well in the shadow of the trees. They continued -thus for twenty minutes, when Lupin turned to the left and followed the -Seine. Very soon they saw him descend to the edge of the river. He -remained there only a few seconds, but they could not observe his -movements. Then Lupin retraced his steps. His pursuers concealed -themselves in the shadow of a gateway. Lupin passed in front of them. -His parcel had disappeared. And as he walked away another man emerged -from the shelter of a house and glided amongst the trees. - -"He seems to be following him also," said Sholmes, in a low voice. - -The pursuit continued, but was now embarrassed by the presence of the -third man. Lupin returned the same way, passed through the Porte des -Ternes, and re-entered the house in the avenue des Ternes. - -The concierge was closing the house for the night when Ganimard -presented himself. - -"Did you see him?" - -"Yes," replied the concierge, "I was putting out the gas on the landing -when he closed and bolted his door." - -"Is there any person with him?" - -"No; he has no servant. He never eats here." - -"Is there a servants' stairway?" - -"No." - -Ganimard said to Sholmes: - -"I had better stand at the door of his room while you go for the -commissary of police in the rue Demours." - -"And if he should escape during that time?" said Sholmes. - -"While I am here! He can't escape." - -"One to one, with Lupin, is not an even chance for you." - -"Well, I can't force the door. I have no right to do that, especially at -night." - -Sholmes shrugged his shoulders and said: - -"When you arrest Lupin no one will question the methods by which you -made the arrest. However, let us go up and ring, and see what happens -then." - -They ascended to the second floor. There was a double door at the left -of the landing. Ganimard rang the bell. No reply. He rang again. Still -no reply. - -"Let us go in," said Sholmes. - -"All right, come on," replied Ganimard. - -Yet, they stood still, irresolute. Like people who hesitate when they -ought to accomplish a decisive action they feared to move, and it seemed -to them impossible that Arsène Lupin was there, so close to them, on the -other side of that fragile door that could be broken down by one blow of -the fist. But they knew Lupin too well to suppose that he would allow -himself to be trapped in that stupid manner. No, no--a thousand times, -no--Lupin was no longer there. Through the adjoining houses, over the -roofs, by some conveniently prepared exit, he must have already made -his escape, and, once more, it would only be Lupin's shadow that they -would seize. - -They shuddered as a slight noise, coming from the other side of the -door, reached their ears. Then they had the impression, amounting almost -to a certainty, that he was there, separated from them by that frail -wooden door, and that he was listening to them, that he could hear them. - -What was to be done? The situation was a serious one. In spite of their -vast experience as detectives, they were so nervous and excited that -they thought they could hear the beating of their own hearts. Ganimard -questioned Sholmes by a look. Then he struck the door a violent blow -with his fist. Immediately they heard the sound of footsteps, concerning -which there was no attempt at concealment. - -Ganimard shook the door. Then he and Sholmes, uniting their efforts, -rushed at the door, and burst it open with their shoulders. Then they -stood still, in surprise. A shot had been fired in the adjoining room. -Another shot, and the sound of a falling body. - -When they entered they saw the man lying on the floor with his face -toward the marble mantel. His revolver had fallen from his hand. -Ganimard stooped and turned the man's head. The face was covered with -blood, which was flowing from two wounds, one in the cheek, the other in -the temple. - -"You can't recognize him for blood." - -"No matter!" said Sholmes. "It is not Lupin." - -"How do you know? You haven't even looked at him." - -"Do you think that Arsène Lupin is the kind of a man that would kill -himself?" asked Sholmes, with a sneer. - -"But we thought we recognized him outside." - -"We thought so, because the wish was father to the thought. That man has -us bewitched." - -"Then it must be one of his accomplices." - -"The accomplices of Arsène Lupin do not kill themselves." - -"Well, then, who is it?" - -They searched the corpse. In one pocket Herlock Sholmes found an empty -pocketbook; in another Ganimard found several louis. There were no marks -of identification on any part of his clothing. In a trunk and two -valises they found nothing but wearing apparel. On the mantel there was -a pile of newspapers. Ganimard opened them. All of them contained -articles referring to the theft of the Jewish lamp. - -An hour later, when Ganimard and Sholmes left the house, they had -acquired no further knowledge of the strange individual who had been -driven to suicide by their untimely visit. - -Who was he? Why had he killed himself? What was his connection with the -affair of the Jewish lamp? Who had followed him on his return from the -river? The situation involved many complex questions--many mysteries---- - - * * * * * - -Herlock Sholmes went to bed in a very bad humor. Early next morning he -received the following telephonic message: - -"Arsène Lupin has the honor to inform you of his tragic death in the -person of Monsieur Bresson, and requests the honor of your presence at -the funeral service and burial, which will be held at the public expense -on Thursday, 25 June." - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -THE SHIPWRECK. - - -"That's what I don't like, Wilson," said Herlock Sholmes, after he had -read Arsène Lupin's message; "that is what exasperates me in this -affair--to feel that the cunning, mocking eye of that fellow follows me -everywhere. He sees everything; he knows everything; he reads my inmost -thoughts; he even foresees my slightest movement. Ah! he is possessed of -a marvellous intuition, far surpassing that of the most instinctive -woman, yes, surpassing even that of Herlock Sholmes himself. Nothing -escapes him. I resemble an actor whose every step and movement are -directed by a stage-manager; who says this and does that in obedience to -a superior will. That is my position. Do you understand, Wilson?" - -Certainly Wilson would have understood if his faculties had not been -deadened by the profound slumber of a man whose temperature varies -between one hundred and one hundred and three degrees. But whether he -heard or not was a matter of no consequence to Herlock Sholmes, who -continued: - -"I have to concentrate all my energy and bring all my resources into -action in order to make the slightest progress. And, fortunately for me, -those petty annoyances are like so many pricks from a needle and serve -only to stimulate me. As soon as the heat of the wound is appeased and -the shock to my vanity has subsided I say to myself: 'Amuse yourself, my -dear fellow, but remember that he who laughs last laughs best. Sooner or -later you will betray yourself.' For you know, Wilson, it was Lupin -himself, who, by his first dispatch and the observation that it -suggested to little Henriette, disclosed to me the secret of his -correspondence with Alice Hemun. Have you forgotten that circumstance, -dear boy?" - -But Wilson was asleep; and Sholmes, pacing to and fro, resumed his -speech: - -"And, now, things are not in a bad shape; a little obscure, perhaps, but -the light is creeping in. In the first place, I must learn all about -Monsieur Bresson. Ganimard and I will visit the bank of the river, at -the spot where Bresson threw away the package, and the particular rôle -of that gentleman will be known to me. After that the game will be -played between me and Alice Demun. Rather a light-weight opponent, hein, -Wilson? And do you not think that I will soon know the phrase -represented by the letters clipped from the alphabet-book, and what the -isolated letters--the 'C' and the 'H'--mean? That is all I want to know, -Wilson." - -Mademoiselle entered at that moment, and, observing Sholmes -gesticulating, she said, in her sweetest manner: - -"Monsieur Sholmes, I must scold you if you waken my patient. It isn't -nice of you to disturb him. The doctor has ordered absolute rest." - -He looked at her in silence, astonished, as on their first meeting, at -her wonderful self-possession. - -"Why do you look at me so, Monsieur Sholmes?... You seem to be trying to -read my thoughts.... No?... Then what is it?" - -She questioned him with the most innocent expression on her pretty face -and in her frank blue eyes. A smile played upon her lips; and she -displayed so much unaffected candor that the Englishman almost lost his -temper. He approached her and said, in a low voice: - -"Bresson killed himself last night." - -She affected not to understand him; so he repeated: - -"Bresson killed himself yesterday...." - -She did not show the slightest emotion; she acted as if the matter did -not concern or interest her in any way. - -"You have been informed," said Sholmes, displaying his annoyance. -"Otherwise, the news would have caused you to start, at least. Ah! you -are stronger than I expected. But what's the use of your trying to -conceal anything from me?" - -He picked up the alphabet-book, which he had placed on a convenient -table, and, opening it at the mutilated page, said: - -"Will you tell me the order in which the missing letters should be -arranged in order to express the exact wording of the message you sent -to Bresson four days before the theft of the Jewish lamp?" - -"The order?... Bresson?... the theft of the Jewish lamp?" - -She repeated the words slowly, as if trying to grasp their meaning. He -continued: - -"Yes. Here are the letters employed ... on this bit of paper.... What -did you say to Bresson?" - -"The letters employed ... what did I say...." - -Suddenly she burst into laughter: - -"Ah! that is it! I understand! I am an accomplice in the crime! There is -a Monsieur Bresson who stole the Jewish lamp and who has now committed -suicide. And I am the friend of that gentleman. Oh! how absurd you are!" - -"Whom did you go to see last night on the second floor of a house in the -avenue des Ternes?" - -"Who? My modiste, Mademoiselle Langeais. Do you suppose that my modiste -and my friend Monsieur Bresson are the same person?" - -Despite all he knew, Sholmes was now in doubt. A person can feign -terror, joy, anxiety, in fact all emotions; but a person cannot feign -absolute indifference or light, careless laughter. Yet he continued to -question her: - -"Why did you accost me the other evening at the Northern Railway -station? And why did you entreat me to leave Paris immediately without -investigating this theft?" - -"Ah! you are too inquisitive, Monsieur Sholmes," she replied, still -laughing in the most natural manner. "To punish you I will tell you -nothing, and, besides, you must watch the patient while I go to the -pharmacy on an urgent message. Au revoir." - -She left the room. - -"I am beaten ... by a girl," muttered Sholmes. "Not only did I get -nothing out of her but I exposed my hand and put her on her guard." - -And he recalled the affair of the blue diamond and his first interview -with Clotilde Destange. Had not the blonde Lady met his question with -the same unruffled serenity, and was he not once more face to face with -one of those creatures who, under the protection and influence of Arsène -Lupin, maintain the utmost coolness in the face of a terrible danger? - -"Sholmes ... Sholmes...." - -It was Wilson who called him. Sholmes approached the bed, and, leaning -over, said: - -"What's the matter, Wilson? Does your wound pain you?" - -Wilson's lips moved, but he could not speak. At last, with a great -effort, he stammered: - -"No ... Sholmes ... it is not she ... that is impossible----" - -"Come, Wilson, what do you know about it? I tell you that it is she! It -is only when I meet one of Lupin's creatures, prepared and instructed by -him, that I lose my head and make a fool of myself.... I bet you that -within an hour Lupin will know all about our interview. Within an hour? -What am I saying?... Why, he may know already. The visit to the pharmacy -... urgent message. All nonsense!... She has gone to telephone to -Lupin." - -Sholmes left the house hurriedly, went down the avenue de Messine, and -was just in time to see Mademoiselle enter a pharmacy. Ten minutes later -she emerged from the shop carrying some small packages and a bottle -wrapped in white paper. But she had not proceeded far, when she was -accosted by a man who, with hat in hand and an obsequious air, appeared -to be asking for charity. She stopped, gave him something, and proceeded -on her way. - -"She spoke to him," said the Englishman to himself. - -If not a certainty, it was at least an intuition, and quite sufficient -to cause him to change his tactics. Leaving the girl to pursue her own -course, he followed the suspected mendicant, who walked slowly to the -avenue des Ternes and lingered for a long time around the house in -which Bresson had lived, sometimes raising his eyes to the windows of -the second floor and watching the people who entered the house. - -At the end of an hour he climbed to the top of a tramcar going in the -direction of Neuilly. Sholmes followed and took a seat behind the man, -and beside a gentleman who was concealed behind the pages of a -newspaper. At the fortifications the gentleman lowered the paper, and -Sholmes recognized Ganimard, who thereupon whispered, as he pointed to -the man in front: - -"It is the man who followed Bresson last night. He has been watching the -house for an hour." - -"Anything new in regard to Bresson?" asked Sholmes. - -"Yes, a letter came to his address this morning." - -"This morning? Then it was posted yesterday before the sender could know -of Bresson's death." - -"Exactly. It is now in the possession of the examining magistrate. But I -read it. It says: _He will not accept any compromise. He wants -everything--the first thing as well as those of the second affair. -Otherwise he will proceed._" - -"There is no signature," added Ganimard. "It seems to me those few lines -won't help us much." - -"I don't agree with you, Monsieur Ganimard. To me those few lines are -very interesting." - -"Why so? I can't see it." - -"For reasons that are personal to me," replied Sholmes, with the -indifference that he frequently displayed toward his colleague. - -The tramcar stopped at the rue de Château, which was the terminus. The -man descended and walked away quietly. Sholmes followed at so short a -distance that Ganimard protested, saying: - -"If he should turn around he will suspect us." - -"He will not turn around." - -"How do you know?" - -"He is an accomplice of Arsène Lupin, and the fact that he walks in that -manner, with his hands in his pockets, proves, in the first place, that -he knows he is being followed and, in the second place, that he is not -afraid." - -"But I think we are keeping too close to him." - -"Not too close to prevent his slipping through our fingers. He is too -sure of himself." - -"Ah! Look there! In front of that café there are two of the bicycle -police. If I summon them to our assistance, how can the man slip through -our fingers?" - -"Well, our friend doesn't seem to be worried about it. In fact, he is -asking for their assistance himself." - -"Mon Dieu!" exclaimed Ganimard, "he has a nerve." - -The man approached the two policemen just as they were mounting their -bicycles. After a few words with them he leaped on a third bicycle, -which was leaning against the wall of the café, and rode away at a fast -pace, accompanied by the two policemen. - -"Hein! one, two, three and away!" growled Sholmes. "And through, whose -agency, Monsieur Ganimard? Two of your colleagues.... Ah! but Arsène -Lupin has a wonderful organization! Bicycle policemen in his service!... -I told you our man was too calm, too sure of himself." - -"Well, then," said Ganimard, quite vexed, "what are we to do now? It is -easy enough to laugh! Anyone can do that." - -"Come, come, don't lose your temper! We will get our revenge. But, in -the meantime, we need reinforcements." - -"Folenfant is waiting for me at the end of the avenue de Neuilly." - -"Well, go and get him and join me later. I will follow our fugitive." - -Sholmes followed the bicycle tracks, which were plainly visible in the -dust of the road as two of the machines were furnished with striated -tires. Very soon he ascertained that the tracks were leading him to the -edge of the Seine, and that the three men had turned in the direction -taken by Bresson on the preceding evening. Thus he arrived at the -gateway where he and Ganimard had concealed themselves, and, a little -farther on, he discovered a mingling of the bicycle tracks which showed -that the men had halted at that spot. Directly opposite there was a -little point of land which projected into the river and, at the -extremity thereof, an old boat was moored. - -It was there that Bresson had thrown away the package, or, rather, had -dropped it. Sholmes descended the bank and saw that the declivity was -not steep and the water quite shallow, so it would be quite easy to -recover the package, provided the three men had not forestalled him. - -"No, that can't be," he thought, "they have not had time. A quarter of -an hour at the most. And yet, why did they come this way?" - -A fisherman was seated on the old boat. Sholmes asked him: - -"Did you see three men on bicycles a few minutes ago?" - -The fisherman made a negative gesture. But Sholmes insisted: - -"Three men who stopped on the road just on top of the bank?" - -The fisherman rested his pole under his arm, took a memorandum book from -his pocket, wrote on one of the pages, tore it out, and handed it to -Sholmes. The Englishman gave a start of surprise. In the middle of the -paper which he held in his hand he saw the series of letters cut from -the alphabet-book: - -CDEHNOPRZEO--237. - -The man resumed his fishing, sheltered from the sun by a large straw -hat, with his coat and vest lying beside him. He was intently watching -the cork attached to his line as it floated on the surface of the water. - -There was a moment of silence--solemn and terrible. - -"Is it he?" conjectured Sholmes, with an anxiety that was almost -pitiful. Then the truth burst upon him: - -"It is he! It is he! No one else could remain there so calmly, without -the slightest display of anxiety, without the least fear of what might -happen. And who else would know the story of those mysterious letters? -Alice had warned him by means of her messenger." - -Suddenly the Englishman felt that his hand--that his own hand had -involuntarily seized the handle of his revolver, and that his eyes were -fixed on the man's back, a little below the neck. One movement, and the -drama would be finished; the life of the strange adventurer would come -to a miserable end. - -The fisherman did not stir. - -Sholmes nervously toyed with his revolver, and experienced a wild desire -to fire it and end everything; but the horror of such an act was -repugnant to his nature. Death would be certain and would end all. - -"Ah!" he thought, "let him get up and defend himself. If he doesn't, so -much the worse for him. One second more ... and I fire...." - -But a sound of footsteps behind him caused him to turn his head. It was -Ganimard coming with some assistants. - -Then, quickly changing his plans, Sholmes leaped into the boat, which -was broken from its moorings by his sudden action; he pounced upon the -man and seized him around the body. They rolled to the bottom of the -boat together. - -"Well, now!" exclaimed Lupin, struggling to free himself, "what does -this mean? When one of us has conquered the other, what good will it do? -You will not know what to do with me, nor I with you. We will remain -here like two idiots." - -The two oars slipped into the water. The boat drifted into the stream. - -"Good Lord, what a fuss you make! A man of your age ought to know -better! You act like a child." - -Lupin succeeded in freeing himself from the grasp of the detective, who, -thoroughly exasperated and ready to kill, put his hand in his pocket. He -uttered an oath: Lupin had taken his revolver. Then he knelt down and -tried to capture one of the lost oars in order to regain the shore, -while Lupin was trying to capture the other oar in order to drive the -boat down the river. - -"It's gone! I can't reach it," said Lupin. "But it's of no consequence. -If you get your oar I can prevent your using it. And you could do the -same to me. But, you see, that is the way in this world, we act without -any purpose or reason, as our efforts are in vain since Fate decides -everything. Now, don't you see, Fate is on the side of his friend Lupin. -The game is mine! The current favors me!" - -The boat was slowly drifting down the river. - -"Look out!" cried Lupin, quickly. - -Someone on the bank was pointing a revolver. Lupin stooped, a shot was -fired; it struck the water beyond the boat. Lupin burst into laughter. - -"God bless me! It's my friend Ganimard! But it was very wrong of you to -do that, Ganimard. You have no right to shoot except in self-defense. -Does poor Lupin worry you so much that you forget yourself?... Now, be -good, and don't shoot again!... If you do you will hit our English -friend." - -He stood behind Sholmes, facing Ganimard, and said: - -"Now, Ganimard, I am ready! Aim for his heart!... Higher!... A little to -the left.... Ah! you missed that time ... deuced bad shot.... Try -again.... Your hand shakes, Ganimard.... Now, once more ... one, two, -three, fire!... Missed!... Parbleu! the authorities furnish you with -toy-pistols." - -Lupin drew a long revolver and fired without taking aim. Ganimard put -his hand to his hat: the bullet had passed through it. - -"What do you think of that, Ganimard! Ah! that's a real revolver! A -genuine English bulldog. It belongs to my friend, Herlock Sholmes." - -And, with a laugh, he threw the revolver to the shore, where it landed -at Ganimard's feet. - -Sholmes could not withhold a smile of admiration. What a torrent of -youthful spirits! And how he seemed to enjoy himself! It appeared as if -the sensation of peril caused him a physical pleasure; and this -extraordinary man had no other purpose in life than to seek for dangers -simply for the amusement it afforded him in avoiding them. - -Many people had now gathered on the banks of the river, and Ganimard -and his men followed the boat as it slowly floated down the stream. -Lupin's capture was a mathematical certainty. - -"Confess, old fellow," said Lupin, turning to the Englishman, "that you -would not exchange your present position for all the gold in the -Transvaal! You are now in the first row of the orchestra chairs! But, in -the first place, we must have the prologue ... after which we can leap, -at one bound, to the fifth act of the drama, which will represent the -capture or escape of Arsène Lupin. Therefore, I am going to ask you a -plain question, to which I request a plain answer--a simple yes or no. -Will you renounce this affair? At present I can repair the damage you -have done; later it will be beyond my power. Is it a bargain?" - -"No." - -Lupin's face showed his disappointment and annoyance. He continued: - -"I insist. More for your sake than my own, I insist, because I am -certain you will be the first to regret your intervention. For the last -time, yes or no?" - -"No." - -Lupin stooped down, removed one of the boards in the bottom of the -boat, and, for some minutes, was engaged in a work the nature of which -Sholmes could not discern. Then he arose, seated himself beside the -Englishman, and said: - -"I believe, monsieur, that we came to the river to-day for the same -purpose: to recover the object which Bresson threw away. For my part I -had invited a few friends to join me here, and I was on the point of -making an examination of the bed of the river when my friends announced -your approach. I confess that the news did not surprise me, as I have -been notified every hour concerning the progress of your investigation. -That was an easy matter. Whenever anything occurred in the rue Murillo -that might interest me, simply a ring on the telephone and I was -informed." - -He stopped. The board that he had displaced in the bottom of the boat -was rising and water was working into the boat all around it. - -"The deuce! I didn't know how to fix it. I was afraid this old boat -would leak. You are not afraid, monsieur?" - -Sholmes shrugged his shoulders. Lupin continued: - -"You will understand then, in those circumstances, and knowing in -advance that you would be more eager to seek a battle than I would be to -avoid it, I assure you I was not entirely displeased to enter into a -contest of which the issue is quite certain, since I hold all the trump -cards in my hand. And I desired that our meeting should be given the -widest publicity in order that your defeat may be universally known, so -that another Countess de Crozon or another Baron d'Imblevalle may not be -tempted to solicit your aid against me. Besides, my dear monsieur--" - -He stopped again and, using his half-closed hands as a lorgnette, he -scanned the banks of the river. - -"Mon Dieu! they have chartered a superb boat, a real war-vessel, and see -how they are rowing. In five minutes they will be along-side, and I am -lost. Monsieur Sholmes, a word of advice; you seize me, bind me and -deliver me to the officers of the law. Does that programme please -you?... Unless, in the meantime, we are shipwrecked, in which event we -can do nothing but prepare our wills. What do you think?" - -They exchanged looks. Sholmes now understood Lupin's scheme: he had -scuttled the boat. And the water was rising. It had reached the soles -of their boots. Then it covered their feet; but they did not move. It -was half-way to their knees. The Englishman took out his tobacco, rolled -a cigarette, and lighted it. Lupin continued to talk: - -"But do not regard that offer as a confession of my weakness. I -surrender to you in a battle in which I can achieve a victory in order -to avoid a struggle upon a field not of my own choosing. In so doing I -recognize the fact that Sholmes is the only enemy I fear, and announce -my anxiety that Sholmes will not be diverted from my track. I take this -opportunity to tell you these things since fate has accorded me the -honor of a conversation with you. I have only one regret; it is that our -conversation should have occurred while we are taking a foot-bath ... a -situation that is lacking in dignity, I must confess.... What did I say? -A foot-bath? It is worse than that." - -The water had reached the board on which they were sitting, and the boat -was gradually sinking. - -Sholmes, smoking his cigarette, appeared to be calmly admiring the -scenery. For nothing in the world, while face to face with that man -who, while threatened by dangers, surrounded by a crowd, followed by a -posse of police, maintained his equanimity and good humor, for nothing -in the world would he, Sholmes, display the slightest sign of -nervousness. - -Each of them looked as if he might say: Should a person be disturbed by -such trifles? Are not people drowned in a river every day? Is it such an -unusual event as to deserve special attention? One chatted, whilst the -other dreamed; both concealing their wounded pride beneath a mask of -indifference. - -One minute more and the boat will sink. Lupin continued his chatter: - -"The important thing to know is whether we will sink before or after the -arrival of the champions of the law. That is the main question. As to -our shipwreck, that is a fore-gone conclusion. Now, monsieur, the hour -has come in which we must make our wills. I give, devise and bequeath -all my property to Herlock Sholmes, a citizen of England, for his own -use and benefit. But, mon Dieu, how quickly the champions of the law are -approaching! Ah! the brave fellows! It is a pleasure to watch them. -Observe the precision of the oars! Ah! is it you, Brigadier Folenfant? -Bravo! The idea of a war-vessel is an excellent one. I commend you to -your superiors, Brigadier Folenfant.... Do you wish a medal? You shall -have it. And your comrade Dieuzy, where is he?... Ah! yes, I think I see -him on the left bank of the river at the head of a hundred natives. So -that, if I escape shipwreck, I shall be captured on the left by Dieuzy -and his natives, or, on the right, by Ganimard and the populace of -Neuilly. An embarrassing dilemma!" - -The boat entered an eddy; it swung around and Sholmes caught hold of the -oarlocks. Lupin said to him: - -"Monsieur, you should remove your coat. You will find it easier to swim -without a coat. No? You refuse? Then I shall put on my own." - -He donned his coat, buttoned it closely, the same as Sholmes, and said: - -"What a discourteous man you are! And what a pity that you should be so -stubborn in this affair, in which, of course, you display your strength, -but, oh! so vainly! really, you mar your genius----" - -"Monsieur Lupin," interrupted Sholmes, emerging from his silence, "you -talk too much, and you frequently err through excess of confidence and -through your frivolity." - -"That is a severe reproach." - -"Thus, without knowing it, you furnished me, only a moment ago, with the -information I required." - -"What! you required some information and you didn't tell me?" - -"I had no occasion to ask you for it--you volunteered it. Within three -hours I can deliver the key of the mystery to Monsieur d'Imblevalle. -That is the only reply----" - -He did not finish the sentence. The boat suddenly sank, taking both of -the men down with it. It emerged immediately, with its keel in the air. -Shouts were heard on either bank, succeeded by an anxious moment of -silence. Then the shouts were renewed: one of the shipwrecked party had -come to the surface. - -It was Herlock Sholmes. He was an excellent swimmer, and struck out, -with powerful strokes, for Folenfant's boat. - -"Courage, Monsieur Sholmes," shouted Folenfant; "we are here. Keep it up -... we will get you ... a little more, Monsieur Sholmes ... catch the -rope." - -The Englishman seized the rope they had thrown to him. But, while they -were hauling him into the boat, he heard a voice behind him, saying: - -"The key of the mystery, monsieur, yes, you shall have it. I am -astonished that you haven't got it already. What then? What good will it -do you? By that time you will have lost the battle...." - -Now comfortably installed astride the keel of the boat, Lupin continued -his speech with solemn gestures, as if he hoped to convince his -adversary. - -"You must understand, my dear Sholmes, there is nothing to be done, -absolutely nothing. You find yourself in the deplorable position of a -gentleman----" - -"Surrender, Lupin!" shouted Folenfant. - -"You are an ill-bred fellow, Folenfant, to interrupt me in the middle of -a sentence. I was saying----" - -"Surrender, Lupin!" - -"Oh! parbleu! Brigadier Folenfant, a man surrenders only when he is in -danger. Surely, you do not pretend to say that I am in any danger." - -"For the last time, Lupin, I call on you to surrender." - -"Brigadier Folenfant, you have no intention of killing me; you may wish -to wound me since you are afraid I may escape. But if by chance the -wound prove mortal! Just think of your remorse! It would embitter your -old age." - -The shot was fired. - -Lupin staggered, clutched at the keel of the boat for a moment, then let -go and disappeared. - - * * * * * - -It was exactly three o'clock when the foregoing events transpired. -Precisely at six o'clock, as he had foretold, Herlock Sholmes, dressed -in trousers that were too short and a coat that was too small, which he -had borrowed from an innkeeper at Neuilly, wearing a cap and a flannel -shirt, entered the boudoir in the Rue Murillo, after having sent word to -Monsieur and Madame d'Imblevalle that he desired an interview. - -They found him walking up and down the room. And he looked so ludicrous -in his strange costume that they could scarcely suppress their mirth. -With pensive air and stooped shoulders, he walked like an automaton from -the window to the door and from the door to the window, taking each time -the same number of steps, and turning each time in the same manner. - -He stopped, picked up a small ornament, examined it mechanically, and -resumed his walk. At last, planting himself before them, he asked: - -"Is Mademoiselle here?" - -"Yes, she is in the garden with the children."' - -"I wish Mademoiselle to be present at this interview." - -"Is it necessary----" - -"Have a little patience, monsieur. From the facts I am going to present -to you, you will see the necessity for her presence here." - -"Very well. Suzanne, will you call her?" - -Madame d'Imblevalle arose, went out, and returned almost immediately, -accompanied by Alice Demun. Mademoiselle, who was a trifle paler than -usual, remained standing, leaning against a table, and without even -asking why she had been called. Sholmes did not look at her, but, -suddenly turning toward Monsieur d'Imblevalle, he said, in a tone which -did not admit of a reply: - -"After several days' investigation, monsieur, I must repeat what I told -you when I first came here: the Jewish lamp was stolen by some one -living in the house." - -"The name of the guilty party?" - -"I know it." - -"Your proof?" - -"I have sufficient to establish that fact." - -"But we require more than that. We desire the restoration of the stolen -goods." - -"The Jewish lamp? It is in my possession." - -"The opal necklace? The snuff-box?" - -"The opal necklace, the snuff-box, and all the goods stolen on the -second occasion are in my possession." - -Sholmes delighted in these dramatic dialogues, and it pleased him to -announce his victories in that curt manner. The baron and his wife were -amazed, and looked at Sholmes with a silent curiosity, which was the -highest praise. - -He related to them, very minutely, what he had done during those three -days. He told of his discovery of the alphabet book, wrote upon a sheet -of paper the sentence formed by the missing letters, then related the -journey of Bresson to the bank of the river and the suicide of the -adventurer, and, finally, his struggle with Lupin, the shipwreck, and -the disappearance of Lupin. When he had finished, the baron said, in a -low voice: - -"Now, you have told us everything except the name of the guilty party. -Whom do you accuse?" - -"I accuse the person who cut the letters from the alphabet book, and -communicated with Arsène Lupin by means of those letters." - -"How do you know that such correspondence was carried on with Arsène -Lupin?" - -"My information comes from Lupin himself." - -He produced a piece of paper that was wet and crumpled. It was the page -which Lupin had torn from his memorandum-book, and upon which he had -written the phrase. - -"And you will notice," said Sholmes, with satisfaction, "that he was not -obliged to give me that sheet of paper, and, in that way, disclose his -identity. Simple childishness on his part, and yet it gave me exactly -the information I desired." - -"What was it?" asked the baron. "I don't understand." - -Sholmes took a pencil and made a fresh copy of the letters and figures. - -"CDEHNOPRZEO--237." - -"Well?" said the baron; "it is the formula you showed me yourself." - -"No. If you had turned and returned that formula in every way, as I have -done, you would have seen at first glance that this formula is not like -the first one." - -"In what respect do they differ?" - -"This one has two more letters--an E and an O." - -"Really; I hadn't noticed that." - -"Join those two letters to the C and the H which remained after forming -the word 'respondez,' and you will agree with me that the only possible -word is ECHO." - -"What does that mean?" - -"It refers to the _Echo de France_, Lupin's newspaper, his official -organ, the one in which he publishes his communications. Reply in the -_Echo de France_, in the personal advertisements, under number 237. That -is the key to the mystery, and Arsène Lupin was kind enough to furnish -it to me. I went to the newspaper office." - -"What did you find there?" - -"I found the entire story of the relations between Arsène Lupin and his -accomplice." - -Sholmes produced seven newspapers which he opened at the fourth page -and pointed to the following lines: - -1. Ars. Lup. Lady implores protection. 540. - -2. 540. Awaiting particulars. A.L. - -3. A.L. Under domin. enemy. Lost. - -4. 540. Write address. Will make investigation. - -5. A.L. Murillo. - -6. 540. Park three o'clock. Violets. - -7. 237. Understand. Sat. Will be Sun. morn. park. - -"And you call that the whole story!" exclaimed the baron. - -"Yes, and if you will listen to me for a few minutes, I think I can -convince you. In the first place, a lady who signs herself 540 implores -the protection of Arsène Lupin, who replies by asking for particulars. -The lady replies that she is under the domination of an enemy--who is -Bresson, no doubt--and that she is lost if some one does not come to her -assistance. Lupin is suspicious and does not yet venture to appoint an -interview with the unknown woman, demands the address and proposes to -make an investigation. The lady hesitates for four days--look at the -dates--finally, under stress of circumstances and influenced by -Bresson's threats, she gives the name of the street--Murillo. Next day, -Arsène Lupin announces that he will be in the Park Monceau at three -o'clock, and asks his unknown correspondent to wear a bouquet of violets -as a means of identification. Then there is a lapse of eight days in the -correspondence. Arsène Lupin and the lady do not require to correspond -through the newspaper now, as they see each other or write directly. The -scheme is arranged in this way: in order to satisfy Bresson's demands, -the lady is to carry off the Jewish lamp. The date is not yet fixed. The -lady who, as a matter of prudence, corresponds by means of letters cut -out of a book, decides on Saturday and adds: _Reply Echo 237_. Lupin -replies that it is understood and that he will be in the park on Sunday -morning. Sunday morning, the theft takes place." - -"Really, that is an excellent chain of circumstantial evidence and every -link is complete," said the baron. - -"The theft has taken place," continued Sholmes. "The lady goes out on -Sunday morning, tells Lupin what she has done, and carries the Jewish -lamp to Bresson. Everything occurs then exactly as Lupin had foreseen. -The officers of the law, deceived by an open window, four holes in the -ground and two scratches on the balcony railing, immediately advance the -theory that the theft was committed by a burglar. The lady is safe." - -"Yes, I confess the theory was a logical one," said the baron. "But the -second theft--" - -"The second theft was provoked by the first. The newspapers having -related how the Jewish lamp had disappeared, some one conceived the idea -of repeating the crime and carrying away what had been left. This time, -it was not a simulated theft, but a real one, a genuine burglary, with -ladders and other paraphernalia--" - -"Lupin, of course--" - -"No. Lupin does not act so stupidly. He doesn't fire at people for -trifling reasons." - -"Then, who was it?" - -"Bresson, no doubt, and unknown to the lady whom he had menaced. It was -Bresson who entered here; it was Bresson that I pursued; it was Bresson -who wounded poor Wilson." - -"Are you sure of it?" - -"Absolutely. One of Bresson's accomplices wrote to him yesterday, before -his suicide, a letter which proves that negotiations were pending -between this accomplice and Lupin for the restitution of all the -articles stolen from your house. Lupin demanded everything, '_the first -thing_ (that is, the Jewish lamp) _as well as those of the second -affair_.' Moreover, he was watching Bresson. When the latter returned -from the river last night, one of Lupin's men followed him as well as -we." - -"What was Bresson doing at the river?" - -"Having been warned of the progress of my investigations----" - -"Warned! by whom?" - -"By the same lady, who justly feared that the discovery of the Jewish -lamp would lead to the discovery of her own adventure. Thereupon, -Bresson, having been warned, made into a package all the things that -could compromise him and threw them into a place where he thought he -could get them again when the danger was past. It was after his return, -tracked by Ganimard and myself, having, no doubt, other sins on his -conscience, that he lost his head and killed himself." - -"But what did the package contain?" - -"The Jewish lamp and your other ornaments." - -"Then, they are not in your possession?" - -"Immediately after Lupin's disappearance, I profited by the bath he had -forced upon me, went to the spot selected by Bresson, where I found the -stolen articles wrapped in some soiled linen. They are there, on the -table." - -Without a word, the baron cut the cord, tore open the wet linen, picked -out the lamp, turned a screw in the foot, then divided the bowl of the -lamp which opened in two equal parts and there he found the golden -chimera, set with rubies and emeralds. - -It was intact. - - * * * * * - -There was in that scene, so natural in appearance and which consisted of -a simple exposition of facts, something which rendered it frightfully -tragic--it was the formal, direct, irrefutable accusation that Sholmes -launched in each of his words against Mademoiselle. And it was also the -impressive silence of Alice Demun. - -During that long, cruel accumulation of accusing circumstances heaped -one upon another, not a muscle of her face had moved, not a trace of -revolt or fear had marred the serenity of her limpid eyes. What were -her thoughts. And, especially, what was she going to say at the solemn -moment when it would become necessary for her to speak and defend -herself in order to break the chain of evidence that Herlock Sholmes had -so cleverly woven around her? - -That moment had come, but the girl was silent. - -"Speak! Speak!" cried Mon. d'Imblevalle. - -She did not speak. So he insisted: - -"One word will clear you. One word of denial, and I will believe you." - -That word, she would not utter. - -The baron paced to and fro in his excitement; then, addressing Sholmes, -he said: - -"No, monsieur, I cannot believe it, I do not believe it. There are -impossible crimes! and this is opposed to all I know and to all that I -have seen during the past year. No, I cannot believe it." - -He placed his hand on the Englishman's shoulder, and said: - -"But you yourself, monsieur, are you absolutely certain that you are -right?" - -Sholmes hesitated, like a man on whom a sudden demand is made and cannot -frame an immediate reply. Then he smiled, and said: - -"Only the person whom I accuse, by reason of her situation in your -house, could know that the Jewish lamp contained that magnificent -jewel." - -"I cannot believe it," repeated the baron. - -"Ask her." - -It was, really, the very thing he would not have done, blinded by the -confidence the girl had inspired in him. But he could no longer refrain -from doing it. He approached her and, looking into her eyes, said: - -"Was it you, mademoiselle? Was it you who took the jewel? Was it you who -corresponded with Arsène Lupin and committed the theft?" - -"It was I, monsieur," she replied. - -She did not drop her head. Her face displayed no sign of shame or fear. - -"Is it possible?" murmured Mon. d'Imblevalle. "I would never have -believed it.... You are the last person in the world that I would have -suspected. How did you do it?" - -"I did it exactly as Monsieur Sholmes has told it. On Saturday night I -came to the boudoir, took the lamp, and, in the morning I carried it ... -to that man." - -"No," said the baron; "what you pretend to have done is impossible." - -"Impossible--why?" - -"Because, in the morning I found the door of the boudoir bolted." - -She blushed, and looked at Sholmes as if seeking his counsel. Sholmes -was astonished at her embarrassment. Had she nothing to say? Did the -confessions, which had corroborated the report that he, Sholmes, had -made concerning the theft of the Jewish lamp, merely serve to mask a -lie? Was she misleading them by a false confession? - -The baron continued: - -"That door was locked. I found the door exactly as I had left it the -night before. If you entered by that door, as you pretend, some one must -have opened it from the interior--that is to say, from the boudoir or -from our chamber. Now, there was no one inside these two rooms ... there -was no one except my wife and myself." - -Sholmes bowed his head and covered his face with his hands in order to -conceal his emotion. A sudden light had entered his mind, that startled -him and made him exceedingly uncomfortable. Everything was revealed to -him, like the sudden lifting of a fog from the morning landscape. He was -annoyed as well as ashamed, because his deductions were fallacious and -his entire theory was wrong. - -Alice Demun was innocent! - -Alice Demun was innocent. That proposition explained the embarrassment -he had experienced from the beginning in directing the terrible -accusation against that young girl. Now, he saw the truth; he knew it. -After a few seconds, he raised his head, and looked at Madame -d'Imblevalle as naturally as he could. She was pale--with that unusual -pallor which invades us in the relentless moments of our lives. Her -hands, which she endeavored to conceal, were trembling as if stricken -with palsy. - -"One minute more," thought Sholmes, "and she will betray herself." - -He placed himself between her and her husband in the desire to avert the -awful danger which, _through his fault_, now threatened that man and -woman. But, at sight of the baron, he was shocked to the very centre of -his soul. The same dreadful idea had entered the mind of Monsieur -d'Imblevalle. The same thought was at work in the brain of the husband. -He understood, also! He saw the truth! - -In desperation, Alice Demun hurled herself against the implacable truth, -saying: - -"You are right, monsieur. I made a mistake. I did not enter by this -door. I came through the garden and the vestibule ... by aid of a -ladder--" - -It was a supreme effort of true devotion. But a useless effort! The -words rang false. The voice did not carry conviction, and the poor girl -no longer displayed those clear, fearless eyes and that natural air of -innocence which had served her so well. Now, she bowed her -head--vanquished. - -The silence became painful. Madame d'Imblevalle was waiting for her -husband's next move, overwhelmed with anxiety and fear. The baron -appeared to be struggling against the dreadful suspicion, as if he would -not submit to the overthrow of his happiness. Finally, he said to his -wife: - -"Speak! Explain!" - -"I have nothing to tell you," she replied, in a very low voice, and with -features drawn by anguish. - -"So, then ... Mademoiselle...." - -"Mademoiselle saved me ... through devotion ... through affection ... -and accused herself...." - -"Saved you from what? From whom?" - -"From that man." - -"Bresson?" - -"Yes; it was I whom he held in fear by threats.... I met him at one of -my friends'.... and I was foolish enough to listen to him. Oh! there was -nothing that you cannot pardon. But I wrote him two letters ... letters -which you will see.... I had to buy them back ... you know how.... Oh! -have pity on me!... I have suffered so much!" - -"You! You! Suzanne!" - -He raised his clenched fists, ready to strike her, ready to kill her. -But he dropped his arms, and murmured: - -"You, Suzanne.... You!... Is it possible?" - -By short detached sentences, she related the heartrending story, her -dreadful awakening to the infamy of the man, her remorse, her fear, and -she also told of Alice's devotion; how the young girl divined the sorrow -of her mistress, wormed a confession out of her, wrote to Lupin, and -devised the scheme of the theft in order to save her from Bresson. - -"You, Suzanne, you," repeated Monsieur d'Imblevalle, bowed with grief -and shame.... "How could you?" - -***** - -On the same evening, the steamer "City of London," which plies between -Calais and Dover, was gliding slowly over the smooth sea. The night was -dark; the wind was fainter than a zephyr. The majority of the passengers -had retired to their cabins; but a few, more intrepid, were promenading -on the deck or sleeping in large rocking-chairs, wrapped in their -travelling-rugs. One could see, here and there, the light of a cigar, -and one could hear, mingled with the soft murmur of the breeze, the -faint sound of voices which were carefully subdued to harmonize with the -deep silence of the night. - -One of the passengers, who had been pacing to and fro upon the deck, -stopped before a woman who was lying on a bench, scrutinized her, and, -when she moved a little, he said: - -"I thought you were asleep, Mademoiselle Alice." - -"No, Monsieur Sholmes, I am not sleepy. I was thinking." - -"Of what? If I may be so bold as to inquire?" - -"I was thinking of Madame d'Imblevalle. She must be very unhappy. Her -life is ruined." - -"Oh! no, no," he replied quickly. "Her mistake was not a serious one. -Monsieur d'Imblevalle will forgive and forget it. Why, even before we -left, his manner toward her had softened." - -"Perhaps ... but he will remember it for a long time ... and she will -suffer a great deal." - -"You love her?" - -"Very much. It was my love for her that gave me strength to smile when I -was trembling from fear, that gave me courage to look in your face when -I desired to hide from your sight." - -"And you are sorry to leave her?" - -"Yes, very sorry. I have no relatives, no friends--but her." - -"You will have friends," said the Englishman, who was affected by her -sorrow. "I have promised that. I have relatives ... and some influence. -I assure you that you will have no cause to regret coming to England." - -"That may be, monsieur, but Madame d'Imblevalle will not be there." - -Herlock Sholmes resumed his promenade upon the deck. After a few -minutes, he took a seat near his travelling companion, filled his pipe, -and struck four matches in a vain effort to light it. Then, as he had no -more matches, he arose and said to a gentleman who was sitting near him: - -"May I trouble you for a match?" - -The gentleman opened a box of matches and struck one. The flame lighted -up his face. Sholmes recognized him--it was Arsène Lupin. - -If the Englishman had not given an almost imperceptible movement of -surprise, Lupin would have supposed that his presence on board had been -known to Sholmes, so well did he control his feelings and so natural was -the easy manner in which he extended his hand to his adversary. - -"How's the good health, Monsieur Lupin?" - -"Bravo!" exclaimed Lupin, who could not repress a cry of admiration at -the Englishman's sang-froid. - -"Bravo? and why?" - -"Why? Because I appear before you like a ghost, only a few hours after -you saw me drowned in the Seine; and through pride--a quality that is -essentially English--you evince not the slightest surprise. You greet -me as a matter of course. Ah! I repeat: Bravo! Admirable!" - -"There is nothing remarkable about it. From the manner in which you fell -from the boat, I knew very well that you fell voluntarily, and that the -bullet had not touched you." - -"And you went away without knowing what had become of me?" - -"What had become of you? Why, I knew that. There were at least five -hundred people on the two banks of the river within a space of -half-a-mile. If you escaped death, your capture was certain." - -"And yet I am here." - -"Monsieur Lupin, there are two men in the world at whom I am never -astonished: in the first place, myself--and then, Arsène Lupin." - -The treaty of peace was concluded. - -If Sholmes had not been successful in his contests with Arsène Lupin; if -Lupin remained the only enemy whose capture he must never hope to -accomplish; if, in the course of their struggles, he had not always -displayed a superiority, the Englishman had, none the less, by means of -his extraordinary intuition and tenacity, succeeded in recovering the -Jewish lamp as well as the blue diamond. - -This time, perhaps, the finish had not been so brilliant, especially -from the stand-point of the public spectators, since Sholmes was obliged -to maintain a discreet silence in regard to the circumstances in which -the Jewish lamp had been recovered, and to announce that he did not know -the name of the thief. But as man to man, Arsène Lupin against Herlock -Sholmes, detective against burglar, there was neither victor nor -vanquished. Each of them had won corresponding victories. - -Therefore they could now converse as courteous adversaries who had lain -down their arms and held each other in high regard. - -At Sholmes' request, Arsène Lupin related the strange story of his -escape. - -"If I may dignify it by calling it an escape," he said. "It was so -simple! My friends were watching for me, as I had asked them to meet me -there to recover the Jewish lamp. So, after remaining a good half-hour -under the overturned boat, I took advantage of an occasion when -Folenfant and his men were searching for my dead body along the bank of -the river, to climb on top of the boat. Then my friends simply picked me -up as they passed by in their motor-boat, and we sailed away under the -staring eyes of an astonished multitude, including Ganimard and -Folenfant." - -"Very good," exclaimed Sholmes, "very neatly played. And now you have -some business in England?" - -"Yes, some accounts to square up.... But I forgot ... what about -Monsieur d'Imblevalle?" - -"He knows everything." - -"All! my dear Sholmes, what did I tell you? The wrong is now -irreparable. Would it not have been better to have allowed me to carry -out the affair in my own way? In a day or two more, I should have -recovered the stolen goods from Bresson, restored them to Monsieur -d'Imblevalle, and those two honest citizens would have lived together in -peace and happiness ever after. Instead of that--" - -"Instead of that," said Sholmes, sneeringly, "I have mixed the cards and -sown the seeds of discord in the bosom of a family that was under your -protection." - -"Mon Dieu! of course, I was protecting them. Must a person steal, cheat -and wrong all the time?" - -"Then you do good, also?" - -"When I have the time. Besides, I find it amusing. Now, for instance, -in our last adventure, I found it extremely diverting that I should be -the good genius seeking to help and save unfortunate mortals, while you -were the evil genius who dispensed only despair and tears." - -"Tears! Tears!" protested Sholmes. - -"Certainly! The d'Imblevalle household is demolished, and Alice Demun -weeps." - -"She could not remain any longer. Ganimard would have discovered her -some day, and, through her, reached Madame d'Imblevalle." - -"Quite right, monsieur; but whose fault is it?" - -Two men passed by. Sholmes said to Lupin, in a friendly tone: - -"Do you know those gentlemen?" - -"I thought I recognized one of them as the captain of the steamer." - -"And the other?" - -"I don't know." - -"It is Austin Gilett, who occupies in London a position similar to that -of Monsieur Dudouis in Paris." - -"Ah! how fortunate! Will you be so kind as to introduce me? Monsieur -Dudouis is one of my best friends, and I shall be delighted to say as -much of Monsieur Austin Gilett." - -The two gentlemen passed again. - -"And if I should take you at your word, Monsieur Lupin?" said Sholmes, -rising, and seizing Lupin's wrist with a hand of iron. - -"Why do you grasp me so tightly, monsieur? I am quite willing to follow -you." - -In fact, he allowed himself to be dragged along without the least -resistance. The two gentlemen were disappearing from sight. Sholmes -quickened his pace. His finger-nails even sank into Lupin's flesh. - -"Come! Come!" he exclaimed, with a sort of feverish haste, in harmony -with his action. "Come! quicker than that." - -But he stopped suddenly. Alice Demun was following them. - -"What are you doing, Mademoiselle? You need not come. You must not -come!" - -It was Lupin who replied: - -"You will notice, monsieur, that she is not coming of her own free will. -I am holding her wrist in the same tight grasp that you have on mine." - -"Why!" - -"Because I wish to present her also. Her part in the affair of the -Jewish lamp is much more important than mine. Accomplice of Arsène -Lupin, accomplice of Bresson, she has a right to tell her adventure with -the Baroness d'Imblevalle--which will deeply interest Monsieur Gilett as -an officer of the law. And by introducing her also, you will have -carried your gracious intervention to the very limit, my dear Sholmes." - -The Englishman released his hold on his prisoner's wrist. Lupin -liberated Mademoiselle. - -They stood looking at each other for a few seconds, silently and -motionless. Then Sholmes returned to the bench and sat down, followed by -Lupin and the girl. After a long silence, Lupin said: "You see, -monsieur, whatever we may do, we will never be on the same side. You are -on one side of the fence; I am on the other. We can exchange greetings, -shake hands, converse a moment, but the fence is always there. You will -remain Herlock Sholmes, detective, and I, Arsène Lupin, -gentleman-burglar. And Herlock Sholmes will ever obey, more or less -spontaneously, with more or less propriety, his instinct as a detective, -which is to pursue the burglar and run him down, if possible. And Arsène -Lupin, in obedience to his burglarious instinct, will always be -occupied in avoiding the reach of the detective, and making sport of the -detective, if he can do it. And, this time, he can do it. Ha-ha-ha!" - -He burst into a loud laugh, cunning, cruel and odious. - -Then, suddenly becoming serious, he addressed Alice Demun: - -"You may be sure, mademoiselle, even when reduced to the last extremity, -I shall not betray you. Arsène Lupin never betrays anyone--especially -those whom he loves and admires. And, may I be permitted to say, I love -and admire the brave, dear woman you have proved yourself to be." - -He took from his pocket a visiting card, tore it in two, gave one-half -of it to the girl, as he said, in a voice shaken with emotion: - -"If Monsieur Sholmes' plans for you do not succeed, mademoiselle, go to -Lady Strongborough--you can easily find her address--and give her that -half of the card, and, at the same time, say to her: _Faithful friend_. -Lady Strongborough will show you the true devotion of a sister." - -"Thank you," said the girl; "I shall see her to-morrow." - -"And now, Monsieur Sholmes," exclaimed Lupin, with the satisfied air of -a gentleman who has fulfilled his duty, "I will say good-night. We will -not land for an hour yet, so I will get that much rest." - -He lay down on the bench, with his hands beneath his head. - -In a short time the high cliffs of the English coast loomed up in the -increasing light of a new-born day. The passengers emerged from the -cabins and crowded the deck, eagerly gazing on the approaching shore. -Austin Gilette passed by, accompanied by two men whom Sholmes recognized -as sleuths from Scotland Yard. - -Lupin was asleep, on his bench. - -THE END. - -_The further startling, wonderful and thrilling adventures of "Arsène -Lupin" will be found in the book entitled "Arsène Lupin -Gentleman-Burglar"._ - - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Arsène Lupin versus Herlock Sholmes, by -Maurice LeBlanc - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ARSENE LUPIN VS HERLOCK SHOLMES *** - -***** This file should be named 40203-8.txt or 40203-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/2/0/40203/ - -Produced by Sr Bianca Tempt & Marc D'Hooghe at -http://www.freeliterature.org (Images generously made -available by the Internet Archive.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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