The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar
the body--and with some other things that will prove very interesting to
a judge and jury.”
Varin covered his face with his hands, and muttered:
“All right, I am beaten. Say no more. But I want to ask you one
question. I should like to know---”
“What is it?”
“Was there a little casket in the large safe?”
“Yes.”
“Was it there on the night of 22 June?”
“Yes.”
“What did it contain?”
“Everything that the Varin brothers had put in it--a very pretty
collection of diamonds and pearls picked up here and there by the said
brothers.”
“And did you take it?”
“Of course I did. Do you blame me?”
“I understand.... it was the disappearance of that casket that caused my
brother to kill himself.”
“Probably. The disappearance of your correspondence was not a sufficient
motive. But the disappearance of the casket....Is that all you wish to
ask me?”
“One thing more: your name?”
“You ask that with an idea of seeking revenge.”
“Parbleu! The tables may be turned. Today, you are on top. To-morrow---”
“It will be you.”
“I hope so. Your name?”
“Arsène Lupin.”
“Arsène Lupin!”
The man staggered, as though stunned by a heavy blow. Those two words
had deprived him of all hope.
Daspry laughed, and said:
“Ah! did you imagine that a Monsieur Durand or Dupont could manage an
affair like this? No, it required the skill and cunning of Arsène Lupin.
And now that you have my name, go and prepare your revenge. Arsène Lupin
will wait for you.”
Then he pushed the bewildered Varin through the door.
“Daspry! Daspry!” I cried, pushing aside the curtain. He ran to me.
“What? What’s the matter?”
“Madame Andermatt is ill.”
He hastened to her, caused her to inhale some salts, and, while caring
for her, questioned me:
“Well, what did it?”
“The letters of Louis Lacombe that you gave to her husband.”
He struck his forehead and said:
“Did she think that I could do such a thing!...But, of course she would.
Imbecile that I am!”
Madame Andermatt was now revived. Daspry took from his pocket a small
package exactly similar to the one that Mon. Andermatt had carried away.
“Here are your letters, Madame. These are the genuine letters.”
“But.... the others?”
“The others are the same, rewritten by me and carefully worded. Your
husband will not find anything objectionable in them, and will never
suspect the substitution since they were taken from the safe in his
presence.”
“But the handwriting---”
“There is no handwriting that cannot be imitated.”
She thanked him in the same words she might have used to a man in her
own social circle, so I concluded that she had not witnessed the final
scene between Varin and Arsène Lupin. But the surprising revelation
caused me considerable embarrassment. Lupin! My club companion was none
other than Arsène Lupin. I could not realize it. But he said, quite at
his ease:
“You can say farewell to Jean Daspry.”
“Ah!”
“Yes, Jean Daspry is going on a long journey. I shall send him to
Morocco. There, he may find a death worthy of him. I may say that that
is his expectation.”
“But Arsène Lupin will remain?”
“Oh! Decidedly. Arsène Lupin is simply at the threshold of his career,
and he expects---”
I was impelled by curiosity to interrupt him, and, leading him away from
the hearing of Madame Andermatt, I asked:
“Did you discover the smaller safe yourself--the one that held the
letters?”
“Yes, after a great deal of trouble. I found it yesterday afternoon
while you were asleep. And yet, God knows it was simple enough! But
the simplest things are the ones that usually escape our notice.” Then,
showing me the seven-of-hearts, he added: “Of course I had guessed that,
in order to open the larger safe, this card must be placed on the sword
of the mosaic king.”
“How did you guess that?”
“Quite easily. Through private information, I knew that fact when I came
here on the evening of 22 June---”
“After you left me---”
“Yes, after turning the subject of our conversation to stories of crime
and robbery which were sure to reduce you to such a nervous condition
that you would not leave your bed, but would allow me to complete my
search uninterrupted.”
“The scheme worked perfectly.”
“Well, I knew when I came here that there was a casket concealed in a
safe with a secret lock, and that the seven-of-hearts was the key
to that lock. I had merely to place the card upon the spot that was
obviously intended for it. An hour’s examination showed me where the
spot was.”
“One hour!”
“Observe the fellow in mosaic.”
“The old emperor?”
“That old emperor is an exact representation of the king of hearts on
all playing cards.”
“That’s right. But how does the seven of hearts open the larger safe at
one time and the smaller safe at another time? And why did you open only
the larger safe in the first instance? I mean on the night of 22 June.”
“Why? Because I always placed the seven of hearts in the same way. I
never changed the position. But, yesterday, I observed that by reversing
the card, by turning it upside down, the arrangement of the seven spots
on the mosaic was changed.”
“Parbleu!”
“Of course, parbleu! But a person has to think of those things.”
“There is something else: you did not know the history of those letters
until Madame Andermatt---”
“Spoke of them before me? No. Because I found in the safe, besides
the casket, nothing but the correspondence of the two brothers which
disclosed their treachery in regard to the plans.”
“Then it was by chance that you were led, first, to investigate the
history of the two brothers, and then to search for the plans and
documents relating to the sub-marine?”
“Simply by chance.”
“For what purpose did you make the search?”
“Mon Dieu!” exclaimed Daspry, laughing, “how deeply interested you are!”
“The subject fascinates me.”
“Very well, presently, after I have escorted Madame Andermatt to a
carriage, and dispatched a short story to the _Echo de France_, I will
return and tell you all about it.”
He sat down and wrote one of those short, clear-cut articles which
served to amuse and mystify the public. Who does not recall the
sensation that followed that article produced throughout the entire
world?
“Arsène Lupin has solved the problem recently submitted by Salvator.
Having acquired possession of all the documents and original plans
of the engineer Louis Lacombe, he has placed them in the hands of
the Minister of Marine, and he has headed a subscription list for the
purpose of presenting to the nation the first submarine constructed from
those plans. His subscription is twenty thousand francs.”
“Twenty thousand francs! The checks of Mon. Andermatt?” I exclaimed,
when he had given me the paper to read.
“Exactly. It was quite right that Varin should redeem his treachery.”
* * * * *
And that is how I made the acquaintance of Arsène Lupin. That is how
I learned that Jean Daspry, a member of my club, was none other than
Arsène Lupin, gentleman-thief. That is how I formed very agreeable ties
of friendship with that famous man, and, thanks to the confidence
with which he honored me, how I became his very humble and faithful
historiographer.
VII. Madame Imbert’s Safe
At three o’clock in the morning, there were still half a dozen carriages
in front of one of those small houses which form only the side of the
boulevard Berthier. The door of that house opened, and a number of
guests, male and female, emerged. The majority of them entered their
carriages and were quickly driven away, leaving behind only two men who
walked down Courcelles, where they parted, as one of them lived in that
street. The other decided to return on foot as far as the Porte-Maillot.
It was a beautiful winter’s night, clear and cold; a night on which a
brisk walk is agreeable and refreshing.
But, at the end of a few minutes, he had the disagreeable impression
that he was being followed. Turning around, he saw a man skulking amongst
the trees. He was not a coward; yet he felt it advisable to increase his
speed. Then his pursuer commenced to run; and he deemed it prudent to
draw his revolver and face him. But he had no time. The man rushed at
him and attacked him violently. Immediately, they were engaged in a
desperate struggle, wherein he felt that his unknown assailant had the
advantage. He called for help, struggled, and was thrown down on a pile
of gravel, seized by the throat, and gagged with a handkerchief that his
assailant forced into his mouth. His eyes closed, and the man who
was smothering him with his weight arose to defend himself against an
unexpected attack. A blow from a cane and a kick from a boot; the
man uttered two cries of pain, and fled, limping and cursing. Without
deigning to pursue the fugitive, the new arrival stooped over the
prostrate man and inquired:
“Are you hurt, monsieur?”
He was not injured, but he was dazed and unable to stand. His rescuer
procured a carriage, placed him in it, and accompanied him to his house
on the avenue de la Grande-Armée. On his arrival there, quite recovered,
he overwhelmed his saviour with thanks.
“I owe you my life, monsieur, and I shall not forget it. I do not wish
to alarm my wife at this time of night, but, to-morrow, she will be
pleased to thank you personally. Come and breakfast with us. My name is
Ludovic Imbert. May I ask yours?”
“Certainly, monsieur.”
And he handed Mon. Imbert a card bearing the name: “Arsène Lupin.”
* * * * *
At that time, Arsène Lupin did not enjoy the celebrity which the Cahorn
affair, his escape from the Prison de la Santé, and other brilliant
exploits, afterwards gained for him. He had not even used the name of
Arsène Lupin. The name was specially invented to designate the rescuer
of Mon. Imbert; that is to say, it was in that affair that Arsène
Lupin was baptized. Fully armed and ready for the fray, it is true, but
lacking the resources and authority which command success, Arsène Lupin
was then merely an apprentice in a profession wherein he soon became a
master.
With what a thrill of joy he recalled the invitation he received that
night! At last, he had reached his goal! At last, he had undertaken
a task worthy of his strength and skill! The Imbert millions! What a
magnificent feast for an appetite like his!
He prepared a special toilet for the occasion; a shabby frock-coat,
baggy trousers, a frayed silk hat, well-worn collar and cuffs, all quite
correct in form, but bearing the unmistakable stamp of poverty. His
cravat was a black ribbon pinned with a false diamond. Thus accoutred,
he descended the stairs of the house in which he lived at Montmartre. At
the third floor, without stopping, he rapped on a closed door with the
head of his cane. He walked to the exterior boulevards. A tram-car was
passing. He boarded it, and some one who had been following him took a
seat beside him. It was the lodger who occupied the room on the third
floor. A moment later, this man said to Lupin:
“Well, governor?”
“Well, it is all fixed.”
“How?”
“I am going there to breakfast.”
“You breakfast--there!”
“Certainly. Why not? I rescued Mon. Ludovic Imbert from certain death
at your hands. Mon. Imbert is not devoid of gratitude. He invited me to
breakfast.”
There was a brief silence. Then the other said:
“But you are not going to throw up the scheme?”
“My dear boy,” said Lupin, “When I arranged that little case of assault
and battery, when I took the trouble at three o’clock in the morning, to
rap you with my cane and tap you with my boot at the risk of injuring
my only friend, it was not my intention to forego the advantages to be
gained from a rescue so well arranged and executed. Oh! no, not at all.”
“But the strange rumors we hear about their fortune?”