The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar - Maurice Leblanc - Classic Drama Audiobooks

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter one, the arrest of our Seene Lupin. It was
a strange ending to a voyage that had commenced in
a most auspicious manner. The transatlantic steamship La Provence was
a swift and comfortable vessel under the command of a
most affable man. The passengers constituted a select and delightful society.
The charm of new acquaintances and improvised amusements served to

(00:22):
make the time pass agreeably. We enjoyed the pleasant sensation
of being separated from the world, living as it were,
upon an unknown island, and consequently obliged to be sociable
with each other. Have you ever stopped to consider how
much originality and spontaneity emanate from these various individuals, who,
on the preceding evening did not even know each other,

(00:43):
and who are now, for several days, condemned to lead
a life of extreme intimacy, jointly defying the anger of
the ocean, the terrible onslaught of the waves, the violence
of the tempest, and the agonizing monotony of the calm
and sleepy water. Such a life becomes a sort of
tragic existence, with its storms and its grandeurs, its monotony
and its diversity. And that is why perhaps we embark

(01:05):
upon that short voyage with mingled feelings of pleasure and fear.
But during the past few years a new sensation had
been added to the life of the transatlantic traveler. The
little floating island is now attached to the world from
which it was once quite free. A bond united them
even in the very heart of the watery wastes of
the Atlantic. That bond is the wireless telegraph, by means

(01:28):
of which we receive news in the most mysterious manner.
We know full well that the message is not transported
by the medium of a hollow wire. No, the mystery
is even more inexplicable, more romantic, and we must have
recourse to the wings of the air in order to
explain this new miracle. During the first day of the voyage,
we felt that we were being followed, escorted, preceded even

(01:49):
by that distant voice, which, from time to time whispered
to one of us a few words from the receding world.
Two friends spoke to me, ten twenty others sent gay
or some words of parting to other passengers. On the
second day, at a distance of five hundred miles from
the French coast, in the midst of a violent storm,
we received the following message by means of the wireless telegraph.

(02:12):
Arsaint Lupin is on your vessel, first cabin, blonde hair
wound right forearm, traveling alone under name of R. At
that moment, a terrible flash of lightning rent the stormy skies.
The electric waves were interrupted. The remainder of the despatch
never reached us. Of the name under which Ar Saint
Lupin was concealing himself. We knew only the initial. If

(02:35):
the news had been of some other character, I have
no doubt that the secret would have been carefully guarded
by the telegraphic operator as well as by the officers
of the vessel. But it was one of those events
calculated to escape from the most rigorous discretion. The same day,
no one knew how the incident became a matter of
current gossip, and every passenger was aware that the famous

(02:55):
Arsaint Lupin was hiding in our midst. Ar Saint Lupain
our midst, the irresponsible burglar whose exploits had been narrated
in all the newspapers during the past few months. The
mysterious individual with whom Ganimau, our shrewdest detective had been
engaged in an implacable conflict amidst interesting and picturesque surroundings.
Arsene Dupin, the eccentric gentleman who operates only in the

(03:17):
chateaus and salons, and who one night entered the residence
of Baron Shawmann, but emerged empty handed, leaving, however, his
card on which he had scribbled these words Arsin Dupin, gentleman, burglar,
will return when the furniture is genuine. Arsine Dupin, the
man of a thousand disguises, in turn a chauffeur, detective, bookmaker,

(03:37):
Russian physician, Spanish bull fighter, commercial traveler, robust youth or
decrepit old man. Then consider this startling situation. Af Saint
Lupin was wandering about within the limited bounds of a
transatlantic steamer, in that very small corner of the world,
in that dining saloon, in that smoking room, in that
music room. Arsen Dupin was perhaps this gentleman, or that

(04:00):
one my neighbor at the table, the sharer of my stateroom.
And this condition of affairs will last for five days,
exclaimed Miss Nellie Underdown next morning. It is unbearable. I
hope he will be arrested. Then, addressing me, she added,
and you, Monsieur dean Risie, you are on intimate terms
for the captain. Surely you know something. I should have

(04:21):
been delighted had I possessed any information that would interest
Miss Nellie. She was one of those magnificent creatures who
inevitably attract attention in every assembly. Wealth and beauty form
in a resistible combination, and Nellie possessed both. Educated in
Paris under the care of her French mother, she was
now going to visit her father, the millionaire under Down
of Chicago. She was accompanied by one of her friends,

(04:43):
Lady Gerland. At first I had decided to open a
flirtation with her, but in the rapidly growing intimacy of
the voyage, I was soon impressed by her charming manner,
and my feelings became too deep and reverential for a
mere flirtation. Moreover, she accepted my attentions with a certain
degree of favor. She condescended to laugh at my witticisms
and display an interest in my stories. Yet I felt

(05:06):
that I had a rival in the person of a
young man with quiet and refined tastes, and it struck
me at times that she preferred his taciturn humor to
my Parisian frivolity. He formed one in the circle of
admirers that surrounded Miss Nellie. At the time she addressed
to me the foregoing question, we were all comfortably seated
in our deck chairs. The storm of the preceding evening
had cleared the sky. The weather was now delightful. I

(05:29):
have no definite knowledge, Mademoiselle, I replied, But can not
we ourselves investigate the mystery quite as well as the
detective Ganimard, that personal enemy of Ar Sainte lupin. Oh Oh,
You are progressing very fast, monsieur, not at all, mademoiselle.
In the first place, let me ask, do you find
the problem a complicated one? Very complicated? Have you forgotten

(05:51):
the key we hold for the solution to the problem?
What key? In the first place? Luberon calls himself monsieur R.
Rather vague information, she replied. Secondly, he is traveling alone.
Does that help you, she asked? Thirdly, he is blonde? Well, well,
we have only to peruse the passenger list and proceed

(06:12):
by process of elimination. I had that list in my pocket.
I took it out and glanced through it. Then I remarked,
I find that there are only thirteen men on the
passenger list whose names begin with the letter are only
thirteen yes in the first cabin, And of those thirteen,
I find that nine of them are accompanied by women, children,
or servants. That leaves only four who are traveling alone. First,

(06:35):
the Marquis de Ravidun, secretary to the American ambassador, interrupted
miss Nellie. I know him, Major Rawson, I continued, Here
is my uncle, someone said, Monsieur Rivolta. Here, exclaimed an
Italian whose face was concealed beneath the heavy black beard.
Miss Nellie burst into laughter and exclaimed that gentleman can

(06:55):
scarcely be called a blond. Very well, then, I said,
we are forced to the conclusion that the guilty party
is the last one on the list. What is his name,
Monsieur Rosein? Does any one know him? No one answered,
but miss Nellie turned to the taciturn young man whose
attentions to her had annoyed me, and said, well, Monsieur Rosein,
why do you not answer? All eyes were now turned

(07:17):
upon him. He was a blonde. I must confess that
I myself felt a shock of surprise, and the profound
silence that followed her question indicated that the others present
also viewed the situation with a feeling of sudden alarm. However,
the idea was an absurd one, because the gentleman in
question presented an air of the most perfect innocence. Why
do I not answer, he said, because considering my name,

(07:40):
my position as a solitary traveler, and the color of
my hair, I have already reached the same conclusion and
now think that I should be arrested. He presented a
strange appearance as he uttered those words. His thin lips
were drawn closer than usual, and his face was ghastly pale,
while his eyes were streaked with blood. Of course, he
was joking, yet his appearance and attitude impressed us strangely.

(08:03):
But have you not the wound, said miss Nellie naively.
That is true, he replied, I lacked the wound. Then
he pulled up his sleeve, removing his cuff, and showed
us his arm. But that action did not deceive me.
He had shown us as left arm, and I was
on the point of calling his attention to the fact.
When another incident diverted our attention. Lady Gerland, miss Nellie's friend,
came running towards in a state of great excitement, exclaiming,

(08:25):
my jewels, my pearls, some one has stolen them all. No,
they were not all gone, as we soon found out,
the thief had taken only part of them, A very
curious thing. Of the diamond sunbursts, jeweled pendants, bracelets and necklaces.
The thief had taken not the largest, but the finest
and most valuable stones. The mountings were lying upon the table.

(08:46):
I saw them there, despoiled of their jewels, like flowers
from which the beautiful colored petals had been ruthlessly plucked.
And this theft must have been committed at the time
Lady Gerland was taking her tea in broad daylight in
a stateroom opening on a much quented corridor. Moreover, the
thief had been obliged to force open the door of
the stateroom, search for the jewel case, which was hidden
at the bottom of a hat box, open it, select

(09:09):
his booty, and remove it from the mountings. Of course,
all the passengers instantly reached the same conclusion. It was
the work of Arsene Lupin. That day, at the dinner table,
the seats to the right and left of Rosin remained vacant,
and during the evening it was rumored that the captain
had placed him under arrest, which information produced a feeling
of safety and relief. We breathed once more. That evening

(09:31):
we resumed our games and dances. Miss Nellie especially displayed
a spirit of thoughtless gaiety, which convinced me that if
Roseinn's attentions had been agreeable to her in the beginning,
she had already forgotten them. Her charm and good humor
completed my conquest. At midnight, under a bright moon, I
declared my devotion with an ardor that did not seem
to displease her. But next day, to our general amazement,

(09:54):
Rosine was at liberty. We learned that the evidence against
him was not sufficient. He had produced documents that were
per perfectly regular. Was showed that he was the son
of a wealthy merchant of Bordeaux. Besides, his arms did
not bear the slightest trace of a wound. Documents certificates
of birth exclaimed the enemies of Rosin. Of course, Arsaine
Lupin will furnish you as many as you desire. And

(10:15):
as to the wound, he never had it or he
has removed it. Then it was proven that at the
time of the Theftrosin was promenading on the deck, to
which fact his enemies replied that a man like gar
Saint Lupin could commit a crime without being actually present.
And then, apart from all other circumstances, there remained one
point which even the most skeptical could not answer. Who

(10:36):
except Rosin, was traveling alone. Was a blonde and bore
a name beginning with R. To whom did the telegram
point if it were not Rosin? And when Rosin, a
few minutes before breakfast came boldly toward our group, Miss
Nellie and Lady Garland arose and walked away. An hour later,
a manuscript circular was passed from hand to hand amongst

(10:57):
the sailors, the stewards, and the passengers of all classes.
It announced that Monsieur Louis Rossin offered a reward of
ten thousand francs for the discovery of Arsene Dupin or
other person in possession of the Solen Jewels, and if
no one assists me, I will unmask the scoundrel, myself,
declared Rossin Rosin against Arsen Dupin, or rather, according to

(11:17):
current opinion, Arsene Dupin himself against Arsene Lupin. The contest
promised to be interesting. Nothing developed. During the next two days.
We saw Rosin wondering about day and night, searching, questioning, investigating.
The captain also displayed commendable activity. He caused the vessel
to be searched from Sterne to Sterne, ransacked every stateroom

(11:38):
under the plausible theory that the jewels might be concealed
anywhere except in the thief's own room. I suppose they
will find out something soon, remarked Miss Nellie to me.
He may be a wizard, but he cannot make diamonds
and pearls become invisible. Certainly not, I replied, but he
should examine the lining of our hats and vests and
everything we carry with us. Then, exhibiting my Kodak a

(11:59):
nine x twelve with which I had been photographing her
in various poses, I added, in an apparatus no larger
than that a person could hide all of Lady Gerland's jewels.
He could pretend to take pictures and no one would
suspect the game. But I have heard it said that
every thief leaves some clue behind him. That may be
generally true, I replied, but there is one exception, Arsene Lupin.

(12:21):
Why because he concentrates his thoughts not only on the theft,
but on all the circumstances connected with it that could
serve a seclue to his identity. A few days ago
you were more confident, yes, But since I have seen
him at work, and what do you think about it now?
She asked, Well, in my opinion, we are wasting our time.
And as a matter of fact, the investigation had produced

(12:44):
no result. But in the meantime the captain's watch had
been stolen. He was furious. He quickened his efforts and
watched Rosine more closely than before. But on the following
day the watch was found in the second officer's collar box.
This incident caused considerable astonishment and displayed the humorous side
of Arsene Lupin Burglar. Though he was but dilettante as well.
He combined business with pleasure. He reminded us of the

(13:07):
author who almost died in a fit of laughter provoked
by his own play. Certainly, he was an artist in
his particular line of work. And whenever I saw Rosin
gloomy and reserved, and thought of the double role that
he was playing, I accorded him a certain measure of admiration.
On the following evening, the officer on deck duty heard
groans emanating from the darkest corner of the ship. He

(13:28):
approached and found a man lying there, his head enveloped
in a thick gray scarf, and his hands tied together
with a heavy cord.

Speaker 2 (13:34):
It was Rosin.

Speaker 1 (13:36):
He had been assorted, thrown down and robbed. A card
pinned to his coat bore these words, Arsene Lupin, accept
with pleasure the ten thousand francs offered by Monsieur Rossin.
As a matter of fact, the stolen pocket book contained
twenty thousand francs. Of course, some accused the unfortunate man
of having simulated this attack on himself, But apart from

(13:56):
the fact that he could not have bound himself in
that manner, it was a stablished that the writing on
the card was entirely different from that of Rosin, but
on the contrary, resembled the handwriting of Arsaine Dupin. As
it was reproduced in an old newspaper found on board.
Thus it appeared that Rosin was not Arsaene Lupin, but
was Rosin, the son of a Bordeaux merchant. And the

(14:17):
presence of Arsaine Lupin was once more affirmed, And that
in a most alarming manner, such was the state of
terror amongst the passengers, that none would remain alone in
a stateroom or wonder singly and unfrequented parts of the vessel.
We clung together as a matter of safety, and yet
the most intimate acquaintances were estranged by a mutual feeling
of distrust. Ar Saint Lupin was now anybody and everybody.

(14:40):
Our excited imaginations attributed to him miraculous and unlimited power.
We supposed him capable of assuming the most unexpected disguises,
of being, by turns, the highly respectable Major Rawson, or
the noble Marquis de Raverdain, or even for we no
longer stopped with the accusing letter of R, or even
such or such a person well known to all of us,

(15:01):
and having wife, children and servants. The first wireless dispatches
from America brought no news. At least, the captain did
not communicate any to us. The silence was not reassuring.
Our last day on the steamer seemed interminable. We lived
in constant fear of some disaster. This time it would
not be a simple theft or a comparatively harmless assault.

(15:22):
It would be a crime, a murder. No one imagined
that Artain Lupin would confine himself to those two trifling offenses.
Absolute master of the ship, the authorities powerless, He could
do whatever he pleased. Our property and lives were at
his mercy. Yet those were delightful hours for me, since
they secured to me the confidence of miss Nellie. Deeply

(15:43):
moved by those startling events, and being of a highly
nervous nature, she spontaneously sought at my side a protection
and security that I was pleased to give her. Inwardly,
I blessed Arsen Lupin, had he not been the means
of bringing me and miss Nellie closer to each other.
Thanks to him, I could now indulged in delicious dreams
of love and happiness, dreams that I felt were not

(16:04):
unwelcome to miss Nellie. Her smiling eyes authorized me to
make them. The softness of her voice bade me hope
as we approached the American show. The active search for
the thief was apparently abandoned, and we were anxiously awaiting
the supreme moment in which the mysterious enigma would be explained.
Who was Arf Saint Lupin? Under what name? Under what

(16:25):
disguise was the famous av Saint Lupin concealing himself? And
at last that supreme moment arrived. If I live one
hundred years, I shall not forget the slightest details of it.
How pale you are, miss Nellie, I said to my companion,
as she leaned upon my arm, almost fainting. And you,
she replied, Ah, you are so changed. Just think this

(16:47):
is a most exciting moment, and I am delighted to
spend it with you. Miss Nellie, I hope that your
memory will sometimes revert. But she was not listening. She
was nervous and excited. The gangway was placed in position,
but before we could year use it, the uniformed customs
officers came on board. Miss Nellie murmured, I shouldn't be
surprised to hear that Arsene Dupanin escaped from the vessel
during the voyage. Perhaps he preferred death to dishonor and

(17:11):
plunged into the Atlantic rather than be arrested. Oh, do
not laugh, she said. Suddenly I started, and in answer
to her question, I said, do you see that little
old man standing at the bottom of the gangway with
an umbrella and an olive green coat. It is Ganimin Ganimar, Yes,
the celebrated detective who has sworn to capture Ar Saint Lubin.

Speaker 2 (17:32):
Ah.

Speaker 1 (17:33):
I can understand now why we did not receive any
news from this side of the Atlantic. Ganimer was here,
and he always keeps his business secret. Then you think
he will arrest Kxen Dubin, who can tell the unexpected
always happens when Ar Send Dupin is concerned in the affair. Oh,
she exclaimed, with that morbid curiosity peculiar to women. I

(17:54):
should like to see him arrested. You will have to
be patient, no doubt. Ar Sain Dupin has already seen
his enemy and will not be in a hurry to
leave the steamer. The passengers were now leaving the steamer.
Leaning on his umbrella with an air of careless indifference,
Ganimar appeared to be paying no attention to the crowd
that was hurrying down the Gangway, The Marquis de a Redin,

(18:16):
Major Rawson, the Italian Revolter, and many others had already
left the vessel before Rosin appeared. Poor Rosin, perhaps it
is he after all, said miss Nellie to me, What
do you think? I think it would be very interesting
to have Ganimar and Rossin in the same picture. You
take the camera. I am loaded down. I gave her
the camera, but too late for her to use it.

(18:38):
Rosein was already passing the detective. An American officer standing
behind Ganimar leaned forward and whispered in his ear. The
French detective shrugged his shoulders, and Rosein passed on. Then,
my god, who was Arsen Lupin? Yes, said miss Nellie aloud,
Who can it be? Not more than twenty people now

(18:58):
remained on board. She screwedies them one by one, fearful
that Arsene Lupin was not amongst them. We cannot wait
much longer, I said to her. She started toward the gangway.
I followed, but we have not taken ten steps when
ganimars barred our passage. Well what is it, I exclaimed
one moment, monsieur, what's your hurry? I am escorting mademoiselle.

(19:20):
One moment, he repeated in a tone of authority. Then,
gazing into my eyes, he said, av Saint Lupin, is
it not? I laughed and replied no, simply Bernard Dan Dresis.
Bernard Dandresi died in Macedonia three years ago. If Bernardandresil
were dead, I should not be here. But you are mistaken.
Here are my papers. They are his, and I can

(19:42):
tell you exactly how they came into your possession. You
are a fool, I exclaimed, Ar Saint Lupin sailed under
the name of r Yes, another of your tricks, a
false scent that deceived them at Avres. You play a
good game, my boy, but this time luck is against you.
I hesitated a moment. Then he hit me a sharp
blow on the right arm, which caused me to utter

(20:03):
a cry of pain. He had struck the wound yet unhealed,
referred to in the telegram. I was obliged to surrender.
There was no alternative. I turned to Miss Nellie, who
had heard everything. Our eyes met. Then she glanced at
the kodak I had placed in her hands and made
a gesture that conveyed to me the impression that she
understood everything. Yes, there between the narrow folds of black leather,

(20:25):
in the hollow center of the small object that I
had taken the precaution to place in her hands before
Ganimer arrested me. It was there I had deposited Rosanne's
twenty thousand francs and Lady Gerland's pearls and diamonds. Oh,
I pledge my oath that at that solemn moment, when
I was in the grasp of Ganimarer and his two assistants,
I was perfectly indifferent to everything, to my arrest, the

(20:47):
hostility of the people, everything except this one question. What
will miss Nellie do with the things I had confided
to her? In the absence of that material and conclusive proof,
I had nothing to fear. But would miss Nellie decide
to furnish that proof? Would she betray me? Would she
act the part of an enemy who cannot forgive, or
that of a woman whose scorn is softened by feelings

(21:09):
of indulgence and involuntary sympathy. She passed in front of me.
I said nothing, but bowed very low, mingled with the
other passengers. She advanced to the gangway with my Kodak
in her hand. It occurred to me that she would
not dare to expose me publicly, but she might do
so when she reached a more private place. However, when
she had passed only a few feet down the gangway,

(21:30):
with a movement of simulated awkwardness, she let the camera
fall into the water between the vessel and the pier.
Then she walked down the gangway and was quickly lost
to sight in the crowd. She had passed out of
my life forever. For a moment I stood motionless. Then,
to Ganimar's great astonishment, I muttered, what a pity that
I am.

Speaker 2 (21:48):
Not an honest man.

Speaker 1 (21:50):
Such was the story of his arrest, as narrated to
me by ar Sin Lupain himself. The various incidents which
I shall record in writing at a later day, have
established between us, so and ties. Shall I say of friendship? Yes,
I ventured to believe that Artaine Lupin honors me with
his friendship, and that it is through friendship that he
occasionally calls on me and brings into the silence of

(22:12):
my library his youthful exuberance of spirits, the contagion of
his enthusiasm, and the mirth of a man for whom
destiny has naught but favors and smiles his portrait. How
can I describe him? I have seen him twenty times.
In each time he was a different person. Even he
himself said to me on one occasion, I no longer
know who I am. I cannot recognize myself in the mirror. Certainly,

(22:34):
he was a great actor and possessed a marvelous faculty
for disguising himself. Without the slightest effort, he could adopt
the voice, gestures, and mannerisms of another person. Why, said
he Why should I retain a definite form and feature?
Why not avoid the danger of a personality that is
ever the same? My actions will serve to identify me,

(22:55):
then he added, with a touch of pride, So much
the better. If no one can ever say, with that
salute certainty there is Arsen Lupin. The essential point is
that the public may be able to refer to my
work and say, without fear of mistake. Arsene Lupin did that.
End of chapter.

Speaker 2 (23:12):
One, Chapter two, Arsaint Lupin in prison. There is no
tourist worthy of the name who does not know the
banks of the Seine and has not noticed in passing.
The little feudal castle of the Malaquis, built upon a
rock in the center of the river. An arched bridge

(23:33):
connects it with a shore. All around it. The calm
waters of the great river play peacefully amongst the reeds,
and the wag tails flutter over the moist crests of
the stones. The history of the Malachi Castle is stormy,
like its name, harsh like its outlines. It has passed

(23:54):
through a long series of combats, sieges, assaults, rapines, and massacres.
A recital of the crimes that have been committed there
would cause the stoutest heart to tremble. There are many
mysterious legends connected with the castle and their tellers, of
a famous subterranean tunnel that formerly led into the abbey

(24:17):
of Jumieges and to the manor of Agnes Sarel, mistress
of Charles the Seventh, in that ancient habitation of heroes
and brigands. The Baron Nathan Cahorn now lived, or Baron Satan,
as he was formerly called, on the Bourse, where he
had acquired a fortune with incredible rapidity. The lords of

(24:40):
Malachis absolutely ruined, had been obliged to sell the ancient
castle at a great sacrifice. It contained an admirable collection
of furniture, pictures, wood carvings, and fiance. The baron lived
there alone, attended by three old servants. No one ever

(25:00):
enters the place. No one had ever beheld the three
rubens that he possessed, his tu wattau, his Jean goujon pulpit,
and the many other treasures that he had acquired by
a vast expenditure of money at public sales. Baron Satan
lived in constant fear, not for himself, but for the

(25:21):
treasures that he had accumulated with such an earnest devotion
and with so much perspicacity that the shrewdest merchant could
not say that the baron had ever erred in his
taste or judgment. He loved them, his bibulou. He loved
them intensely, like a miser, jealously, like a lover. Every day,

(25:42):
at sunset, the iron gates at either end of the
bridge and at the entrance to the Court of Honor
are closed and barred. At the least touch on these gates,
electric bells will ring throughout the castle. One Thursday in September,
a letter carrier prison vsented himself at the gate at
the head of the bridge, and as usual, it was

(26:05):
the baron himself who partially opened the heavy portal. He
scrutinized the man as minutely as if he were a stranger,
although the honest face and twinkling eyes of the postman
had been familiar to the baron for many years. The
man laughed as he said, it is only I, Monsieur
le Baron. It is not another man wearing my cap

(26:26):
and blouse. One can never tell, muttered the baron. The
man handed him a number of newspapers, and then said,
and now, Monsieur le Baron, here is something new, something new, Yes,
a letter, a registered letter. Living as a recluse without

(26:50):
friends or business relations, the baron never received any letters,
and the one now presented to him immediately aroused with
him a feeling of suspicion and dis trust. It was
like an evil omen Who was this mysterious correspondent that
dared to disturb the tranquility of his retreat. You must

(27:11):
sign for it, Monsieur le Baron. He signed. Then he
took the letter, waited until the postman had disappeared beyond
the bend. In the road, and after walking nervously to
and fro for a few minutes, he leaned against the
parapet of the bridge and opened the envelope. It contained
a sheet of paper bearing this heading prison de la

(27:35):
senti Paris. He looked at the signature Arsen Lupin, then
he read Monsieur le Baron. There is in the gallery
of your castle a picture of Filippe de Champaigne, of
exquisite finish, which pleases me beyond measure. Your rubens are

(27:58):
also to my taste, as well as your smallest wattau.
In the salon to the right, I have noticed the
Luitre's cadence table, the tapestries of Beauvis, the Empire Geridon
signed Jacob, and the Renaissance chest. In the salon to
the left, all the cabinet full of jewels and miniatures.

(28:20):
For the present I will content myself with those articles
that can be conveniently removed. I will therefore ask you
to pack them carefully and ship them to me. Charge
is prepaid to the station at Batignol within eight days,
otherwise I shall be obliged to remove them myself. During

(28:41):
the night of twenty seventh of September. But under those
circumstances I shall not content myself with the articles above mentioned.
Accept my apologies for any inconvenience I may cause you,
and believe me to be your humble servant. Arsene Lupin.

Speaker 3 (29:00):
P. S.

Speaker 2 (29:01):
Please do not send the largest wattau Although he paid
thirty thousand francs for it, it is only a copy,
the original, having been burned under the directoire by Barras
during a night of debauchery. Consult the memoirs of Garrat.
I do not care for the Louis kurs chatelain, as

(29:21):
I doubt its authenticity. That letter completely upset the Baron.
Had it borne any other signature, he would have been
greatly alarmed. But signed by Arsene Lupin. As an habitual
reader of the newspapers, he was versed with the history
of recent crimes, and was therefore well acquainted with the

(29:44):
exploits of the mysterious burglar. Of course, he knew that
Lupin had been arrested in America by his enemy Jeannie
March and was at present incarcerated in the prison de
la Santi. But he knew also that any miracle might
be expected from Arsines Lupin. Moreover, that exact knowledge of
the castle, the location of the pictures and furniture, gave

(30:07):
the affair an alarming aspect. How could he have acquired
that information concerning things that no one had ever seen?
The baron raised his eyes and contemplated the stern outlines
of the castle, its steep, rocky pedestal, the depths of
the surrounding water, and shrugged his shoulders. Certainly, there was

(30:28):
no danger. No one in the world could force an
entrance to the sanctuary that contained his priceless treasures, no one, perhaps,
but Arsaint Lupein. For him, gates, walls and drawbridges did
not exist. What use were the most formidable obstacles or
the most careful precautions. If ar Saint Lupin had decided

(30:50):
to effect an entrance that evening he wrote to the
procureur of the Republique at Roin. He enclosed the threatening
letter and solicited aid and protection. The reply came at
once to the effect that Arsin Lupin was in custody
in the prison de las Somti and the close surveillance,

(31:12):
with no opportunity to write such a letter, which was
no doubt the work of some impostor, But as an
act of precaution, the procureur had submitted the letter to
an expert in handwriting, who declared that, in spite of
certain resemblances, the writing was not that of the prisoner.
But the words, in spite of certain resemblances, caught the

(31:34):
attention of the baron. In them, he read the possibility
of a doubt, which appeared to him quite sufficient to
warrant the intervention of the law. His fears increased. He
read Lupin's letter over and over again. I shall be
obliged to remove them myself. And then there was the

(31:55):
fixed date, the night of twenty seventh of September, to
confide in his servants. Was a proceeding repugnant to his nature.
But now, for the first time in many years, he
experienced the necessity of seeking counsel with some one. Abandoned
by the legal official of his own district, and feeling

(32:18):
unable to defend himself with his own resources, he was
on the point of going to Paris to engage the
services of a detective. Two days passed. On the third day,
he was filled with hope and joy as he read
the following item in the reveis de courdebeck, a newspaper
published in a neighboring town. We have the pleasure of

(32:41):
entertaining in our city at our present time the veteran
detective Monsieur Gannimar, who acquired a world wide reputation by
his clever capture of Arsaine Lupin. He has come here
for rest and recreation, and being an enthusiastic fisherman, he
threatens to capture all the fish in our river. Ganimar, ah,

(33:06):
here is the assistance desired by Baron Cahorn, who could
baffle the schemes of Arsain Lupin better than Ganimar. The
patient and astute detective. He was the man for the
place the baron did not hesitate. The town of Cordebec
was only six kilometers from the castle, a short distance

(33:28):
to a man whose step was accelerated by the hope
of safety. After several fruitless attempts to ascertain the detective's address,
the baron visited the office of the Devas, situated on
the quay. There he found the writer of the article, who,
approaching the window, exclaimed, Ganimar, why you are sure to

(33:51):
see him somewhere on the quay with his fishing pole.
I met him there and chanced to read his name
engraved on his rod. Ah, there he is now under
the trees, that little man, wearing a straw hat. Exactly,
he is a gruff fellow with little to say. Five

(34:11):
minutes later, the baron approached the celebrated Gannimar, introduced himself
and sought to commence the conversation, but that was a failure.
Then he broached the real object of his interview and
briefly stated his case. The other listened motionless, with his
attention riveted on his fishing rod. When the baron had

(34:33):
finished his story, the fisherman turned with an air of
profound pity and said, Monsieur, it is not customary for
thieves to warn people they are about to rob. Arsene
Lupin especially would not commit such a folly. But Monsieur,
if I had the least doubt believe me, the pleasure

(34:56):
of again capturing ar Saint Lupin would place me at
your dispose. But unfortunately, that young man is already under
lock and key. He may have escaped no one ever
escaped from the Sante, but he he no more than
any other. Yet, well, if he escapes, so much the

(35:20):
better I will catch him again. Meanwhile, you go home
and sleep soundly. That will do for the present. You
frighten the fish. The conversation was ended. The baron returned
to the castle, reassured to some extent by Gannimo's indifference.

(35:41):
He examined the bolts, watched the servants, and during the
next forty eight hours he became almost persuaded that his
fears were groundless. Certainly, as Gunnimar had said, thieves do
not warn people they are about to rob. The fateful
was close at hand. It was now the twenty sixth

(36:03):
of December, and nothing had happened. But at three o'clock
the bell rang. A boy brought this telegram, no goods
at Battinyol's station. Prepare everything for to morrow night, Arsen.
This telegram threw the baron into such a state of

(36:25):
excitement that he even considered the advisability of yielding to
Lupin's demands. However, he hastened to Kodbeck. Gannimar was fishing
at the same place, seated on a campstool. Without a word,
he handed him the telegram. Well what of it, said

(36:45):
the detective, What of it? But it is to morrow?
What is to morrow? The robbery? The pillage of my collections?
Ganimar laid down his fishing rod, turned to the baron
and exclaimed, in a tone of impatience, Ah, do you

(37:08):
think I am going to bother myself about such a
silly story as that? How much do you ask to
pause to morrow night at the castle? Not a sous?
Now leave me alone. Name your own price. I am
rich and can pay it. This offer disconcerted Gannimar, who

(37:31):
replied calmly, I am here on a vacation. I have
no right to undertake such work. No one will know.
I promise to keep its secret. Oh nothing will happen.
Come three thousand francs. Will that be enough? The detective,

(37:54):
after a moment's reflection, said, very well, But I must
warn you that you are throwing your money out of
the window. I do not care in that case. But
after all, what do we know about this devil Lupin?
He may have quite a numerous band of robbers with him.

(38:15):
Are you sure of your servants? My faith? Better not
count on them. I will telegraph for two of my
men to help me, and now go. It is better
for us not to be seen together to morrow evening.
About nine o'clock the following day, the date fixed by

(38:38):
our Saint Lupin, Baron Cahorn, arranged all his panopley of war,
furbished his weapons, and like a sentinel, paced to and
fro in front of the castle. He saw nothing, heard nothing.
At half past eight o'clock in the evening, he dismissed
his servants. They occupied rooms in a wing of the building,

(38:59):
in a retired spot, well removed from the main portion
of the castle. Shortly thereafter, the baron heard the sound
of approaching footsteps. It was Gannimar and his two assistants,
great powerful fellows with immense hands and necks like bulls.
After asking a few questions relating to the location of

(39:21):
the various entrances and rooms, Ganimar carefully closed and barricaded
all the doors and windows through which one could gain
access to the threatened rooms. He inspected the walls, raised
the tapestries, and finally installed his assistance in the central gallery,
which was located between the two salons. No nonsense, we

(39:46):
are not here to sleep. At the slightest sound, open
the windows of the court and call me. Pay attention
also to the water side ten meters of perpendicular rock
is no obstacle to those devils. Ganimar locked his assistance
in the gallery, carried away the keys, and said to

(40:07):
the Baron, and now to our post. He had chosen
for himself a small room located in the thick outer
wall between the two principal doors, and which in former
years had been the watchman's quarters. A peep hole opened
upon the bridge, another on the court. In one corner

(40:29):
there was an opening to a tunnel. I believe you
told me, Monsieur le Baron, that this tunnel is the
only subterranean entrance to the castle, and that it has
been closed up for time immemorial. Yes, then, unless there
is some other entrance, known only to our Saint Lupin,

(40:51):
we are quite safe. He placed three chairs together, stretched
himself upon them, lighted his pipe and side. Really, Monsieur
le Baron, I feel ashamed to accept your money for
such a sinecure as this. I will tell the story
to my friend Lupen. He will enjoy it immensely. The

(41:13):
Baron did not laugh. He was anxiously listening, but heard
nothing save the beating of his own heart. From time
to time he leaned over the tunnel and cast a
fearful eye into its depths. He heard the clock strike
eleven twelve one. Suddenly he seized Gannimar's arm. The latter

(41:36):
leaped up, awakened from his sleep. Do you hear asked
the baron in a whisper. Yes, what is it? I
was snoring? I suppose no, no, listen ah, yes, it
is the horn of an automobile. Well, well, it is

(42:01):
very improbable that Lupenn would use an automobile like a
battering ram to demolish your castle. Come, Monsieur le Baron,
returned to your post. I am going to sleep. Good night.
That was the only alarm. Gannimar resumed his interrupted slumbers,

(42:23):
and the Baron heard nothing except the regular snoring of
his companion. At break of day they left the room.
The castle was enveloped in a profound calm. It was
a peaceful dawn on the bosom of a tranquil river.
They mounted the stairs, cahorn radiant with joy, Gannimar calm

(42:45):
as usual. They heard no sound, They saw nothing to
arouse suspicion. What did I tell you, Monsieur le Baron?
Really I should not have accepted your offer. I am ashamed,
he unlocked the and entered the gallery upon two chairs
with dripping heads and pendent arms. The detective's two assistants

(43:09):
were asleep. Don ne'er de non dr chier, exclaimed Gannimar.
At the same time, the baron cried out the pictures,
the credence. He stammered, choked with arms outstretched toward the
empty places, toward the denuded walls, where naught remained but

(43:33):
the useless nails and cords. The wattau disappeared, the rubens
carried away, the tapestries taken down, the cabinets despoiled of
their jewels, and my Louisay's Gondelabra and the region chandelier,
and my twelfth century Virgin. He ran from one spot

(43:56):
to another in wildest despair. He recalled the pertin his
price of each article, added up the figures, counted his losses,
pell mell in confused words and unfinished phrases. He stamped
with rage, he groaned with grief. He acted like a
ruined man whose only hope is suicide. If anything could

(44:20):
have consoled him, it would have been the stupefaction displayed
by Gannimar, the famous detective did not move. He appeared
to be petrified. He examined the room in a listless manner.
The windows closed, the locks on the doors intact. Not

(44:41):
a break in the ceiling, not a hole in the floor.
Everything was in perfect order. The theft had been carried
out mesodically, according to a logical and inexorable plan. Arsen Lupin,
Arsene Lupin. He muttered. Suddenly, as if moved by anger.

(45:02):
He rushed upon his two assistants and shook them violently.
They did not awaken the devil, he cried, Can it
be possible? He leaned over them, and in turn examined
them closely. They were asleep, but their response was unnatural.

(45:22):
They have been drugged, he said to the baron, by
whom by him, of course, or his men, under his discretion.
That work bears his stamp. In that case, I am lost.
Nothing can be done. Nothing, assented Gannimar. It is dreadful,

(45:46):
It is monstrous. Lodge a complaint. What good will that do? Oh?
It is well to try it. The law has some resources.
The law, Bah, it is useless. You represent the law,
and at this moment, when you should be looking for

(46:08):
a clue and trying to discover something. You do not
even stir discover something with ar Saint Lupin. Why, my
dear Monsieur Arsaint Lupin never leaves any clue behind him.
He leaves nothing to chance. Sometimes I think he puts
himself in my way and simply allowed me to arrest

(46:30):
him in America. Then I must renounce my pictures. He
has taken the gems of my collection. I would give
a fortune to recover them. If there is no other way,
let him name his own price. Gonnemar regarded the baron attentively,

(46:51):
as he said, now that is sensible. Will you stick
to it? Yes? Yes, But why an idea that I have?

Speaker 4 (47:03):
What is it?

Speaker 2 (47:05):
We will discuss it later if the official examination does
not succeed. But not one word about me, if you wish,
my assistant, he added, between his teeth, it is true,
I have nothing to boast of in this affair. The
assistants were gradually regaining consciousness with the bewildered air of

(47:27):
people who come out of an hypnotic sleep. They opened
their eyes and looked about them in astonishment. Gannimar questioned them.
They remembered nothing, But you must have seen some one. No,
can't you remember? No, No, did you drink anything? They

(47:51):
considered a moment, and then one of them replied, yes,
I drank a little water out of that carafe. Yes,
so did I declared the other Gannimar, smelled and tasted it.
It had no particular taste and no odor. Come, he said,

(48:14):
we are wasting our time here. One can't decide in
ar Saint Lupin problem in five minutes, But Morbleau, I
swear I will catch him again. The same day, a
charge of burglary was duly performed by Baron Cahorn against
Arsaint Lupin, a prisoner in the prison de la Senti.

(48:39):
The baron afterwards regretted making the charge against Lepin when
he saw his castle delivered over to the gendarmes, the procureur,
the Juge d'nstrision, the newspaper reporters and photographers, and a
throng of idle curiosity seekers. The affair soon became a
topic of gen discussion, and the name of Arsen Lupin

(49:03):
excited the public imagination to such an extent that the
newspapers filled their columns with the most fantastic stories of
his exploits, which found ready credence amongst their readers. But
the letter of Arsen Lupin that was published in the
Eccau de France, no one ever knew how the newspaper
obtained it. That letter, in which Baron Cahorn was impudently

(49:28):
warned of the coming theft, caused considerable excitement. The most
fabulous theories were advanced. Some recalled the existence of the
famous subterranean tunnels, and that was the line of research
pursued by the officers of the law, who searched the
house from top to bottom. Questioned every stone, studied the

(49:48):
wainscoting and the chimneys, the window frames and the girders
in the ceilings. By the light of tortures, they examined
the immense cellars where the lords of mula Quis who
wanted to store their munitions and provisions. They sounded the
rocky foundation to its very center, but it was all

(50:09):
in vain. They discovered no trace of a subterranean tunnel.
No secret passage existed. But the eager public declared that
the picture and furniture could not vanish like so many ghosts.
They are substantial material things and require doors and windows

(50:29):
for their exits. And their entrances, and so do the
people that remove them. Who were those people? How did
they gain access to the castle and how did they
leave it? The police officers of Rouen, convinced of their
own impotence, solicited the assistance of the Parisian detective force.

(50:51):
Monsieur de Dui, chief of the Suete, sent the best
sleuths of the Iron Brigade. He himself spent forty eight
hours at the castle, but met with no success. Then
he sent for Ganimar, whose past services have proved so
useful when all else failed. Gannimar listened in silence to

(51:13):
the instructions of his superior, Then, shaking his head, he said,
in my opinion, it is useless to ransack the castle.
The solution of the problem lies elsewhere where. Then with
our Saint Lupein, with our Saint Lupin, to support that theory,

(51:35):
we must admit his intervention. I do admit it. In fact,
I consider it quite certain, Come, Gannimar, that is absurd.
Arsen Lupur is in prison. I grant you that our
Saint Lupin is in prison closely guarded. But he must

(51:55):
have fetters on his feet, manacles on his wrists, and
gag in his mouth before I change my opinion? Why
so obstinate Ganimar? Because ar sur Lupe is the only
man in France of sufficient caliber to invent and carry

(52:16):
out a scheme of that magnitude. Mere words, Ganimar, but
true ones, Look what are they doing searching for subterranean passages, stones,
swinging on pivots and other nonsense of that kind. But
Lupin doesn't employ such old fashioned methods. He is a

(52:40):
modern cracksman, right up to date. And how would you proceed?
I should ask your permission to spend an hour with
him in his cell. Yes, during the return trip from America,
we became very friendly, and I venture to say that

(53:03):
if he can give me any information without compromising himself,
he will not hesitate to save me from incurrying useless trouble.
It was shortly afternoon when Ganimar entered the cell of Arsin. Lupin,
the latter, who was lying on his bed, raised his
head and uttered a cry of apparent joy. Ah, this

(53:27):
is a real surprise, my dear Ganimar. Here Ganimar himself,
in my chosen retreat. I have felt a desire for
many things, but my fondest wish was to receive you here.
Very kind of you, I am sure not at all.

(53:51):
You know I hold you in the highest regard. I
am proud of it. I have always said gannimar as
I best detective. He is almost you see how candid
I am. He is almost as clever as Shallock Holmes.
But I am sorry that I cannot offer you anything

(54:12):
better than this hard stool and no refreshments, not even
a glass of beer. Of course, you will excuse me,
as I am here only temporarily. Gannimu smiled and accepted
the prophet seat. Then the prisoner continued, mon dieu, how
pleased I am to see the face of an honest man.

(54:35):
I am so tired of those devils of spies who
come here ten times a day to ransack my pockets
at my cell to satisfy themselves that I am not
preparing to escape. The government is very solicitous on my account.
It is quite right. Why so I should be quite

(54:57):
contented if they would allow me to to live in
my own quiet way on other people's money. Quite so,
that would be so simple. But here I am joking,
and you are no doubt in a hurry. So let
us come to business. Ganimar, to what do I owe

(55:20):
the honor of this visit? The Cahorn affair, declared Ganimar, frankly, Ah,
wait one moment, you see, I have had so many affairs. First,
let me fix in my mind the circumstances of this
particular case.

Speaker 4 (55:40):
Ah.

Speaker 2 (55:41):
Yes, now I have it, the Cahorn affair. Malachy Castle,
send a firier to Reubens o'watau and a few trifling articles. Trifling,
Oh ma FOI all that is of slight importance, But
it de vices to know that the affair interests you.

(56:05):
How can I serve you, Ganimar? Must I explain to
you what steps the authorities have taken in the matter?
Not at all. I have read the newspapers, and I
will frankly state that you have made very little progress.
And that is the reason I have come to see you.

(56:25):
I am entirely at your service. In the first place,
the Cahorn affair was managed by you from aid to Z.
The letter of warning, the telegram all mine. I ought
to have the receipts somewhere. Arsen opened the drawer of

(56:47):
a small table of plain white wood, which, with the
bed and stool, constituted all the furniture in his cell
and took therefrom two scraps of paper, which he handed
to Ganimar. A ah, exclaimed the detective in surprise. I

(57:08):
thought you were closely guarded and searched, and I find
that you read the newspapers and collect postal receipts.

Speaker 1 (57:16):
Bah.

Speaker 2 (57:17):
These people are so stupid. They opened the lining of
my vest, they examined the soles of my shoes, they
sangned the walls of my cell. But they never imagined
that ar Saint Lupin would be foolish enough to choose
such a simple hiding place. Gannimau laughed as he said,
what a droll fellow you are. Really you bewilder me.

(57:41):
But come now tell me about the Cahorn affair. Oh, oh,
not quite so fast. You would rob me of all
my secrets, expose all my little tricks. That is a
very serious matter. Was I wrong to count on your complaisance? No, Gannimar,
And since you insist, Arsaint Lupin paced his cell two

(58:04):
or three times, then, stopping before Gannimar, he asked, what
do you think of my letter to the baron? I
think you were amusing yourself by playing to the gallery,
ah playing to the gallery, come Ganimar, I thought you
knew me better? Do I arsaint lupin ever waste my

(58:28):
time on such puerilities? Would I have written that letter?
If I could have robbed the baron without writing to him?
I want you to understand that the letter was indispensable.
It was the motor that set the whole machine in motion. Now,
let us discuss together a scheme for the robbery of
the Malachuis castle. Are you willing yes? Proceed well? Let

(58:55):
us suppose a castle carefully closed and barricaded, like that
of the Baron Cahorn. Am I to abandon my scheme
and renounce the treasures that I covet upon the pretext
that the castle which holds them is inaccessible? Evidently not?
Should I make an assault upon the castle at the

(59:17):
head of a band of adventurers, as they did in
ancient times. That would be foolish. Can I gain admittance
by stealth or cunning? Impossible? Then there is only one
way open to me. I must have the owner of
the castle invite me to it. That is surely an

(59:41):
original method, and how easy letters. Suppose that one day
the owner receives a letter warning him that a notorious
burglar known as Arsen Lupin is plotting to rob him.
What will he do? Send a letter to the procureur,

(01:00:02):
who will laugh at him, because the said Arsene Lupin
is actually in prison. Then, in his anxiety and fear,
the simple man will ask the assistance of the first comer.
Will he not very likely? And if he happens to
read in a country newspaper that a celebrated detective is

(01:00:25):
spending his vacation in a neighboring town, he will seek
that detective, of course. But on the other hand, let
us presume that, having foreseen the state of affairs, that
said Arsen Lupin has requested one of his friends to
visit Gordebec, make the acquaintance of the editor of the Revet,

(01:00:49):
a newspaper to which the Baron is a subscriber, and
let said editor understand that such person is the celebrated detective.
Then will happen? The editor will announce in the Revay
the presence in good Beck of said detective exactly, and
one of two things will happen. Either the fish I

(01:01:13):
mean cahorn will not bite and nothing will happen, or
what is more, likely he will run and greedily swallow
the bait. Thus behold my Baron Cahorn, imploring the assistance
of one of my friends against me. Original Indeed, of course,
this pseudor detective at first refuses to give any assistance.

(01:01:37):
On top of that comes the telegram from Arsine le Pin.
The frightened baron rushes once more to my friend and
offers him a definite sum of money for his services.
My friend accepts and summons two members of our band, who,
during the night, whilst Cahorn is under the watchful eye
of his protector, removes certain eyes articles by way of

(01:02:01):
the window and lowers them with ropes into a nice
little launch charted for the occasion. Simple, isn't it? Marvelous? Marvelous,
exclaimed Ganimar. The boldness of the scheme and the ingenuity
of all its details are beyond criticism. But who is

(01:02:22):
the detective whose name and fame served as a magnet
to attract the baron and draw him into your net.
There is only one name could do it, only one,
and that is are Sen Lupin's personal enemy, the most
illustrious Ganimar. Ah, he yourself, Ganimar, And really it is

(01:02:50):
very funny. If you go there and the baron decides
to talk, you will find that it will be your
duty to arrest yourself, just as you arrested me in
a America. Ah, the revenge is really amusing. I cause
Ganimar to arrest Ganimar. Arsen Lupin laughed heartily. The detective

(01:03:12):
greatly vexed bit his lips to him. The joke was
quite devoid of humor. The arrival of a prison guard
gave Ganimar an opportunity to recover himself. The man brought
Arsen Lupin's luncheon, furnished by a neighboring restaurant. After depositing
the tray upon the table, the guard retired. Lupin broke

(01:03:36):
his bread at a few morsels and continued, But rest easy,
my dear Ganimar, you will not go to Malachis. I
can tell you something that will astonish you. The Cahorn
affair is on the point of being settled. Excuse me,
I have just seen the chief of the surte What

(01:04:00):
of that does monsieur do do we know my business
better than I do myself. You will learn that, Ganimar.
Excuse me that the pseudo Ganimar still remains on very
good terms with the Baron. The latter has authorized him
to negotiate a very delicate transaction with me, and at

(01:04:22):
the present moment, in consideration of a certain sum, it
is probable that the Baron has recovered possession of his
pictures and other treasures, and on their return he will
withdraw his complaint. Thus there is no longer any theft,
and the law must abandon the case. Ganimar regarded the

(01:04:43):
prisoner with a bewildered air. And how do you know
all that I have just received the telegram? I was
expecting you have just received a telegram this very moment,
dear friend. Out of politeness, I did not wish to
read it in your presence. But if you will permit me,

(01:05:07):
you are jo king dupart, My dear friend. If you
will be so kind as to break that egg, you
will learn for yourself that I am not joking Mechanically,
Gannimar obeyed and cracked the egg shell with the blade
of a knife. He uttered a cry of surprise. The
shell contained nothing but a small piece of blue paper.

(01:05:30):
At the request of Arsene, he unfolded it. It was
a telegram, or rather a portion of a telegram from
which the post marks had been removed. It read as follows,
contract closed, hundred thousand balls delivered all well, one hundred
thousand balls, said Gannimar, Yes, one hundred thousand francs very little,

(01:05:56):
But then you know these are hard times and I
have some heavy builds to meet. If you only knew
my budget living in the city comes very high, Gannimar arose.
His ill humor had disappeared. He reflected for a moment,
glancing over the whole affair in an effort to discover

(01:06:19):
a weak point. Then, in a tone and manner that
betrayed his admiration of the prisoner, he said, fortunately, we
do not have a dozen such as you to deal with.
If we did, we would have to close up shop.
Arsin Lupa resumed the modest air as he replied, Bah,

(01:06:39):
a person must have some diversion to occupy his leisure hours,
especially when he is in prison. What exclaimed Gannimar, your trial,
your defense, the examination, isn't that sufficient to occupy your mind? No,
because I have decided not to be present at my trial.

(01:07:01):
Oh oh, Arsene Lupin repeated positively, I shall not be
present at my trial. Really, ah, my dear monsieur, do
you suppose I am going to rot upon the wet
straw you insult me? Ar Saint Lupin remains in prison

(01:07:21):
just as long as it pleases him at not one
minute more. Perhaps it would have been more prudent if
you had avoided getting there, said the detective ironically. Ah,
Monsieur jests, Monsieur must remember that you had the honor
to effect my arrest. Know, then, my worthy friend, that

(01:07:42):
no one, not even you, could have placed a hand
upon me, if a much more important event had not
occupied my attention at that critical moment. You astonish me.
A woman was looking at me Ganimard, and I loved her.
Do you fully understand what that means to be under

(01:08:03):
the eyes of a woman that one loves. I cared
for nothing in the world but that, and that is
why I am here. Permit me to say, you have
been here a long time in the first place I
wished to forget. Do not laugh. It was a delightful

(01:08:23):
adventure and it is still a tender memory. Besides, I
have been suffering from neurasthenia. Life is so feverish these
days that it is necessary to take the rest cure
occasionally and I find this spot a sovereign remedy for
my tired nerves. Ah, Saint Lupin, you are not a

(01:08:45):
bad fellow after all, thank you, said Lupa Gandimar. This
is Friday. On Wednesday next at four o'clock in the afternoon,
I will smoke my cigar at your house in the
rue pergulaise Ar, Saint Lupin, I will expect you. They
shook hands like two friends who valued each other at

(01:09:07):
their true worth. Then the detective stepped to the door. Gannimar,
What is it? Asked Gannimar, as he turned back. You
have forgotten your watch? My watch? Yes, sits strayed into
my pocket. He returned the watch, excusing himself, pardon me

(01:09:30):
a bad habit because they have taken mine is not
reason why I should take yours. Besides, I have a
chronometer here that satisfies me very well. He took from
the drawer a large gold watch and heavy chain. From
Whose pocket did that come? Asked Gannimar. Arsaint Lupin gave

(01:09:53):
a hasty glance at the initials engraved on the watch
j B. Who the devil can that be? Ah? Yes,
I remember jou Bouvyier the judge who conducted my examination
a charming fellow.

Speaker 5 (01:10:09):
End of chapter two, Chapter three, The Escape of Arsene Lupin.
Arsen Lupin had just finished his repast and taken from
his pocket an excellent cigar with a gold band, which
he was examining with unusual care. When the door of
his cell was opened. He had barely time to throw

(01:10:30):
the cigar into the drawer and move away from the table.
The guard entered. It was the hour for exercise. I
was waiting for you, my dear boy, exclaimed Lupin, in
his accustomed good humor. They went out together. As soon
as they had disappeared. At a turn in the corridor,
two men entered the cell and commenced a minute examination

(01:10:51):
of it. One was Inspector d'isi, the other was Inspector Folenfa.
They wished to verify their suspicion that Arsi then Lupin,
was in communication with his accomplices outside of the prison.
On the preceding evening, the Grand Journal had published these
lines addressed to its court reporter, Monsieur in a recent article.

(01:11:13):
You referred it to me in most unjustifiable terms. Some
days before the opening of my trial, I will call
you to account, Arsene Lupin. The handwriting was certainly that
of Arsin Lupin. Consequently, he sent letters and no doubt
received letters. It was certain that he was preparing for

(01:11:36):
that escape thus arrogantly announced by him the situation had
become intolerable. Acting in conjunction with the examining judge, the
chief of the Sieurrete, Monsieur Dudui, had visited the prison
and instructed the jailer in regard to the precautions necessary
to insure Lupin's safety. At the same time, he sent

(01:11:56):
the two men to examine the prisoner's cell. They raised
every stone, ransacked the bed, did everything customary in such
a case. But they discovered nothing and were about to
abandon their investigation when the guard entered hastily and said
the drawer. Look in the table drawer. When I entered

(01:12:16):
just now he was closing it. They opened the drawer
and dearsy exclaimed, Ah, you have him this time, Follenfin
stopped him. Wait a moment. The chief will want to
make an inventory. This is a very choice, cigirl leave
it there and notify the chief. Two minutes later, Monsieur

(01:12:38):
Duduy examined the contents of the drawer. First he discovered
a bundle of newspaper clippings taken from the Argus de
la Presse. Then a tobacco box of pipes and paper
called Onion Peel, and two books. He read the titles
of the books. One was an English edition of Carlyle's
hero Worship. The other was a charming elzevir in modern binding,

(01:13:02):
the Manual of Epictetus, a German translation published at Leyden
in sixteen thirty four. On examining the books, he found
that all the pages were underlined and annotated. Were they
prepared as a code for correspondence or did they simply
express the studious character of the reader. Then he examined
the tobacco box and the pipe. Finally, he took up

(01:13:24):
the famous cigar with its gold band figtre. He exclaimed,
our friend smokes a good cigar. It's a Henry Clay.
With the mechanical action of an habitual smoker. He placed
the cigar close to his ear and squeezed it to
make it crack. Immediately, he uttered a cry of surprise.
The cigar had yielded under the pressure of his fingers.

(01:13:47):
He examined it more closely, and quickly discovered something white
between the leaves of tobacco. Delicately, with the aid of
a pin, he withdrew a roll of very thin paper,
scarcely larger than a toothpick. It was a letter. He
unrolled it and found these words written in a feminine handwriting.
The basket has taken the place of the others. Eight

(01:14:09):
out of ten are ready on pressing the outer foot.
The plate goes downward from twelve to sixteen every day,
h P will wait. But where reply at once? Rest easy?
Your friend is watching over you. Monsieur de Duy reflected
a moment, then said, it is quite clear the basket

(01:14:30):
the eight compartments from twelve to sixteen means from twelve
to four o'clock. But this h P that will wait,
h P must mean automobile. H P horse power is
the way they indicate the strength of the motor. At
twenty four h P is an automobile of twenty four
horse power. Then he rose and asked, had the prisoner

(01:14:53):
finished his breakfast? Yes, And as he has not yet
read the message, which is proved by the cande the cigar,
it is probable that he had just received it. How
in his food concealed in his bread or in a poseto,
perhaps impossible. His food was allowed to be brought in

(01:15:15):
simply to trap him, but we have never found anything
in it. We will look for Lupund's reply this evening.
Detain him outside for a few minutes. I shall take
this to the examining judge, and if he agrees with me,
we will have the letter photographed at once, and in
an hour you can replace the letter in the drawer

(01:15:35):
in a cigar similar to this. The prisoner must have
no cause for suspicion. It was not without a certain
curiosity that Monsieur de Deuy returned to the prison in
the evening, accompanied by Inspector Dearzy. Three empty plates were
sitting on the stove in the corner. He has eaten, yes,
replied the guard. Dearsy, Please cut that macaroni into very

(01:15:59):
small pieces and open that bread roll. Nothing, no, Chief,
Monsieur du Duy examined the plates, the fork, the spoon,
and the knife, an ordinary knife with a rounded blade.
He turned the handle to the left, then to the right.
It yielded and unscrewed. The knife was hollow and served
as a hiding place for a sheet of paper.

Speaker 4 (01:16:22):
Tah.

Speaker 5 (01:16:22):
He said, that is not very clever for a man
like our san, But we mustn't lose any time. You, Dearzi,
go and search the restaurant. Then he read the note,
I trust to you h P will follow at a
distance every day. I will go ahead au revoir, dear friend.
At last, cried Monsieur de Douy, rubbing his hands gleefully.

(01:16:44):
I think we have the affair in our own hands.
A little strategy on our part, and the escape will
be a success in so far as the arrest of
his confederates are concerned. But if I say, and Lupin
slips through your fingers, suggested the guard, we will have
a sufficient number of men to prevent that. If, however,

(01:17:04):
he displays too much cleverness, ma fois so much still
worse for him as to his band of robbers. Since
the chief refuses to speak, the others must. And as
a matter of fact, Arsain Lupin had very little to say.
For several months, Monsieur Jules Bouvier, the examining judge, had

(01:17:27):
exerted himself in vain. The investigation had been reduced to
a few uninteresting arguments between the judge and the advocate
Maitre d'arval, one of the leaders of the bar. From
time to time, through courtesy Arsain Lupin would speak. One
day he said, yes, monsieur le judge, I quite agree
with you. The robbery of the credit leone, the theft

(01:17:49):
in the Rue de Babylonne, the issue of the counterfeit
bank notes, the burglaries at the various chateau Armesnil, Courgrey Ambe, Blevard,
grouseyeu malachis all my work, monsieur, I did it all? Then?
Will you explain to me? It is useless. I confess

(01:18:09):
everything in a lump, everything and even ten times more
that you know nothing about. Wearied by his fruitless task,
the judge had suspended his examinations, but he resumed them
after the two intercepted messages were brought to his attention
and regularly at midday, Arsain Lupin was taken from the
prison to the depot in the prison van with a

(01:18:30):
certain number of other prisoners. They returned about three or
four o'clock, now one afternoon. This return trip was made
under unusual conditions, the other prisoners not having been examined,
it was decided to take back Arsain Lupin first. Thus
he found himself alone in the vehicle. These prison vans,

(01:18:53):
vulgarly called panier ar salad or salad baskets, are divided
lengthwise by a central corridor from which open ten compartments,
five on either side. Each compartment is so arranged that
the occupant must assume and retain a sitting posture, and
consequently the five prisoners are seated one upon the other,

(01:19:14):
and yet separated one from the other by partitions. A
municipal guard, standing at one end, watches over the corridor.
Arsen was placed in the third cell on the right,
and the heavy vehicle started. He carefully calculated when they
left the caidor lodge, and when they passed the Palais
de Justice. Then, about the center of the bridge, Saint Michel,

(01:19:37):
with his outer foot, that is to say, his right foot,
he pressed upon the metal plate that closed his cell. Immediately,
something clicked and the metal plate moved. He was able
to ascertain that he was located between the two wheels.
He waited, keeping a sharp lookout. The vehicle was proceeding
slowly along the boulevard. Saint Michel. At the corner of

(01:19:57):
Saint Germains, it stopped. Truck horse had fallen, the traffic
having been interrupted. A cast throng of fiacres and omnibuses
had gathered there. Arsain Lupin looked out. Another prison van
had stopped close to the one he occupied. He moved
the plate still farther, put his foot on one of
the spokes of the wheel, and leapt to the ground.

(01:20:19):
A coachman saw him, roared with laughter, then tried to
raise an outcry, but his voice was lost in the
noise of the traffic that had commenced to move again. Moreover,
Arsin Lupin was already far away. He had run for
a few steps, but once upon the sidewalk, he turned
and looked around. He seemed to sense the wind, like

(01:20:40):
a person who is uncertain which direction to take. Then,
having decided, he put his hands in his pockets, and
with the careless air of an idle strawler, he proceeded
up the boulevard. It was a warm, bright autumn day,
and the cafes were full. He took a seat on
the terrace of one of them. He ordered a box

(01:21:01):
and a package of cigarettes. He emptied his glass, slowly
smoked one cigarette and lighted a second. Then he asked
the waiter to send the proprietor to him. When the
proprietor came, Arsin spoke to him in a voice loud
enough to be heard by everyone. I regret to say, monsieur,
I have forgotten my pocket book. Perhaps on the strength

(01:21:22):
of my name, you will be pleased to give me
credit for a few days. I am Arsene Lupin. The
proprietor looked at him, thinking he was joking, but Arsin repeated, Lupin,
prisoner at the sand, but now a fugitive. I venture
to assume that the name inspires you with perfect confidence

(01:21:42):
in me. And he walked away amidst shouts of laughter,
whilst the proprietor stood amazed. Lupin strolled along the Rue
Soufflot and turned into the Rue Saint Jacques. He pursued
his way, slowly, smoking his cigarettes and looking into the
shop window at the Boulevard de port Royal. He took

(01:22:03):
his bearings, discovered where he was, and then walked in
the direction of the Rue de la Sante. The high
forbidding walls of the prison were now before him. He
pulled his hat forward to shape his face. Then, approaching
the sentinel, he asked, is this the prison de la Sante? Yes?
I wished to regain my cell. The van left me

(01:22:25):
on the way and I would not abuse. Now, young man,
move along, quick growled the sentinel. Pardon on me, but
I must pass through that gate. And if you prevent
Arsin Lupin from entering the prison, it will cost you.
Dear my friend, Arseen Lupin, What are you talking about?
I am sorry, I haven't a card with me, said Arsin,

(01:22:48):
fumbling in his pockets. The sentinel eyed him from head
to foot in astonishment. Then, without a word, he rang
a bell. The iron gate was partly opened, and Arcein
stepped inside. Almost immediately he encountered the keeper of the prison,
gesticulating and feigning a violent anger. Arceend smiled and said, come, monsieur,

(01:23:09):
don't play that game with me. What they take the
precaution to carry me alone in the van? Prepare a
nice little obstruction, and imagine I am going to take
to my heels and rejoin my friends. Well, and what
about the twenty agents of the sieurte who accompanied us
on foot in fiaecre and on bicycles. No, the arrangements

(01:23:31):
did not please me. I should not have got away alive.
Tell me, monsieur, did they count on that? He shrugged
his shoulders and added, I beg of you, monsieur, not
to worry about me when I wish to escape. I
shall not require any assistance. On the second day thereafter,

(01:23:51):
the Ecu de France, which had apparently become the official
reporter of the exploits of Arsa and Lupin it was
said that he was one of its principal shareholders, published
a most complete account of this attempted escape, the exact
wording of the messages exchanged between the prisoner and his
mysterious friend, the means by which correspondence was constructed, the

(01:24:12):
complicity of the police, the promenade on the Boulevard Saint Michel,
the incident at the Cafe Soufflou. Everything was disclosed. It
was known that the search of the restaurant and its
waiters by Inspector di'ersi had been fruitless, and the public
also learned an extraordinary thing which demonstrated the infinite variety

(01:24:32):
of resources that Lupin possessed. The prison van in which
he was being carried, was prepared for the occasion and
substituted by his accomplices for one of the six vans
which did service at the prison. The next escape of
Arsain Lupin was not doubted by anyone. He announced it
himself in categorical terms in a reply to Monsieur Bouvier

(01:24:55):
on the day following his attempted escape, the judge, having
made a jest about the U affair, Arsin was annoyed
and firmly eyeing the judge, he said emphatically, listen to me, Monsieur,
I give you my word of honor that this attempted
flight was simply preliminary to my general plan of escape.
I do not understand, said the judge. It is not

(01:25:18):
necessary that you should understand. And when the judge, in
the course of that examination, which was reported at length
in the columns of the Echo de France, when the
judge sought to resume his investigation, Arsain Lupin exclaimed, with
an assumed air of lassitude. Mon dieu, mon dieu, what's
the use all these questions are of no importance? What

(01:25:43):
no importance? Cried the judge. No, because I shall not
be present at the trial. You will not be present. No,
I have fully decided on that, and nothing will change
my mind. Such assurance, combined with the inexplicable indiscretions that
Arsain committed every day, served to annoy and mystify the

(01:26:06):
officers of the law. There were secrets known only to
Arsin Lupin, secrets that he alone could divulge. But for
what purpose did he reveal them? And how Arsin Lupin
was changed to another cell? The judge closed his preliminary investigations.
No further proceedings were taken in his case for a

(01:26:27):
period of two months, during which time Arsin was seen
almost constantly lying on his bed with his face turned
toward the wall. The changing of his cell seemed to
discourage him. He refused to see his advocate. He exchanged
only a few necessary words with his keepers. During the
fortnight preceding his trial, he resumed his vigorous life. He

(01:26:51):
complained of want of air. Consequently, early every morning he
was allowed to exercise in the courtyard guarded by two men.
Public curiosity had not dined out every day, it was
expected to be regaled with news of his escape. And
it is true he had gained a considerable amount of
sympathy by reason of his verve, his gaiety, his diversity,

(01:27:15):
his inventive genius, and the mystery of his life. Arsennes
Lupinin must escape. It was his inevitable fate. The public
expected it and was surprised that the event had been
delayed so long. Every morning the Prefect of police asked
his secretary, well, has he escaped yet, no, monsieur le

(01:27:38):
Prefect tomorrow probably. And on the day before the trial,
a gentleman called at the office of the Grand Journals
asked to see the court reporter, threw his card in
the reporter's face and walked rapidly away. These words were
written on the card, Arsene Lupin always keeps his promises.

(01:28:02):
It was under these conditions that the trial commenced. An
enormous crowd gathered at the court. Everybody wished to see
the famous Arsain Lupin. They had a gleeful anticipation that
the prisoner would play some audacious pranks upon the judge.
Advocates and magistrates, reporters and men of the world. Actresses
and society women were crowded together on the benches provided

(01:28:25):
for the public. It was a dark, somber day with
a steady downpour of rain. Only a dim light pervaded
the court room, and the spectators caught a very indistinct
view of the prisoner when the guards brought him in.
But his heavy shambling walk, the manner in which he
dropped into his seat, and his passive, stupid appearance were

(01:28:46):
not at all prepossessing. Several times his advocate, one of
Monsieur Danval's assistants, spoke to him, but he simply shook
his head and said nothing. The clerk read the indictment.
Then the judge spoke, prisoner at the bar, stand up
your name, age and occupation. Not receiving any reply, the

(01:29:07):
judge repeated your name. I ask you your name. A thick,
slow voice muttered bou drou desir. A murmur of surprise
pervaded the court room, but the judge proceeded, bo drou
dezir ah a new alias. Well, as you have already
assumed a dozen different names, and this one is no

(01:29:31):
doubt as imaginary as the others. We will adhere to
the name of Arsain Lupin, by which you are more
generally known. The judge referred to his notes and continued
for Despite the most diligent search, your past history remains unknown.
Your case is unique in the annals of crime. We

(01:29:52):
know not whom you are, whence you came, your birth
and breeding all is a mystery to us. Three years
ago you appeared in our midst as Arsene Lupin, presenting
to us a strange combination of intelligence and perversion, immorality
and generosity. Our knowledge of your life prior to that
date is vague and problematical. It may be that the

(01:30:15):
man called Rosta, who eight years ago worked with Dixon
depressed a digitatour was none other than Arsen Lupin. It
is probable that the Russian student who six years ago
attended the laboratory of doctor Altier at the Saint Louis Hospital,
and who often astonished the doctor by his ingenuity of

(01:30:36):
his hypotheses on the subject of bacteriology and the boldness
of his experiments in diseases of the skin, was none
other than Arsen Lupin. It is probable also that Arsen
Lupin was the professor who introduced the Japanese art of
jiu jitsu to the Parisian public. We have some reason

(01:30:57):
to believe that Arsen Lupin was the bicyclelist who won
the Grand Prix de lex Position, received his ten thousand francs,
and was never heard of again. Arsin Lupin may have
been also the person who saved so many lives through
the little dormer window at the charity bazaar and at
the same time picked their pockets. The judge paused for

(01:31:21):
a moment, then continued, such is that epoch which seems
to have been utilized by you in a thorough preparation
for the warfare you have since waged against society, a
methodical apprenticeship in which you developed your strength, energy and
skill to the highest point possible. Do you acknowledge the
accuracy of these facts? During this discourse, the prisoner had

(01:31:43):
stood balancing himself first on one foot, then on the other,
with shoulders stooped and arms inert. Under the strongest light,
one could observe his extreme thinness, his hollow cheeks, his
projecting cheek bones, his earthen color face dotted with small
red spots, and framed in a rough, straggling beard. Prison

(01:32:06):
life had caused him to age and wither. He had
lost the youthful face and elegant figure we had seen
portrayed so often in the newspapers. It appeared as if
he had not heard the question propounded by the judge.
Twice it was repeated to him. Then he raised his
eyes seemed to reflect. Then, making a desperate effort, he murmured,

(01:32:27):
Boudroux desire. The judge smiled as he said, I do
not understand the theory of your defense, Arsin Lupin. If
you are seeking to avoid responsibility for your crimes on
the ground of imbecility, such a line of defense is
open to you. But I shall proceed with the trial
and pay no heed to your vagaries. He then narrated

(01:32:50):
at length the various thefts, swindles, and forgeries charged against Lupin.
Sometimes he questioned the prisoner, but the latter simply grunted
or remained silent. The examination of witnesses commenced. Some of
the evidence given was immaterial, other portions of it seemed
more important. But through all of it there ran a
vein of contradictions and inconsistencies. A wearisome obscurity enveloped the

(01:33:15):
proceedings until Detective Ganimar was called as a witness. Then
interest was revived. From the beginning, the actions of the
veteran detective appeared strange and unaccountable. He was nervous and
ill at ease. Several times he looked at the prisoner
with obvious doubt and anxiety. Then, with his hands resting
on the rail in front of him, he recounted the

(01:33:37):
events in which he had participated, including his pursuit of
the prisoner across Europe and his arrival in America. He
was listened to with greater vidity, as his capture of
Arsen Lupin was well known to every one through the
medium of the press. Toward the close of his testimony,
after referring to his conversations with Arsene Lupin, he stopped twice,

(01:33:58):
embarrassed and undecided. It was apparent that he was possessed
of some thought which he feared to utter. The judge
said to him sympathetically, if you are ill, you may
retire for the present. No. No, But he stopped, looked
sharply at the prisoner, and said, I ask permission to
scrutinize the prisoner at closer range. There is some mystery

(01:34:22):
about him that I must solve. He approached the accused
man examined him attentively for several minutes, then returned to
the witness stand, and, in an almost solemn voice, he said,
I declare on the oath that the prisoner now before
me is not Ar Sain Lupin. A profound silence followed

(01:34:45):
the statement. The judge, nonplussed for a moment, exclaimed, Ah,
what do you mean that is absurd? The detective continued,
At first sight, there is a certain resemblance, but if
you carefully consider the nose, the mouth, the hair, the
color of skin, you will see that it is not
Ar sain Lupin. And the eyes. Did he ever have

(01:35:08):
those alcoholic eyes?

Speaker 4 (01:35:11):
Come?

Speaker 5 (01:35:11):
Come, witness, What do you mean? Do you pretend to
say that we are trying the wrong man? In my opinion, yes,
Arsain Lupin has in some manner contrived to put this
poor devil in his place, unless this man is a
willing accomplice. This dramatic denouement caused much laughter and excitement

(01:35:32):
amongst the spectators. The judge adjourned the trial and sent
for Monsieur Bouvier, the jailer and guards employed in the prison.
When the trial was resumed, Monsieur Bouvier and the jailer
examined the accused and declared that there was only a
very slight resemblance between the prisoner and our Sain Lupin. Well,
then exclaimed the judge, who is this man? Where does

(01:35:54):
he come from? What is he in prison?

Speaker 3 (01:35:57):
For?

Speaker 5 (01:35:58):
Two of the prison guards were called, and both of
them declared that the prisoner was Ar Saint Lupin. The
judge breathed once more, but one of the guards then said, yes, yes,
I think it is he. What cried the judge impatiently,
You think it is he? What do you mean by that?

Speaker 6 (01:36:18):
Well?

Speaker 5 (01:36:18):
I saw very little of the prisoner. He was placed
in my charge in the evening, and for two months
he seldom stirred, but laid on his bed with his
face to the wall.

Speaker 4 (01:36:28):
What about the.

Speaker 5 (01:36:29):
Time prior to those two months? Before that he occupied
a cell in another part of the prison. He was
not in cell twenty four. Here, the head jailer interrupted
and said, we changed him to another cell after his
attempt to escape. But you, monsieur, you have seen him
during those two months. I had no occasion to see him.

(01:36:50):
He was always quiet and orderly, And this prisoner is
not Ar Sain Lupin. No, then, who is he demanded
the judge. I do not know. Then, we have before
us a man who was substituted for ar Sain Lupin
two months ago.

Speaker 3 (01:37:08):
How do you.

Speaker 5 (01:37:08):
Explain that I cannot? In absolute despair, the judge turned
to the accused and addressed him in a conciliatory tone. Prisoner,
can you tell me how and since when you became
an inmate of the prison de la Santes. The engaging
manner of the judge was calculated to disarm the mistrust

(01:37:32):
and awaken the understanding of the accused man. He tried
to reply. Finally, under clever and gentle questioning, he succeeded
in framing a few phrases from which the following story
was gleaned. Two months ago, he had been taken to
the depot, examined, and released. As he was leaving the
building a free man, he was seized by two guards

(01:37:53):
and placed in the prison van. Since then he had
occupied cell twenty four. He was contented plenty to eat,
and he slept well, so he did not complain all
that seemed probable, and amidst the mirth and excitement of
the spectators, the judge adjourned the trial until the story
could be investigated and verified. The following facts were at

(01:38:18):
once established by an examination of the prison records. Eight
weeks before, a man named Boudru Desire had slept at
the depot. He was released the next day and left
the depot at two o'clock in the afternoon. On the
same day, at two o'clock, having been examined for the
last time, Arsain Lupin left the depot in a prison van.

(01:38:43):
Had the guards made a mistake? Had they been deceived
by the resemblance and carelessly substituted this man for their prisoner?
Another question suggested itself. Had the substitution been arranged in advance.
In that event, Bodru must have been an accomplish and
must have coursed his own arrest for the express purpose

(01:39:03):
of taking Lupin's place. But then, by what miracle had
such a plan, based on a series of improbable chances
been carried to success. Baud Rue Desire was turned over
to the Anthropological Service. They had never seen anything like him, However,
they easily traced his past history. He was known at Courbeuvois,

(01:39:25):
at Asnier, and at Le Valois. He lived on alms
and slept in one of those ragpicker's huts near the
Barrier de Ternes. He had disappeared from there a year ago.
Had he been enticed away by Arsin Lupin, there was
no evidence to that effect, and even if that was so,
it did not explain the flight of the prisoner. That

(01:39:47):
still remained a mystery. Amongst twenty theories which sought to
explain it, not one was satisfactory. Of the escape itself.
There was, no doubt an escape that was incomprehensible, since
in which the public as well as the officers of
the law could detect, a carefully prepared plan, a combination
of circumstances marvelously dovetailed, whereof the denouement fully justified the

(01:40:11):
confident prediction of Arsain Lupin I shall not be present
at my trial. After a month of patient investigation, the
problem remained unsolved. The poor devil of a Bodreux could
not be kept in prison indefinitely, and to place him
on trial would be ridiculous. There was no charge against him. Consequently,

(01:40:33):
he was released, but the chief of the Sieurte resolved
to keep him under surveillance. This idea originated with Ganimar.
From his point of view, there was neither complicity nor chance.
Boudru was an instrument upon which Arsain Lupin had played
with his extraordinary skill. Bodru, when set at liberty, would

(01:40:54):
lead them to Arsaenn Lupin, or at least to some
of his accomplices. The two inspectors followed, Pain and Dierzy
were assigned to assist Gannimar. One foggy morning in January,
the prison gates opened and Boodou Desir stepped forth a
free man. At first, he appeared to be quite embarrassed
and walked like a person who has no precise idea

(01:41:16):
whither he is going. He followed the Rue de la
Sante and the Rue Saint Jacques. He stopped in front
of an old clothes shop, removed his jacket and his vest,
sold his vest on which he realized a few sous.
Then replacing his jacket, he proceeded on his way. He
crossed the Seine at the Chateauas an omnibus passed him,

(01:41:38):
he wished to enter it, but there was no place.
The controller advised him to secure a number, so he
entered the waiting room. Gannimar called to his two assistants,
and without removing his eyes from the waiting room, he
said to them, stop a carriage, no two, That will
be better. I will go with one of you and
we will follow him. The men obeyed, yet Baudreux did

(01:42:01):
not appear. Ganimar entered the waiting room. It was empty.
Idiot that I am, he muttered, I forgot there was
another exit. There was an interior corridor extending from the
waiting room to the Rue Saint Martin. Ganimar rushed through
it and arrived just in time to observe Boudreux upon
the top of the Batignal Jadin de platte Omnibus as

(01:42:21):
it was turning the corner of the Rue de Rivolis.
He ran and caught the Omnibus, but he had lost
his two assistants. He must continue the pursuit alone. In
his anger, he was inclined to seize the man by
the collar without ceremony. Was it not with premeditation and
by means of an ingenious ruse, that his pretended imbecile
had separated him from his assistance. He looked at Bodroux.

(01:42:43):
The latter was asleep on the bench, his head rolling
from side to side, his mouth half opened and an
incredible expression of stupidity on his blotched face. No such
an adversary was incapable of deceiving Old ganimar It was
a stroke of luck, nothing more. At the Gallery Lafayette,
the man leaped from the omnibus and took the Lambouette tramway,

(01:43:07):
following the Boulevard OUs Man and the Avenue Victor Lugu.
Boudru alighted at Lamouette station, and with anauchanp air, strolled
into the Buis de Boulogne. He wandered through one path
after another, and sometimes retraced his steps. What was his seeking?
Had he any definite object? At the end of an hour,

(01:43:30):
he appeared to be faint from fatigue, and noticing a bench,
he sat down. The spot, not far from Eautey, on
the edge of a pond hidden amongst the trees, was
absolutely deserted. After the lapse of another half hour, Ganimard
became impatient and resolved to speak to the man. He
approached and took a seat beside. Boudreu lighted a cigarette,

(01:43:53):
traced some figures in the sand with the end of
his cane, and said it's a pleasant day, no response,
But suddenly the man burst into laughter, a happy, mirthful laugh,
spontaneous and irresistible. Ganimar felt his hair stand on end
in horror and surprise. It was that laugh, that infernal

(01:44:13):
laugh he knew so well. With a sudden movement, he
seized the man by the collar and looked at him
with a keen, penetrating gaze, and found that he no
longer saw the man Bodrou. To be sure, he saw Bodru,
but at the same time he saw the other, the
real man, Lupin. He discovered the intense life in the eyes,

(01:44:33):
he filled up the shrunken features. He perceived the real
flesh beneath the flabby skin, the real mouth through the
grimaces that he formed it. Those were the eyes and
mouth of the other, And especially his keen, alert, mocking expression,
so clear and youthful, ah Sen Lupin, Arsen Lupin. He stammered. Then,

(01:44:55):
in a sudden fit of rage, he seized Lupin by
the throat and tried to hold him down. In spite
of his fifty years, he still possessed unusual strength, whilst
his adversary was apparently in a weak condition. But the
struggle was a brief one. Arsin Lupin made only a
slight movement, and as suddenly as he had made the attack,
Ganimar released his hold. His right arm fell inert useless.

(01:45:21):
If you had taken lessons in jiu jitsu at the
Kai des Orfevre said, Lupa, you would know that that
blow is called udishigi in Japanese. A second more and
I would have broken your arm, and that would have
been just what you deserve. I am surprised that you,

(01:45:41):
an old friend whom I respect and before whom I
voluntarily exposed my incognito, should abuse my confidence in that
violent manner. It is unworthy.

Speaker 2 (01:45:52):
Ah, what's the matter?

Speaker 5 (01:45:54):
Ganimar did not reply that escape for which he deemed
himself responsible. Was it not he Ganimar, who, by his
sensational evidence, had led the court into serious error? That
escape appeared to him like a dark cloud on his
professional career. A tear rolled down his cheek to his

(01:46:14):
gray mustache. Oh, mon dieu, Ganimar, don't take it to heart.
If you had not spoken, I would have arranged for
some one else to do it. I couldn't allow poor
bod de rue Desir to be convicted. The murmured Ganimar.
It was you that was there, and now you are here.

(01:46:36):
It is I always, I only I. Can it be possible? Oh,
it is not the work of a sorcerer. Simply, as
the judge remarked at the trial, the apprenticeship of a
dozen years that equipts a man to cope successfully with
all the obstacles in life. But your face, your eyes.

(01:46:59):
You can understand that if I worked eighteen months with
doctor Altier at the Saint Louis hospital, it was not
out of love for the work. I considered that he
who would one day had the honor of calling himself
Arsen Lupin ought to be exempt from the ordinary laws
governing appearance and identity. Appearance that can be modified at will.

(01:47:22):
For instance, a hypodermic injection of paraffine will puff up
the skin at the desired spot. Pyrogalic acid will change
your skin to that of an Indian. The juice of
the greater Celandine will adorn you with the most beautiful
eruptions and tumors. Another chemical affects the growth of your
beard and hair. Another changes the tone of your voice.

(01:47:43):
Add to that, two months of dieting in cell twenty four.
Exercise is repeated a thousand times to enable me to
hold my features in a certain grimace, to carry my
head at a certain inclination, and adapt my back and
shoulders to a stooping posture. Then five drops of atropine
in the eyes to make them haggard and wild, and

(01:48:04):
the trick is done. I do not understand how you
deceived the guards. The change was progressive. The evolution was
so gradual that they failed to notice it. But Boudreux,
desir Bodreux exists. He is a poor, harmless fellow whom
I met last year, and really he bears a certain

(01:48:25):
resemblance to me. Considering my arrest as a possible event,
I took charge of Boudreux and studied the points wherein
we differed in appearance, with a view to correct them
in my own person. My friends caused him to remain
at the depot over night and to leave there next
day about the same hour as I did, a coincidence

(01:48:46):
easily arranged. Of course, it was necessary to have a
record of his detention at the depot in order to
establish the fact that such a person was a reality.
Otherwise the police would have sought elsewhere to find out
my identity. But in offering to them this excellent boatou,
it was inevitable, you understand, inevitable that they would seize

(01:49:07):
upon him. And despite the insurmountable difficulties of a substitution,
they would prefer to believe in a substitution. Then confess
their ignorance. Yes, yes, of course, said Gannimar, and then
exclaimed Arsen Lupin, I held in my hands a trump card,

(01:49:27):
an anxious public watching and waiting for my escape. And
that is the fatal error into which you fell, you
and the others in the course of that fascinating game
pending between me and the officers of the law, wherein
the stake was my liberty. And you supposed that I
was playing to the gallery, that I was intoxicated with

(01:49:50):
my success. I ar send Lupin guilty of such weakness.
Oh no, and no longer ago than the ka or
affair you said. When Arsain Lupin cries from the housetops
that he will escape, he has some object in view.
But si pristi, you must understand that in order to escape,

(01:50:13):
I must create in advance a public belief in that escape,
a belief amounting to an article of faith, an absolute conviction,
a reality as glittering as the sun. And I did
create that belief that ar sain Lupin would escape, that
Arsen Lupin would not be present at his trial. And

(01:50:34):
when you gave your evidence and said that man is
not Arsen Lupin, everybody was prepared to believe you. Had
one person doubted it, had any one uttered this simple restriction,
suppose it is Arsen Lupin. From that moment, I was lost.
If any one had scrutinized my face, not imbued with

(01:50:56):
the idea that I was not Arsen Lupin, as you
and the others did at my trial, but with the
idea that I might be Ar sain Lupin, then despite
all my precautions, I should have been recognized. But I
had no fear. Logically, psychologically, no one could entertain the
idea that I was Ar sain Lupin. He grasped Ganimar's hand. Come, Ganimar,

(01:51:23):
confess that on the Wednesday, after our conversation in the
prison de la Sante, you expected me at your house
at four o'clock, exactly as I said I would go,
and your prison Van said Ganimar, evading the question a bluff.
Some of my friends secured that old unused van and

(01:51:44):
wished to make the attempt, but I considered it impractical
without the concurrence of a number of unusual circumstances. However,
I found it useful to carry out that attempted escape
and give it to the widest publicity. And audaciously planned escape,
though not completed, gave to the succeeding one the character

(01:52:04):
of reality simply by anticipation, so that the cigar hollowed
by myself, as well as the knife and the letters
written by me and the mysterious correspondent did not exist.
Ganimar reflected a moment, then said, when the Anthropological Service

(01:52:26):
had Bodrou's case under consideration, why did they not perceive
that his measurements coincided with those of Ar Saint Lupin.
My measurements are not in existence. Indeed, at least they
are false. I have given considerable attention to that question.
In the first place, the Bertion system records the visible

(01:52:47):
marks of identification, and you have seen that they are
not infallible. And after that, the measurements of the head,
the fingers, the ears, et cetera of course, such measurements
are more or less infallible. Absolutely no, but it costs
money to get around them. Before we left America, one

(01:53:08):
of the employees of the service there accepted so much
money to insert false figures in my measurements. Consequently, Baudreou's
measurements should not agree with those of Arsain Lupin. After
a short silence, Ganimar asked, what are you going to
do now now, replied Lupa, I am going to take

(01:53:31):
a rest, enjoy the best of food and drink, and
gradually recover my former healthy condition. It is all very
well to become Boudru or some other person on occasion,
and to change your personality as you do your shirt,
but you soon grow weary of the change. I feel
exactly as I imagine the man who lost his shadow

(01:53:52):
must have felt, and I shall be glad to be
Arsain Lupin once more. He walked to and fro for
a few minutes, then stopping in front of Ganimar, he said,
you have nothing more to say? I suppose yes, I
should like to know if you intend to reveal the
true state of facts connected with your escape the mistake

(01:54:13):
that I made. Oh, no one will ever know that
it was Arsain Lupin who was discharged. It is to
my own interest to surround myself with mystery, and therefore
I shall permit my escape to retain its almost miraculous character.
So have no fear on that score, my dear friend.
I shall say nothing, and now good bye. I am

(01:54:36):
going out to dinner this evening and have only sufficient
time to dress. I thought you wanted a rest. Ah,
there are duties to society that one cannot avoid. To
morrow I shall rest. Where do you dine to night
with the British Ambassador. End of the Escape of Arsines.

Speaker 2 (01:55:01):
Chapter four, The Mysterious Traveler. The evening before, I had
sent my automobile to Rouen by the Highway. I was
to travel to Roon by rail, on my way to
visit some friends that live on the banks of the
Seinne at Paris. A few minutes before the train started,

(01:55:23):
seven gentlemen entered my compartment. Five of them were smoking.
No matter that the journey was a short one, the
thought of traveling with such a company was not agreeable
to me, especially as the car was built on the
old model without a corridor. I picked up my overcoat,
my newspapers and my timetable and sought refuge in a

(01:55:46):
neighboring compartment. It was occupied by a lady, who, at
sight of me, made a gesture of annoyance that did
not escape my notice, and she leaned towards a gentleman
who was standing on the step, and was no doubt
her husband. The gentleman scrutinized me closely, and apparently my
appearance did not displease him, for he smiled as he

(01:56:09):
spoke to his wife, with the air of one who
reassures a frightened child. She smiled also, and gave me
a friendly glance, as if she now understood that I
was one of those gallant men with whom a woman
can remain shut up for two hours in a little
box six feet square and have nothing to fear. Her

(01:56:29):
husband said to her, I have an important appointment, my dear,
and cannot wait any longer. Adieu. He kissed her affectionately
and went away. His wife threw him a few kisses
and waved her handkerchief. The whistle sounded and the train
started at that precise moment, and despite the protests of

(01:56:51):
the guards, the door was opened, and a man rushed
into our compartment. My companion, who was standing and arranged
her luggage, uttered a cry of terror and fell upon
the seat. I am not a coward, far from it,
but I confessed that such intrusions at the last minute
are always disconcerting. They have a suspicious, unnatural aspect. However,

(01:57:18):
the appearance of the new arrival greatly modified the unfavorable
impression produced by his precipitate action. He was correctly and
elegantly dressed, or a tasteful cravat, correct gloves, and his
face was refined and intelligent. But where the devil had
I seen that face before? Because beyond all possible doubt,

(01:57:42):
I had seen it, and yet the memory of it
was so vague and indistinct that I felt it would
be useless to try to recall it at that time. Then,
directing my attention to the lady, I was amazed at
the pallor and anxiety I saw on her face. She
was looking at her neighbor, they occupied seats on the

(01:58:03):
same side of the compartment, with an expression of intense alarm,
and I perceived that one of her trembling hands was
slowly gliding toward a little traveling bag that was lying
on the seat about twenty inches from her. She finished
by seizing it and nervously drawing it to her. Our

(01:58:23):
eyes met, and I read in hers so much anxiety
and fear that I could not refrain from speaking to her.
Are you ill, madame? Shall I open the window? Her
only reply was a gesture indicating that she was afraid
of our companion. I smiled as her husband had done,

(01:58:43):
shrugged my shoulders, and explained to her in pantomime that
she had nothing to fear that I was there, and besides,
the gentleman appeared to be a very harmless individual at
that moment. He turned towards us, scrutinized both of us
from head to foot, then settled down in his corner
and paid us no more attention. After a short silence,

(01:59:06):
the lady, as if she had mustered all her energy
to perform a desperate act, said to me, in an
almost inaudible voice, do you know who is on our train?

Speaker 4 (01:59:18):
Who? He?

Speaker 3 (01:59:21):
He?

Speaker 2 (01:59:21):
I assure you, who is he? Arsen Lupin. She had
not taken her eyes off our companion, and it was
to him, rather than to me, that she uttered the
syllables of that disquieting name. He drew his hat over
his face. Was that to conceal his agitation or simply

(01:59:43):
to arrange himself for sleep, then I said to her.
Yesterday through contumacy, Arsain Lupin was sentenced to twenty years
imprisonment at hard Labor. Therefore, it is improbable that he
would be so imprudent to day to show himself in public. Moreover,
the newspapers have announced his appearance in Turkey since his

(02:00:07):
escape from the santerier. But he is on this train
at the present moment, the lady proclaimed, with the obvious
intention of being heard by our companion. My husband is
one of the directors of the penitentiary service, and it
was the station master himself who told us that a
search was being made for Ar Saint Lupin. They may

(02:00:28):
have been mistaken. No, he was seen in the waiting room.
He bought a first class ticket for Rouen. He has disappeared.
The guard at the waiting room door did not see
him pass, and it is supposed that he had got
into the express that leaves ten minutes after us. In
that case they will be sure to catch him, unless

(02:00:51):
at the last moment he leaped from the train to
come here into our train, which is quite probable, which
is almost certain, so he will be arrested just the
same for the employees and the guards would no doubt
observe his passage from one train to the other, and
when we arrive at won they will arrest him there

(02:01:12):
him never he will find some means of escape. In
that case, I wish him a bon voyage. But in
the meantime, think what he may do. What I don't know,
he may do anything. She was greatly agitated, and truly
the situation justified to some extent her nervous excitement. I

(02:01:36):
was impelled to say to her, of course, there are
many strange coincidences, but you need have no fear admitting
that Arceine Lupin is on this train. He will not
commit any indiscretion. He will be only too happy to
escape the peril that already threatens him. My words did
not reassure her, but she remained silent for a time.

(02:02:00):
I unfolded my newspapers and read reports of Arsene Lupin's trial,
but as they contained nothing that was new to me,
I was not greatly interested. Moreover, I was tired and sleepy.
I felt my eyelids close and my head drop but monsieur,
you are not going to sleep. She seized my newspaper

(02:02:22):
and looked at me with indignation. Certainly not, I said,
that would be very imprudent. Of course I assented. I
struggled to keep awake. I looked through the window at
the landscape and the fleeting clouds. But in a short
time all that became confused and indistinct. The image of

(02:02:45):
the nervous lady and the drowsy gentleman were effaced from
my memory, and I was buried in the soothing depths
of a profound sleep. The tranquility of my response was
soon disturbed by disquieting dreams, wherein a creature that had
played the part and bore the name of Arsaint Lupin

(02:03:06):
held an important place. He appeared to me with his
back laden with articles of value. He leapt over walls
and plundered castles. But the outlines of that creature, who
was no longer our Saint Lupin, assumed a more definite form.
He came toward me, growing larger and larger, leapt into

(02:03:28):
the compartment with incredible agility, and landed squarely on my
chest with a cry of frightened pain. I awoke the man,
the traveler, our companion, with his knee on my breast,
held me by the throat. My sight was very indistinct,
for my eyes were suffused with blood. I could see

(02:03:48):
the lady in a corner of the compartment, convulsed with fright.
I tried even not to resist. Besides, I did not
have the strength. My temples throbbed. I was must strangled.
One minute more and I would have breathed my last.
The man must have realized it, for he relaxed his grip,
but did not remove his hand. Then he took a

(02:04:11):
cord in which he had prepared a slipknot, and tied
my wrists together. In an instant, I was bound, gagged
and helpless. Certainly, he accomplished the trick with an ease
and skill that revealed the hand of a master. He was,
no doubt a professional sief. Not a word, not a
nervous movement, only coolness and audacity. And I was there

(02:04:35):
lying on the bench, bound like a mummy. I arsene lupin.
It was anything but a laughing matter. And yet, despite
the gravity of the situation, I keenly appreciated the humor
and irony that It involved arsend a pas seized and
bound like a novice, robbed as if I were an

(02:04:55):
unsophisticated rustic. For you must understand the scound had deprived
me of my purse and wallet. Arsene lupin a victim,
duped vanquished. What an adventure. The lady did not move,
He did not even notice her. He contented himself with
picking up her traveling bag that had fallen to the floor,

(02:05:19):
and taking from it the jewels, purse, and gold and
silver trinkets that contained. The lady opened her eyes, trembled
with fear, drew the rings from her fingers and handed
them to the man, as if she wished to spare
him unnecessary trouble. He took the rings and looked at her.
She swooned, Then, quite unruffled, he resumed his seat, lighted

(02:05:42):
a cigarette, and proceeded to examine the treasure that he
had acquired. The examination appeared to give him perfect satisfaction.
But I was not so well satisfied. I do not
speak of the twelve thousand francs of which I had
been unduly deprived. That was only a temporary loss, because
I was certain that I would recover possession of that

(02:06:05):
money after a very brief delay, together with the important
papers contained in my wallet, plans, specifications, addresses, lists of correspondence,
and compromising letters. But for the moment, a more immediate
and more serious question troubled me. How would this affair end?

(02:06:25):
What would be the outcome of this adventure? As you
can imagine, the disturbance created by my passage through the
Saint Lazarre station had not escaped my notice. Going to
visit friends who knew me under the name of Guillaum Berlard,
and amongst whom my resemblance to Arsainte Lupin was a
subject of many innocent jests. I could not assume a

(02:06:47):
disguise at my presence had been remarked so beyond question.
The Commissary of Police Atroin, notified by telegraph and assisted
by numerous agents, would be awaiting the train, would question
all suspicious passengers and proceed to search the cars. Of course,
I had foreseen all that, but it had not disturbed me,

(02:07:10):
as I was certain that the police of War would
not be any shrewder than the police of Paris, and
that I could escape recognition. Would it not be sufficient
for me to carelessly display my card as deputy, thanks
to which I had inspired complete confidence in the gate
keeper at Saint Lazare. But the situation was greatly changed.

(02:07:32):
I was no longer free. It was impossible to attempt
one of my usual tricks. In one of the compartments.
The Commissary of Police would find Monsieur Saint du Pins
bound hand and foot, as docile as a lamb, packed up,
already to be dumped into a prison van. He would
have simply to accept delivery of the parcel, the same

(02:07:53):
as if it were so much merchandise or a basket
of fruit of vegetables. Yet to avoid that shame for denouement,
what could I do? Bound and gagged as I was,
and the train was rushing on towards Roent, the next
and only station, another problem was presented in which I
was less interested, but the solution of which aroused my

(02:08:16):
professional curiosity. What were the intentions of my rascally companion.
Of course, if I had been alone, he could, on
our arrival at Roent, leave the car slowly and fearlessly.
But the lady, as soon as the door of the
compartment should be opened, the lady, now so quiet and humble,

(02:08:37):
would scream and call for help. That was the dilemma
that perplexed me. Why had he not reduced her to
a helpless condition similar to mine? That would have given
him ample time to disappear before his double crime was discovered.
He was still smoking, with his eyes fixed upon the
window that was now being streaked with drops of rain.

(02:09:00):
Once he turned picked up my time table and consulted it,
the lady had to feign a continued lack of consciousness
in order to deceive the enemy, but fits of coughing
provoked by the smoke exposed her true condition. As to me,
I was very uncomfortable and very tired, and I meditated.

(02:09:21):
I plotted. The train was rushing on, joyously, intoxicated with
its own speed, sent it ene. At that moment, the
man arose and took two steps towards us, which caused
the lady to utter a cry of alarm and fall
into a genuine swoon. What was the man about to do?

(02:09:42):
He lowered the window on our side. A heavy rain
was now falling, and by a gesture, the man expressed
his annoyance at his not having an umbrella or an overcoat.
He glanced at the rack. The lady's umbrella was there.
He took it. He also took my overcoat put it on.
We were now crossing the Seine. He turned up the

(02:10:04):
bottoms of his trousers, then leaned over and raised the
exterior latch of the door. Was he going to throw
himself upon the track at that speed? It would have
been instant death. We now entered a tunnel. The man
opened the door half way and stood on the upper step.
What folly. The darkness, the smoke, the noise all gave

(02:10:28):
a fantastic appearance to his actions. But suddenly the train
diminished its speed. A moment later it increased its speed,
then slowed up again. Probably some repairs were being made
in that part of the tunnel, which obliged the trains
to diminish their speed, and the man was aware of
the fact. He immediately stepped down to the lower step,

(02:10:51):
closed the door behind him, and leapt to the ground.
He was gone. The lady immediately recovered her wits, and
her first act was to lament the loss of her jewels.
I gave her an imploring look. She understood and quickly
removed the gag that stifled me. She wished to untie
the cords that bound me but I prevented her. No, no,

(02:11:13):
the police must see everything exactly as it stands. I
want them to see what the rascal did to us.
Suppose I pulled the alarm bell too late. He should
have done that when he made the attack on me,
But he would have killed me, Ah, monsieur, didn't I
tell you that he was on this train. I recognized

(02:11:33):
him from his portrait, and now he has gone off
with my jewels. Don't worry, the police will catch him.
Catch off Saint Lupin. Never, That depends on you, madame. Listen,
when we arrived at wont be at the door and call,
make a noise. The police and the railway employees will come.

(02:11:55):
Tell what you have seen, the assault made on me
and the flight of ar Saint Lupin. Give a description
of him. Soft hat, umbrella yours, gray overcoat yours? Said?

Speaker 1 (02:12:06):
She?

Speaker 2 (02:12:08):
What mine? Not at all?

Speaker 1 (02:12:10):
It was his.

Speaker 2 (02:12:11):
I didn't have any. It seems to me that he
didn't have one when he came in. Yes, yes, unless
the coat was wondered, some one had forgotten and left
on the rack. At all events, he had it when
he went away, and that is the essential point. A
gray overcoat, remember, Ah, I forgot. You must tell your

(02:12:33):
name first thing, ye do. Your husband's official position will
stimulate the zeal of the police. We arrived at the station,
I gave her some further instructions in a rather imperious tone.
Tell them my name, Guillaum Berlard. If necessary, say that
ye know me. That will save time. We must expedite

(02:12:54):
the preliminary investigation. The important thing is the pursuit of
Arsene Lupins. You jewels, remember, Let there be no mistake.
Guillium Berlar, a friend of your husband. I understand, Guilloumberlard.
She was already calling and gesticulating. As soon as the
train stopped, several men entered the compartment. The critical moment

(02:13:18):
had come. Panting for breath, the lady exclaimed, Ar Saint
lu Pas, he attacked us, he stole my jewels. I
am Madame Renaud. My husband is a director of the
penitentiary service.

Speaker 1 (02:13:30):
Ah.

Speaker 2 (02:13:31):
Here is my brother, Jeorgeardell, director of the grid Roune.

Speaker 1 (02:13:35):
You must know.

Speaker 2 (02:13:37):
She embraced a young man who had just joined us,
and whom the commissary saluted. Then she continued weeping, yes,
Ar Saint Lupin. While Monsieur was sleeping. He seized him
by the throat. Monsieur Berls a friend of my husband.
The commissary asked, but where is ar Saint Lupin He

(02:13:57):
leapt from the train when passing through the tonne. Are
you sure that was he?

Speaker 6 (02:14:03):
Am?

Speaker 2 (02:14:03):
I sure? I recognized him perfectly. Besides, he was seen
at the Saint Lazar station. He wore a soft hat, No,
a hard felt like that, said the commissary, pointing to
my hat. He had a soft hat, I am sure,
repeated Madame Renaud. And a gray overcoat. Yes, that is right,

(02:14:28):
replied the commissary. The telegram says he wore a gray
overcoat with a black velvet collar. Exactly a black velvet collar,
examined Madame Renaud, triumphantly. I breathed freely. Ah, the excellent
friend I had in that little woman. The police agents

(02:14:48):
now released me. I bit my lips until they ran blood,
stooping over with my handkerchief over my mouth, an attitude
quite natural in a person who has remained for a
long time in an uncomfortable position, and whose mouth shows
the bloody marks of the gag. I addressed the commissary
in a weak voice. Monsieur it was ar Saint du Pains.

(02:15:11):
There is no doubt about that if we make haste,
he can be caught. Yet I think I may be
of some service to you. The railway car in which
the crime occurred was detached from the train to serve
as a mute witness at the official investigation. The train
continued on its way to Avres. We were then conducted

(02:15:34):
to the station master's office through a crowd of curious spectators.
Then I had a sudden access of doubt and discretion.
Under some pretext or other, I must gain my automobile
and escape. To remain there was dangerous. Something might happen,
for instance, a telegram from Paris, and I would be lost. Yes,

(02:15:57):
but what about my thief. Abandoned to my own resources
in an unfamiliar country, I could not hope to catch him. Bah,
I must make the attempt, I said to myself. It
may be a difficult game, but an amusing one, and
the stake is well worth the trouble. And when the
commissary asked us to repeat the story of the robbery,

(02:16:19):
I exclaimed, monsieur, really are Saint Lupa is getting the
start of us. My automobile is waiting in the courtyard.
If you will be so kind as to use it,
we can try. The commissary smiled and replied, the idea
is a good one, so good indeed, that it is
already being carried out. Two of my men have set

(02:16:40):
out on bicycles. They have been gone for some time.
Where did they go? To the entrance of the tunnel.
There they will gather evidence, secure witnesses, and follow on
the track of Arsine Lupins. I could not refrain from
shrugging my shoulders as I replied, few men will not
secure you are any evidence or any witnesses freely. Arsaint

(02:17:05):
Lupas will not allow any one to see him emerge
from the tunnel. He will take the first road to Rouin,
where we will arrest him. He will not go to Rouin.
Then he will remain in the vicinity, where his capture
will be even more certain. He will not remain in
the vicinity Oho, and where will he hide? I looked

(02:17:26):
at my watch and said, at the present moment, Arsen
du Pas is prowling around the station at d'aris tale
at ten fifty, that is, in twenty two minutes from now,
he will take the train that goes from Ruin to Amiers.
Do you think so?

Speaker 4 (02:17:44):
How do you know it?

Speaker 2 (02:17:46):
Oh, it is quite simple. While we were in the
car arsaintlu Pas consulted my railway guide. Why did he
do it? Was there, not far from the spot where
he disappeared, another line of railway, a station upon that line,
and a train stopping at that station. On consulting my
railway guide, he found such to be the case. Really, monsieur,

(02:18:10):
said the commissary, that is a marvelous deduction. I congratulate
you on your skill. I was now convinced that I
had made a mistake in displaying so much cleverness. The
Commissary regarded me with astonishment, and I thought a slight
suspicion entered his official mind, oh scarcely that for the

(02:18:30):
photographs distributed broadcast by the police department were too imperfect.
They presented a nar Saint Lupasse so different from the
one he had before him that he could not possibly
recognize me by it. But all the same, he was troubled, confused,
and ill at ease. Mon dieu. Nothing stimulates the comprehensions

(02:18:53):
so much as the loss of a pocket book and
the desire to recover it, and it seems to me
that if you will give me two of your men,
we may be able. Oh I beg of you, Monsieur
le commissaire, cried Madame Renaud. Listen to Monsieur Barlar. The
intervention of my excellent friend was decisive. Pronounced by her,

(02:19:15):
the wife of an influential official, The name of Berlar
became really my own and gave me an identity that
no mere suspicion could effect. The commissary arose and said,
believe me, Monsieur Berlin, I should be delighted to see
you succeed. I am as much interested as you are
in the arrest of Arsaine Dupin. He accompanied me to

(02:19:38):
the automobile and introduced two of his men, Honoremassoure and
Gaston de l v, who were assigned to assist me.
My chauffeur cranked up the car and I took my
place at the wheel. A few seconds later we left
the station. I was saved. Oh, I must confess that

(02:19:58):
in rolling over the boulevard ards that surrounded the old
Norman city in my swift certify of horse power morroul le'ptin,
I experienced a deep feeling of pride and the motor
responded sympathetically to my desires at right and left. The
trees flew past us with startling rapidity, and I, free

(02:20:20):
of danger, had simply to arrange my little personal affairs
with the two honest representatives of the Rum police, who
were now sitting behind me. Arsaint Lupin was going in
search of Arsene Lupins, modest guardians of social order, Gaston
de le Villes and Honorema Soil. How valuable was your assistance?

(02:20:42):
What would I have done without you? Without you many
times at the cross roads, I might have taken the
wrong route. Without you, Arsaint Lupins would have made a mistake,
and the other would have escaped. But the end was
not yet far from it. I had yet to capture
the thief and recover the stolen papers. Under no circumstances

(02:21:05):
must my two acolytes be permitted to see those papers,
much less to seize them. That was a point that
might give me some difficulty. We arrived at d'arnittal three
minutes after the departure of the train. True, I had
the consolation of learning that a man wearing a gray
overcoat with a black velvet collar had taken the train

(02:21:27):
at the station he had bought a second class ticket
for Amier. Certainly my debut as a detective was a
promising one. De l Vill said to me, the train
is express and the next stop is Monte Roulier Bouchet
in nineteen minutes. If we do not reach there before
our Saint Lupin, he can proceed to Amier, or change

(02:21:51):
for the train going to Claire, and from that point
reached Yeppe or Paris. How far to Monte Rolier twenty
three cilometers? Twenty three kilometers in nineteen minutes, we will
be there ahead of him. We were off again. Never
had my faithful Morue Repton responded to my impatience with

(02:22:13):
such ardor and regularity. It participated in my anxiety. It
endorsed my determination. It comprehended my animosity against that rascally
Arsain Dupins the nave the traitor. Turn to the right,
cried dilivy. Then to the left. We fairly flew, scarcely

(02:22:34):
touching the ground. The milestones looked like little timid beasts
that vanished at our approach. Suddenly, at a turn of
the road we saw a vortex of smoke. It was
the Northern Express for a kilometer. It was a struggle
side by side, but an unequal struggle in which the

(02:22:55):
issue was certain. We won the race by twenty lengths.
In three seconds. We were on the platform, standing before
the second class carriages. The doors were opened and some
passengers alighted, but not my thief. We made a setch
through the compartments. No sign of Arsaine dupins Sapristie. I cried.

(02:23:19):
He must have recognized me in the automobile as we
were racing side by side, and he leapt from the train. Ah,
there he is now crossing the track. I started in
pursuit of the man, followed by my two acolytes, or
rather followed by one of them for the other. Masuil
proved himself to be a runner of exceptional speed and endurance.

(02:23:40):
In a few moments he had made an appreciable gain
on the fugitive. The man noticed it, leaped over a hedge,
scampered across a meadow, and entered a thick grove. When
we reached this grove, Masoil was waiting for us. He
went no farther for fear of losing us. Quite right,
my dear friend, I said, after such a run, our

(02:24:03):
victim must be out of wind. We will catch him. Now.
I examined the surroundings with the idea of proceeding alone
in the arrest of the fugitive in order to recover
my papers, concerning which the authorities would doubtless ask many
disagreeable questions. Then I returned to my companions and said,
it is all quite easy. You Massol. Take the place

(02:24:26):
that you left you Delivy at the right. From there
you can observe the entire posterior line of the bush,
and he cannot escape without you seeing him, except by
that ravine, and I shall watch it. If he does
not come out voluntarily, I will enter and drive him
out toward one or the other of you. You have

(02:24:47):
simply to wait. Ah, I forgot in case I need
you a pistol shot. Masol and Dilivy walked away to
their respective posts. As soon as they had disappeared, I
entered the grove with the greatest precaution, so as to
be neither seen nor heard. I encountered dense thickets through

(02:25:08):
which narrow paths have been cut, but the overhanging boughs
compelled me to adopt a stooping posture. One of these
paths led to a clearing in which I found footsteps
upon the wet grass. I followed them. They led me
to the foot of a mound which was surmounted by
a deserted, dilapidated hovel. He must be there, I said

(02:25:31):
to myself. It is a well chosen retreat. I crept
cautiously to the side of the building. A slight noise
informed me that he was there, and then through an
opening I saw him. His back was turned towards me.
In two bounds, I was upon him. He tried to
fire a revolver that he held in his hand, but

(02:25:53):
he had no time. I threw him to the ground
in such a manner that his arms were beneath him,
twisted and helped whilst I held him down with my
knee on his breast. Listen, my boy, I whispered in
his ear. I am aar Saint Dupins. You are to
deliver over to me immediately and gracefully my pocket book

(02:26:15):
and the lady's jewels, and in return, therefore I will
save you from the police and enroll you amongst my friends.
One word yes or no? Yes, he murmured, very good,
your escape this morning was well planned. I congratulate you,

(02:26:36):
I arose. He fumbled in his pocket, drew out a
large knife, and tried to strike me with it and
be sealed, I exclaimed. With one hand, I parried the attack.
With the other, I gave him a sharp blow on
the carotid artery. He fell stunned in my pocket book.

(02:26:57):
I recovered my papers and bank notes. Out of curiosity,
I took his upon an envelope addressed to him. I
read his name, Pierre en Frey. It startled me. Pierre Renfrey,
the assassin of the ru La Fontaine at Auteux. Pierre

(02:27:17):
a Frey, he who had cut the throats of Madame
de Bois and her two daughters. I leaned over him. Yes,
those were the features which in the compartment had evoked
in me the memory of a face I could not
then recall. But time was passing. I placed in an

(02:27:38):
envelope two bank notes of one hundred francs, each with
a card bearing these words arsaen du pin to his
worthy colleagues Honoree Masule and Gaston de le VIIs, as
a slight token of his gratitude. I placed it in
a prominent spot in the room, where they would be
sure to find it. Beside it I placed Madame Renaul's handbag.

(02:28:03):
Why could I not return it to the lady who
had befriended me. I must confess I had taken from
it everything that possessed any interest or value, leaving there
only a shell combe, a stick of rouge d'urras for
the lips, and an empty purse. But you know, business
is business, And then really her husband is engaged in

(02:28:25):
such a dishonorable vacation. The man was becoming conscious.

Speaker 3 (02:28:31):
What was I to do?

Speaker 2 (02:28:32):
I was unable to save him or condemn him, so
I took his revolver and fired a shot in the air.
My two acolytes will come and attend to this case,
I said to myself, as I hastened away by the
road through the ravine. Twenty minutes later, I was seated
in my automobile. At four o'clock I telegraphed to my

(02:28:56):
friends at Rouen that an unexpected event would prevent me
from making my promised visit between ourselves. Considering what my
friends must now know, my visit is postponed indefinitely, a
cruel disillusion for them. At six o'clock I was in Paris.
The evening newspapers informed me that Pierre au Free had

(02:29:18):
been captured at last. Next day. Let us not despise
the advantages of judicious advertising. The Eccau de France published
this sensational item yesterday near Beauchy. After numerous exciting incidents,
Arsain du Pas effected the arrest of Pierre an Free.

(02:29:41):
The assassin of the Rue la Fontaine, had robbed Madame Renaud,
wife of the director in the penitentiary service, in a
railway carriage on the Paris Avre Line. Arsain du Pains
restored to Madame Renaud the hand bag that contained her jewels,
and gave a generous record pence to the two detectives

(02:30:02):
who had assisted him in making that dramatic arrest.

Speaker 6 (02:30:06):
End of Chapter four, Chapter five. The Queen's necklace. Two
or three times each year, when occasions of unusual importance,
such as the balls at the Austrian Embassy or the
soirees of Lady Billingstone, the Countess de dro Subies wore

(02:30:28):
upon her white shoulders the Queen's necklace. It was indeed
the famous necklace, the legendary necklace that Bohmer and Bessinge
Court jewelers had made for Madame du Barris, the veritable
necklace that the Cardinal do Roanne Soubies intended to give
to Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, and the same that

(02:30:52):
the adventuress Jean de Valois, Countess de Ramote, had pulled
to pieces one evening in February seventeen eighty five, with
the aid of her husband and their accomplice Reteau de Villette.
To tell the truth, the mounting alone was genuine. Reteau
de Villet had kept it whilst the Count de la

(02:31:14):
Motte and his wife scattered to the four winds of
heaven the beautiful stones so carefully chosen by Boehmer. Later
he sold the mounting to Gaston de tru Subise, nephew
and heir of the Cardinal, who repurchased the few diamonds
that remained in the possession of the English jeweler Geoffreys,
supplemented them with other stones of the same size but

(02:31:38):
of much inferior quality, and thus restored the marvelous necklace
to the form in which it had come from the
hands of Boehmer and BassaNge. For nearly a century, the
House of Drusubills had prided itself upon the possession of
this historic jewel. Although adverse circumstances had greatly reduced their fortune,

(02:31:59):
they prefer to curtail their household expenses rather than part
with this relic of royalty. More particularly, the present count
clung to it as a man clings to the home
of his ancestors. As a matter of prudence, he had
rented a safety deposit box at the Crediglione in which
to keep it. He went for it himself on the

(02:32:21):
afternoon of the day in which his wife wished to
wear it, and he himself carried it back next morning.
On this particular evening, at the reception given at the
Palais de Castille, the countess achieved a remarkable success, and
King Christian, in whose honor the fete was given, commented
on her grace and beauty. The thousand facets of the

(02:32:44):
diamond sparkled and shone like flames of fire about her
shapely neck and shoulders, and it is safe to say
that none but she could have borne the weight of
such an ornament with so much ease and grace. This
was a double triumph, and the Count de Dreux was
highly elated. When they returned to their chamber in the
old house of the Faubourg Saint Germain. He was proud

(02:33:08):
of his wife, and quite as proud, perhaps, of the
necklace that had conferred added luster to his noble house
for generations. His wife also regarded the necklace with an
almost childish vanity, and it was not without regret that
she removed it from her shoulders and handed it to
her husband, who admired it as passionately as if he

(02:33:29):
had never seen it before. Then, having placed it in
its case of red leather stamped with the cardinal's arms,
he passed into an adjoining room, which was simply an
alcove or cabinet that had been cut off from their chamber,
and which could be entered only by means of a
door at the foot of their bed. As he had
done on previous occasions, he hid it on a high

(02:33:50):
shelf amongst hat boxes and piles of linen. He closed
the door and retired. Next morning, he arose about nine o'clock,
intending to go to the cred Delionee. Before breakfast, he dressed,
drank a cup of coffee, and went to the stables
to give his orders. The condition of one of the
horses worried him. He caused it to be exercised in

(02:34:13):
his presence. Then he returned to his wife, who had
not yet left the chamber. Her maid was dressing her
hair when her husband entered. She asked, are you going out? Yes,
as far as the bank, of course, that is wise.
He entered the cabinet, but after a few seconds, and
without any sign of astonishment, he asked, did you take it,

(02:34:35):
my dear?

Speaker 1 (02:34:36):
What?

Speaker 6 (02:34:37):
No, I have not taken anything. You must have moved it.
Not at all, I have not even opened that door.
He appeared at the door, disconcerted and stammered, in a
scarcely intelligible voice. You haven't it wasn't you. Then she
hastened to his assistance, and together they made a thorough search,
throwing the boxes to the floor and overturning the piles

(02:34:59):
of linen. Then the count said, quite discouraged, it is
useless to look any more. I put it here on
this shelf. You must be mistaken. No, no, it was
on this shelf, nowhere else. They lighted a candle, as
the room was quite dark, and then carried out all
the linen and other articles that the room contained, And

(02:35:20):
when the room was emptied, they confessed in despair that
the famous necklace had disappeared, without losing time in vain lamentations.
The Countess notified the Commissary of Police, Monsieur Valorb, who
came at once, and, after hearing their story, inquired of
the count are you sure that no one passed through
your chamber during the night? Absolutely sure, as I am

(02:35:43):
a very light sleeper. Besides, the chamber door was bolted,
and I remember unbolting it this morning when my wife
rang for her maid. And there is no other entrance
to the cabinet none, no windows, yes, but it is
closed up. I look at it. Candles were lighted, and
Monsieur Valorp observed at once that the lower half of

(02:36:05):
the window was covered by a large press, which was, however,
so narrow that it did not touch the casement on
either side. On what does this window open? A small
inner court and you have a floor above this two
but on a level with the servant's floor. There is
a close grating over the court. That is why this
room is so dark. When the press was moved, they

(02:36:29):
found that the window was fastened, which would not have
been the case if any one had entered that way.
Unless said the count they went out through our chamber.
In that case you would have found the door unbolted.
The commissary considered the situation for a moment, then asked
the Countess, did any of your servants know that you
wore the necklace last evening? Certainly I didn't conceal the fact,

(02:36:52):
but nobody knew that it was hidden in that cabinet.
No one, No one, unless be quite sure or madam,
as it is a very important point. She turned to
her husband and said, I was thinking of Henriette. Henriette,
she didn't know where we kept it. Are you sure?

(02:37:13):
Who is this woman? Henriette asked Monsieur Valorb, a schoolmate
who was disowned by her family for marrying beneath her
after her husband's death. I furnished an apartment in this
house for her and her son. She is clever with
her needle and has done some work for me. What
floor is she on? Same as ours, at the end
of the corridor. And I think the window of her

(02:37:35):
kitchen opens on this little court, does it not, yes,
just opposite ours. Monsieur Valorb then asked to see Henriette.
They went to her apartment. She was sewing, whilst her son, Raoul,
about six years old, was sitting beside her reading. The
commissary was surprised to see the wretched apartment that had

(02:37:57):
been provided for the woman. It consisted of one room
without a fireplace, and a very small room that served
as a kitchen. The commissary proceeded to question her. She
appeared to be overwhelmed on learning of the theft. Last
evening she had herself dressed the countess and placed the
necklace upon her shoulders. Good god, she exclaimed, It can't

(02:38:17):
be possible, and you have no idea, not the least suspicion.
Is it possible that the thief may have passed through
your room? She laughed heartily, never supposing that she could
be an object of suspicion. But I have not left
my room. I never go out, and perhaps you have
not seen. She opened the kitchen window and said, see

(02:38:39):
it is at least three meters to the ledge of
the opposite window. Who told you that we suppose the
theft might have been committed in that way? But the
necklace was in the cabinet, wasn't it. How do you
know that?

Speaker 4 (02:38:52):
Why?

Speaker 6 (02:38:52):
I have always known that it was kept there at night,
it had been mentioned in my presence. Her face, though
still young, wore unmistakable traces of sorrow and resignation, and
it now assumed an expression of anxiety, as if some
danger threatened her. She drew her son toward her. The
child took her hand and kissed it affectionately. When they

(02:39:14):
were alone again, the count said to the Commissary, I
do not suppose you suspect Henriette. I can answer for her.
She is honesty itself. I quite agree with you, replied
Monsieur Valorb. At most I thought there might have been
an unconscious complicity, but I confess that even that theory
must be abandoned, as it does not help solve the
problem now before us. The Commissary of Police abandoned the investigation,

(02:39:39):
which was now taken up and completed by the examining judge.
He questioned the servants, examined the condition of the bolt,
experimented with the opening and closing of the cabinet window,
and explored the little court from top to bottom. All
was in vain. The bolt was intact, the window could
not be opened or closed from the outside. The inquiries

(02:40:01):
especially concerned Henriette, for in spite of everything, they always
turned in her direction. They made a thorough investigation of
her past life and ascertained that during the last three
years she had left the house only four times, and
her business on those occasions was satisfactorily explained. As a
matter of fact, she acted as chambermaid and seamstress to

(02:40:23):
the Countess, who treated her with great strictness and even severity.
At the end of a week, the examining judge had
secured no more definite information than the Commissary of police.
The judge said, admitting that we know the guilty party,
which we do not, we are confronted by the fact
that we do not know how the theft was committed.

(02:40:44):
We are brought face to face with two obstacles, a
door and a window, both closed and fastened. It is
thus a double mystery. How could anyone enter? And moreover,
how could anyone escape, leaving behind him a bolted door
and a fastened window. At the end of four months,
the secret opinion of the judge was that the count

(02:41:06):
and Countess, being hard pressed for money which was their
normal condition, had sold the Queen's necklace. He closed the investigation.
The loss of the famous jewel was a severe blow
to the Drusubilles. Their credit being no longer propped up
by the reserve fund that such a treasure constituted, they

(02:41:26):
found themselves confronted by more exacting creditors than money lenders.
They were obliged to cut down to the quick, to
sell or mortgage every article that possessed any commercial value.
In brief, it would have been their ruin if two
large legacies from some distant relatives had not saved them.
Their pride also suffered a downfall, as if they had

(02:41:47):
lost a quartering from their escutcheon, and strange to relate.
It was upon her former schoolmate Henriette that the Countess
vented her spleen toward her. The Countess displayed the most
spiteful feelings and even openly accused her First Henriette was
relegated to the servants quarters and next day discharged. For

(02:42:09):
some time, the count and Countess passed an uneventful life.
They traveled a great deal. Only one incident of record
occurred during that period. Some months after the departure of Henriette,
the Countess was surprised when she received and read the
following letter signed by Henriette Madame, I do not know
how to thank you for it was you? Was it

(02:42:31):
not who sent me that? It could not have been
any one else. No one but you knows where I live.
If I am wrong, excuse me and accept my sincere
thanks for your past favors. What did the letter mean?
The present or past favors of the Countess consisted principally
of injustice and neglect, Why then this letter of thanks?

(02:42:53):
When asked for an explanation, Henriette replied that she had
received a letter through the mails, enclosing two banks notes
of one thousand francs each. The envelope which she enclosed
with her reply, bore the Paris postmark and was addressed
in a handwriting that was obviously disguised. Now, whence came
those two thousand francs? Who had sent them? And why

(02:43:15):
had they sent them? Henriette received a similar letter and
a like sum of money twelve months later, and a
third time, and a fourth and each year for a
period of six years, with this difference that in the
fifth and sixth years the sum was doubled. There was
another difference, the post office authorities, having seized one of
the letters under the pretext that it was not registered.

(02:43:38):
The last two letters were duly sent according to the
postal regulations. The first dated from Saint Germain, the other
from Surin. The writer signed the first one Anquitte and
the other Peschards. The addresses that he gave were false.
At the end of six years, Henriette died and the

(02:43:58):
mystery remained unsolved. All these events are known to the public.
The case was one of those which excite public interest,
and it was a strange coincidence that this necklace, which
had caused such a great commotion in France at the
close of the eighteenth century, should create a similar commotion
a century later. But what I am about to relate

(02:44:20):
is known only to the parties directly interested, and a
few others from whom the Count exacted a promise of secrecy.
As it is probable that some day or other that
promise will be broken, I have no hesitation in rending
the veil and thus disclosing the key to the mystery.
The explanation of the letter published in the morning papers
two days ago an extraordinary letter which increased, if possible,

(02:44:43):
the mists and shadows that envelope this inscrutable drama. Five
days ago a number of guests were dining with the
Count de Drusubiz. There were several ladies present, including his
two nieces and his cousin, and the following d gentlemen,
the President of Savillu, the Deputy Beauchas, the Chevalier Floriani,

(02:45:07):
whom the Count had known in Sicily, and General Marquis
de Rousier, an old club friend. After the repast, coffee
was served by the ladies, who gave the gentlemen permission
to smoke their cigarettes, provided they would not desert the salon.
The conversation was general, and finally one of the guests
chanced to speak of celebrated crimes, and that gave the

(02:45:29):
Marquis de Rousier, who delighted to tease the Count, an
opportunity to mention the affair of the Queen's necklace, a
subject that the Count detested. Each one expressed his own
opinion of the affair, and of course their various theories
were not only contradictory, but impossible. And you, monsieur, said
the Countess to the Chevalier FLORIANI, what is your opinion?

(02:45:51):
Oh ay, I have no opinion, madame. All the guests
protested for the Chevalier had just related in an entertaining manner,
various adventures in which he had participated with his father,
a magistrate at Palermo, and which established his judgment and
taste in such manners, I confess, said he. I have
sometimes succeeded in unraveling mysteries that the cleverest detectives have renounced.

(02:46:16):
Yet I do not claim to be Sherlock Holmes. Moreover,
I know very little about the affair of the Queen's necklace.
Everybody now turned to the Count, who was thus obliged
quite unwillingly, to narrate all the circumstances connected with the theft.
The Chevalier listened, reflected, asked a few questions, and said,

(02:46:37):
it is very strange. At first sight, the problem appears
to be a very simple one. The Count shrugged his shoulders.
The others drew closer to the Chevalier, who continued in
a dogmatic tone. As a general rule, in order to
find the author of a crime or a theft, it
is necessary to determine how that crime or theft was committed,

(02:46:59):
or at least how it could have been committed. In
the present case, nothing is more simple, because we are
face to face, not with several theories, but with one
positive fact. That is to say, the thief could only
enter by the chamber door or the window of the cabinet.
Now a person cannot open a bolted door from the outside.

(02:47:19):
Therefore he must have entered through the window. But it
was closed and fastened, and we found it fastened afterward,
declared the Count. In order to do that, continued FLORIANI,
without heeding the interruption, he had simply to construct a bridge,
a plank or a ladder between the balcony of the
kitchen and the ledge of the window, and as the

(02:47:40):
jewel case. But I repeat that the window was fastened,
exclaimed the Count impatiently. This time FLORIANI was obliged to reply.
He did so with the greatest tranquility, as if the
objection was the most insignificant affair in the world. I
will admit that it was. But is there not a
transom in the upper part of the window? How do

(02:48:02):
you know that in the first place that was customary
in houses of that date, And in the second place,
without such a transom, the theft cannot be explained. Yes,
there is one, but it was closed the same as
the window Consequently, we did not pay attention to it.
That was a mistake, for if you had examined it,

(02:48:22):
you would have found that it had been opened. But
how I presume that, like all others, it opens by
means of a wire with a ring on the lower end. Yes,
but I do not see now through a hole in
the window. A person could, by the aid of some instrument,
let us say, a poker with a hook on the end,
grip the ring, pull down and open the transom. The

(02:48:45):
Count laughed and said, excellent, excellent. Your scheme is very
cleverly constructed. But you overlook one thing, monsieur, there is
no hole in the window. There was a hole, nonsense,
we would have seen it. In order to see it,
you must look for it, and no one has looked
the whole is there. It must be there at the

(02:49:05):
side of the window, in the putty in a vertical direction.
Of course, the Count arose. He was greatly excited. He
paced up and down the room two or three times
in a nervous manner. Then, approaching FLORIANI said, nobody has
been in that room since nothing has been changed. Very well, monsieur,
you can easily satisfy yourself that my explanation is correct.

(02:49:28):
It does not agree with the facts established by the
examining judge. You have seen nothing, and yet you contradict
all that we have seen and all that we know.
FLORIANI paid no attention to the Count's petulance. He simply
smiled and said, mon dieu, monsieur, I submit my theory.

Speaker 4 (02:49:44):
That is all.

Speaker 6 (02:49:45):
If I am mistaken, you can easily prove it. I
will do so at once. I confess that your assurance.
The Count muttered a few more words, then suddenly rushed
to the door and passed out. Not a word was
uttered in his absence, and this profect count silence gave
the situation an air of almost tragic importance. Finally the
Count returned. He was pale and nervous. He said to

(02:50:09):
his friends in a trembling voice. I beg your pardon.
The revelations of the Chevalier were so unexpected. I should
never have thought. His wife questioned him eagerly, speak, what
is it? He stammered, The whole is there at the
very spot at the side of the window. He seized
the Chevalier's arm and said to him in an imperious tone, Now,

(02:50:33):
Monsieur proceed. I admit that you are right so far.
But now that is not all. Go on, tell us
the rest of it. FLORIANI disengaged his arm gently, and
after a moment continued, Well, in my opinion, this is
what happened. The thief, knowing that the Countess was going
to wear the necklace that evening, had prepared his gangway

(02:50:55):
or bridge during your absence. He watched you through the
window and saw you hide the necklace. Afterward he cut
the glass and pulled the ring. Ah, But the distance
was so great that it would be impossible for him
to reach the window fastening through the transom. Well, then
if he could not open the window by reaching through
the transom, he must have crawled through the transom. Impossible,

(02:51:18):
it is too small, No man could crawl through it.
Then it was not a man, declared FLORIANI. What if
the transom is too small to admit a man, it
must have been a child, a child. Did you not
say that your friend Henriette had a son, Yes, a
son named Raoul. Then in all probability it was Raoul

(02:51:40):
who committed the theft. What proof of you of that?
What proof plenty of it? For instance, he stopped and
reflected for a moment, then continued. For instance, that gangway
or bridge, it is improbable that the child could have
brought it in from outside the house and carried it
away again without being observed. He must have used something

(02:52:01):
close at hand. In the little room used by Henriette
as a kitchen, were there not some shelves against the
wall on which she placed her pans and dishes? Two shelves,
to the best of my memory. Are you sure that
those shelves are really fastened to the wooden brackets that
support them, For if they are not, we could be
justified in presuming that the child removed them, fastened them together,

(02:52:24):
and thus formed his bridge. Perhaps also, since there was
a stove, we might find the bent poker that he
used to open the transom. Without saying a word, the
Count left the room, and this time those present did
not feel the nervous anxiety that they had experienced the
first time. They were confident that Floriani was right, and

(02:52:44):
no one was surprised when the Count returned and declared
it was the child. Everything proves it. You have seen
the shelves and the poker. Yes, the shelves have been unnailed,
and the poker is there yet, But the Countess exclaimed,
you had better say it was his mother. Henriette is
the guilty party. She must have compelled her son. No,

(02:53:06):
declared the Chevalier. The mother had nothing to do with it. Nonsense.
They occupied the same room. The child could not have
done it without the mother's knowledge. True, they lived in
the same room. But all this happened in the adjoining
room during the night while the mother was asleep. And
the necklace, said the count it would have been found
amongst the child's things. Pardon me, he had been out

(02:53:31):
that morning on which you found him reading, He had
just come from school, and perhaps the Commissary of police,
instead of wasting his time on the innocent mother, would
have been better employed in searching the child's desk amongst
his school books. But how do you explain those two
thousand francs that Henriette received each year? Are they not
evidence of her complicity? If she had been an accomplice,

(02:53:54):
would she have thanked you for that money? And then
was she not closely watched? But the child, being free,
could easily go to a neighboring city, negotiate with some
dealer and sell him one diamond or two diamonds as
he might wish, upon condition that the money should be
sent from Paris, and that proceeding could be repeated from
year to year. An indescribable anxiety oppressed the dru Subilles

(02:54:18):
and their guests. There was something in the tone and
attitude of Floriani, something more than the chevalier's assurance, which
from the beginning had so annoyed the Count. There was
a touch of irony that seemed rather hostile than sympathetic.
But the Count affected to laugh as he said, all
that is very ingenious and interesting, and I congratulate you

(02:54:40):
upon your vivid imagination. No, not at all, replied Floriani,
with the utmost gravity. I imagine nothing. I simply describe
the events as they must have occurred. But what do
you know about them? What you yourself have told me?
I pictured to myself the life of the mother and
child down there in the country, the illness of the mother,

(02:55:02):
the schemes of and inventions of the child to sell
the precious stones in order to save his mother's life
or at least soothe her dying moments. Her illness overcomes her,
she dies. Years roll on, the child becomes a man,
and then and now I will give my imagination a
free reign. Let us suppose that the man feels a

(02:55:24):
desire to return to the home of his childhood, that
he does so, and that he meets there certain people
who suspect and accuse his mother. Do you realize the
sorrow and anguish of such an interview? In the very
house wherein the original drama was played. His words seemed
to echo for a few seconds in the ensuing silence,

(02:55:46):
and one could read upon the faces of the Count
and Countess stood through a bewildered effort to comprehend his meaning,
and at the same time the fear and anguish of
such a comprehension. The Count spoke at last and said,
who are you, monsieur I, the chevalier FLORIANI, whom you

(02:56:06):
met at Palermo, and whom you have been gracious enough
to invite to your house on several occasions. Then what
does this story mean? Oh? Nothing at all. It is
simply a pastime. So far as I am concerned. I
endeavored to depict the pleasure that Henriette's son, if he
still lives, would have in telling you that he was
the guilty party, and that he did it because his

(02:56:28):
mother was unhappy, as she was on the point of
losing the place of a servant by which she lived,
and because the child suffered at sight of his mother's sorrow.
He spoke with suppressed emotion, rose partially, and inclined toward
the Countess. There could be no doubt that the Chevalier
Floriani was Henriette's son. His attitude and words proclaimed it. Besides,

(02:56:54):
was it not his obvious intention and desire to be
recognized as such? The count count hesitated, what action would
he take against the audacious guest ring, provoke a scandal,
unmask the man who had once robbed him? But that
was a long time ago, and who would believe that
absurd story about the guilty child. No better far to

(02:57:17):
accept the situation and pretend not to comprehend the true
meaning of it. So the Count, turning to Floriani, exclaimed,
your story is very curious, very entertaining. I enjoyed it much.
But what do you think has become of this young man,
this model son. I hope he has not abandoned the

(02:57:37):
career in which he made such a brilliant debut. Oh,
certainly not after such a debut to steal the Queen's
necklace at six years of age, the celebrated necklace that
was coveted by Marie Antoinette, and to steal it, remarked Floriani,
falling in with the Count's mood, without costing him the

(02:57:58):
slightest trouble, without but anyone thinking to examine the condition
of the window, or to observe that the window sill
was too clean, that window sill which he had wiped
in order to effaced the marks he had made in
the thick dust. We must admit that it was sufficient
to turn the head of a boy at that age.
It was all so easy. He had simply to desire

(02:58:19):
the thing and reach out his hand to get it.
And he reached out his hand, both hands, replied the Chevalier, laughing.
His companions received a shock. What mystery surrounded the life
of the so called Floriani. How wonderful must have been
the life of that adventurer, a thief at six years
of age, and who, to day, in search of excitement,

(02:58:43):
or at most to gratify a feeling of resentment, had
come to brave his victim in her own house, audaciously, foolishly,
and yet with all the grace and delicacy of a
courteous guest. He arose and approached the Countess to bid
her a dear She recoiled unconsciously. He smiled, oh, madame,

(02:59:06):
you are afraid of me. Did I pursue my roll
of parlor magician a step too far? She controlled herself
and replied with her accustomed ease, not at all, monsieur.
The legend of that dutiful son interested me very much,
and I am pleased to know that the necklace had
such a brilliant destiny. But do you not think that

(02:59:27):
the son of that woman, that Henriette, was the victim
of hereditary influence in the choice of his vocation? He shuddered,
feeling the point, and replied, I am sure of it.
And moreover, his natural tendency to crime must have been
very strong, or he would have been discouraged. Why so, because,

(02:59:48):
as you must know, the majority of the diamonds were false.
The only genuine stones were a few purchased from the
English jeweler, the others having been sold one by one
one to meet the cruel necessities of life. It was
still the Queen's necklace, Monsieur replied. The Countess haughtily, and

(03:00:09):
that is something that he, Henriette's son, could not appreciate.
He was able to appreciate, Madame, that whether true or false,
the necklace was nothing more than an object of parade,
an emblem of senseless pride. The count made a threatening gesture,
but his wife stopped him. Monsieur, She said, if the

(03:00:33):
man to whom you allude has the slightest sense of honor,
she stopped, intimidated by Floriani's cool manner. If that man
has the slightest sense of honor, he repeated. She felt
that she would not gain anything by speaking to him
in that manner, and in spite of her anger and indignation,

(03:00:53):
trembling as she was from humiliated pride, she said to him,
almost politely, monsieur. The legend says that Reteau de Villette,
when in possession of the Queen's necklace, did not disfigure
the mounting. He understood that the diamonds were simply the
ornament the accessory, and that the mounting was the essential

(03:01:14):
work the creation of the artist, and he respected it accordingly.
Do you think that this man had the same feeling.
I have no doubt that the mounting still exists. The
child respected it well, monsieur, if you should happen to
meet him, will you tell him that he unjustly keeps
possession of a relic that is the property and pride

(03:01:38):
of a certain family, And that although the stones have
been removed, the Queen's necklace still belongs to the house
of Drusubilles. It belongs to us as much as our
name or our honor. The chevalier replied, simply, I shall
tell him, Madame. He bowed to her, saluted the count

(03:02:00):
and the other guests, and departed. Four days later, the
Countess stood through found upon the table in her chamber
a red leather case bearing the cardinal's arms. She opened
it and found the Queen's necklace. But as all things
must in the life of a man who strives for

(03:02:20):
unity and logic, converge toward the same goal, and as
a little advertising never does any harm. On the following day,
the Ecco de France published these sensational lines. The Queen's Necklace,
the famous historical jewelry stolen from the family of Drusubilles,

(03:02:41):
has been recovered by Arsene Lupin, who hastened to restore
it to its rightful owner. We cannot too highly commend
such a delicate and chivalrous act.

Speaker 5 (03:02:57):
End of Chapter five, Chapter six, The Seven of Hearts.

Speaker 4 (03:03:04):
I'm frequently asked this question, how did you make the
acquaintance of ur Sine Luperer? My connection with us in
Lupe is well known. The details that I gather concerning
that mysterious man, the irrefutable facts that I present, the
new evidence that I produce, the interpretation that I place
on certain acts of which the public has seen only
the exterior manifestations without being able to discover the secret

(03:03:27):
reasons or the invisible mechanism. All establish, if not an intimacy,
at least amicable relations and regular confidences. But how did
I make his acquaintance? Why was I selected to be
his historiographer? Why I and not some one else? The
answer is simple. Chance alone presided over my choice. My

(03:03:51):
Merit was not considered. It was chance that put me
in his way. It was chance that I was a
participant in one of his strangest and most mysterious adventures.
And by chance I was an actor in a drama
that he was the marvelous stage director, an obscure and
intricate drama bristling with such thrilling events that I feel

(03:04:12):
a certain embarrassment in undertaking to describe it. The first
act takes place during that memorable night of twenty second June,
of which so much has already been said, And for
my part, I attribute the anomalous conduct of which I
was guilty on that occasion to the unusual form of
mind in which I found myself on my return home.

(03:04:34):
I had dined with some friends at the Cascade Restaurant,
and the entire evening, whilst we smoked and the orchestra
played melancholy waltzes, we talked only of crimes and thefts,
and dark and frightful intrigues. That is always a poor
overture to a night's sleep. The Saint Martin went away
in an automobile Jean Daspri, that delightful, heedless Daspris, who

(03:04:58):
six months later was killed in such tragic manner on
the frontier of Morocco. Gendespris and I returned on foot
through the dark, warm night. When we arrived in front
of the little house in which I had lived for
a year at Ny on the Bulevarmayo, he said to me,
you afraid. What an idea. But this house is too isolated,

(03:05:20):
no neighbors, vacant lots. Really, I'm not a coward and
gets well, you are very cheering. I must say, oh ah,
I say that as I would say anything else. The
Saint Martin have impressed me with their stories of brigands
and thieves. We shook hands and said good night. I
took out my key and opened the door. Well, that's good,

(03:05:42):
I mournmwood. Antoine has forgotten to light a candle. Then
I recalled the fact that Antoine was away. I'd given
him a short leave of absence. Forthwith, I was disagreeably
oppressed by the darkness and silence of the night. I
ascended the stairs on tiptoe and reached my room as
quickly as possible. Then, contrary to my usual habit, I

(03:06:05):
turned the key and pushed the bolt.

Speaker 5 (03:06:08):
The light of my.

Speaker 4 (03:06:09):
Candle restored my courage. Yet I was careful to take
my revolver from its case, a large powerful weapon, and
place it beside the bed. That precaution completed my reassurance.
I laid down and, as usual, took a book from
my night table to read myself to sleep. Then I
received a great surprise. Instead of the paper knife with

(03:06:33):
which I had marked my place upon the preceding, I
found the envelope closed with five seals of red wax.
I seized it eagerly. It was addressed to me and
marked urgent. A letter, A letter addressed to me? Who
could have put it in that place? Nervously I tore
open the envelope and read from the moment you opened

(03:06:56):
this letter. Whatever happens, whatever you may hear, do not move,
do not utter, utter one cry, otherwise you are doomed.
I am not a coward, and quite as well as
any other I can face real danger or smile at
the visionary perils of imagination. But let me repeat, I

(03:07:17):
was in an anomalous condition of mind, with my nerves
set on edge by the events of the evening. Besides,
was it not in my present situation something startling and mysterious,
calculated to disturb the most courageous spirit. My feverish fingers
clutched the sheet of paper. I read and re read
those threatening words. Do not move, do not utter one cry,

(03:07:45):
otherwise you are doomed. Nonsense. I thought it's a joke,
the work of some cheerful idiot. I was about to laugh,
a good loud laugh. Who prevented me? What haunting fear
compressed my throat? Least I would blow out the candle. No,

(03:08:05):
I could not do it. Do not move, or you
are doomed were the words he had written. These auto
suggestions are frequently more imperious than the most positive realities.
But why should I struggle against them? I had simply
to close my eyes. I did so. At that moment,

(03:08:26):
I heard a slight noise, followed by crackling sounds, proceeding
from a large room used by me as a library.
A small room or antechamber was situated between the library
and my bedchamber. The approach of an actual danger greatly
excited me. I felt a desire to get up, seize
my revolver, and rush into the library. I did not rise.

(03:08:48):
I saw one of the curtains of the left window move.
There was no doubt about it. The curtain had moved,
it was still moving, and I saw, oh, I saw
quite distinctly in the narrow space between the curtains and
the window, a human form, a bulky mass that prevented
the curtains from hanging straight. It was equally certain that

(03:09:10):
the man saw me through the large meshes of the curtain.
Then I understood the situation. His mission was to guard
me while the others carried away their booty. Should I
rise and seize my revolver? Impossible? He was there at
the least movement, at the least cry. I was doomed.

(03:09:31):
Then came a terrific noise that shook the house. This
was followed by lighter sounds, two or three together, like
those of a hammer that rebounded. At least that was
the impression formed in my confused brain. These were mingled
with other sounds, thus creating a veritable uproar, which proved
that the intruders were not only bold, but felt themselves

(03:09:52):
secure from interruption. They were right. I did not move.
Was it cowardice?

Speaker 3 (03:09:58):
No?

Speaker 4 (03:10:00):
The weakness, a total inability to move any portion of
my body, combined with discretion. For why should I struggle
behind that man? There were ten others who had come
to his assistance. Should I risk my life to save
a few tapestries and be below throughout the night? My
torture endured, insufferable torture, terrible anguish. The noises had stopped,

(03:10:28):
but I was in constant fear of their renewal, and
the man the manner was guiding me weapon in hand.
My fearful eyes remained cast in his direction, and my
heart beat and a profuse perspiration oozed from every pore
of my body. Suddenly I experienced an immense relief. A

(03:10:50):
milk wagon, whose sound was familiar to me, passed along
the boulevard, and at the same time I had an
impression of the light of a new day, trying to
steal through the closed window blo at last daylight penetrated
the room. Other vehicles passed along the boulevard, and all
the phantoms of the night vanished. Then I put one

(03:11:12):
arm out of the bed, slowly and cautiously. My eyes
were fixed upon the curtain, locating the exact spot of
which I must fire. I made an exact calculation of
the movements I must make. Then quickly I seized my
revolver and fired. I leaped from my bed with a
cry of deliverance, and rushed to the window. The bullet

(03:11:34):
had passed through the curtain and the window glass, but
it had not touch the man, for the very good
reason that there was no one there. Nobody. Thus, during
the entire night. I had been hypnotized by a fold
of the curtain, and during that time the malefactors.

Speaker 5 (03:11:53):
Furiously.

Speaker 4 (03:11:54):
With an enthusiasm that nothing could have stopped, I turned
the key, opened the door, crossed the ante chamber, opened
another door, and rushed into the library. But amazement stopped
me of my threshold, panting, astounded, more astonished than I
had been by the absence of the man. All the
things that I had supposed had been stolen, furniture, books, pictures,
old tapestries, everything was in its proper place. It was incredible.

(03:12:18):
I could not believe my eyes. Notwithstanding that uproar, those
noises of removal, I made it to her. I inspected
the walls, I made a mental inventory of all the
familiar objects. Nothing was missing, And what was more disconcerting,
there was no clue to the intruders, not a sign,
not a chair disturbed, not the trace of a footstep. Well, well,

(03:12:43):
I said to myself, pressing my hands on my bewildered head.
Surely I am not crazy. I hear something inch by inch.
I made a careful examination of the room. It was
in vain and as I could consider this a discovery,
under a small perch rug I found a card, an
ordinary playing card. It was the seven of Hearts. It

(03:13:09):
was like any other seven of hearts in French playing cards,
with this slight but curious exception. The extreme point of
each of the seven red spots or hearts was pierced
by a hole, round and regular, as if made with
the point of an all. Nothing more a card and
a letter found in a book. But was that not

(03:13:32):
sufficients to affirm that I had not been the plaything
of a dream. Throughout the day I continued my searches
in the library. It was a large room, much too
large for the requirements of such a house, and the
decoration of which attested the bizarre taste of its founder.

(03:13:52):
The floor was a mosaic of multi colored stones formed
into large symmetrical designs. The walls were covered with a
similar mosaic, arranged in panels Pompeian allegories, Byzantine compositions, frescoes
of the Middle Ages. A Bacchus bestriding a casque An emperor,
wearing a gold crown, a flowing beard, and holding a

(03:14:13):
sword in his right hand, quite high after the style
of an artist's studio. There was a large window, the
only one in the room. That window being always open
at night, it was probable that the men had entered
through it by the aid of a ladder, but again
there was no evidence. The bottom of the ladder would

(03:14:35):
have left some marks in the soft earth beneath the window,
but there were none, nor were there any traces of
footsteps in any part of the yard. I had no
idea of informing the police, because the facts I had
before me were so absurd and inconsistent. They would laugh
at me. However, as I was then a reporter on

(03:14:58):
the staff of the Guilblains, I wrote a lengthy account
of my adventure, and it was published in the paper
on the second day hereafter. The article attracted some attention,
but no one took it seriously. They regarded it as
a work of fiction rather than a story of real life.
The Saint Martin railed me, but Daspris, who took an

(03:15:19):
interest in such matters, came to see me, made a
study of the affair, but reached no conclusion. A few
mornings later, the door bell rang and Antoine came to
inform me that a gentleman desired to see me. He
would not give his name, I directed Antoine to show
him up. He was a man of about forty years
of age, with a very dark complexion, lively features, and

(03:15:41):
whose correct dress slightly frayed, proclaimed a taste that contrasted
strangely with his rather vulgar manners. Without any preamble, he
said to me in a rough voice that confirmed my
suspicion as to his social position. Monsieur, Whilst in a
Cafeire picked up a copy of the Guilblais and read
your article. It interested me very much, Thank you, and

(03:16:04):
here I am ah yes to talk to you. Are
all the facts related by you quite correct? Absolutely so.

Speaker 3 (03:16:15):
Well?

Speaker 4 (03:16:15):
In that case, I can perhaps give you some information
very well? Proceed No, not yet. First I must be
sure that the facts are exactly as you have related them.
I have given you my word. What further proof do
you want? I must remain alone in this room. I
do not understand, I said, with surprise. It is an

(03:16:38):
idea that occurred to me when reading your article. Certain
details established an extraordinary coincidence with another case that came
under my notice. If I am mistaken, then I shall
say nothing more, and the only means of ascertaining the
truth is by my remaining in the room alone. What
was the bottom of this proposition? Later I recall that

(03:17:00):
the man was exceedingly nervous, But at the same time,
though somewhat astonished, I found nothing particularly abnormal about the
man or the request he had made. However, my curiosity
was aroused, so I replied, very well, how much time
do you require?

Speaker 1 (03:17:17):
No?

Speaker 4 (03:17:17):
Three minutes? No longer three minutes from now. I will
rejoin you. I left the room and went downstairs. I
took out my watch. One minute passed, two minutes. Why
did I feel so depressed? Why did those moments seem
so solemn and weird? Two minutes and a half, two

(03:17:39):
minutes and three quarters. Then I heard a pistol shot.
I bounded up the stairs and entered the room. A
cry of horror escaped me. In the middle of the room,
the man was lying on his left side, motionless. Blood
was flowing from a wound in his forehead. Near his
hand was a revolver, still smoking. But in addition to

(03:18:00):
this frightful spectacle, my attention was attracted by another object.
At two feet from the body, upon the floor, I
saw a playing card. It was the Seven of Hearts.
I picked it up. The lower extremity of each of
the seven spots was pierced by a small round hole.

(03:18:23):
A half hour later, the Commissary of Police arrived, then
the coroner and the chief of the surte Monsieur du
dux I had been careful not to touch the corpse.
The preliminary inquiry was very brief and disclosed nothing. There
were no papers in the pockets of the deceased, no

(03:18:43):
name upon his clothes, no initial upon his linen, nothing
to give any clue to his identity. The room was
in the same perfect order as before. The furniture had
not been disturbed. Yet this man had not come to
my house solely for the purpose of killing himself, or
because he considered my place the most convenient one for

(03:19:03):
his suicide. There must have been a motive for his
act of despair, and that motive was, no doubt the
result of some new fact ascertained by him during the
three minutes he was alone.

Speaker 2 (03:19:16):
What was that fact?

Speaker 4 (03:19:18):
What had he seen? What frightful secret had been revealed
to him? There was no answer to these questions. But
at the last moment an incident occurred that appeared to
us of considerable importance, as two policemen were raising the
body to place it on a stretcher. The left hand
thus being disturbed, A crumpled card fell from it. The

(03:19:41):
card bore these words, jeorg and a Matte thirty seven
rue de berrie. What did that mean? Jeorg ander Maatt
was a rich banker in Paris, the founder and president
of the Metal Exchange, which had given such an impulse
to the metallic industries and France. He lived in princely style,

(03:20:03):
was the possessor of numerous automobiles, coaches and an expensive
racing stable. His social affairs were very select, and Madame
ander Matte was noted for her grace and beauty. Can
that be the man's name? I asked the chief of
the Sieurte leaned over him. Tis not he? Monsieur ander

(03:20:25):
Matt is a thin man and slightly gray? But why
this card? Have you a telephone? Monsieur, here's in the vestibule?
Come with me? He looked in the directory and then
died for number four one five two one. Is Monsieur
and deer Matt at home? Please tell him that Monsieur

(03:20:45):
Dudu wishes him to come at once to one hundred
and two bel amayo very important. Twenty minutes later, Monsieur
Ander Matt arrived in his automobile. After the circumstances have
been explained to him, he was taken in to see
the corpse. He dispayed considerable emotion and spoke in a
low tone, apparently unwillingly. Etien varens, he said, you know

(03:21:12):
him no, or at least ye, yes, by sight? Only
his brother? Ah, he has a brother, yes, Alfred Varain.
He came to see me once on some matter of business.

Speaker 3 (03:21:25):
I forget what it was.

Speaker 4 (03:21:27):
Where does he live? The two brothers lived together Rue
de Provence. I think, do you know any reason why
he should commit suicide? None? He held a card in
his hand. It was your card with your address. I
do not understand that it must have been there by
some chance that would be disclosed by the investigation. Great

(03:21:48):
strange chance, I thought, and I felt that the others
entertained the same impression. I discovered the same impression in
the papers next day, and amongst all my friends with
whom I discussed the affair amid the mysteries that enveloped it.
After a double discovery of the seven of Hearts, pierced
with seven holes after two inscrutable events that had happened

(03:22:11):
in my house, and that visiting card promised to throw
some light on the affair. Through it, the truth may
be revealed. But contrary to our expectations, Monsieur Andermatz furnished
no explanation. He said, I have told you all I know,
what more can I do. I am greatly surprised that

(03:22:32):
my card should be found in such a place, and
I sincerely hope the point will be cleared up.

Speaker 3 (03:22:39):
It was not.

Speaker 4 (03:22:41):
The official investigation established that the Varam brothers were of
Swiss origin, had led a shifting life under various names,
frequenting gambling resorts, associating with a band of foreigners who
had been dispersed by the police after a series of
robberies in which the participation was established only by their
flight at number twenty four Rue de Provence, where the

(03:23:02):
Varin brothers had lived six years before, no one knew
what had become of them. I confess that for my part,
the case seemed to me so complicated and so mysterious
that I did not think the problem would ever be solved.
So I concluded to waste no more time upon it.
But Jia d'aspri, whom I frequently met at that period,

(03:23:25):
became more and more interested in it each day. It
was he who pointed to me the item from a
foreign newspaper, which was reproduced and commented upon by the
entire press. It was as follows, the first trial of
a new model submarine boat, which is expected to revolutionize
naval warfare, will be given in the presence of the
former Emperor, at a place that would be kept secret

(03:23:48):
until the last minute. An indiscretion has revealed its name.
It is called the Seven of Hearts. The Seven of
Hearts that presented a new problem. Could a connection be
established between the name of the submarine and the incidents
which we have related? But a connection of what nature?

(03:24:08):
What had happened here could have no possible relation with
a submarine. What do you know about it? Despri said
to me. The most diverse effects often proceed from the
same cause. Two days later, the following foreign news item
was received and published. It is said that the plans

(03:24:29):
for the new submarine Seven of Hearts were prepared by
French engineers, who, having sought in vain the support of
their compatriots, subsequently entered in negotiations with the British Admiralty
without success. I do not wish to give undue publicity
to certain delicate matters which once provoked considerable excitement. Yet,

(03:24:50):
since all danger of injury therefrom has now come to
an end, I must speak of the article that appeared
in the Echo de France, which aroused so much comment
at that time, in which through considerable light upon the
mystery of the Seven of Hearts. This is the article
as it was published over the signature of Salvador, the

(03:25:13):
Affair of the Seven of Hearts, A corner of the
veil raised, we will be brief. Ten years ago, a
young mining engineer, Louis la Combe, wishing to devote his
time and fortune to certain studies, resigned his position that
he then held and rented number one O two Boulevar Mayo,
a small house which had been recently built and decorated

(03:25:35):
from an Italian count. Through the agency of the Varin
brothers of Lausanne, one of whom assisted in the preliminary
experiments and the other acted as financial agent, the young
engineer was introduced to Georges Andermattz, the founder of the
Metal Exchange. After several interviews, he succeeded in interesting the

(03:25:56):
banker in a submarine boat on which he was working,
and it was agreed that as soon as the invention
was perfected, Monsieur Andermatt was used influence with the Minister
of Marine to obtain a series of trials under the
direction of the government. For two years, Loui la Combe
was a frequent visitor at Andermatt's house, and he submitted
to the banker the various improvements he made upon his

(03:26:19):
original plans, until one day, being satisfied with the perfection
of his work, he asked Monsie Andermatt to communicate with
the Minister of Marine. That day, Loui la Combe dined
at Mont Monsieur Andermatt's house. He left there about half
past eleven at night. He has not been seen since.
A perusal of the newspapers of that date will show

(03:26:41):
that the young man's family caused every possible inquiry to
be made, but without success, and it was the general
opinion that Loui la Combe, who was known as an
original and visionary youth, had quietly left for parts unknown.
Let us accept that theory improbable that it may be,
and let us consider another question, which is a most

(03:27:02):
important one for our country. What has become of the
plans of the submarine? Did Loui la Combe carry them away?
Are they destroyed? After making a thorough investigation, we are
able to assert positively that the plans are in existence
and are now in the possession of the two brothers Variness.
How did they acquire such a possession, That is a
question not yet determined, Nor do we know why they

(03:27:26):
have not tried to sell them at an earlier date.
Did they fear that their title to them would be
called in question? If so, they have lost that fear.
And we can announce definitely that the plans of Loui
la Combe are now the property of a foreign power,
and we are in a position to publish the correspondence
that pass between the Varin brothers and the representative of

(03:27:47):
that power. The Seven of Hearts invented by Louis la
Combe has actually been constructed by our neighbor. Will the
invention fulfill the optimistic expectations of those who were concerned
in that treacherous act? And a PostScript adds later our
special correspondent informs us that the preliminary trial of the
Seven of Hearts has not been satisfactory. It is quite

(03:28:09):
likely that the plans sold and delivered by the Varin
brothers did not include the final document carried by Louis
la Combe to Monsieur Andermatt on the day of his disappearance,
a document that is indispensable to a thorough understanding of
the invention. It contained the summary of the final conclusions
of the inventor and estimates and figures not contained in
the other papers. Without this document, the plans are incomplete.

(03:28:33):
On the other hand, without the plans, the document is worthless.
Now is the time to act and recover what belongs
to us. It may be a difficult matter, but we
rely upon the assistance of Monsieur andermat. It will be
to his interest to explain his conduct, which has hitherto
been so strange and inscrutable. He will explain not only
why he concealed these facts the time of the suicide

(03:28:54):
of Etien Varens, but also why he has never revealed
the disappearance of the paper, a fact well known to him.
He will tell why during the last six years he
paid spies to watch the movements of the Varin brothers.
We expect from him not any words, but acts and
at once. Otherwise the threat was plainly expressed, But of

(03:29:16):
what did it consist? What whip was Sulvatore, the anonymous
writer of the article, holding over the head of Monsieur Andermatt's.
An army of reporters attacked the banker, and ten interviewers
announced the scornful manner in which they had been treated.
Whereupon the Ecu de France announced its position in these words,

(03:29:38):
whether Monsieur Andermat is willing or not, he will be
henceforth our collaborator in the work we have undertaken. Dasbi
and I were dining together on the day on which
that announcement appeared. That evening, with the newspaper spread over
my table, we discussed the affair and examined it from

(03:29:58):
every point of view, with that ext aspiration that a
person feels when walking in the dark and finding himself
constantly falling over the same obstacles. Suddenly, without me warning whatsoever,
the door opened and a lady entered. Her face was
hidden behind a thick veil. I rose at once and
approached her. Is it you, monsieur who lives here? She asked, yes, Madame,

(03:30:21):
but I do not understand the gate was not locked,
she explained, but the vestibule door. She did not reply,
and it occurred to me that she had used the
servant's entrance. How did she know the way? Then there
was a silence that was quite embarrassing. She looked at Daspriy,
and I was obliged to introduce him. I asked her

(03:30:42):
to be seated and explain the object of her visit.
She raised her veil, and I saw that she was
a brunette with regular features, and although not handsome, she
was attractive, principally on account of her sad, dark eyes.
I am Madame Andermatte, she said, Madame ander matt I
repeated with astonishment. After a brief pause, she continued with

(03:31:05):
a voice and manner that were quite easy and natural.
I've come to see you about that affair. You know,
I thought I might be able to obtain some information,
mon dieu, madame. I know nothing but what has already
appeared in the papers. But if you will point out
in what way I can help you, I do not know.

(03:31:26):
I do not know. Not until then did I suspect
that our calm demeanor was assumed and that some poignant
grief was concealed. Beneath that air of tranquility. For a
moment we were silent and embarrassed. Then Dasbery stepped forward
and said, will you permit me to ask you a
few questions? Yes, yes, she cried, I will answer. You

(03:31:50):
will answer whatever those questions may be. Yes, did you
know Louis la Combe? He asked, yes, through my husband.
When did you see him for the last time? The
evening he dined with us at that time? Was there
anything to lead you to believe that you would never

(03:32:10):
see him again?

Speaker 3 (03:32:11):
No?

Speaker 4 (03:32:12):
He had spoken of a trip to Russia in a
vague way, and then you expected to see him again. Yes,
he was to dine with us two days later. How
do you explain his disappearance? I cannot explain it, and
Monsieur Andermatz, I do not know yet. The article published
in the Echo de France indicates, yes, that was the

(03:32:32):
Varin brothers had something to do with his disappearance. Is
that your opinion?

Speaker 3 (03:32:37):
Yes?

Speaker 4 (03:32:38):
On what do you base your opinion? When he left
our house, Leila comp carried a satchel containing all the
papers relating to his invention. Two days later, my husband,
in a conversation with one of the Varin brothers learned
that the papers were in their possession, and he did
not denounce them. No, why not?

Speaker 5 (03:32:57):
Because there was.

Speaker 4 (03:32:58):
Something else in the satchel, something besides the papers of
Loui la Combe.

Speaker 3 (03:33:03):
What was it?

Speaker 4 (03:33:05):
She hesitated, was on the point of speaking, but finally
remained silent. Daspery continued, I presume that is why your
husband has kept a close watch over their movements. Instead
of informing the police, he hoped to recover the papers,
and at the same time that compromising article which has
enabled the two brothers to hold over him, threats of

(03:33:26):
exposure and blackmail over him and over me. Ah, over you,
also over me in particular. She uttered the last word
in a hollow voice. Daspery observed it, and he paced
to and fro for a moment, then, turning to her, asked,
had you written to Louis la Combe?

Speaker 1 (03:33:48):
Oh?

Speaker 4 (03:33:48):
Of course, my husband had business with him. Apart from
those business letters. Had you written to Louis la Combe
other letters? Excuse my insistence, but it is absolutely necessary
I should know the truth. Did you write other letters? Yes,
she replied, blushing, and those letters came into the possession

(03:34:09):
of the Varin brothers. Yes, does monsieur Ander Matt know it.
He has not seen them, but Alfred Varain told him
of their existence and threatened to publish them if my
husband should take steps against him. My husband was afraid
of a scandal, but he has tried to recover the letters.

(03:34:30):
I think so, but I do not know. You see,
after the last interview with Alfred Varain, after some harsh
words between me and my husband in which he called
me to account, we live as strangers. In that case,
you have nothing to lose. What do you fear? I
may be indifferent to him now, but I am the

(03:34:51):
woman that he has loved, the one he would still love. Oh,
I am quite sure of that, She murmured in a
fervent voice. He would still love me if he had
not got hold of those cursed letters. What did he succeed?
But the two brothers still defied him. Yes, and they
boasted of having a secure hiding place. Well, I believe

(03:35:13):
my husband discovered that hiding place. Well, I believe that
my husband has discovered that hiding place. Ah, where is
it here? Here? I cried an alarm. Yes, I always
had that suspicion. Lui la Combe was very ingenious and
amused himself in his leisure hours by making safes and locks.

(03:35:34):
No doubt the Varin brothers were aware of that fact,
and utilized one of la Combe's safes in which to
conceal the letters and other things. Perhaps, but they did
not live here, I said, before you came four months ago.
The house had been vacant for some time, and they
may have thought that your presence here would not interfere

(03:35:55):
with them when they wanted to get the papers. But
they did not count on my husband, who came here
on the night of the twenty second June, forced the safe,
took what he was seeking, and left his card to
inform the two brothers that he feared them no more
and that their positions were now reversed. Two days later,
after reading the article in the juelblars Itier, Varin came here,

(03:36:18):
remained alone in this room, and found the safe empty,
and killed himself. After a moment. Daspri said, a very
simple theory. Has Monsieur Ander madd spoken to you since then?

Speaker 3 (03:36:33):
No?

Speaker 4 (03:36:35):
Has his attitude towards you changed in any way? Does
he appear more gloomy, more anxious?

Speaker 3 (03:36:41):
No?

Speaker 4 (03:36:41):
I haven't noticed any change. And yet you think he
has secured the letters. Now, in my opinion, he has
not got those letters. And it was not he who
came here on the night of the twenty second June.
Who was it, then, the mysterious individual who is managing
this affair, who holds all the threads in his hands,
and whose invisible but far reaching powers we have felt

(03:37:03):
from the beginning. It was here and his friends who
entered this house on the twenty second June. It was
he who discovered the hiding place of the papers. It
was he who left Monsieur ander Matt's card. It is
he who now holds the correspondence and the evidence of
treachery of the ma Varin brothers. Who is he, i
asked impatiently, the man who writes letters to the Ecu

(03:37:24):
de France salvatore? Have we not convincing evidence of that fact?
Does he not mention in his letters certain details that
no one could know except the man who had thus
discovered the secrets of the two brothers, Then stammered Madame
mander Mats in great alarm. He has my letters also,
and it is he who now threatens my husband. Mon dieu,

(03:37:44):
what am I to do? Write to him? Declared desprit
confide in him without reserve. Tell him all you know
and all you may hereafter learn. Your interests and his
interest are the same. He is not working against Monsieur Andermatz,
but against Alfred Varin. Help him. How has your husband

(03:38:04):
the document that completes the plans of Louis la corbe?

Speaker 3 (03:38:07):
Yes?

Speaker 4 (03:38:08):
Tell that to Salvator, and if possible, procure the document
for him. Write to him at once. You risk nothing.
The advice was bold, dangerous even at first sight, but
Madame m de Matte had no choice. Besides, as Dasper
had said, she ran no risk. If the unknown writer
were an enemy, that step would not aggravate the situation.

(03:38:30):
If he were a stranger seeking to accomplish a particular purpose,
he would attach to those letters only a secondary importance,
whatever might happen. It was the only solution offered to her,
and she, in her anxiety, was only too glad to
act upon it. She thanked us effusively and promised to
keep us informed. In fact, two days later she sent

(03:38:53):
us the following letter that she had received from Salvator.
I have not found the letter, but I will get them.
Rest easy. I am watching everything s I looked at
the letter. It was in the same handwriting as the
note I found in my book on that night of
twenty second June. Dasbury was right. Salvator was indeed the

(03:39:19):
originator of that affair. We were beginning to see a
little light coming out of the darkness surrounded us, and
an unexpected light was thrown on certain points. But other
points yet remained obscure for interstance the finding of the
two Seven of Hearts. Perhaps I was unnecessarily concerned about

(03:39:43):
those two cards, whose seven punctured spots had appeared to
me under such startling circumstances. Yet I could not refrain
from asking myself, what role will they play in the drama?
What importance do they bear? What conclusion must be drawn
from the fact that the submarine constructed from the plans
of Louis la Combe bore the name Seven of Hearts.

(03:40:06):
Dasbury gave little thought to the two cards. He devoted
all his attention to another problem, which he considered more urgent.
He was seeking the famous hiding place, and who know,
said he, I may find the letters that Salvator did
not find, And by inadvertence, perhaps it is improbable that

(03:40:28):
the Varin brothers would have removed from a spot which
they deemed inaccessible a weapon which was so valuable to them,
And he continued to search. In a short time, the
large room held no more secrets for him, so he
extended his investigations to the other rooms. He examined the
interior and the exterior, the stones of the foundation, the

(03:40:49):
bricks in the walls. He raised the states of the roof.
One day he came with a pickaxe and spade, gave
me a spade, kept the pickaxe, pointed to the adjacent
vacant lots and said come. I followed him, but I
lacked his enthusiasm. He divided the vacant land into into
several sections, which he examined in turn. At last, in

(03:41:12):
a corner at the angle formed by the walls of
the two neighboring proprietors, a small pile of earth and
gravel covered with briars and grass attracted his attention. He
attacked it. I was obliged to help him. For an hour,
under a hot sun, we labored without success. I was discouraged,
but Daspbriy urged me on his ardor was strong as ever.

(03:41:34):
At last, Daspery's pickaxe unearthed some bones, the remains of
a skeleton, to which some scraps of clothing still hung.
Suddenly I turned pale. I had discovered, sticking in the
earth a small piece of iron cut in the form
of a rectangle, on which I thought I could see
red spots. I stooped and picked it up. That little

(03:41:57):
iron plate was the exact side eyes of a playing card,
and the red spots, made with red lead, were arranged
upon it in the manner similar to the seven of hearts,
and each spot was pierced with a round hole similar
to the perforations in the two playing cards. Listen, Dasbriy,
I've had enough of this. You can stay if it
interest you, but I am going. Was that simply the

(03:42:22):
expression of my excited nerves? Or was it the result
of a laborious task executed under the burning sun? I
know that I trembled as I walked away, and that
I went to bed, where I remained forty eight hours,
restless and feverish, haunted by skeletons that danced around me
and threw their beating hearts at my head. Dasbury was

(03:42:42):
faithful to me. He came to my house every day
and remained three or four hours, which he spent in
the large room, ferreting, thumping, and tapping. The letters are
here in this room, he said. From time to time
they are here. I will stake my life on it.
On the morning of the third day, I wrote, feeble yet,
but cured a substantial breakfast cheered me up. But a

(03:43:05):
letter that I received that afternoon contributed more than anything
else to my complete recovery and aroused in me a
lively curiosity. This was the letter monsieur. The drama, the
first act of which transpired on the night of twenty
second June, is now drawing to a close. Force of

(03:43:26):
circumstances compel me to bring the two principal actors in
that drama face to face, and I wish that meeting
to take place in your house. If you will be
so kind as to give me the use of it
for this evening from nine o'clock to eleven. It will
be advisable to give your servant leave of absence for
the evening, and perhaps you will be so kind as
to leave the field open to the two adversaries. You

(03:43:48):
will remember that when I visited your house on the
night of twenty second June. I took excellent care of
your property. I feel that I would do you an
injustice if I should doubt for one moment your absolute
discretion in this affair, Your devoted salvator. I was amused
at the facetious tone of his letter, and also at

(03:44:09):
the whimsical nature of his request. There was a charming
despay of confidence and candor in his language, and nothing
in the world would have induced me to deceive him
or repay his confidence with ingratitude. I gave my servant
a theater ticket, and he left the house at eight o'clock.
A few minutes later, Dasby arrived. I showed him the letter,

(03:44:30):
well said he. Well, I've left the garden gate unlocked
so any one can enter. And you are you going away?
Not at all? I intend to stay, he write here.
But he asks you to go, But I am not going.
I will be discreet, but I am resolved to see
what takes place. Ma FOI exclaimed Dastby, laughing, you are right,

(03:44:54):
and I shall stay with you. I shouldn't like to
miss it. We were interrupted by the door bell. Here
all ready said Desbery, twenty minutes ahead of time. Incredible.
I went to the door and ushered in the visitor.
It was Madame Andermatt's. She was faint and nervous, and
in a stammering voice, she ejaculated, maum, My, my husband

(03:45:15):
is coming. He has an appointment. They intend to give
him the letters. How do you know, I asked? By
chance a message came for my husband while we were
at dinner. A servant gave it to me by mistake.
My husband grabbed it quickly, but he was too late.
I had read it. You read it? Yes, it was
something like this at nine o'clock this evening, be at

(03:45:35):
Boulevard my yo with the papers connected with the affair
in exchange the letters. So after dinner I hastened here,
unknown to your husband. Yes, what do you think about it,
asked Dasbury, turning to me. But I think as you
do that Monsieur ander Mattz is one of the invited guests. Yes,

(03:45:56):
but for what purpose? That's all we're going to find out.
I led them to a large room. The three of
us could hide comfortably behind the velvet chimney mantle and
observe all that should happen in the room. We seated
ourselves there, with Madame ander Matt in the center, the

(03:46:16):
clock struck nine. A few minutes later the garden gate
creaked on its hinges. I confess that I was greatly agitated.
I was about to learn the key to the mystery.
The startling events of the last few weeks were about
to be explained, and under my eyes, the last battle
was going to be fought. Dasperly seized the hand of

(03:46:37):
Madame ander Matt's and said to her, not a word,
not a movement, whatever you may see or hear, be quiet.
Someone entered. It was Alfred Varain. I recognized him at once,
owing to the close resemblance he brought both to his
brother Etienne. There was the same slouching gait, the same

(03:46:59):
cadaverous face covered with a black beard. He entered with
the nervous air of a man who is accustomed to
fear in the presence of traps and ambushes, who sends
and avoids them. He glanced around the room, and I
had the impression that the chimney masked by a velvet
portier did not please him. He took three steps in

(03:47:19):
our direction. Then something caused him to turn and walk
towards the old mosaic king with the flowing beard and
flamboyant sword, which he examined minutely, mounting on a chair
and following with his fingers the outlines of the shoulders
and head, and feeling certain parts of the face. Suddenly
he leaped from the chair and walked away from it.

(03:47:40):
He had heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Monsieur Endermatt
appeared at the door. You, you, exclaimed the banker. Was
it you who brought me here? I by no means,
protested Varin, in a rough, jerky voice that reminded me
of his brother. On the contrary, it was your letter
that brought me here. My letter, a letter signed by you,

(03:48:03):
which you offered. I never wrote to you, declared Monsieur
ander Matt. You did not write to me. Instinctively, Varin
was put on his guard, not against the banker, but
against the unknown enemy who had drawn him into this trap.
A second time, he looked in our direction, then walked
towards the door, but Monsieur ander Matt barred his passage. Well,

(03:48:27):
where are you going, Varin? There is something about this
affair I don't like. I am going home good evening.
One moment. No need of that, Monsieur ander matt I
have nothing to say to you, but I have something
to say to you, and this is a good time
to say it. Let me pass. No, I will not
let you pass. Varin recoiled before the resolute attitude of

(03:48:49):
the banker as he muttered, well, then be quick about it.
One thing astonished me. I have no doubt my two
companions experienced a similar feeling. Why was salvertorre not here?
Was he not a necessary party at this conference? Or
was he satisfied to let these two adversaries fight it

(03:49:10):
out between themselves at all events? His absence was a
great disappointment, although it did not detract from the dramatic
strength of the situation. After a moment, Monsieur Andermatz approached
Varin face to face and said, now, after all these years,
and you have nothing more to fear, can you answer

(03:49:31):
me candidly? What have you done with Louis la Combe?
What a question, as if I knew anything about him?
You do know, you and your brother were his constant companions,
almost lived with him at this very house. You knew
all about his cans and his work. And the last
night I ever saw Louis la Combe when I parted

(03:49:52):
from him. At my door, I saw two men slinking
away in the shadows of the trees that I am
ready to swear to. Well, what has that to do
with me? The two men were you and your brother?
Prove it. The best proof is that two days later
you yourself showed me the papers and the plans that
belonged to la Combe, and you offered to sell them.

(03:50:12):
How did these papers come into your possession? I have
already told you, Monsieur Andermatt, that we found them on
Louis la Combe's table the morning after his disappearance. That
is a lie.

Speaker 5 (03:50:24):
Prove it, The law will prove it.

Speaker 4 (03:50:27):
Why did you not appeal to the law? Why? Ah,
why stammered the banker with a slight despay of emotion.
You know very well, Monsieur Andermatt, that if you had
the least certainty of our guilt, our little threat would
not have stopped you. What threat those letters? Do you
suppose I ever gave those letters a moment's thought? If

(03:50:52):
you did not care for the letters, why did you
offer me a thousand francs for their return? And why
did you have my brother and me track like wild
beasts to recover the plans. Nonsense. You wanted the letters.
You knew that as soon as you had the letters
in your possession you could denounce us. Oh no, I

(03:51:13):
couldn't part with them. He laughed heartily, but stopped suddenly
and said, but enough of this. We are merely going
over old ground. We make no headway. We had better
let things stand as they are. We will not let
them stand as they are, said the banker. And since
you have referred to the letters, let me tell you
that you will not leave this house until you deliver

(03:51:34):
up those letters. I shall go when I please. You
will not be careful, mister ander Matt. I warn you,
I say you shall not go. We will see about that,
cried Varin, in such a rage that Madame and Matt
could not suppress a cry of fear. Vara must have
heard it, for now he tried to force his way out.
Missy under Matt pushed him back. Then I saw him

(03:51:56):
put his hand into his coat pocket for the last time.
Let me pass, he cried the letters. First. Varin drew
a revolver, and, pointing at to Monsieur Ander Matt said
yes or no. The banker stooped quickly there was a
sound of a pistol shot. The weapon fell from Varin's hand.
I was amazed the shop was fired close to me.
It was Dasprey who had fired it at Varin, causing

(03:52:18):
him to drop the revolver. In a moment, Dasbury was
standing between the two men, facing Varin. He said to
him with a sneer, you were very lucky, my friend,
very lucky. I fired at your hand and only struck
the revolver. Both of them looked at him surprised. Then
he turned to the banker and said, I beg your pardon, monsieur,
for meddling in your business, but really you play a

(03:52:40):
very poor game. Let me hold the cards. Turning again
to Varin, Dasbery said, it's between us two, comrade, play
fair if you please. Hearts are trumps and I play
for seven. Then Dasbery held up before Varon's bewildered eyes,
the little iron plate marked with the seven red spots.

(03:53:02):
It was a terrible shock to Vara. With livid features,
staring eyes, and an air of intense agony, the man
seemed to be hypnotized by the sight of it. Who
are you, he gasped, one who meddles in other people's business,
down to the very bottom. What do you want? What

(03:53:24):
you brought here to night? I brought nothing. Yes, you did,
or you wouldn't have come this morning. You received an
invitation to come here at nine o'clock and bring with
you all the papers held by you. You are here.
Where are the papers? There was in Dasbury's voice and
manner a tone of authority that I did not understand.
His manner was usually quite mild and conciliatory. Absolutely conquered.

(03:53:48):
Vain placed his hand on one of his pockets and said,
the papers are here, all of them, Yes, all that
you took from Loui la Combe and afterwards sold to
meyerovonn Lieben. Yes, are these the copies or the originals?
I have the originals? How much do you want for them?

(03:54:11):
One hundred thousand francs? You are crazy, said Dasbury. Why
the major gave you only twenty thousand? And that was
like money thrown to the sea. As the boat was
a failure at the preliminary trials. They didn't understand the plans.
The plans are not complete. Then why do you ask
me for them? Because I want them? I offer you

(03:54:31):
five thousand francs. Not a sou more ten thousand, not
a sou less, agreed, said Dasbury, who now turned to
mister Andermattz and said, monsieur will kindly sign a check
for the amount. But but I hapn't got your check
book here. It is astounded. Mister ander matt examined the
check book that Daspriy handed to him. It is mine,

(03:54:53):
he gasped, How did that happen? No idle words, monsieur,
if you please, you have merely to sign. The banker
took his fountain pen, filled out the chair and signed it.
Varin held out his hand for it. Put down your hand,
said Dasby. There is something more then the banker, he said,
you asked for some letters, did you not? Yes, a

(03:55:14):
package of letters? Where are they? Varin? I haven't got them?
Where are they? Varin? I don't know. My brother had
charge of them. They are hidden in this room. In
that case, you know where they are? How should I know?
Was it not you who found the hiding place? You
appear to be well informed, as Salvat tore, the letters

(03:55:37):
are not in the hiding place, they are open it.
Varin looked at him defiantly. Were not Dasbery and Salvat
are the same person. Everything pointed to that conclusion. If
so Vannin risked nothing in disclosing the hiding place already
known open, it repeated Dasbery, I have not got the
seven of Hearts. Yes, here it is, said Dasprey, handing

(03:56:02):
him the iron plate. Varin recoiled in terror and cried no, no,
I will not never mind, replied Daspy, as he walked
towards the bearded king, climbed on the chair and applied
the Seven of Hearts to the lower part of the sword,
in such a manner that the edges of the iron
plate coincided exactly with the two edges of the sword. Then,
with the assistance of an awl, which he introduced alternately

(03:56:26):
into each of the seven holes, he pressed upon seven
of the little mosaic stones. As he pressed upon the
seventh one, a clicking sound was heard, and the entire
bust of the king turned upon a pivot, disclosing a
large opening lined with steel. It was really a fire
proof safe. As you can see, Varin, the safe is empty.

(03:56:49):
So I see though my brother has taken out the letters.
Dasbrey stepped down from the chair, approached Varin and said,
now no more nonsense with me. There is another hiding place.
Where is it? There is none? Is it money you want?
How much? Ten thousand, Monsieur Andermatt. Are those letters worth
ten thousand francs to you? Yes, said the banker firmly.

(03:57:13):
Varin closed the safe, took the seven of hearts and
placed it again on the sword. At the same spot,
he thrust the awl into each of the seven holes.
There was the same clicking sound, but this time strange
to relate. It was only a portion of the safe
that revolved on the pivot, disclosing quite a small safe
that was built within the door of the larger one.

(03:57:36):
The packet of letters was there, tied with a tape
and sealed. Varin handed the packet to Daspriy. The latter
turned to the banker and asked, is the check ready,
Monsieur Andermatt. Yes, and you have also the last document
that you received from Louis la Corbe, the one that
completes the plans of the submarine. Yes, the exchange was made.

(03:57:58):
Daspry pocketed the document and the checks, and offered the
packet of letters to Monsieur ander Matt, this is what
you wanted, monsieur. The banker hesitated a moment, and then,
as if he were afraid to touch those cursed letters
that he had sought so eagerly. Then, with a nervous movement,
he took them close to me. I heard a moan.
I grasped Madame ander Matt's hand. It was cold, I believe,

(03:58:22):
Monsieur said despery to the banker, that our business is ended.
Oh no, thanks, it was only a mere chance that
I have been able to do you a good turn.
Good night, Monsieur ander Matt retired. He carried with him
the letters written by his wife to Louis la Combe. Marvelous,
exclaimed Dasby, delighted. Everything is coming our way. Now we

(03:58:46):
have only to close our little affair. Comrade, you have
the papers here. They are all of them. Dasby examined
them carefully. Then he placed them in his pocket. Quite right,
you've kept your word, he said, But but what the
two checks the money, said Varin eagerly. Well, you have
a great deal of assurance, my man. How dare you

(03:59:06):
ask such a thing? I ask only what is due
to me? Can you ask pay for returning papers that
you stole. Well, I think not. Varain was beside himself.
He trembled with rage. His eyes were bloodshot. Dumb money
d twenty thousand, he stammered, impossible, I needed myself, dumb money.

(03:59:28):
Come on, be reasonable, don't get excited. I won't do
you any good. Dasby seized his arm so forcibly that
Vain uttered a cry of pain. Desbery continued, Now you
can go the air will do you good. Perhaps you
want me to show you the way. Ah, yes, we
will go together to the vacant lot. Me here and
I will show you a little mound of earth and
stones and under it. That is false, That is false.

(03:59:49):
Oh no, it's true. That little lion plate for the
seven spots on it came from there. Louis la Combe
always carried it, and you buried it with the body
and with some other things. That will prove very interesting
to a judge and jury. Varian covered his face with
his hands and muttered, all right, I am beaten. I

(04:00:09):
say no more, but I want you 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 twenty second June. Yes,
what did it contain? Everything? The Varin brothers had put
in it? A very pretty collection of diamonds and pearls,

(04:00:33):
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 it all you wish

(04:00:53):
to ask me? One thing more? Your name? You asked that,
But the idea of seeking revenge barable. The tables may
be turned to day you are on top. To morrow
it will be you. I hope. So your name I
sen Lupin, I sain Lupin. The man staggered, as though

(04:01:14):
stunned by a heavy blow. Those two words had deprived
him of all hope. Dasbury laughed and said, ah, you
did not imagine that a Monsieur Durrant DuPont could manage
an affair like this. No, it required the skill and
cunning of ar Saint Lupin. And now you have my name,
go and prepare your revenge. I Saint Lupin will wait

(04:01:35):
for you. Then he pushed the bewildered Varins through the door. Dasprey, daspriy,
I cried, pushing aside the curtain. He ran to me,
what what's the matter? Madame? And de matis ill. He
hastened to her, coursed her to inhale some salts, and,
while caring for her, questioned me, well, what did it

(04:01:58):
the letters of Louisa that you gave her husband? Did
she think I could do such a thing? But of
course she would imbecile that I am Madamander Matt was
now revived. Dasby took from his pocket a small package
exactly similar to the one that Monsieur ander Matt had
carried away. Here are your letters, madame. They are the
genuine letters, but the others, the others are the same,

(04:02:23):
written by me and carefully worded. Your husband will not
find anything objectionable in them, and will never suspect the substitutions,
since they were taken from a safe in his presence.
But that the handwriting, there is no handwriting that cannot
be imitated. She thanked him in the same words she

(04:02:43):
might have used to a man of her own social circle.
So I concluded that she had not witnessed the final
scene between Varin and Arsine Lupin. But the surprising revelation
caused me considerable embarrassment. Lupin, my club companion, was none
other than us In Loupin. I could not realize it,

(04:03:03):
he said, Quite at ease, you can say farewell to Gendesprie.

Speaker 2 (04:03:09):
Ah.

Speaker 4 (04:03:10):
Yes, Jendesprit is going on a long journey. I shall
send him to Morocco. There he may find a death
worth worthy of him. I may say that is his expectation,
but Ar Saint Lupin will remain, oh decidedly. Ar Saint
Lupin is simply at the threshold of his career, he expects.

(04:03:32):
I was impelled by curiosity to interrupt him, and leading
him away from the hearing of Madame ander Matt, 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 simple enough. But the simplest things
are the ones that usually escape our notice. Then, showing

(04:03:53):
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 order 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 the twenty second June, after you left me. Yes,
after turning the subject of our conversation to stories of

(04:04:15):
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 that when I came
here there was a casket concealed in the safe with
a secret lock, and that the Seven of Hearts was
the key to that lock. I had merely to place

(04:04:38):
the card upon the spot that was so obviously intended
for it, and hour's examination showed me where the spot was.
One hour observe the fellow in the Mosaic the Old Emperor.
The Old Emperor is an exact representation of the King
of Hearts and all playing cards. That's right. But how

(04:04:58):
does the Seven of Hearts open the larger safe at
one time and the smaller safe another time? And why
did you open only the larger safe in the first instance,
I mean on the night of twenty second June. Why,
because I always placed the seven of hearts the same way,
I never changed the position. But yesterday I observed that
by reversing the card, by turning it upside down, the

(04:05:21):
arrangement of the seven spots on the mosaic was changed. Pableu,
of course, pableu. But a person has to think of
those things. There is something else. You did not know
the history of those letters until Madame ander Matt's spoke
of them to before me. No, because I found in
the safe beside the casket nothing but the correspondence of

(04:05:43):
the two brothers, which disclosed their treachery in regard to
the plans. But 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 submarine, simply by chance. For what did
you make the search, mon dieu, exclaimed Dasbury, laughing, how

(04:06:04):
deeply interested you are for the subject fascinates me very well. Presently,
after I've escorted Madame and deer Matt to a carriage
and dispatched a short story to the Ecco de France.
I will return and tell you about it. He sat
down and wrote one of those short, clear cut articles
which serve to amuse and mystify the public. Who does

(04:06:25):
not recall the sensation that followed that article produced throughout
the entire world. A Saint Lupin has solved the problem
recently submitted by Salvator. Having a quiet possession of all
the documents and original plans of the engineer Louis la Combe,
he has placed them in the hands of the Minister
of Marine, and he has headed a subscription list for

(04:06:46):
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 Michander Maats, I exclaimed
when he had given me the paper to read exactly,
it was quite right that Valain should redeem his treachery.

(04:07:07):
And that is how I made the acquaintance of Ar
Saint Lupin. That is how I learned that Geen desprit,
a member of my club, was none other than Ar
Saint Lupin, gentleman thief. And that is how I formed
a very agreeable ties of friendship with that famous man,
and thanks to the confidence with which he honored me,

(04:07:30):
how I became. He is very humble and faithful historiographer.

Speaker 3 (04:07:35):
End of chapter six, Chapter seven, Madame in theer'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

(04:07:57):
carriages and were quickly driven away, leaving behind only two men,
who walked down Corsiers where they parted, as one of
them lived in that street. The other decided to return
on foot as far as the Porte Maios, And was
a beautiful winter's night, clear and cold, a night on
which a brisk walk is agreeable and refreshing. But at

(04:08:17):
the end of a few minutes he had the disagreeable
impression that he was being followed. Turning around, he saw
a man sulking 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.

(04:08:39):
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,
but 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

(04:09:02):
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

(04:09:24):
la Grande Armee. On his arrival there, quite recovered, he
overwhelmed his savior 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 ludeniq Imbarret
Nay ask yours certainly, monsieur, And he handed Monsieur Imbrey

(04:09:47):
a card bearing the name Arsagnes Lupin. At that time,
arsainn Moupin did not enjoy the celebrity which the Cahorn Affair,
his escape from the prison de la Sante and other
brilliant exports Floyd afterwards gained for him. He had not
even used the name of arsainn Lupine. The name was
specially invented to designate the rescuer of Monsieur Inbret. That

(04:10:10):
is to say, it was in that affair that Arsaint
Lupine was baptized, fully armed and ready for the fray,
it is true, But lacking the resources and authority which
commands success, Arsain Luquin 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

(04:10:31):
that night. At last he had reached his goal. At last,
he had undertaken a task worth of his strength and skill,
the imbaret in millions. What a magnificent feast for an
appetite like his. He prepared a special toilette for the occasion,
a shabby frock coat, baggy trousers, a frayed silk hat,
well worn collar and cuffs, all quite correct in form,

(04:10:52):
but bearing the unmistakable stamp of poverty. His cravat was
a black ribbon pinned with a false diamond, thus a qutrie.
He descended the stairs of the house in which he
lived at Montmontrey, at the third floor. Without stopping. He
rapped upon a closed door with the head of his cane.
He walked to the exterior boulevards. A tram car was passing.

(04:11:13):
He boarded it, and someone who had been following him
took a seat beside him. It was a lodger who
occupied the room on the third floor. A moment later,
this man said to Lupine, well, Guvnor, Well, it is
all fixed, how I am going there to breakfast? You
breakfast there? Certainly? Why not? I rescued Monsieur Lui vill

(04:11:33):
Imberet from certain death. That your hands. Monsieur Imberet is
not devoid of gratitude. He invited me to breakfast. There
was a silence. Then the other said, but you are
not going to throw up the skime, my dear boy,
said Lupine, when I arranged that little case of the
salt at battery, when I took the trouble at three
o'clock in the morning to wrap you with my cane

(04:11:53):
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, Never mind
about that. For six months I have worked on this affair,
investigated it, studied it, questioned the servants, the money lenders,

(04:12:17):
and men of straw For six months I have shadowed
the husband and wife. Consequently, I know what I am
talking about. Whether the fortune came to them from old Brawford,
as they pretend, or from some other source, I do
not care. I know that it is a reality, that
it exists, and some day it will be mine. Bigray
one hundred millions, let us say ten or even five.

(04:12:40):
That is enough. They have it safe, full of bonds,
and there will be the devil to pay if I
can't get my hands on them. The tram car stopped
at the Palace de l e Tolier. The man whispered
to leupin. What am I to do now? Nothing at present,
you will hear from me, there is no hurry. Five
minutes later I have seen Lupine with ascending the magnificent

(04:13:00):
flight of stairs in the Mberet mansion, and Monsieur Imberet
introduced him to his wife, Madame Giervasse. Imbere was a short,
plump woman and very talkative. She gave Loupine a cordial welcome.
I desired that we should be alone to entertain our savior,
she said. From the outset, they treated our Savior as
an old and valued friend. By the time dessert was served,

(04:13:22):
their friendship was well cemented and private confidences were being exchanged.
Arcine related the story of his life, the life of
his father as a magistrate, the sorrows of his childhood,
and his present difficulties. Gervasier, in turn, spoke of her youth,
her marriage, the kindness of the aged Brawford, the hundred
millions that she had inherited, the obstacles that prevented her

(04:13:44):
from obtaining the enjoyment of her inheritance, the moneys she
had been obliged to borrow at an exorbit rate of interest.
Here endless contentions with Brawford's nephews, and the litigation, the injunctions,
in fact, everything. Just think of it, Monsieur Leupine. The
banes are there in my husband's office, and if we
detach a single coupon, we lose everything. They are there

(04:14:06):
in our safe and we dare not touch them. Monsieur
Lupine shivered at the bare idea of his proximity to
so much wealth. Yet he felt quite certain that Monsieur
Leupine would never suffer from the same difficulty as his
fair hostess, who declared she dare not touch the money. Ah,
they are there, he repeated to himself. They are there.

(04:14:27):
A friendship formed under such circumstances soon led to closer relations.
When discreetly questioned Arcine, Lupine confessed his poverty and distress. Immediately,
the unfortunate young man was appointed private secretary to the
Emberets husband and wife at a salary of one hundred
francs a month. He was to come to the house
every day and receive orders for his work, and a

(04:14:48):
room on the second floor was set apart as his office.
This room was directly over Monsieur Imberet's office. Arcene soon
realized that his position as secretary was essentially a sinecure.
During the first two months, he had only four important
letters to recopy and was called only once to Monsieur
Imberret's office. Consequently, he had only one opportunity to contemplate

(04:15:11):
officially the Imberet safe. Moreover, he noticed that the secretary
was not invited to the social functions of the employer,
but he did not complain, as he preferred to remain
modestly in the shade and maintain his peace and freedom. However,
he was not wasting any time. From the beginning, he
made clandestine visits to Monsieur Imberret's office and paid his

(04:15:33):
respects to the safe, which was hermetically closed. It was
an immense block of iron and steel, cold and stern
in appearance, which could not be forced open by the
ordinary tools of the burglar's trade. But Arcine Lupin was
not discouraged. Where force fails, cunning prevails, He said to himself.
The essential thing is to be on the spot when
the opportunity occurs. In the meantime, I must watch and wait.

(04:15:56):
He made immediately some preliminary preparations your careful soundings made
upon the floor of his room. He introduced a lead
pipe which penetrated the ceiling of Monsieur Inbree's office at
a point between the two secrets of the cornice. By
means of this pipe, he hoped to see and hear
what transpired in the room below. Henceforth he passed his
days stretched at full length upon the floor. He frequently

(04:16:19):
saw the mberets holding a consultation in front of the safe,
investigating books and papers. When they turned the combination lock,
he tried to learn the figures and the number of
turns they made to the right and left. He watched
their movements. He sought to catch their words. There was
also a key necessary to complete the opening of the safe.
What did they do with it? Did they hide it?

(04:16:40):
One day he saw them leave the room without locking
the safe. He descended the stairs quickly and boldly entered
the room, but they had returned. Oh, excuse me, said,
I made a mistake. In the door. Come in, Monsieur Lupin,
Come in, cried Madame Mimberet. Are you not at home here?
We want your advice which bonds should be sell the
foreign securities or the government annubities. But the injunction, said Lupin,

(04:17:02):
with surprise, Oh, it doesn't cover all the bonds. She
opened the door of the safe and withdrew a package
of bonds. But her husband protested, no, no, daralasee, it
would be foolish to sell the foreign bonds. They are
going up, whilst the annuities are as high as they
ever will be. What do you think, my dear friend.
The dear friend had no opinion, yet he advised the
sacrifice of the annuities. Then she withdrew another package, and

(04:17:26):
from it she took a paper at random. It proved
to be a three percent annuity worth two thousand francs.
Luovique placed the package of bonds in his pocket. That afternoon,
accompanied by his secretary, he sold the annuities to a
stockbroker and realized forty six thousand francs. Whatever Madame Mimbaret
might have said about it, Arsim Loupin did not feel

(04:17:47):
at home in the Inbaret house. On the contrary his position,
there was a peculiar one. He learned that the servants
did not even know his name. They called him Monsieur.
Ludovic always spoke of him in the same way, Will
you tell me Monsieur as Monsieur arrived? Why that mysterious appellation. Moreover,
after their first outburst of enthusiasm, the Imberets seldom spoke

(04:18:08):
to him, and although treating him with the consideration due
to a benefactor, they gave him little or no attention.
They appeared to regard him as an eccentric character who
did not like to be disturbed, and there respected his
isolation as if it were a stringent rule on his part.
On one occasion, while passing through the vestibule, he heard
Madame Mberet say to the two gentlemen, he is such

(04:18:30):
a barbarian. Very well, he said to himself, I am
a barbarian, And without seeking to solve the question of
their strange conduct, he proceeded with the execution of his
own plans. He had decided that he could not depend
on chance nor on the negligence of Madame Mberet, who
carried the key of the safe, and who unlocking the
safe invariably scattered the letters forming the combination of the locke. Consequently,

(04:18:54):
he must act for himself. Finally, an incident precipitated matters.
It was the vehement campaign instituted against the Imberees by
certain newspapers that accused the Imberets of a swindling. Our
steming being was present at certain family conferences when this
new vicissitude was discussed, he decided that if he waited
much longer, he would lose everything. During the next five days,

(04:19:17):
instead of leaving the house about six o'clock according to
his usual habit, he locked himself in the room. It
was supposed that he had gone out, but he was
lying on the floor surveying the office of Monsieur Mbret.
During those five evenings. The favorable opportunity that he awaited
did not take place. He left the house about midnight
by a side door to which he held the key.

(04:19:38):
But on the sixth day he learned that the Imbarets,
actuated by the benevolent insinuations of their enemies, proposed to
make an inventory of the contents of the safe. They
will do it tonight, thought Lupine, and truly. After dinner
Ymbret and his wife retired to the office and commenced
to examine the books of account and the securities contained
in the safe. Thus, one hour after another pat he

(04:20:00):
heard the servants go upstairs to their rooms. No one
now remained on the first floor. Midnight, the mbirets were
still at work. I must get to work, murmured Dupin.
He opened his window. It opened on a court. Outside,
everything was dark and quiet. He took from his desk
knotted rope, fastened it to the balcony in front of
his window, and quietly descended as far as the window below,

(04:20:22):
which was that of the imbiret's office. He stood upon
the balcony for a moment, motionless, with attentive ear and
watchful eye, But the heavy curtains effectually concealed the interior
of the room. He cautiously pushed on the double window.
If no one had examined it, it ought to yield
the slightest pressure, for during the afternoon he had so
fixed the bolt that it would not enter the staple.

(04:20:44):
The window yielded to his touch. Then, with infinite care,
he pushed it open sufficiently to admit his head. He
parted the curtains a few inches looking in, and saw
Monsieur Mbiret and his wife sitting in front of the safe,
deeply absorbed in their work and speaking softly to ithich
other at rare intervals. He calculated the distance between him
and them, considered the exact movements he would require to

(04:21:06):
make in order to overcome them one after the other
before they could call for help, and he was about
to rush upon them when Madame Imberet said, Ah, the
room is getting quite cold. I'm going to bed, and you,
my dear, I shall stay and finish. Finish. Why that
will take you all night, not at all an hour
at the most. She retired twenty minutes. Thirty minutes past.

(04:21:29):
Arcene pushed the window a little further open. The curtain shook.
He pushed once more. Monsieur Imberret turned, and, seeing the
curtains blown by the wind, he rose to close the window.
There was not a cry, not the trace of struggle.
With a few precise movements, and without causing him the
least injury, our scenes stunned him, wrapped the curtain about
his head, bound him hand and foot, and did it

(04:21:51):
all in such a manner that Monsieur Imbreret had no
opportunity to recognize his assailant. Quickly he approached the safe,
seized two packages that he placed under his arm, left
the office and opened the servant's gate. A carriage was
stationed in the street. Take that first and follow me,
he said to the coachman. He returned to the office,
and in two trips they emptied the safe. Then Arcine

(04:22:13):
went to his own room removed the robe and all
other traces of his clandestine work. A few hours later, Arcine, Lupin,
and his assistant examined the stolen goods. Lupine was not disappointed,
as he had foreseen that the wealth of the Mberees
had been greatly exaggerated. It did not consist of hundreds
of millions, nor even tens of millions. Yet it amounted

(04:22:34):
to a very respectable sum, and Lupine expressed his satisfaction.
Of course, he said, there will be a considerable loss
when we come to sellabands, as we will have to
dispose of them surreptitiously at reduced prices. In the meantime,
they will rest quietly in my desk awaiting a propitious moment.
Arthin saw no reason why he should not go to

(04:22:55):
the Imberet House the next day, but a pursual of
the morning papers revealed this star fact. Ludovict andingerabasse Inbaret
had disappeared. When the officers of the law seized the
safe and opened it, they found there was what Arciine
Lupin had left. Nothing. Such are the facts, and I
learned the sequel to them. One day, when Arcidine Lupin

(04:23:16):
was in a confidential mood. He was pacing to and
fro in my room with a nervous step and a
feverish eye that were unusual to him. After all, I
said to him, it was your most successful venture. Without
making a direct reply, he said, there are some impenetrable
secrets connected with that affair, some obscure points that escape
my comprehension. For instance, what caused their flight? Why did

(04:23:37):
they not take advantage of the help I unconsciously gave them?
It would have been so simple to say the hundred
millions were in the safe. They are no longer there
because they have been stolen. They lost their nerve, Yes,
that is it, they lost their nerve. On the other hand,
it is true, what is true? Oh? Nothing? What was
the meaning of Lupin's reticence. It was quite obvious that

(04:24:00):
he had not told me everything. There was something he
was loath to tell. His conduct puzzled me. It must
indeed be a very serious matter to cause such a
man as Arsine lupin even a momentary hesitation. I threw
out a few questions at random. Have you seen them since? No?
Have you never experienced the slightest degree of pity for
those unfortunate people?

Speaker 1 (04:24:21):
Ay?

Speaker 3 (04:24:21):
He exclaimed with a start. His sudden excitement astonished me.
Had I touched him on a sore spot? I continued?
Of course, if you had not left them alone, they
might have been able to face the danger, or at
least made their escape with full pockets. What do you mean,
he said indignantly. I suppose you have an idea that
my soul should be filled with remorse. Call it remorse

(04:24:44):
or regrets anything you like. They are not worth it.
Have you no regrets or remorse for having stolen their fortune?
What fortune? The package of bonds you took from their safe? Oh?
I stole their bonds? Did I? I deprived them of
a portion of their wealth? Is that my crime? Ah?
My dear boy, you do not know the truth. You
never imagined that those bonds were not worth the paper

(04:25:05):
they were written on. Those bonds were false. They were counterfeit,
every one of them. Do you understand they were counterfeit?
I looked at him, astounded. Counterfeit, the four or five millions, Yes, counterfeit,
he exclaimed, in a fit of rage, Only so many
scraps of paper. I couldn't raise a sou on the
whole of them. And you ask me if I have

(04:25:26):
any remorse. They are the ones who should have remorse
and pity. They played me for a simpleton, and I
fell into their trap. How was their latest victim, their
most stupid gull? He was affected by genuine anger, the
result of malice and wounded pride. He continued, from start
to finish. I got the worst of it. Do you
know the part I played in that affair, or rather

(04:25:47):
the part they made me play, that of Andre Braford? Yes,
my boy, that is the truth, and I never suspected it.
It was not until afterwards, on reading the newspapers, that
the light finally dawned in my stupid brain. Whilst I
was posing as his savior, as the gentleman who had
risked his life to rescue monsieur imbaret from the clutches
of an assassin. They were passing me off as Braford.

(04:26:09):
Wasn't that splendid the eccentric individual who had a room
on the second floor, That barbarian that was exhibited only
at a distance was Brawford, and Brafford was I. Thanks
to me and to the confidence that I inspired under
the name of Braford, they were enabled to borrow money
from the bankers and other money lenders. A what an
experience for a novice. And I swear to you that

(04:26:32):
I shall profit by the lesson. He stopped, seized my
arm and said to me, in a tone of exasperation,
my dear fellow, at this very moment, Eurvasier Inmberet owes
me fifteen hundred francs. I could not refrain from laughter.
His rage was so grotesque he was making a mountain
out of a mole hill. In a moment, he lapped
himself and said, yes, my boy, fifteen hundred francs. You

(04:26:54):
must know that I had not received one sou of
my promised salary, and more than that she had borrowed
from me the sum of fifteen hundred francs, all my
youthful savings, and you know why to devote the money
to charity. I am giving you a straight story. She
wanted it for some poor people she was assisting, unknown
to her husband. And my heart earned money was wormed

(04:27:16):
out of me by that silly pretense, isn't it amusing?
Heen arcint lupin done out of fifteen hundred francs by
the fair lady from whom he stole four millions in
counterfeit bonds. And what a vast amount of time and
patience and cunning I expended to achieve that result. It
was the first time in my life that I was
played her a fool, and I frankly confess that I

(04:27:37):
was full that time to the Queen's taste.

Speaker 2 (04:27:41):
End of chapter seven, Chapter eight, The Black Pearl. The
violent ringing of the bell awakened the concierge of number
nine of a new osh. She pulled the doorstring, grumbling,
I thought everybody was in. It must be three o'clock.
Perhaps it is someone for the doctor, muttered her husband.

(04:28:03):
Third floor left. But the doctor won't go out at night.
He must go out to night. The visitor entered the vestibule,
ascended to the first floor. The second the third and
without stopping at the doctor's door, he continued to the
fifth floor. There he tried two keys, one of them

(04:28:25):
fitted the lock ah a good He murmured, that simplifies
the business wonderfully. But before a commences work, I had
better arrange for my retreat. Let me see. Have I
had sufficient time to rouse the doctor and be dismissed
by him? Not yet? A few minutes more, At the
end of ten minutes, he descended the stairs, grumbling noisily

(04:28:48):
about the doctor. The concierge opened the door for him
and heard it click behind him, But the door did
not lock, as the man had quickly inserted a piece
of iron in the lock in sight such manner that
the bolt could not enter. Then quietly he entered the
house again, unknown to the concierge. In case of alarm,

(04:29:10):
his retreat was assured noiselessly. He ascended to the fifth
floor once more in the ante chamber by the light
of his electric lantern. He placed his hat and overcoat
on one of the chairs, took a seat on another,
and covered his heavy shoes with felt slippers. Hoof, here
I am, and how simple it was. I wonder why

(04:29:33):
more people do not adopt the profitable and pleasant occupation
of burglar. With a little care and reflection, it becomes
a most delightful profession. Not too quiet and monotonous, of course,
as it would then become wearisome. He unfolded a detailed
plan of the apartment. Let me commence by locating myself. Here.

(04:29:54):
I see the vestibule in which I am sitting on
the street front, the drawing room, the boodooro, and the
dining room. Useless to waste any time there, as it
appears that the Countess has deplorable taste, not to be
below of any value. Now let's get down to business. Ah,
here is a corridor. It must lead to the bed chambers.

(04:30:16):
At a distance of three meters, I should come to
the door of the wardrobe closet, which connects with the
chamber of a countess. He folded his plan, extinguished his lantern,
and proceeded down the corridor, counting his distance thus one
meter two meters three meters. Here is the door, mon dieu,

(04:30:36):
How easy it is? Only a small simple bolt now
separates me from the chamber. And I know that the
bolt is located exactly one meter forty three centimeters from
the floor, so that, thanks to a small incision I
am about to make, I can soon get rid of
the bolt. He drew from his pocket the necessary instruments.

(04:30:57):
Then the following idea occurred to him. I suppose, by
chance the door is not bolted, I will try it first.
He turned the knob, and the door opened. My brave Lupin,
surely fortune favors you. What's to be done? Now you
know the situation of the rooms, You know the place
in which the Countess hides the black pearl. Therefore, in

(04:31:20):
order to secure the black pearl, you have simply to
be more silent than silence, more invisible than darkness itself.
Arsene Lupin was employed fully a half hour in opening
the second door, a glass door that led to the
countess's bed chamber. But he accomplished it with so much
skill and precaution that even had the Countess been awake,

(04:31:41):
she would not have heard the slightest sound. According to
the plan of the rooms that he holds, he has
merely to pass around a reclining chair, and beyond that
a small table close to the bed. On the table
there was a box of letter paper, and the black
pearl was concealed in that box. He stooped and crept

(04:32:02):
cautiously over the carpet, following the outlines of the reclining chair.
When he reached the extremity of it, he stopped in
order to repress the throbbing of his heart. Although he
was not moved by any sense of fear, he found
it impossible to overcome the nervous anxiety that one usually
feels in the midst of profound silence. That circumstance astonished him,

(04:32:25):
because he had passed through many more solemn moments without
the slightest trace of emotion. No danger threatened him. Then
why did his heart throb like an alarm bell? Was
it that sleeping woman who affected him? Was it the
proximity of another pulsating heart? He listened and thought he

(04:32:46):
could discern the rhythmical breathing of a person asleep. It
gave him confidence, like the presence of a friend. He
sought and found the arm chair. Then, by slow, cautious movements,
advanced towards the table, feeling ahead of him with outstretched arm,
his right had touched one of the feet of the table.

Speaker 1 (04:33:07):
Ah.

Speaker 2 (04:33:08):
Now he had simply to rise, take the pearl and escape.
That was fortunate, as his heart was leaping in his
breast like a wild beast, and made so much noise
that he feared it would waken the Countess. By a
powerful effort of the will, he subdued the wild throbbing
of his heart and was about to rise from the
floor when his left hand encountered lying on the floor

(04:33:31):
an object which he recognized as a candlestick, an overturned candlestick.
A moment later, his hand encountered another object, a clock,
one of those small traveling clocks covered with leather. Well,
what had happened? He could not understand that candlestick, that clock.

(04:33:52):
Why were those articles not in their accustomed places? Ah,
what had happened in the dread silence of the night.
Suddenly a cry escaped him. He had touched, Oh, some strange,
unutterable thing. No, no, he thought, it cannot be. It
is some fantasy of my excited brain. For some twenty

(04:34:13):
seconds thirty seconds, he remained motionless, terrified, his forehead bathed
with perspiration, and his fingers still retained the sensation of
that dreadful contact. Making a desperate effort, he ventured to
extend his arm again once more, his hand encountered that strange,
unutterable thing. He felt it. He must feel it and

(04:34:38):
find out what it is. He found that it was hair,
human hair, and a human face, and that face was cold,
almost icy. However frightful the circumstances may be. A man
like Arsene Lupin controlled himself and commands the situation as
soon as he learns what it is. Ar Saint Lupin

(04:35:01):
quickly brought his lantern into use. A woman was lying
before him, covered with blood. Her neck and shoulders were
covered with gaping wounds. He leaned over her and made
a closer examination. She was dead, dead, dead, he repeated,
with a bewildered air. He stared at those fixed eyes,

(04:35:25):
that grim mouth, that livid flesh, and that blood, or
that blood which had flowed over the carpet and congealed
there in thick black spots. He arose and turned on
the electric lights. Then he beheld all the marks of
a desperate struggle. The bed was in a state of
great disorder. On the floor, the candlestick and the clock

(04:35:48):
with the hands pointing to twenty minutes after eleven, then
further away an overturned chair, and everywhere there was blood,
spots of blood and pools of blood, and the black pearl,
he murmured. The box of letter paper was in its place.
He opened it eagerly. The jewel case was there, but

(04:36:10):
it was empty. Fist, he muttered, You boasted of your
good fortune much too soon, My friend lupin with the
countess lying cold and dead, and the black pearl vanished.
The situation is anything but pleasant. Get out of here
as soon as you can, or you may get into
serious trouble. Yet he did not move. Get out of here. Yes,

(04:36:35):
of course any person would, except of Saint Dupin. He
has something better to do now, to proceed in an
orderly way. At all events, you have a clear conscience.
Let us suppose that you are the Commissary of Police,
and that you are proceeding to make an inquiry concerning
this affair. Yes, but in order to do that I

(04:36:55):
require a clearer brain. Mine is muddled like a ragout.
He tumbled into an arm chair, with his clenched hands
pressed against his burning forehead. The murder of the Avegnuosche
is one of those which have recently surprised and puzzled
the Parisian public, And certainly I should never have mentioned

(04:37:16):
the affair. If the veil of mystery had not been
removed by Arsene Lupin himself, no one knew the exact
truth of the case. Who did not know from having
met her in the Bois the fair Liotinezalti, the once
famous contatrice, wife and widow of the Count Don Dilleux Thesalti,
whose luxury dazzled all Paris some twenty years ago, who

(04:37:39):
acquired a European reputation for the magnificence of her diamonds
and pearls. It was said that she wore upon her
shoulders the capital of several banking houses and the gold
mines of numerous Australian companies. Skillful jewelers worked for Zalti,
as they had formerly wrought for kings and queens. And

(04:38:00):
who does not remember the catastrophe in which all that
wealth was swallowed up. Of all that marvelous collection, nothing
remained except the famous black pearl. The black pearl, that
is to say, a fortune if she had wished to
part with it, but she preferred to keep it to
live in a commonplace apartment with her companion, her cook

(04:38:22):
and a man servant, rather than sell that inestimable jewel.
There was a reason for it, a reason she was
not afraid to disclose. The black pearl was the gift
of an emperor. Almost ruined and reduced to the most
mediocre existence, she remained faithful to the companion of her

(04:38:42):
happy and brilliant youth. The black pearl never left her possession.
She worried during the day, and at night concealed it
in a place known to her alone. All these facts,
being republished in the columns of the public press, served
to stimulate curiosity and strange to say, but quite obvious

(04:39:05):
to those who have the key to the mystery. The
arrest of the presumed assassin only complicated the question and
prolonged the excitement. Two days later, the newspapers published the
following item. Information has reached us of the arrest of
Victor Danegre, the servant of the Countess don Dieux. The

(04:39:27):
evidence against him is clear and convincing. On the silken
sleeve of his liveried waistcoat, which Chief Detective dou Deui
found in his garret between the mattresses of his bed,
several spots of blood were discovered. In addition, a cloth
covered button was missing. From that garment, and this button

(04:39:47):
was found beneath the bed of the victim. It is
supposed that after dinner, in place of going to his
own room, Danegre slipped into the wardrobe closet and through
the glass door had seen the Countess hide the precious
black pearl. This is simply a theory, as yet unverified
by any evidence. There is also another obscure point. At

(04:40:12):
seven o'clock in the morning, Danegro went to the tobacco
shop on the Boulevard de Coursel. The concierge and the
shopkeeper both affirm this fact. On the other hand, the
countess companion and cook, whose sleep at the end of
the hall, both declare that when they arose at eight o'clock,
the door of the ante chamber and the door of

(04:40:33):
the kitchen were locked. These two persons have been in
the service of the Countess for twenty years and are
above suspicion. The question is how did Danegre leave the apartment.
Did he have another key? These are matters that the
police would investigate. As a matter of fact, the police

(04:40:53):
investigation threw no light on the mystery. It was learned
that Victor de Negre was a day interious criminal, a
drunkard and the debauchy. But as they proceeded with the investigation,
the mystery deepened and new complications arose. In the first place,
a young woman, Mademoiselle de Saint Clave, the cousin and

(04:41:15):
sole heiress of the Countess, declared that the Countess, a
month before her death, had written a letter to her,
and in it described the manner in which the black
pearl was concealed. The letter disappeared the day after she
received it. Who had stolen it? Again, The concierge related
how she had opened the door for a person who

(04:41:36):
had inquired for doctor Hare. On being questioned, the doctor
testified that no one had rung his bell. Then who
was that person? The theory of an accomplice was thereupon
adopted by the press and public, and also by Gannimar.
The famous detective. Lupin is at the bottom of this affair.

(04:41:56):
He said to the judge. Brah exclaimed the judge, you
have lupound a brain. You see him everywhere. I see
him everywhere, because he is everywhere. Say rather that you
see him every time you encounter something you cannot explain. Besides,
you overlook the fact that the crime was committed at

(04:42:17):
twenty minutes past eleven in the evening, as is shown
by the clock, while the nocturnal visit mentioned by the
concierge occurred at three o'clock in the morning. Officers of
the law frequently form a hasty conviction as to the
guilt of a suspected person and then distort all subsequent
discoveries to conform to their established theory. The deplorable antecedents

(04:42:43):
of Victor da negre, habitual criminal, drunkard, and rake influenced
the judge, and despite the fact that nothing new was
discovered in corroboration of the early clues, his official opinion
remained firm and unshaken. He closed his investigation and a
few weeks later the trial commenced. It proved to be

(04:43:05):
slow and tedious. The judge was listless, and the public
prosecutor presented the case in a careless manner. Under those circumstances,
Danegal's council had an easy task. He pointed out the
defects and inconsistencies of the case for the prosecution and
argued that the evidence was quite insufficient to convict the

(04:43:27):
accused who had made the key. The indispensable key, without
which Danegre, on leaving the apartment, could not have locked
the door behind him. Who had ever seen such a key,
and what had become of it? Who had seen the
assassin's knife? And where is it now? In any event,

(04:43:47):
argued the prisoner's council, the prosecution must prove beyond any
reasonable doubt that the prisoner committed the murder. The prosecution
must show that the mysterious individual who entered the hanse
Us at three o'clock in the morning is not the
guilty party. To be sure, the clock indicated eleven o'clock,

(04:44:07):
But what of that? I contend that proves nothing. The
assassin could turn the hands of the clock to any
hour he pleased, and thus deceiver us in regard to
the exact hour of the crime. Victor dan Negre was acquitted.
He left the prison on Friday about dusk in the evening,

(04:44:29):
weak and depressed by his six months imprisonment. The inquisition,
the solitude, the trial, the deliberations of the jury combined
to fill him with a nervous fear. That night, he
had been afflicted with terrible nightmares and haunted by weird
visions of the scaffold. He was a mental and physical wreck.

(04:44:52):
Under the assumed name of Anatole de fourt, he rented
a small room on the heights of Montmartre and lived
by doing odd jobs wherever he could find them. He
led a pitiful existence. Three times he obtained regular employment,
only to be recognized and then discharged. Sometimes he had

(04:45:12):
an idea that men were following him, detectives, no doubt,
who was seeking to trap and denounce him. He could
almost feel the strong hand of the law clutching him
by the collar. One evening, as he was eating his
dinner at a neighboring restaurant, a man entered and took
a seat at the same table. He was a person

(04:45:33):
about forty years of age and wore a frock coat
of doubtful cleanliness. He ordered soup, vegetables, and a bottle
of wine. After he had finished his soup, he turned
his eyes on danegre and gazed at him intently. Danegro
winced he was certain that this was one of the
men who had been following him for several weeks. What

(04:45:57):
did he want? Danegro tried to rise, but failed. His
limbs refused to support him. The man poured himself a
glass of wine and then filled the negro's glass. The
man raised his glass and said, to your health, Victor
the Negre. Victor started in alarm and stammered, I I no, no,

(04:46:20):
I swear to you. You will swear what that you are?
Not yourself the servant of the countess. What servant my
name is? Dufour, asked the proprietor. Yes, anatole dufour to
the proprietor of his restaurant. But Victor the Negre, to
the offices of the law, that is not true. Some

(04:46:43):
one has lied to you. The newcomer took a card
from his pocket and handed it to Victor, who read
on it. Grimaudan ex inspector of the Detective Force. Private
business transacted. Victor shuddered as he said, you are can
with the police. No, not now. But I have a

(04:47:04):
liking for the business, and I continue to work at
it in a manner more profitable. From time to time
I strike upon a golden opportunity such as your case presents.
My case, yes, yours, I assure you it is a
most promising affair, provided you are inclined to be reasonable.

(04:47:26):
But if I am not reasonable, oh, my good fellow.
You are not in a position to refuse me anything.
I may ask, what is it you want? Stammered Victor fearfully. Well,
I will inform you in a few words. I am
sent by Mademoiselle de sincleve the errors of the Countess
don Dillo what for to recover the black pearl? Black

(04:47:51):
pearl that you stole? But I haven't got it.

Speaker 1 (04:47:57):
You have it.

Speaker 2 (04:47:58):
If I had, then I would be the assassin. You
are the assassin, dar Negro showed a forced smile. Fortunately
for me, Monsieur, the assize court was not of your opinion.
The jury returned a unanimous verdict of acquittal. And when
a man has a clear conscience and twelve good men

(04:48:19):
in his favor, the ex inspector seized him by the
arm and said, no fine phrases, my boy. Now listen
to me and weigh my words carefully. You will find
they are worthy of your consideration. Now, the Negro, three
weeks before the murder, you abstracted the cook's key to

(04:48:39):
the servant's door, and had a duplicate key made by
a locksmith named Utar two hundred and forty four. Rue Oberkampff,
it's a lie. It's a lie, growled Victor. No person
has seen that key. There is no such key here
it is. After a silence, Grimaudin continued, you killed the

(04:49:03):
countess with a knife purchased by you at the Bazaarre
de la Republique on the same day as you ordered
the duplicate key. It has a triangular blade with a
groove running from end to end. That is all nonsense.
You are simply guessing at something you don't know. No
one ever saw the knife here it is, Victor. Danegre recoiled.

(04:49:26):
The ex inspector continued, there are some spots of rust
upon it. Shall I tell you how they came there? Well,
you have a key and a knife. Who can prove
that they belong to me? The locksmith and the clerk
from whom you bought the knife. I have already refreshed
their memories, and when you confront them, they cannot fail

(04:49:48):
to recognize you. His speech was dry and hard, with
a tone of firmness and precision. Daranegre was trembling with fear,
and yet hetruggled desperately to maintain an air of indifference.
Is that all the evidence you have?

Speaker 4 (04:50:07):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (04:50:07):
No, not at all. I have plenty more. For instance,
after the crime, you went out the same way you
had entered, but in the center of the wardrobe room.
Being seized by some sudden fear, he leaned against the
wall for support. How do you know that no one
could know such a thing, argued the desperate man. The

(04:50:29):
police know nothing about it. Of course, they never think
of lighting a candle and examining the walls. But if
they had done so, they would have found on the
white plaster a faint red spot, quite distinct, however, to
trace in it the imprint of your sum, which he
had pressed against the wall while it was wet with blood. Now,

(04:50:51):
as you are well aware, under the Bertian system, some
marks are one of the principal means of identification. Victor
da Negrow livid. Great drops of perspiration rolled down his
face and fell upon the table. He gazed with a
wild look at the strange man, who had narrated the
story of his crime as faithfully as if he had

(04:51:14):
been an invisible witness to it. Overcome and powerless, Victor
bowed his head. He felt that it was useless to
struggle against this marvelous man, So he said, how much
will he give me if I give you the pearl nothing. Oh,
you are joking. What do you mean that I should

(04:51:34):
give you an article worth thousands and hundreds of thousands
and get nothing in return? You will get your life?
Is that nothing? The unfortunate man shuddered. Then Grimaudin added,
in a milder tone, come the negre. The pearl has
no value in your hands. It is quite impossible for

(04:51:56):
you to sell it. So what is the use of
your keeping it? There are pawnbrokers, and some day I
will be able to get something for it. But that
day may be too late. Why because by that time
you may be in the hands of the police, and
with the evidence that I can furnish the knife, the key,

(04:52:18):
the thumb mark, what will become of you? Victor rested
his head on his hands and reflected. He felt that
he was lost, irremediably lost, and at the same time
a sense of weariness and depression overcame him. He murmured faintly,
when must I give it to you to night within

(04:52:41):
an hour if I refuse. If you refuse, I shall
post this letter to the Procureur of the Republic, in
which letter Mademoiselle de Saint Cleve denounces you as the assassin.
The negro poured out two glasses of wine, which he
drank in rapid succession. Then, rising, said pay the bill

(04:53:05):
and let us go. I have had enough of the
cursed affair. Night had fallen. The two men walked down
the ruely Pique and followed the exterior boulevards in the
direction of the Place de Litoises. They pursued their way
in silence. Victor had a stooping carriage and a dejected face.

(04:53:25):
When they reached the Park Monceaux, he said, we are
near the house Parbleu. He only left the house once
before your arrest, and that was to go to the
tobacco shop. Here it is, said Dangre in a dull voice.
They passed along the garden wall of the Countess's house
and crossed a street on a corner of which stood

(04:53:48):
the tobacco shop. A few steps further on, Danegre stopped.
His limbs shook beneath him, and he sank to a bench. Well,
what now, demanded his companion, It is there where come now?
No nonsense? There in front of us, where between two

(04:54:10):
paving stones, which look for it? Which stones? Victor made
no reply, Ah, I see, exclaimed Grimaudint. You want me
to pay for the information? No, but I am afraid
I will starve to death, so that is why you hesitate. Well,

(04:54:33):
I'll not be hard on you. How much do you want?
Enough to buy a steer it pass to America, all right?
And a hundred francs to keep me until I get
work there. You shall have two hundred. Now speak. Count
the paving stones to the right from the sowerhole. The
peril is between the twelfth and the thirteenth in the gutter, Yes,

(04:54:56):
close to the sidewalk. Grimaudin glanced around and to see
if any one were looking. Some tram cars and pedestrians
were passing. But bah, they will not suspect anything. He
opened his pocket knife and thrust it between the twelfth
and thirteenth stones. And if it is not there, he
said to Victor, it must be there unless someone saw

(04:55:20):
me stoop down and hide it. Could it be possible
that the black pearl had been cast into the mud
and filth of the gutter to be picked up by
the first comer the black pearl of fortune? How far down?
He asked? About ten centimeters? He dug up the wet
earth the point of his knife struck something. He enlarged

(04:55:43):
the hole with his finger. Then he abstracted the black
pearl from its filthy hiding place. Good, here are you
two hundred francs. I will send you the ticket for
America on the following day. This article was published in
the Ecu de France and was copied by the leading
newspapers throughout the world. Yesterday, the famous black Pearl came

(04:56:07):
into the possession of Arsaint Lupin, who recovered it from
the murderer of the Countess Don Dillo. In a short time,
facsimiles of that precious jewel will be exhibited in London,
Saint Petersburg, Calcutta, Buenos Aires and New York. Arsaint Lupin
will be pleased to consider all propositions submitted to him

(04:56:28):
through his agents. And that is how crime is always
punished and virtue rewarded, said Arsaint Lupin, after he had
told me of the foregoing history of the Black Pearl.
And that is how you, under the assumed name of
grimaudan ex inspector of detectives, were chosen by fate to
deprive the criminal of the benefit of his crime exactly.

(04:56:52):
And I confess that the affair gives me infinite satisfaction
and pride. The forty minutes that I passed in the
apartment of the Countess don Dillou after learning of her
death were the most thrilling and absorbing moments of my life.
In those forty minutes, involved as I was in a
most dangerous plight, I calmly studied the scene of the

(04:57:14):
murder and reached the conclusion that the crime must have
been committed by one of the house servants. I also
decided that in order to get the pearl, that servant
must be arrested, and so I left the wainskirt button.
It was necessary also for me to hold some convincing
evidence of his guilt, So I carried away the knife

(04:57:35):
which I found upon the floor, and the key which
I found in the lock. I closed and locked the door,
and erased the finger marks from the plaster of the
wardrobe closet. In my opinion, that was one of those
flushes of genius, I said, interrupting of genius if you wish,
but I flatter myself. It would not have occurred to

(04:57:57):
the average mortal to frame instantly the two elements of
the problem, an arrest and an acquittal to make use
of the formidable machinery of the law to crush and
humble my victim, and reduce him to a condition in which,
when free, he would be certain to fall into the
trap I was laying for him. Poor devil, poor devil.

(04:58:20):
Do you say, Victor de Negra, the assassin, He might
have descended to the lowest depths of vice and crime
if he had retained the black pearl. Now he lives.
Think of that, Victor de Negre is alive, and you
have the black pearl. He took it out of one
of the secret pockets of his wallet, examined it, gazed

(04:58:44):
at it tenderly, and caressed it with loving fingers, and
sighed as he said, what cold Russian prince, What vain
and foolish Rajah? May some day possess this priceless treasure,
Or perhaps some American millionaire is destined to become the
owner of this morsel of exquisite beauty that once adorned

(04:59:05):
the fair bosom of Leontinez Auti the Countess don Dillole,
end of chapter.

Speaker 4 (04:59:12):
Eight, Chapter nine. Sherlock Holmes arrives too late. It is
really remarkable, Villemont, What a close resemblance you bear to
us in Lupin. How do you know, oh, like everyone else,
from photographs, no two of which are alike, but each

(04:59:32):
of them leaves the impression of a face something like yours.
Horace Velmont displayed some vexation. Quite so, my dear Divan,
and believe me, you are not the first one who
has noticed it. It's so striking, persisted Divan, that if
you had not been recommended to me by my cousin d'estevan,

(04:59:54):
and if you were not the celebrated artist whose beautiful
marine views I so admire, I have no doubts I
should have warned the police of your presence. Indieppe this Sally,
who was greeted with an outburst of laughter. The large
dining hall of the Chateau de Thibermesnil contained on this occasion,

(05:00:15):
besides Villemont, the following guests, Father Gillis, the parish priest,
and a dozen officers whose regiments were quartered in the vicinity,
and who had accepted the invitation of the banker George
d'avan and his mother. One of the officers then remarked,
I understand that an exact description of our Saint Lupin

(05:00:36):
has been furnished to all the police along this coast
since his daring exploit on the Paris Arvre Express. I suppose,
so said d Van, that was three months ago, and
a week later I made the acquaintance of our friend
Velmont at the casino, and since then he has honored
me with several visits and an agreeable prehamble to a

(05:00:59):
more serious visit, that he will pay one of these days,
or rather one of these nights. This speech evoked another
round of laughter, and the guests then passed into the
ancient Hall of the Guards, a vast room with a
high ceiling which occupied the entire lower part of the
Tourguillum Williamstower, wherein George d Van collected the incomparable treasures

(05:01:20):
which the lords of Tibermesni had accumulated through many centuries.
It contained ancient chests, credences andryans and chandeliers. The stone
walls were overhung with magnificent tapestries. The deep embrasures of
the four windows were furnished with benches, and the Gothic
windows were composed of small panes of colored glass set

(05:01:43):
in a leaden frame between the door and the window
to the left stood an immense bookcase of Renaissance style,
on the pediment of which, in letters of gold was
the word Thibermesni, and below it the proud family device
fais a Couville. Do what thou wishest. When the guests

(05:02:07):
had lighted their cigars, Divan resumed the conversation. And remember, Velmont,
you have no time to lose. In fact, to night
is the last chance you will have. How so asked
the painter, who appeared to regard the affair as a joke.
Divan was about to reply when his mother motioned to

(05:02:28):
him to keep silent, but the excitement of the occasion
and the desire to interest his guests urged him to speak. Bah,
He murmured, I can tell it now, won't do any harm.
The guests drew closer, and he commenced to speak with
the satisfied air of a man who has an important
announcement to make Tomorrow afternoon at four o'clock. Shellock Holmes,

(05:02:53):
the famous English detective for whom such a thing as
mystery does not exist. Shelock Holmes, the most remarkable solver
of the enigmas in the world has ever known. That
marvelous man who would seem to be the creation of
a romantic novelist. Sherlock Holmes will be my guest Immediately,
Divan was the target of numerous eager questions. Is Shelock

(05:03:16):
Holmes's really coming? Is it so serious as that? Is
Usain Lupin really in this neighborhood? Us In Lupin and
his band are not far away. Besides the robbery of
Baron Cahorn, he is credited with the thefts of Montigni,

(05:03:36):
Gruchet and Crassville. Has he sent you a warning as
he did to Baron Cahorn, No, replied Divan. He can't
work the same trick twice. What then, I will show you.
He rose, and, pointing to a small empty space between
the two enormous folios on one of the shelves of

(05:03:58):
the bookcase, he said they used to be a book
there a book of the sixteenth century entitled Chronique the Tibermesni,
which contained the history of the castle since its construction
by Duke Rollo on the site of a former feudal fortress.
There were three engraved plates in the book, one of

(05:04:19):
which was a general view of the whole estate, another
a plan of the buildings, and the third I call
your attention to it particularly. The third was a sketch
of a subterranean passage, one entrance to which is outside
the first line of ramparts, while the other end of
the passage is here in this very room. Well, that

(05:04:40):
book disappeared a month ago. The deuce said Villemont. That
looks bad, but it doesn't seem to be sufficient reason
for sending for Shelock Holmes. Certainly that was not sufficient
in itself, But another incident happened that gives the disappearance
of the book a special signific There was another copy

(05:05:02):
of this book in the National Library at Paris, and
the two books differed in certain details relating to the
subterranean passage. For instance, each of them contained drawings and
annotations not printed, but written in ink and more or
less effaced. I knew those facts, and I knew that

(05:05:23):
the exact location of the passage could be determined only
by a comparison of the two books. Now that after
my book disappeared, a book was called for in the
National Library by a reader who carried it away, and
no one knows how the theft was effected. The guests
uttered many exclamations of surprise, certainly the feluk serious, said one. Well,

(05:05:47):
the police investigated the matter and as usual discovered no clue. Whatever,
they never do when our send Lupin is concerned with it. Exactly,
so I decided to ask assistance of Shelocot, who replied
that he was ready and anxious to enter the lists
with Ar Saint Lupin. What glory for Ar Saint Lupin,

(05:06:08):
said Valmont. If our national thief, as they call him,
has no evil designs on your castle, Sherlock Holmes will
have his trip in vain. There are other things that
will interest him, such as the discovery of the subterranean passage.
But you told us that one end of the passage
was outside the ramparts, and the other was in this

(05:06:28):
very room. Yes, but in what part of the room.
A lime which represents the passage on the charts ends
here with a small circle marked with the letters t G,
which no doubts stand for Tour Guillaumes. But the tower
is round, and who can tell the exact spot of
which the passage touches the tower. Divan lighted a second

(05:06:50):
cigar and poured himself a glass of benedictine. His guests
pressed him with questions, and he was pleased to observe
the interest that his remarks had created. He continued, the
secret is lost. No one knows it. The legend is
to the effect that the former lords of the castle
transmitted the secret from father to son on their death beds,

(05:07:13):
until Geoffrey, the last of the race, was beheaded during
the revolution in his nineteenth year. That's over a century ago.
Surely some one has looked for it since that time, yes,
but they failed to find it. After I purchased the castle,
I made a diligent search for it, but without success.
You must remember that this tower is surrounded by water

(05:07:35):
and connected with the castle only by a bridge. Consequently,
the passage must be underneath the old moat. The planet
was in the book in the National Library showed a
series of stairs with a total of forty eight steps,
which indicates a depth of more than ten meters. You see,

(05:07:55):
the mystery lies within the walls of this room, and
yet I dislike to tear them down. Is there nothing
to show where it is nothing? Monsieur de Van, We
should turn our attention to the two quotationans suggested Father
ghilli Oh, exclaimed Monsieur Devan laughing. Our worthy father is

(05:08:17):
fond of reading memoirs and delving into the dusty archives
of the castle. Everything relating to Tibermesnie interests him greatly,
but the quotations that he mentions only serve to complicate
the mystery. He has read somewhere that two kings of
France have known the key to the puzzle. Two kings
of France. Who were they, Henry the fourth and Louis

(05:08:40):
the sixteenth, And the legend runs like this, On the
eve of the Battle of Arc, Henry the fourth spent
the night in this castle. At eleven o'clock in the evening,
Louise de tanc Avill, the prettiest woman in Normandy, was
brought into the castle through the subterranean passage by Jute Edgar,
who at the same time informed the king of the

(05:09:01):
secret passage. Afterwards, the king confided the secrets to his
minister Suli, who in his turn relates the story in
his book Royal Leconnemideta, without making any comment upon it,
but linking with it this incomprehensible sentence. Turn one eye

(05:09:21):
on the bee that shakes, the other eye will lead
to God. After a brief silence, Velmont laughed and said, certainly,
it doesn't throw a dazzling light on the subject. No,
but father Gilli claims that Sulli concealed the key to
the mystery in this strange sentence in order to keep

(05:09:42):
the secret from the secretaries to whom he dictated his memoirs.
That's an ingenious theory, said Valmont. Yes, and it may
be nothing more. I cannot see that it throws any
light on the mysterious riddle. And it was also to
receive the visit of a lady that Louis the sixteenth

(05:10:03):
caused the passage to be opened. I don't know, said
Monsieur Van. All I can say is that the king
stopped here one night in seventeen eighty four, and that
the famous iron casket found in the louver contained a
paper bearing these words in the king's own writing, Tibermesni
three four eleven Horace. Velmar laughed heartily and exclaimed, at last,

(05:10:32):
now that we have the magic key, where is the
man who can fit it in the invisible lock? Laugh
as much as you please, Monsieur, said father Gilly. But
I am confident the solution is contained in those two sentences,
and some day we will find a man able to
interpret them. Sherlock Holmes is the man, said Monsieur Van,

(05:10:55):
unless our Saint Lupin gets ahead of him. What's your opinion,
Velmont villemont Arose placed his hand on Divan's shoulder and declared,
I think that the information furnished by your book and
the book of the National Library, was deficient in a
very important detail, which you have now supplied. Thank you

(05:11:16):
for it. What is it the missing key? Now that
I have it, I can go to work at once,
said Velmont. Of course without losing a minute, said did Van,
smiling not even a second, replied Velmont. To night before
the arrival of Sherlock Holmes, I must plunder your castle.
You have no time to lose. Oh, by the way,

(05:11:39):
I can drive you over this evening to the EBB. Yes,
I am going to meet Monsieur and Madame Dandole and
a young lady of their acquaintance, who are to arrive
by the midnight train. Then, addressing the officers, d Van added, gentlemen,
I su expect to see all of you at breakfast
to morrow. The invitation was accepted, the company dispersed, and

(05:12:02):
a few moments later Devan and Velmore were speeding towards
Dieppe in an automobile. Devan dropped the artist in front
of the casino and proceeded to the railway station. At
twelve o'clock. His friends alighted from the train. Half an
hour later. The automobile was at the entrance to the
castle at one o'clock. After a light supper, they retired.
The lights were extinguished, and the castle was enveloped in

(05:12:25):
the darkness and silence of the night. The moon appeared
through a rift in the clouds and filled the drawing
room with its bright white light, but only for a moment.
Then the moon again retired behind its etherial draperies, and
darkness and silence reigned supreme. No sound could be heard

(05:12:46):
save the monotonous sticking of the clock. It struck two
and then continued its endless repetitions of the seconds, then
three o'clock. Suddenly something clicked, like the opening and closing
of a signal disc that warns the passing train. A

(05:13:07):
thin stream of light flashed into every corner of the room,
like an arrow that leaved behind it a trail of light.
It shot forth from the central fluting of a column
that supported the pediment of the bookcase. It rested for
a moment on the panel opposite like a glistening circle
of burnished silver, then flashed in all directions, like a
guilty eye that scrutinizes every shadow. It disappeared for a

(05:13:29):
short time, but burst forth again as a whole section
of the bookcase revolved on a pivot and disclosed a
large opening like a vault. A man entered carrying an
electric lantern. He was followed by a second man who
carried a coil of rope and various tools. The leader
inspected the room, listened a moment, and said, call the others.

(05:13:51):
Then eight men, stout fellows with resolute faces entered the
room and immediately commenced to remove the furnishings. Asi Lupin
passed quickly from one piece of furniture to another, examined
each and according to its size or artistic value. He
directed his men to take it or leave it. If
order to be taken, it was carried to the gaping
mouth of a tunnel and ruthlessly thrust into the bowels

(05:14:14):
of the earth. Such was the fate of six arm chairs,
six small Louis. The fifteenth chairs, A quantity of Obusson,
Tapara tapestries, some candelabra paintings by Fragonard and Natchi, a
bast by Houdon, and some statues. Sometimes Lupin would linger
before a beautiful chest or a superb picture, and sigh,

(05:14:39):
that is too heavy, too large, what a pity. In
forty minutes the room was dismantled, and it had been
accomplished in such an orderly manner, and with as little
noise as if the various articles had been packed and
wadded for the occasion. Houpin said to the last man
who departed by way of the tunnel, you need not

(05:15:03):
come back. You understand that as soon as the auto
van is loaded, you are to proceed to the garage
at Rockfort. But you patent leave me the motorcycle. When
the man had disappeared, I seen Lupin pushed the section
of bookcase back into its place, and carefully effaced the
traces of the men's footsteps, raised a portier and entered

(05:15:25):
a gallery which was the only means of communication between
the tower and the castle. In the center of this
gallery there was a glass cabinet which had attracted Lupin's attentions.
It contained a valuable collection of watches, snuff boxes, rings, chatelaine,
and miniatures of rare and beautiful workmanship. He forced the

(05:15:47):
lock with a small jimmy and experienced a great pleasure
in handling those gold and silver ornaments, those exquisite and
delicate works of art. He carried a large linen bag,
specially prepared for the removal of such knick knacks. He
filled it. Then he filled the pockets of his coat, waistcoat,
and trousers. He was just placing over his left arm

(05:16:08):
a number of pearl reticules when he heard a slight sound.
He listened, No, he was not deceived. The noise continued.
Then he remembered that at one end of the gallery
there was a stairway leading to an unoccupied apartment, which
was probably occupied that night by the young lady whom

(05:16:30):
Monsieur de Van had brought from the appe with his
other visitors. Immediately, he distinguished his lantern and had scarcely
gained the friendly shelter of a window embrazier. When the
door at the top of the stairway was opened and
a feeble light illuminated the gallery, he could feel for
concealed by a curtain, he could not see that a

(05:16:51):
woman was cautiously descending the upper steps of the stairs.
He hoped she would come no closer. Yet she continued
to descend, and even advanced some distance into the room.
Then she uttered a faint cry, no doubt she had
discovered all the broken and dismantled cabinets. She advanced again.
Now he could smell the perfume and hear the throbbing

(05:17:13):
of her heart as she drew closer to the window
where he was concealed. She passed so close that her
skirt brushed against the window curtain, and Loupere felt that
she suspected the presence of another behind her in the shadow,
within reach of her hand. He thought, she is afraid,
she will go away, But she did not go. The

(05:17:36):
candle that she carried and her trembling hand grew brighter.
She turned hesitated a moment, appeared to listen, then suddenly
drew aside the curtain. They stood face to face. Arsain
was astounded. He murmured, involuntarily, you you, mademoiselle. It was

(05:17:57):
miss Nellie. Miss Nellie, his fellow passenger on the transatlantic steamer,
who had been the subject of his dreams on that
memorable voyage, who had been a witness to his arrest,
and who, rather than betray him, had dropped into the
water the kodak in which he had concealed the bank
notes and diamonds. Miss Nellie, that charming creature, memory of

(05:18:21):
whose face has sometimes cheered, sometimes saddened the long hours
of imprisonment. It was such an unexpected encounter that brought
them face to face in that castle at that hour
of the night, that they could not move nor utter
a word. They were amazed, hypnotized, each at the sudden
apparition of the other. Trembling with emotion, miss Nellie staggered

(05:18:43):
to a seat, he remained standing in front of her.
Gradually he realized the situation and conceived the impression he
must have produced at that moment. With his arms laden
with knick knacks, and his pockets and a linen sack
overflowing with plunder, he was overcome with confusion, and he

(05:19:03):
actually blushed to find himself in the position of a thief,
caught in the act. To her, henceforth, he was a thief,
a man who put his hand in another's pocket, who
steals into houses and robs people, while they sleep, a
watch fell upon the floor, then another. These were followed
by other articles, which slipped from his grasp one by one. Then,

(05:19:28):
actuated by a sudden decision, he dropped the other articles
into an armchair, emptied his pockets, and unpacked his sack.
He felt very uncomfortable in Nelly's presence and stepped towards
her with the intention of speaking to her. But she shuddered,
rose quickly, and fled toward the salon. The portiere closed
behind her. He followed her. She was standing, trembling and

(05:19:49):
amazed at the sight of the devastated room. He said
to her, at once, tomorrow, at three o'clock, everything will
be returned. The furniture will be brought back. She made
no reply, so he repeated, I promise it to morrow
at three o'clock. Nothing in the world could induce me
to break that promise to morrow at three o'clock. Then

(05:20:12):
followed a long silence that he dared not break, whilst
the agitation of the young girl caused him a feeling
of genuine regret. Quietly, without a word, he turned away, thinking,
I hope she will go away. I can't endure her presence.
But the young girl suddenly spoke and stammered, listen, footsteps

(05:20:36):
year someone. He looked at her with astonishment. She seemed
to be overwhelmed by the thought of approaching peril. I
don't hear anything, he said, But you must go, you
must escape. Why should I go because you must?

Speaker 1 (05:20:53):
Oh?

Speaker 4 (05:20:53):
Do not remain here another moment.

Speaker 1 (05:20:55):
Go.

Speaker 4 (05:20:56):
She ran quickly to the door leading the gallery and listened. No,
there was no one there. Perhaps the noise was outside.
She waited a moment and then returned, reassured, But Ar
Saint Lupin had disappeared. As soon as Monsieur de Van
was informed of the pillage of his castle, he said

(05:21:18):
to himself, it was Velmont who did it, and Velmont
is Ar Saint Lupin. That theory explained everything, and there
was no other plausible explanation. And yet the idea seemed preposterous.
It was ridiculous to suppose that Velmont was any one
else than Velmont, the famous artist and club fellow of
his cousin De'stevan. So when the captain of the Gendarmes

(05:21:42):
arrived to investigate the affair, de Van did not even
think of mentioning his absurd theory. Throughout the forenoon there
was a lively commotion at the castle. The gendarmes, the
local police, the chief of Police from Dieppe, the villagers
all circulated to and fro in the halls, examining every
nook and corner that was opened to their inspection. The

(05:22:03):
approach of the maneuvering troops the rattling fire of the
musketry added to the picturesque character of the scene. The
preliminary search furnished no clue. Neither the doors nor the
windows should any sign of having been disturbed. Consequently, the
removal of the goods must have been effected by means
of the secret passage. Yet there were no indications of

(05:22:24):
footsteps on the floor, nor any unusual marks on the walls.
Their investigations revealed, however, one curious fact that denoted the
whimsical character of Ar Saint Luper. The famous chronique of
the sixteenth century had been restored to its accustomed place
in the library, and beside it there was a similar book,

(05:22:46):
which was none other than the volume stolen from the
National Library. At eleven o'clock the military officers arrived. D
Van welcomed them with his usual gravity, for no matter
how much chagrin he might be suffering from the loss
of his artistic treasures, his great wealth enabled him to
bear his lost philosophically. His guests Monsieur and Madame Dandrol

(05:23:08):
and miss Nellie were introduced, and it was then noticed
that one of the unexpected guests had not arrived. It
was Horace Velmont. His absence had awakened the suspicions of
Monsieur de Van that.

Speaker 5 (05:23:23):
At twelve o'clock he arrived.

Speaker 4 (05:23:25):
De Van exclaimed, Ah, there you are. Why am I
not punctual? Asked Belmont. Yes, and I'm surprised that you
are after such a busy night. I suppose you know
the news. What news? You have robbed the castle? Nonsense,
exclaimed Velmont, smiling, exactly as I predicted. But first escort

(05:23:49):
miss Under down to the dining room. Mademoiselle, allow me.
He stopped as he remarked the extreme agitation of the younger. Then,
recalling the incident, he said, Ah, of course you met
Arsen Lupin on the steamer before his arrest, and you
are astonished at the resemblance.

Speaker 3 (05:24:09):
Is that it?

Speaker 4 (05:24:10):
She did not reply. Velmot stood before her, smiling he bowed.
She took his proffered arm, and he escorted her to
her place, and took his seat opposite her. During the breakfast,
the conversation related exclusively to Usin Lupin, the stolen goods,
the secret passage, and Shoke Holmes. It was only at

(05:24:31):
the close of the repast, when the conversation had drifted
to other topics, that Velmot took any part of it.
Then he was by turns amusing and grave, talkative and pensive,
and all his remarks seemed to be directed to the
young girl, but she, quite absorbed, did not appear to
hear them. Coffee was served on the terrace, overlooking the

(05:24:54):
Court of Honor and the flower garden in front of
the principal facade. The regimental band played on the lawn,
and scores of soldiers and peasants wandered through the park.
Miss Nellie had not forgotten for one moment Lupin's solemn
promise to morrow at three o'clock everything will be returned

(05:25:15):
at three o'clock, and the hands of the great clock
in the right wing of the castle now marked twenty
minutes two three. In spite of herself, her eyes wandered
to the clock every minute. She was also watching Valmont,
who was calmly swinging to and fro in a comfortable
rocking chair. Ten minutes to three, five minutes to three.

(05:25:38):
Nellie was impatient and anxious. Was it possible that as
Saint Lupin would carry out his promise at the appointed hour,
when the castle courtyard and the park were filled with people,
and at the very moment when the officers of the
law were pursuing their investigations, and yet Arsen Lupin had
given her his solemn promise, It will be exactly as

(05:25:59):
he said, thought she so deeply was she impressed with
the authority, energy, and assurance of that remarkable man. To her,
it no longer assumed the form of a miracle, but,
on the contrary, a natural incident that must occur in
the ordinary course of events. She blushed and turned her head.

Speaker 5 (05:26:19):
Three o'clock.

Speaker 4 (05:26:20):
The great clock struck slowly, one, two, three. Horace Velmore
took out his watch, glanced at the clock, then returned
the watch to his pocket. A few seconds passed in silence,
and then the crowd in the courtyard parted to give
passage to two wagons that had just entered the park gate.

(05:26:43):
Each drawn by two horses. There were army wagons such
as I used for the transportation of provisions, tents and
of unnecessary military stores. They stopped in front of the
main entrance, and a commissary sergeant lipped from one of
the wagons and inquired for Monsieur Devanne. A moment later
that gentleman emerged from the house, descended the steps, and

(05:27:04):
under the canvas cover of the wagons beheld his furniture,
pictures and ornaments, carefully packaged and arranged. When questioned, the
sergeant produced an order that he had received from the
Officer of the day. By that order, the second company
of the fourth Battalion were commanded to proceed to the
cross roads of Alleux in the forest of Arc, gather

(05:27:27):
up the furnitures and other articles deposited there, and deliver
same to Monsieur George d Vain, owner of the Tibemesni Castle,
at three o'clock, signed Colonel Beauvel. At the cross roads,
explained the sergeant. We found everything ready lying on the grass,
guided by some passers by. It seemed very strange, but

(05:27:48):
the order was imperative. One of the officers examined the signature.
He declared a forgery, but a clever imitation. The wagons
were unloaded and the goods restored to their proper place
in the castle. During this commotion, Nellie had remained alone
at the extreme end of the terrace, absorbed by confused
and distracted thoughts. Suddenly she observed Velmont approaching her. She

(05:28:12):
would have avoided him, but the balustrade that surrounded the
terrace cut off her retreat. She was cornered. She could
not move. A gleam of sunshine, passing through the scant
foliage of the bamboo, lighted up her beautiful golden hair.
Someone spoke to her in a low voice, Have I
not kept my promise? Ar Saint Lupin stood close to her.

(05:28:37):
No one else was near, he repeated, in a calm,
soft voice, have I not kept my promise? He expected
a word of thanks, or at least some slight movement
that would betray her interest in the fulfillment of his promise,
but she remained silent. Her scornful attitude annoyed Ar Saint Lupin,
and he realized the vast distance that separated him from

(05:28:59):
Miss Nellie. Now that she had learned the truth, he
would gladly have justified himself in her eyes, or at
least pleaded but extenuating circumstances. But he perceived the absurdity
and futility of such an attempt. Finally, dominated by a
surging flood of memories, he murmured, Ah, how long ago

(05:29:21):
that was? You Remember the long hours on the deck
of the Provence when you carried a rose in your hand,
a white rose like the one you carry to day.
I asked you for it. You pretended you did not
hear me. After you'd gone away, I found the rose, forgotten,
no doubt, and I kept it. She made no reply.

(05:29:43):
She seemed to be far away, he continued, in memory
of those happy hours, Forget what you have learned since,
separate the past from the present. Do not regard me
as the man you saw last night. But look at me,
if only for a moment, as you did in those
far off days when I was Bernard d'andreisi, for a

(05:30:05):
short time, will you please? She raised her eyes and
looked at him, as he had requested. Then, without saying
a word, she pointed to a ring that he was
wearing on his forefinger. Only the ring was visible, but
the setting, which was turned towards The palm of his
hand consisted of a magnificent ruby. As Saint Lupin blushed,

(05:30:28):
the ring belonged to George de Vain. He smiled bitterly
and said, you are right. Nothing can be changed, as
Sin Lupin is now and always will be. Ar Saint
Lupin to you, he cannot be even so much as
a memory. Pardon me. I should have known that any

(05:30:48):
attention I may now offer you is simply an insult.
Forgive me. He stepped aside at in hand. Nellie passed
before him. He was inclined to detain her and beseech
her forgiveness, but his courage failed, and he contented himself
by following her with his eyes, as he had done
when she descended the gangway to the pier at New York.

(05:31:11):
She mounted the steps leading to the door and disappeared
within the house. He saw her no more. A cloud
obscured the sun. Asi Lupin stood watching the imprints of
her tiny feet in the sand. Suddenly he gave a
start upon the box which had contained the bamboo beside

(05:31:33):
which Nellie had been standing. He saw the rose, the
white rose he had desired, but dared not ask for forgotten.
No doubt it also, but how designedly or through distraction.
He seized it eagerly, and some of its petals fell
to the ground. He picked them up one by one.

Speaker 5 (05:31:54):
Precious relics.

Speaker 4 (05:31:58):
Come. He said to himself, I have nothing more to
do here. I must think of my safety. Before Shelock
Holmes arrives. The park was deserted, but some gendarmes was
stationed at the park gate. He entered a grove of
pine trees and leaped over the wall, and, as a
short cut to the railroad station, followed a path across
the fields. After walking about ten minutes, he arrived at

(05:32:21):
the spot where the road grew narrower and ran between
two steep banks. In this ravine, he met a man
traveling in the opposite direction. It was a man of
about fifty years of age, tall, smooth shaven, and wearing
clothes of a foreign cut. He carried a heavy cane
and a small satchel was trapped across his shoulder. When
they met, the stranger spoke with a slightinglish accent. Excuse me, monsieur,

(05:32:45):
is this the way to the castle? Yes, monsieur. Straight ahead,
turned to the left. When you come to the wall,
they are expecting you. Ah. Yes, my friend de Van
told us last night that you were coming, and I
am delighted to be the first to welcome you. Shellock
Holmes has no more ardent admirer than myself. There was

(05:33:07):
a touch of iron in his voice that he quickly regretted,
for Shellock Holms scrutinized him from head to foot with
such a penetrating, keen eye that us in Lupin experienced
a sensation of being seized, imprisoned, and registered by that look,
more thoroughly and precisely than he had ever been by
a camera. My negative is taken now, he thought, and
it would be useless to use the disguise with that man,

(05:33:30):
he would look right through it. But I wonder has
he recognized me. They bowed to each other as if
about to part, but at that moment they heard a
sound of horses feet accompanied by a clinking of steel.
It was the gendarmes. The two men were a bride
to draw back against the embankment amongst the bushes to
avoid the horses. The gendarme passed by, but as they

(05:33:54):
followed each other at a considerable distance. They were several
minutes in doing so, and Lupin was thinking. It all
depends on that question. Has he recognized me? If so,
he will probably take advantage of the opportunity. It is
a trying situation. When the last horseman had passed, sholoc

(05:34:16):
Hombe stepped forth and brushed the dust from his clothes.
Then for a moment he and us In Lupin gazed
at each other, and if a person could have seen
them at that moment, it put upon an interesting sight
and memorable as the first meeting of two remarkable men,
so strange, so powerfully equipped, both of superior quality, and

(05:34:38):
destined by fate through their peculiar attributes, to hurl themselves
at one and the other, like two equal forces that
nature opposes one against the other in the realms of space.
Then the Englishman said, thank you, monsieur.

Speaker 5 (05:34:55):
They parted.

Speaker 4 (05:34:57):
Lupin went towards the railway station, and shall Holmes continued
on his way to the castle. The local officers had
given up the investigation after several hours of fruitless efforts,
and the people at the castle were awaiting the arrival
of the English detective with lively curiosity. At first sight
They were a little disappointed on account of his commonplace appearance,

(05:35:18):
which differed so greatly from the pictures they had formed
of him in their own minds. He did not in
any way resemble the romantic hero, the mysterious and diabolical
personage that the name Sherlock Holmes had evoked in their imaginations. However,
Monsieur de Vanne exclaimed with much gusto, Ah, Monsieur, you

(05:35:38):
are here. I am delighted to see you. It is
a long deferred pleasure. Really, I scarcely regret that what
has happened, since it affords me the opportunity to meet you.
But how did you come by the train? But I
sent my automobile to meet you at the station. That
official reception, eh, with music and fireworks. Oh no, not

(05:36:00):
for me. That's not the way I do business, grumbled
the Englishman. This speech disconcerted Divan, who replied with a
forced smile. Fortunately, the business has been greatly simplified since
I wrote to you. In what way the robbery took
place last night? Die? If you'd not announce my intended visits,
it is probable the robbery would not have been committed

(05:36:23):
last night. And then when to morrow or some other day.
And in that case Lupin would have been trapped, said
the detective, and my furniture would not have been carried away. Ah,
but my goods are here. They were brought back at
three o'clock by Lupin by two army wagons. Slock Holmes

(05:36:47):
put on his cap and adjusted his satchel. Divan exclaimed anxiously,
But monsieur, what are you going to do? I am
going home. Why your goods have been returned? I Saint
Lupin is far away, and there is nothing for me
to do. Yes, there is. I need your assistance. What
happened yesterday may happen again to morrow, as we do

(05:37:09):
not know how he entered, or how he escaped, or
why a few hours later he returned the goods. Ah,
you don't know. The idea of a problem to be
solved quickened the interest of Sherlock Holmes. Very well, then
let's make a search at once, and alone, if possible.
Divan understood and conducted the Englishman of the salon in

(05:37:30):
a crisp, dry voice, in sentences that seemed to have
been prepared in advance. Holmes asked a number of questions
about the events of the preceding evening, and inquired also
concerning the guests and the members of the household. Then
he examined the two volumes of the chronic compared the
plans of the subterranean passage, requested a repetition of the
sentences discovered by Father Gilly, and then asked, it was

(05:37:53):
yesterday the first time you have spoken those two sentences
to any one. Yes, you have never communicated them with
Horace Velmont. No, well, order the automobile. I must leave
in an hour. In an hour, yes, within that time,
Ar Saint Lupin solved the problem that you placed before him.

(05:38:17):
I placed before him. Yes, Ar Saint Lupin or Horace
Velmont the same thing. Ah, I thought so, ah, the scoundrel.
Now let's see, said Holmes. Last night at ten o'clock
you furnished Lupin with the information that he lacked and
that he had been seeking for many weeks. During the
night he found the time to solve the problem, collect

(05:38:39):
his men and rob the castle. I shall be quite expeditious.
He walked from the end of the room, deep in thought,
then sat down, crossed his long legs and closed his eyes.
Divan waited quite embarrassed, thought he is the man asleep?
Or is he only meditating? However, he left the room

(05:39:00):
to give some orders, and when he returned he found
the detective on his knees scrutinizing the carpet at the
foot of the stairs in the gallery. What is it,
he inquired, Look there spots from a candle. You're right
and quite fresh. You will also find him at the
top of the stairs, and around the cabinet that usin
Lupamp broke into, and from which he took the bibelow

(05:39:22):
that he afterwards placed in his arm chair. Why do
you conclude from that nothing? These facts would doubtless explain
the cause for the restitution, But that is a side
issue that I cannot wait to investigate. The main question
is a secret passage. First tell me is there a
chapel some two or three hundred meters from the castle, Yes,

(05:39:44):
a ruined chapel containing the tomb of Gigrolo. Tell your
chauffeur to wait for us near that chapel. My chauffeur
hasn't returned. If he had, they would have informed me.
Do you think the secret passage runs to the chapel?
What reason have I would ask you, monsieur, interrupted the detective,
to furnish me with a ladder and a lantern. What

(05:40:06):
do you require? A ladder and a lantern? Certainly, or
I wouldn't have asked for them. Divan, somewhat disconcerted by
this crude logic, rang the bell. The two articles were
given with the sternness and precision of military commands. Place
the ladder against the bookcase to the left of the

(05:40:27):
word Thibermesni. Dvan placed the ladder as directed, and the
Englishman continued on to the left to the right. There now,
climb up. All the letters are in relief, aren't they. Yes?
First turn the letter I one way or the other?
Which one? There are two of them, the first one.

(05:40:50):
Dvan took hold of the letter and exclaimed, ah, yes,
it turns towards the right. Who told you that? Cholcrims
did not reply to the question, but continued his directions,
Nattec the letter be move it back and forth as
you would, bolt Davan did so. To his great surprise,
it produced a clicking sound. Quite right, said Holmes. Now

(05:41:11):
we will go to the other end of the word Tibermesnie.
Try the letter aye and see if it will open
like a wicket with a certain degree of solemnity. Divan
seized the letter. It opened, but Divan fell from the
ladder for the entire section of bookcase lying between the
first and last letters of the words, turned on a
pivot and disclosed the subterranean passage. Shock Holms said coolly,

(05:41:36):
you are not hurt. And no, no, said Divan, as
he rose to his feet, not hurt, only bewildered. I
can understand now those let us turn. The secret passage
opens suddenly? Doesn't that agree exactly with the formula given
by Suis? Turn one eye on the bee that shakes,

(05:41:56):
the other eye will lead to God. But but but,
Louis the sixteenth asked a van Louis the sixteenth was
a clever locksmith. I have read in a book he
wrote about combination locks. It was a good idea on
the part of the owner of Tibermesni to show his
majesty a clever bit of mechanism. As an aid to

(05:42:20):
his memory, the king wrote three four eleventh, that is
to say, the third, fourth, and eleventh letters of the
word exactly. I understand that it explains how Lupin got
out of the room. But it does not explain how
he entered, and it is certain he came from the outside.

(05:42:40):
Shlocombe's lighted his lantern, stepped into the passage. Look all
the mechanism is exposed here like the works of a clock,
and the reverse side of the letters can be reached.
Loupin worked the combination from this side. That's all. What
proof is there of that proof? Why look at the
puddle of oil. Lupa foresaw that the wheels would require oiling.

(05:43:07):
Did he know about the other entrance as well as
I know it? Said Holmes. Follow me into that dark passage.
Are you afraid?

Speaker 3 (05:43:17):
No?

Speaker 4 (05:43:17):
But are you sure you can find the way out?
With my eyes closed? At first they descended twelve steps,
then twelve more, and then further on to other flights
of twelve steps each. Then they walked through a long passage,
the brick walls of which showed the marks of successive restorations,
and in spots were dripping with water. The earth also

(05:43:41):
was very damp. We're passing under the pond, said the
van somewhat nervously. At last they came to a stairway
of twelve steps, followed by three others of twelve steps. Each,
which they mounted with difficulty, and then found themselves in
a small cavity cut in the rock. They could go
no further, the deuce muttered, Holmes, nothing but bare walls.

(05:44:04):
This is provoking. Let's go back, said Divan. I've seen
enough to satisfy me. But the Englishman raised his eye
and uttered a sigh of relief. There he saw the
same mechanism and the same words as before. He had
merely to work the three letters. He did so, and
a block of granite swung out of place on the

(05:44:26):
other side. This granite block formed the tombstone of Duke Rollo,
and the word Tibermesni was engraved on it in relief.
Now in the little ruined chapel, the detective said, the

(05:44:48):
other eye leads to God. That means to the chapel.
It is marvelous, exclaimed Divan, amazed at the clairvoyance and
vivacity of the Englishman. Can it be possible that those
few words were sufficient for you, bah, exclaimed Holmes. They
weren't even necessary. In the chart in the book of
the National Library, the drawing terminates at the left, as

(05:45:11):
you know, in a circle, and at the right, as
you do not know. In a cross. Now that cross
must must refer to the chapel in which we now stand.
Poor Ivan could not believe his ears. It was all
so new, so novel to him, he exclaimed, It is incredible, miraculous,
and yet of a childish simplicity. How is it that

(05:45:32):
no one has ever solved the mystery? Because no one
has ever united the essential elements, that is to say,
the two books and the two sentences. No one but
as in Lupin and myself, but father, Jilly and I
knew all about those things. And likewise Holmes smiled and said,
Monsieur de Van, everybody cannot solve riddles. I have been

(05:45:57):
trying for ten years to accomplish what you did in
ten minutes. Bah, I'm used to it. They emerged from
the chapel and found an automobile. Ah, there's an auto
waiting for us. Yes, it's mine, said di Van, yours.
You said your chauffeur hadn't returned. They approached the machine,
and Monsieur Van questioned the chauffeur Edoir, who gave you

(05:46:20):
orders to come here? Why it was Monsieur Belboon, Monsieur Villemont.
Did you meet him near the railway station. He told
me to come to the chapel. To come to the chapel,
what for to wait for you, Monsieur and your friend.
Van and Holmes exchanged looks, and Monsieur de Van said

(05:46:42):
he knew the mystery would be a simple one for you.
It's a delicate compliment. A smile of satisfaction lighted up
the detective's serious features. For a moment, the compliment pleased him.
He shook his head as he said, Ah, a clever man.
I knew that when I saw him. Have you seen him? Yeah?
I met him a short time ago on my way

(05:47:04):
from the station, and you knew it was Horace Velmont.
I mean Arsen Lupin, That is right. I wonder how
it came no, but I suppose it was from a
certain ironical speech that he made. And you allowed him
to escape. Course, I did, and yet I had everything

(05:47:26):
on my side, such as five gendarmes who passed us. Sacrebleu,
cried de Van, you should have taken advantage of the opportunity. Really, Monsieur,
said the Englishman haughtily. When I encounter an adversary like
Arsaint Lupin, I do not take advantage of chance, opportunities

(05:47:47):
I create them. But time pressed, and since Lupin had
been so kind as to send the automobile, they resolved
to profit by it. They seated themselves in the comfortable limousine,
Edoard took his place at the wheel, and away they
went towards the railway station. Suddenly Divan's eyes fell upon
a small package in one of the pockets of the carriage. Ah,

(05:48:11):
what's that? A package? Whose is it?

Speaker 1 (05:48:13):
Why?

Speaker 4 (05:48:13):
It's for you?

Speaker 3 (05:48:14):
For me?

Speaker 4 (05:48:15):
Yes, it's addressed Shellock Holmes from Arsaint Lupin. The Englishman
took the package, opened it and found that it contended
a watch. Ah, he exclaimed, with an angry gesture. A watch,
said Divan, How did it come there? The detective did
not reply, Oh, it's your watch. Arsay, Lupin returns your watch.

(05:48:37):
But in order to return it, he must have taken it. Ah,
I see he took your watch. That is a good one,
Shallock Holmes's watch stolen by Arsaint Lupin. Mon dieu. That
is funny. Really, you must excuse me. I can't help it,
he roared with laughter, unable to control himself, after which
he said, in a tone of earnest conviction a clever man. Indeed,

(05:48:58):
the Englishman never moved up muscle on the way to
the ebb. He never spoke a word, but fixed his
gaze on the flying landscape. His silence was terrible, unfathomable,
more violent than the wildest rage at the railway station.
He spoke calmly, but in a voice that impressed one
with the vast energy and power of that famous man.

(05:49:22):
He said, yes, he's a clever man. But some day
I shall have the pleasure of placing on his shoulder
the hand that I now offer you, Monsieur Darvan. And
I believe that a Saint Lupin and Shock Combs will
meet again some day. Yes, the world is too small.
We will meet. We must meet. And then end of

(05:49:44):
chapter nine, end of the Extraordinary Adventures of a Saint
Lupin by Maurice le Blanc.

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The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar - Maurice Leblanc

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