813 by Maurice Leblanc - The Emperor's Letters 12

813 by Maurice Leblanc - The Emperor's Letters 12

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter twelve of eight thirteen eight thirteen by Maris le Blains,
Chapter twelve the Emperor's Letters. The ruins of Veldenz are
well known to all who visit the banks of the
Rhine and the Moselle. They comprise the remains of the
old feudal castle built in thirteen seventy seven by the
Archbishop of Fitzingen, an enormous dungeon keep gutted by Tudend's troops,

(00:25):
and the walls left standing in their entirety of a
Renaissance palace in which the Grand Dukes of Fibroucan lived
for three centuries. It was this palace that was sacked
by Herman the Second's rebellious subjects. The empty windows displayed
two hundred yawning cavities on the four frontages, all the
wains caughting, the hangings and most of the furniture were burnt.

(00:46):
You walk on the scorched girders of the floors, and
the sky can be seen at intervals through the ruined ceilings. Lupayne,
accompanied by his escort, went over the whole building in
two hours time. I am very pleased with you, my
dear count. I don't think I ever came across a
guide so well posted in his subject, nor which is
rare so silent, And now, if you don't mind, we

(01:08):
will go to lunch. As a matter of fact, Lupagne
knew no more than at the first moment, and his
perplexity did nothing but increase. To obtain his release from
prison and to strike the imagination of his visitor. He
had bluffed, pretending to know everything, and he was still
seeking for the best place at which to begin to seek.
Things look bad, he said to himself. From time to time,

(01:32):
things are looking about as bad as they can look.
His brain, moreover, was not as clear as usual. He
was obsessed by an idea, the idea of the other one,
the murderer, the assassin, whom he knew to be still
clinging to his footsteps. How did that mysterious personality come
to be on his tracks? How had he heard of
Lupage's leaving prison and of his rush to Luxembau in Germany?

(01:55):
Was it a miraculous intuition or was it the outcome
of definite information? But if so, at what price? By
means of what promises or threats? Was he able to
obtain it? All these questions haunted Lupagne's mind. At about
four o'clock, however, after a fresh walk through the ruins,
in the course of which he had examined the stones,

(02:16):
measured the thickness of the walls, investigated the shape and
appearance of things, all to no purpose. He asked the
count is there no one left who is in the
service of the last grand duke who lived in a castle?
All the servants of that time went different ways. Only
one of them continued to live in the district well.
He died two years ago. Any children. He had a

(02:38):
son who married and who was dismissed with his wife
for disgraceful conduct. They left their youngest child behind, a
little girl, Azilda. Where does she live? She lives here
at the end of these buildings. The old grandfather used
to act as a guide to visitors in the days
when the castle was still open to the public. Little
Azilda has lived in the ruins ever since she was

(02:59):
allowed to remain out of pity. She is a poor
innocent who is hardly able to talk and does not
know what she says. Was she always like that? It
seems not. Her reason went gradually when she was about
ten years old in consequence of a sorrow of affright. No,
for no direct cause. I am told the father was

(03:19):
a drunkard, and the mother committed suicide in a fit
of madness. Lupey reflected and said, I should like to
see her. The Count gave a rather curious smile. You
can see her by all means. She happened to be
in one of the rooms which had been set apart
for her. Lupey was surprised to find an attractive little creature,

(03:40):
too thin, too pale, but almost pretty, with her fair
hair and her delicate face. Her sea green eyes had
the vague, dreamy look of the eyes of blind people.
He put a few questions, to which Isilda gave no answer,
and others to which she replied with incoherent sentences, as
though she understood neither the meaning of the words addressed
to her, nor but she herself uttered. He persisted, taking

(04:03):
her very gently by the hand, and asking her in
an affectionate tone, about the time when she still had
her reason about her grandfather, about the memories which might
be called up by her life as a child playing
freely among the majestic ruins of the castle. She stood silent,
with staring eyes impassive. Any emotion which she might have
felt was not enough to rouse her slumbering intelligence. Lupay

(04:27):
asked for a pencil and paper and wrote down the
number eight thirteen. The Count smiled again. Look here, what
are you laughing at, cried Lupayn irritably. Nothing nothing, I'm
very much interested, that's all. Izilda looked at the sheet
of paper when he showed it to her, and turned
away her head with a vacant air. No bite, said

(04:49):
the Count, satirically. Lupey wrote the letters a poon Gzilda
paid no more attention than before. He did not give
up the experiment, but kept on writing the same letters,
each time, watching the girl's face. She did not stir,
but kept her eyes fixed on the paper with an
indifference which nothing seemed to disturb. Then, all at once

(05:10):
she seized the pencil, snatched the last sheet out of
Lupaye's hands, and, as though acting under a sudden inspiration,
wrote two l's in the middle of a space left
open by Lupeye. He felt a thrill. A word had
been formed, a poillon. Meanwhile, Azilda clung to both pencil
and paper, and with clutching fingers in a strained face,

(05:31):
was struggling to make her hand submit to the hesitating
orders of her poor little brain. Lupey waited feverishly. She
rapidly wrote another word, the word Diane. Another word, another word,
shouted Lupeye. She twisted her fingers round the pencil, broke
the lead, made a big jay with the stump, and,

(05:51):
now utterly exhausted, dropped the pencil. Another word. I must
have another word, said Dupayne, in a tone of command,
catching her by the arm. But he saw by her eyes,
which had once more become indifferent, that that fleeting gleam
of intelligence could not shine out again. Let us go,
he said. He was walking away when she ran after

(06:12):
him and stood in his path. He stopped. What is it?
She held out the palm of her hand. What money
is she in the habit of begging? He asked the count. No,
said Valdemar, and I can't understand. Gilda took two gold
coins from her pocket and chinked them together gleefully. Lupeyne
looked at them. They were French coins, quite new, bearing

(06:35):
the date of that year. Where did you get these?
Asked Lupeye, excitedly, French money? Who gave it to you?
And when was it to day speak? Answer? He shrugged
his shoulders. Fool that I am, as though she could answer,
My dear count, would you mind lending me for he marks? Thanks? Here, Izilda,

(06:58):
that's for you. She took the two coins, jingled them
with the others in the palm of her hand, and then,
putting out her arm, pointed to the ruins of the
Renaissance palace with a gesture that seemed to call attention
more particularly to the left wing and to the top
of that wing. Was it a mechanical movement? Or must
it be looked upon as a grateful acknowledgment for the

(07:18):
two gold coins? He glanced at the Count Valdemar was
smiling again. What makes the brute keep on grinning like that?
Said du painter himself. Any one would think that he
was having a game with me. He went to the
palace on the off chance, attended by his escort. The
ground floor consisted of a number of large reception rooms

(07:39):
running one into the other and containing a few pieces
of furniture that had escaped the fire. On the first floor,
on the north side, was a long gallery, out of
which twelve handsome rooms opened, all exactly alike There was
a similar gallery on the second floor, but with twenty
four smaller rooms, also resembling one another. All these apartments
were empt dilapidated, wretched to look at above, there was nothing.

(08:05):
The attics had been burnt down. For an hour. Lupey walked, ran,
rushed about indefatigably, with his eyes on the lookout. When
it began to grow dark, he hurried to one of
his twelve rooms on the first floor, as if he
were selecting it for special reasons known to himself alone.
He was rather surprised to find the Emperor there, smoking

(08:25):
and seated in an arm chair which he had sent for.
Taking no notice of his presence, Lupey began an inspection
of the room according to the methods which he was
accustomed to employ in such cases, dividing the room into sections,
each of which he examined in turn. After twenty minutes
of this work, he said, I must beg you, sire,
to be good enough to move. There is a fireplace here,

(08:48):
the emperor tossed his head. Is it really necessary for
me to move? Yes, sire, this fireplace. The fireplace is
just the same as the others, and the room is
no different from its Lupeye looked at the emperor without understanding.
The Emperor rose and said, with a laugh, Ah, I think,
Monsieur lu Paye, that you have been making just a

(09:09):
little fun of me. How do you mean, sire? Oh,
it's hardly worth mentioning. You obtained your release on the
condition of handing me certain papers in which I am interested,
and you have not the smallest notion as to where
they are. I have been thoroughly what do you call
it in French? Hu lais done? Do you think so, sire?
Why what a man knows he doesn't have to hunt for?

(09:31):
And you have been hunting for ten good hours? Doesn't
it strike you as a case for an immediate return
to prison? Lu Payne seemed thunder struck, did not your
imperial majesty fix twelve o'clock to morrow is the last limit?
Why wait? Why? Well? To allow me to complete my work?
Your work, but it's not even begun, Monsieur lou Peine.

(09:53):
There your imperial majesty is mistaken. Prove it and I
will wait until to morrow. Lu pay reflects, and speaking
in a serious tone, Since your imperial majesty requires proofs
in order to have confidence in me, I will furnish them.
The twelve rooms leading out of this gallery each bear
a different name, which is inscribed in French, obviously by

(10:14):
a French decorative artists, over the various doors. One of
the inscriptions, less damaged by the fire than the others,
caught my eye. As I was passing along the gallery.
I examined the other doors. All of them bore hardly
legible traces of names caned over the pediments. Thus I
found a D and an E, the first and last
letters of Diane. I found an A and an L

(10:36):
O N, which pointed to Apollon. These are the French
equivalents of Diana and Apollo, both of the mythological deities.
The other inscriptions presented similar characteristics. I discovered traces of
such names as Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, Saturn, and so on.
This part of the problem was solved. Each of the
twelve rooms bears the name of an Olympian god or goddess,

(10:59):
and the letters A whoon completed by Azilda, point to
the Apollo room or Salle d'Apollon. So it is here
in the room in which we now are that the
letters are hidden. A few minutes perhaps will suffice in
which to discover them. Ha ha ha, A few minutes, or
a few years, or even longer, said the Emperor, laughing.

(11:19):
He seemed greatly amused, and the Count also displayed a
coarse merriment. Lupey asked, would your imperial majesty be good
enough to explain, Monsieur lu Pay, the exciting investigation which
you have conducted to day, and of which you are
telling us the brilliant results has already been made by me. Yes,
a fortnight ago, in the company of your friend Holmlock Shears,

(11:41):
together we questioned little Azilda. Together we employed the same
method in dealing with her that you did, And together
we observed the names in the gallery and got as
far as this room, the Apollo room. Lupaye turned livid.
He spluttered, oh ah, de Shears, get as far as

(12:01):
this Yes, after four days searching, true, it did not
help us, for we found nothing. All the same, I
know that the letters are not here. Trembling with rage,
wounded in his innermost pride, Lupeyne fired up under the gibe,
as though he had been lashed with a whip. He
had never felt humiliated to such a degree as this

(12:21):
In this fury, he could have strangled the fat Voldemar,
whose laughter incensed him. Containing himself with an effort, he said,
it took Shears four days, Sire, and me only four hours,
and I should have required even less if I had
not been thwarted in my search. And by whom bless
my soul, by my faithful count, I hope he did
not dare to know, Sire, But by the most terrible

(12:44):
and powerful of my enemies, by that infernal being who
killed his own accomplice Altenheim. Is he here do you
think so? Exclaimed the Emperor, with an agitation which showed
that he was familiar with every detail of the dramatic story.
He is wherever I am. He threatens me with his
constant hatred. It was he who guessed that I was
Monsieur le normand the chief of the detective service. It

(13:06):
was he who had me put in prison. It was
he again who pursued me on the day when I
came out yesterday, aiming at me in the motor he
wounded Count van Valdemar. But how do you know, How
can you be sure that he is at Velden's Izilda
has received two gold coins two French coins. And what
is he here for? With what object? I don't know, sire,

(13:28):
but he is the very spirit of evil. Your imperial
majesty must be on your guard. He is capable of
anything and everything. It is impossible I have two hundred
men in the ruins. He cannot have entered. He would
have been seen. Some one has seen him. Beyond a doubt.
Who is Zilda? Let her be questioned, Voldemar, take your

(13:49):
prisoner to where the girl is. Dupay showed his bound hands.
It will be a tough battle. Can I fight like this?
The emperor said to the Count. Unfasten him and keep
informed in this way. By a sudden effort, bringing the
hateful vision of the murder into the discussion boldly without evidence,
al signepe gained time and resumed the direction of the search.

(14:12):
Sixteen hours still, he said to himself, it's more than
I want. He reached the premises occupied by Azilda at
the end of the old outbuildings. These buildings served as
barracks for the two hundred soldiers guarding the ruins, and
the whole of this the left wing was reserved for
the officers. Izilda was not there. The Count sent two
of his men to look for her. They came back.

(14:34):
No one had seen the girl. Nevertheless, she could not
have left the precincts of the ruins. As for the
Renaissance palace, it was, so to speak, invested by one
half of the troops, and no one was able to
obtain admittance. At last, the wife of a subaltern who
lived in the next house declared that she had been
sitting at her window all day, and that the girl
had not been out. If she hadn't gone out, said Valdemar,

(14:57):
she would be here now, and she is not here.
Lupey observed, is there a floor above? Yes? But from
this room to the upper floor there is no staircase. Yes,
there is. He pointed to a little door opening on
a dark recess. In the shadow, he saw the first
treads of a staircase, as steep as a ladder. Please,
my dear count, he said to Valdemar, who wanted to

(15:19):
go up. Let me have the honor. Why there is danger?
He ran up and at once sprang into a low
and narrow loft. A cry escaped him. Oh what is it?
Asked the Count, emerging in his turn. Here on the
floor is Zilda. He knelt down beside the girl, but
at the first glance saw that she was simply stunned,

(15:41):
and that she bore no trace of a wound, except
a few scratches on the wrists and hands. A handkerchief
was stuffed into her mouth by way of a gag.
That's it, he said. The murderer was here with her
when we came. He struck her a blow with his
fist and gagged her so that we should not hear
her moans. But how did he get away through here? Look?

(16:01):
There is a passage connecting all the attics on the
first floor, and from there. From there he went down
the stairs of one of the other dwellings. But he
would have been seen. Pooh, who knows the creature's invisible?
Never mind, send your men to look. Tell them to
search all the attics and all the ground floor lodgings.
He hesitated, should he also go in pursuit of the murderer?

(16:25):
But a sound brought him back to the girl's side.
She had got up from the floor, and a dozen
pieces of gold money had dropped from her hands. He
examined them. They were all French. Ah, he said, I
was right, Only why so much gold in reward for what.
Suddenly he caught sight of a book on the floor
and stooped to pick it up, but the girl darted

(16:46):
forward with a quicker movement, seized the book and pressed
it to her bosom with a fierce energy, as though
prepared to defend it against any attempt to take hold
of it. That's it, he said. The money was offered
her for the book, but she refused to part with it,
hence the scratches on the hands. The interesting thing would
be to know why the murderer wished to possess the book.
Was he able to look through it? First? He said

(17:09):
to Valdemar, my dear count, please give the order. Valdemar
made a sign to his men. Three of them threw
themselves on the girl, and after a hard tussle, in
which the poor thing stamped, writhed and screamed with rage,
they took the volume from her. Gently, child said, Lupage,
be calm, it's all in a good cause. Keep an
eye on her, will you? Meanwhile, I will have a

(17:30):
look at the object in dispute. It was an odd
volume of Montesgue's Voyage utample de guide in a binding
at least a century old, but DuPage had hardly opened
it before he exclaimed, I say, I say this is queer.
There is a sheet of parchment stuck on each right
hand page, and those pages are covered with a very close,

(17:51):
small handwriting. He read at the beginning diary of the
Chevalier gillde Malreche, French servant to his Royal Highness, the
Prince of five book in Velden's begun in the ear
of our Lord seventeen ninety four. What does it say? That,
asked the count? What surprises you? Zilda's grandfather, the old

(18:11):
man who died two years ago, was called Malreich, which
is the German form of the same name. Capital. Zilda's
grandfather must have been the son or the grandson of
the French servant who wrote his diary in an odd
volume of Montesgue's works, and that is how the diary
came into Zilda's hands. He turned the pages at random.
Fifteen September seventeen ninety six, his Royal Highness went hunting.

(18:36):
Twenty September seventeen ninety six, His Royal Highness went out riding.
He was mounted on cupidon by Jove muttered Lupage. So
far it's not very exciting. He turned over a number
of pages and read twelve March eighteen o three, I
have remitted ten crowns to Hermann his giving music lessons
in London. Lupagne gave the laugh, Oh, hermine is dethroned,

(19:01):
and our respect comes down with a rush. Yes, observed Valdemar,
the reigning Grand Duke, was driven from his dominions by
the French troops. Lupage continued eighteen o nine Tuesday, Napoleon
slept at Valden's last night. I made his Majesty's bed,
and this morning I emptied his slops. Oh did Napoleon
stop at Velden's Yes, Yes, on his way back to

(19:24):
the army at the time of the Austrian campaign, which
ended with the Battle of Wagram. It was an honor
of which the Grand Ducal family were very proud. Afterwards,
Lupeye went on reading. Twenty eight October eighteen fourteen, His
Royal Highness returned to his dominions twenty nine October eighteen fourteen.
I accompanied his Royal Highness to the hiding place last night,

(19:45):
and was happy to be able to show him that
no one had guessed its existence. For that matter, who
would have suspected that a hiding place could be contrived
in Hey? Lupey stopped with a shout. Isilda had suddenly
escaped from the men guarding her, made a grab at him,
and taken to flight, carrying the book with her. Oh,
the little mischief, quick, you go round by the stairs below.

(20:07):
I'll run after her by the passage, But she had
slammed the door behind her and bolted it. He had
to go down and run along the buildings with the others,
looking for a staircase which would take them to the
first floor. The fourth house was the only one open.
He went upstairs, but the passage was empty, and he
had to knock at doors, forest locks and make his
way into unoccupied rooms. While Valdemar, showing as much ardor

(20:30):
in the pursuit as himself, pricked the curtains and hangings
with the point of his sword. A voice called out
from the ground floor towards the right wing. They rushed
in that direction. It was one of the officer's wives
who beckoned to them at the end of the passage
and told him that the girl must be in her lodging.
How do you know, asked Loupe. I wanted to go
to my room. The door was shut and I could

(20:51):
not get in. New Pee tried and found the door locked.
The window, he cried, there must be a window. He
went outside, took the Count's sword and smashed the panes. Then,
helped up by two men, he hung on to the wall,
passed his arm through the broken glass, turned the latch,
and stumbled into the room. He saw a Zilda huddle

(21:11):
before the fireplace, almost in the midst of the flames.
The little beast, he said, she has thrown it into
the fire. He pushed her back savagely, tried to take
the book, and burnt his hands in the attempt. Then
with the tongs he pulled it out of the grate
and threw the tablecloth over it to stifle the blaze.
But it was too late. The pages of the old manuscript,

(21:32):
all burnt up, were falling into ashes. Dupeg gazed at
her in silence. The Count said, one would think that
she knew what she was doing. No, she does not know.
Only her grandfather must have entrusted her with that book
as a sort of treasure, a treasure which no one
was ever to set eyes on, and with her stupid instinct,
she preferred to throw it into the fire rather than

(21:53):
part with it. Well then, well then what you won't
find the hiding place? Ah, my dear count, so you
did for a moment. Look upon my success as possible,
and du pain does not strike you as quite a charlatan.
Make your mind easy, Voldemar to pay his more than
one string to his bow. I shall succeed before twelve

(22:14):
o'clock to morrow, before twelve o'clock to night. But for
the moment I am starving with hunger, and if your
kindness would go so far. He was taken to the
sergeant's mess and a substantial meal prepared for him, while
the count went to make his report to the emperor.
Twenty minutes later, Valdemar returned and they sat down and
dined together, opposite each other, Silent and pensive. Valdemar, A

(22:39):
good cigar would be a treat. I thank you. Ah.
This one crackles as a self respecting havana. Should he
lit his cigar, and after a minute or two you
can smoke, Count, I don't mind in the least, In fact,
I rather like it. An hour passed Valdemar dozed and
from time to time swallowed a glass of brandy to

(23:00):
wake himself up. Soldiers passed in and out, waiting on
them coffee, asked Loupee. They brought him some coffee. What
bad stuff, he grumbled. If that's what Caesar drinks, give
me another cup. All the same, Valdemar, we may have
a long night before us. Oh, what vile coffee. He

(23:21):
lit a second cigar and did not say another word.
Ten minutes passed. He continued not to move or speak. Suddenly,
Valdemar sprang to his feet and said to Lupey angrily, Hey,
stand up there. Du Pey was whistling a tune At
the moment he kept on whistling peacefully, Stand up, I say,
Dupay turned round. His Imperial Majesty had just entered. Lupey

(23:45):
rose from his chair. How far are we asked the Emperor.
I think, Sire, that I shall be able to satisfy
your Imperial Majesty soon. What do you know the hiding place?
Very nearly, sire. A few details still escaped me, but
everything will be cleared up once we are on the spot.
I have no doubt of it. Are we to stay here, no, sire,

(24:07):
I will beg you to go with me to the
Renaissance Palace. But we have plenty of time, and if
your Imperial majesty will permit me, I should like first
to think over two or three points. Without waiting for
the reply, he sat down to Valdemar's great indignation. In
a few minutes, the Emperor, who had walked away and
was talking to the count, came up to him. Are

(24:27):
you ready now, Monsieur du pay Lupeye kept silence a
fresh question. His head fell on his chest. But he's asleep.
I really believe that he's asleep. Valdemar, beside himself with rage,
shook him violently by the shoulder. Leu Pey fell from
his chair, sank to the floor, gave two or three

(24:47):
convulsive movements, and then lay quite still. What's the matter
with him? Exclaimed the Emperor. He's not dead. I hope
he took a lamp and bent over him. How pale?
He is, a face like wax. Look, Valdemar, feel his heart.
He's alive, is he not? Yes, sire, said the Count
after a moment. The heart is beating quite regularly. Then

(25:11):
what is it? I don't understand what happened. Shall I
go and fetch the doctor? Yes? Run. The doctor found
a pay in the same state, lying inert and quiet.
He had him put on a bed, subjected him to
a long examination, and asked what he had had to eat.
You suspect a case of poisoning, doctor, No, sire, there

(25:32):
are no traces of poisoning. But I am thinking what's
on that tray and in that cup coffee? Said the
count for you, No, for him, I did not have any.
The doctor poured out some coffee, tasted it, and said
I was right. He's been put to sleep with a narcotic.
But by whom, cried the emperor angrily. Look here, Valdemar.

(25:54):
It's exasperating the way things happen in this place, sire. Well, yes,
I've had enough of it. I am really beginning to
believe that the man's right, and that there is some
one in the castle that French money, that narcotic. If
any one had got into this enclosure, Sire, it would
be known. By this time we'd been hunting in every
direction for three hours. Still I didn't make the coffee,

(26:16):
I assure you, And unless you did, oh, sire, well,
then hunt about search. You've two hundred men at your disposal,
and the outhouses are not so large as all that.
For after all, the ruffian is prowling round here, round
these buildings, near the kitchen somewhere or other. Go and
bustle about the fat Voldemar bustled about all night, conscientiously

(26:38):
because it was the master's order, but without conviction, because
it was impossible for a stranger to hide among ruins
which were so well watched. And as a matter of fact,
the event proved that he was right. The investigations were fruitless,
and no one was able to discover the mysterious hand
that had prepared the narcotic drink. Lupayne spent the night
lifeless on his bed. In the morning, the doctor, who

(27:01):
had not left his side, told a messenger of the
emperors that he was still asleep. At nine o'clock, however,
he made his first movement, a sort of effort to
wake up. Later on, he stammered, w TI time is
set twenty five to ten. He made a fresh effort,

(27:22):
and it was evident that, in the midst of his torpor,
his whole being was intent upon returning to life. A
clock struck ten, he started and said, let them carry me.
Let them carry me to the palace. With the doctor's approval,
Valdemar called his men and sent word to the emperor.

(27:43):
They laid Lupey on a stretcher and set out for
the palace. The first floor, he muttered. They carry him up.
At the ends of the corridor, he said, the last
room month the left. They carried him to the last room,
which was the twelfth, and gave him a chair on

(28:05):
which he sat down exhausted. The emperor arrived. Lupagne did
not stir, sat looking unconscious, with no expression in his eyes.
Then in a few minutes he seemed to wake. Looked
round him at the walls, the ceilings, the people, and
said a narcotic I suppose, yes, said the doctor. Have

(28:27):
they found the man? No. He seemed to be meditating,
and several times jerked his head with a thoughtful air,
but they soon saw that he was asleep. The Emperor
went up to Valdemar, or to your car round. Oh
but then, sire, well, what I'm beginning to think that

(28:47):
he is taking us in, and that all this is
merely play acting to gain time. Possibly, yes, said Valdemar, agreeing,
it's quite obvious he's making the most of certain curious coincident.
But he knows nothing. And his story about gold coins
and his narcotic were so many inventions. If we lend
ourselves to his little game any longer, he'll slip out

(29:09):
of your fingers, your car, Valdemar. The Count gave his
orders and returned. Lupang had not woke up. The Emperor,
who was looking round the room, said de Valdemar, this
is the Minerva room, is it not, yes, sire? But
then why is there an end? In two places? There were,
in fact two ends, one over the chimney piece, the

(29:29):
other over an old dilapidated clock fitted into the wall
and displaying a complicated set of works with weights hanging
lifeless at the end of their cords. The two ends,
said Valdemar. The Emperor did not listen to the answer.
Loupagn had moved again, opening his eyes and uttering indistinct syllables.
He stood up, walked across the room, and fell down

(29:51):
from sheer weakness. Then came the struggle, the desperate struggle
of his brains, his nerves, his will against that hideous
peril lizing torpor, the struggle of a dying man against death,
the struggle of life against extinction, and the sight was
one of infinite sadness. He is suffering, muttered Voldemar. Or

(30:13):
at least he is pretending to suffer, declared the Emperor,
and pretending very cleverly at that? What an actor? Lupey
stammered an injection, doctor, an injection of caffeine at once,
May I, sire, asked the doctor. Certainly until twelve o'clock

(30:36):
do all that he asks. He has my promise. Hum
many minutes before twelve o'clock, asked Loupay, forty said somebody forty,
I shall do it. I am sure to do it.
I've got to do it. He took his head in

(30:59):
his two hands. Oh, if I had my brain, the
real brain, my brain that thinks it would be a
matter of a second. There's only one dark spot left.
But I cannot my thoughts as gape me. I can't

(31:22):
grasp it. It's awful. His shoulders shook. Was he crying?
They heard him repeating eight thirteen, eight thirteen, and in
a lower voice, eight thirteen an eight A one three, Yes,

(31:50):
of course, But why that's not enough, The Emperor muttered,
press me, I find it difficult to believe that a
man can play a part like that. Half past eleven
struck a quarter to twelve. Le Pey remained motionless, with
his fists glued to his temples. The Emperor waited with

(32:14):
his eyes fixed on a chronometer which Valdemar held in
his hand. Ten minutes more, five minutes more? Is the
car there, Valdemar. Are your men ready? Yes, sire? Is
that what of yours? A repeater? Valdemar, yes, sir, At
the last stroke of twelve? Then, but at the last
stroke of twelve, Voldemar, there was really something tragic about

(32:37):
the scene, that sort of grandeur and solemnity which the
hours assume at the approach of a possible miracle, when
it seems as though the voice of fate itself were
about to find utterance. The Emperor did not conceal his anguish.
This fantastic adventurer, who was called Arsene Lupey, and whose
amazing life he knew. This man troubled him, and although
he was resolved to make an end of all this

(32:59):
dubious story, he could not help waiting and hoping. Two
minutes more, one minute more. Then they counted by seconds.
Lupagne seemed to sleep. Come get ready, said the Emperor
to the count. The Count went up to Liupagne and
placed his hand on his shoulder. The silvery chime of

(33:20):
the repeater quivered and struck one, two, three, four five.
Valdemar old chap pulled the weights of the old clock
a moment of stupefaction. It was Lupagne's voice, speaking very calmly. Valdemar,

(33:40):
annoyed at the familiarity of the address, shrugged his shoulders.
Do as he says, Valdemar said the emperor. Yes, do
as I say, my dear count, echoed Liupene, recovering his
powers of chaff. You know the rope so well. All
you have to do is to pull those of the
clock in turns one two, capital. That's how they used

(34:02):
to wind it up in the old days. The pendulum,
in fact, was started, and they heard its regular ticking.
Now the hands, said, Lupee set them at a little
before twelve. Don't move, let me. He rose and walked
to the face of the clock, standing two feet away
at most, with his eyes fixed. With every nerve attentive,

(34:23):
the twelve strokes sounded, twelve heavy deep strokes, a long silence.
Nothing happened. Nevertheless, the emperor waited as though he were
sure that something was going to happen, and Valdemar did
not move, stood with wide open eyes. Lupaye, who had
stooped over the clock face, now drew himself up, muttering

(34:45):
that's it, I have it. He went back to his
chair and commanded Voldemar set the hands at two minutes
to twelve. Again. Oh, no, old Chap, not backwards the
way the hands go. Yes, I know it will take
rather long, but it can't be helped. All the hours
struck and the half hours up to half past eleven. Listen, Valdemar,

(35:06):
said Dupey, and he spoke seriously, without jesting, as though
himself excited and anxious. Listen, Valdemar, do you see on
the face of the clock a little round dot marking
the first hour. That dot is loose, isn't it. Put
the forefinger of your left hand on it and press good.
Do the same with your thumb on the dot marking
the third hour. Good. With your right hand, push in

(35:30):
the dot at the eighth hour. Good. Thank you, go
and sit down, my dear fellow. The minute hand shifted,
moved to the twelfth dot, and the clock struck again.
DuPage was silent and very white. The twelve strokes rang
out in silence. At the twelfth stroke, there was a
sound as of a spring being set free. The clock

(35:51):
stopped dead, the pendulum ceased swinging, and suddenly the bronze
ornament representing a ram's head, which crowned the dial fell forwards,
uncovering a sort of little recess cut out of the
stone wall. In this recess was a chased silver casket.
Lupainn took it and carried it to the Emperor. Would

(36:12):
your Imperial majesty be so good as to open it yourself?
The letters which you instructed me to look for are inside.
The Emperor raised the lid and seemed greatly astonished. The
casket was empty. The casket was empty. It was an
enormous unforeseen sensation after the success of the calculation made

(36:33):
by Dupat, after the ingenious discovery of the secret of
the clock. The Emperor, who had no doubt left as
to the ultimate success, appeared utterly confounded. Opposite him was
Lupain Pallid and Wan with drawn jaws and bloodshot eyes.
Gnashing his teeth with rage and impotent hate, he wiped
the perspiration from his forehead, then snatched up the casket,

(36:54):
turned it over, examined it as though he hoped to
find a false bottom. At last, for greater certainty, in
a fit of fury, he crushed it with an irresistible
grip that relieved him. He breathed more easily. The Emperor said,
who has done this? Still the same man, sire, the
one who was following the same road as I and
pursuing the same aim, mister Kesselbach's murderer. When last night, Na, sire,

(37:21):
why did you not leave me free when I came
out of prison. Had I been free, I should have
come here without losing an hour. I should have arrived
before him. I should have given a Zilda money before
he did. I should have read Malreich, the old French
servant's diary before he did. So you think that it
was through the revelations in the diary, Why, yes, sire,
you had time to read them, and lurking, I don't

(37:42):
know where kept informed of all our movements by I
don't know whom He put me to sleep last night
in order to get rid of me. But the palace
was guarded, guarded by your soldiers, sire. Does that count
with a man like him? Besides, I have no doubt
that Valdemar concentrated to search upon the out buildings, thus
thinning the posts in the palace. But the sound of

(38:03):
the clock, those twelve strokes in the night, it was
mere child's play, sire, mere child's play to him to
prevent the clock from striking. All this seems very impossible
to my mind. It all seems monstrous clear to mine, sire.
If it were possible to feel in every one of
your soldier's pockets here and now, or to know how
much money they will each of them spend during the
next twelve months, we should be sure to find two

(38:25):
or three who are at this moment in possession of
a few bank notes French bank notes, of course, oh,
protested Voldemar. But yes, my dear count, it is a
question of price, and that makes no difference to him,
if he wished, I am sure that you, yourself, the Emperor,
wrapped up in his own thoughts, was not listening. He

(38:45):
walked across the room from left to right and right
to left, then beckoned to one of the officers standing
in the gallery my car and tell them to get ready.
We're starting. He stopped, watched you Pay for a moment,
and going up to the count, you too, Voldemar, be
off straight to Paris without a break. Dupay pricked up
his ears he heard Valdemar reply, I should like to

(39:07):
have a dozen additional guards with that devil of a man.
Take them and look sharp. You must get there to night.
Dupay stamped his foot violently on the floor. Well, no, sire,
no no, no, it shan't be I swear it shan't.
No no never, what do you mean? And the letters, sire,
the stolen letters upon my word, so cried Dupay, indignantly,

(39:33):
folding his arms. So your imperial majesty gives up the struggle.
You look upon the defeat as irretrievable. You declare yourself beaten.
Well I do not, sire, I have begun and I
mean to finish. The Emperor smiled at this display of metal.
I do not give up, but my police will set
to work. Lupay burst out, laughing, A excuse me, sire,

(39:57):
it is so funny, your police, your imperial majesties police,
why there worth just about as much as any other police.
That is to say, nothing, nothing at tall. No, Sire,
I will not return to the Sante prison. I can
afford to laugh at that. But time enough has been wasted.
As it is. I need my freedom against that man,
and I mean to keep it. The Emperor shrugged his shoulders.

(40:20):
You don't even know who the man is. I shall know, Sire,
and I alone can know. And he knows that I
am the only one who can know. I am his
only enemy. I am the only one whom he attacks.
It was I whom he meant to hit the other
day when he fired his revolver. He considered it enough
to put me and me only to sleep last night,
to be free to do as he pleased. The fight

(40:41):
lies between him and me. The outside world has nothing
to say to it. No one can help me, and
no one can help him. There are two of us,
and that is all. So far chance has favored him.
But in the long run it is inevitable. It is
doomed that I should gain the day. Why, because I
am the better man. Suppose he kills you, he will

(41:01):
not kill me. I shall draw his claws. I shall
make him perfectly harmless, And you shall have the letters, sire.
They are yours. There is no power on earth that
can prevent me from restoring them to you. He spoke
with a violent conviction and a tone of certainty that
gave to the things which he foretold the real appearance
of things already accomplished. The Emperor could not help undergoing

(41:22):
a vague, inexplicable feeling in which there was a sort
of admiration combined with a good deal of that confidence
which Dupag was demanding in so masterful a manner. In reality,
he was hesitating only because of his scruples against employing
this man and making him, so to speak, his ally,
and anxiously, not knowing what decision to take, he walked
from the gallery to the windows without saying a word.

(41:45):
At last, he asked, and who says that the letters
were stolen last night? The theft is dated, sire? What
do you say? Look at the inner side of the
pediment which concealed the hiding place. The date is written
in white chalk, mid night, twenty four August, so it
is muttered the Emperor, nonplussed, how was it that I

(42:06):
did not see? And he added, betraying his curiosity, just
as with those two ends painted on the wall. I
can't understand. This is the Minerva room. This is the
room in which Napoleon, the Emperor of the French, slept,
said Lupagne, how do you know? Asked Valdemar sire As
for myself. When I was turning over the old servant's diary,

(42:28):
it came upon me as a flash of light. I
understood that Shears and I had been on the wrong
scent a poon. The imperfect word written by the Grand
Duke Hermann on his death bed is a contraption not
of Apollon, but of Napoleon. That's true, you are right,
said the Emperor. The same letters occur in both words,
and in the same order. The Grand Duke evidently meant

(42:49):
to write Napoleon. But that figure eight thirteen, ah, that
was the point that gave me most trouble. I always
had an idea that we must add up the three
figures eight, one and three, and the number twelve thus
obtained seemed to me at once to apply to this room,
which is the twelfth leading out of the gallery. But
that was not enough for me. There must be something else,

(43:11):
something which my enfeebled brain could not succeed in translating
into words. The sight of that clock, situated precisely in
the Napoleon room, was a revelation to me. The number
twelve evidently meant twelve o'clock, the hour of noon the
hour of midnight. Is this not the solemn moment which
a man most readily selects? But why those three figures eight, one,

(43:33):
and three, rather than any others which would have given
the same total. It was then that I thought of
making the clock strike for the first time by way
of experiment. And it was while making it strike that
I saw the dots of the first, third and eighth
hour were movable, and that they alone were movable. I
therefore obtained three figures one, three, and eight, which, placed

(43:54):
in a more prophetic order, gave the number eight thirteen.
Valdemar pushed the three dots, the spring was released, and
your Imperial majesty knows the result. This, sire, is the
explanation of that mysterious word and of those three figures
ate one three, which the Grand Duke wrote with his
dying hand, and by the aid of which he hoped
that his son would one day recover the secret of

(44:15):
Velden's and become the possessor of the famous letters which
he had hidden there. The Emperor listened with eager attention,
more and more surprised at the ingenuity, perspicacity, shrewdness, and
intelligent will which he observed in the man Valdemar. He
said when DuPage had finished, Sire. But just as he

(44:35):
was about to speak, shouts were heard in the gallery outside.
Valdemar left the room and returned. It's the mad girl, Sire.
They won't let her pass. Let her come in, cried Dupag. Eagerly,
she must come in, Sire. At a sign from the Emperor,
Valdemar went out to fetch a Zilda. Her entrance caused
a general stupefaction. Her pale face was covered with dark blotches.

(44:57):
Her distorted features bore signs of the keenness suffering. She
panted for breath with her two hands clutched against her breast. Oh, cried, lupey.
Struck with horror, what is it? Asked the Emperor, your doctor, Sire,
there is not a moment to lose. He went up
to her, speak, Zilda, have you seen anything? Have you

(45:19):
anything to say? The girl had stopped. Her eyes were
less vacant, as though lighted up by the pain. She
uttered sounds, but not a word. Listen, said Lupee, answer
yes or no? Make a movement of the head. Have
you seen him? Do you know where he is? You
know who he is? Listen If you don't answer, he
suppressed a gesture of anger, But, suddenly remembering the experiment

(45:42):
of the day before, and that she seemed rather to
have retained a certain optical memory of the time when
she enjoyed her full reason, he wrote on the white
wall a capital L and M. She stretched out her
arm toward the letters and nodded her head as though
in assent, and then said, lupeye what Then write something
your say? But she gave a fearful scream and flung

(46:03):
herself to the ground, yelling. Then suddenly came silence, immobility,
one last convulsive spasm, and she moved no more dead,
asked the emperor poisoned, sire, Oh, the poor thing, and
by whom by him, Sire, she knew him, no doubt

(46:25):
he must have been afraid of what she might tell.
The doctor arrived, the Emperor pointed to the girl, then
addressing Valdemar, all you meant to turn out, make them
go through the houses, telegraphed to the stations on the frontier.
He went up to lupeye, how long do you want
to recover the letters? A month, sire, two months at most?

(46:45):
Very well, Valdemar will wait for you here. He shall
have my orders and full powers to grant you anything
you wish. What I should like, sire, is my freedom.
You are free. Lupayne watched him walk away and said
between his teeth, I freedom first, and afterward, when I
have given you back the letters, O majesty, one little
shake of the hand, then we shall be quits. End

(47:09):
of Chapter twelve.