Delphi Collected Works of Maurice Leblanc (Illustrated) (Delphi Series Nine Book 17)

by Maurice Leblanc

  “Arsène Lupin....Arsène Lupin,” he muttered.

  Suddenly, as if moved by anger, 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.

  “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 Ganimard.

  “It is dreadful; 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 a clue and trying to discover something, you do not even stir.”

  “Discover something with Arsène Lupin! Why, my dear monsieur, Arsène Lupin never leaves any clue behind him. He leaves nothing to chance. Sometimes I think he put himself in my way and simply allowed me to arrest 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.”

  Ganimard regarded the baron attentively, as he said:

  “Now, that is sensible. Will you stick to it?”

  “Yes, yes. But why?”

  “An idea that I have.”

  “What is it?”

  “We will discuss it later — if the official examination does not succeed. But, not one word about me, if you wish my assistance.”

  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 people who come out of an hypnotic sleep. They opened their eyes and looked about them in astonishment. Ganimard questioned them; they remembered nothing.

  “But you must have seen some one?”

  “No.”

  “Can’t you remember?”

  “No, no.”

  “Did you drink anything?”

  They 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.

  Ganimard smelled and tasted it. It had no particular taste and no odor.

  “Come,” he said, “we are wasting our time here. One can’t decide an Arsène Lupin problem in five minutes. But, morbleu! I swear I will catch him again.”

  The same day, a charge of burglary was duly performed by Baron Cahorn against Arsène Lupin, a prisoner in the Prison de la Santé.

  The baron afterwards regretted making the charge against Lupin when he saw his castle delivered over to the gendarmes, the procureur, the judge d’instruction, the newspaper reporters and photographers, and a throng of idle curiosity-seekers.

  The affair soon became a topic of general discussion, and the name of Arsène Lupin 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 Arsène Lupin that was published in the ‘Echo de France’ (no once ever knew how the newspaper obtained it), that letter in which Baron Cahorn was impudently 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 wainscoting and the chimneys, the window-frames and the girders in the ceilings. By the light of torches, they examined the immense cellars where the lords of Malaquis were wont to store their munitions and provisions. They sounded the rocky foundation to its very centre. But it was all in vain. They discovered no trace of a subterranean tunnel. No secret passage existed.

  But the eager public declared that the pictures and furniture could not vanish like so many ghosts. They are substantial, material things and require doors and windows 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. Mon. Dudouis, chief of the Sûreté, 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 Ganimard, whose past services had proved so useful when all else failed.

  Ganimard listened, in silence, to 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 Arsène Lupin.”

  “With Arsène Lupin! To support that theory, we must admit his intervention.”

  “I do admit it. In fact, I consider it quite certain.”

  “Come, Ganimard, that is absurd. Arsène Lupin is in prison.”

  “I grant you that Arsène Lupin is in prison, closely guarded; but he must have fetters on his feet, manacles on his wrists, and gag in his mouth before I change my opinion.”

  “Why so obstinate, Ganimard?”

  “Because Arsène Lupin is the only man in France of sufficient calibre to invent and carry out a scheme of that magnitude.”

  “Mere words, Ganimard.”

  “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 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 if he can give me any information without compromising himself he will not hesitate to save me from incurring useless trouble.”

  It was shortly after noon when Ganimard entered the cell of Arsène Lupin. The latter, who was lying on his bed, raised his head and uttered a cry of apparent joy.

  “Ah! This is a real surprise. My dear Ganimard, here!”

  “Ganimard 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. You know I hold you in the highest regard.”

  “I am proud of it.”

  “I have always said: Ganimard is our best detective. He is almost, — you see how candid I am! — he is almost as clever as Sherlock Holmes. But I am sorry that I cannot offer you anything 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.”

  Ganimard smiled, and accepted the proffered seat. Then the prisoner continued:

  “Mon Dieu, how pleased I am to see the face of an honest man. I am so tired of those devils of spies who come here ten times a day to ransack my pockets and 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 contented if they would allow me 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, Ganimard. To what do I owe the honor of this visit?

  “The Cahor
n affair,” declared Ganimard, 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....Ah! yes, now I have it. The Cahorn affair, Malaquis castle, Seine-Inférieure....Two Rubens, a Watteau, and a few trifling articles.”

  “Trifling!”

  “Oh! ma foi, all that is of slight importance. But it suffices to know that the affair interests you. How can I serve you, Ganimard?”

  “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.”

  “I am entirely at your service.”

  “In the first place, the Cahorn affair was managed by you?”

  “From A to Z.”

  “The letter of warning? the telegram?”

  “All mine. I ought to have the receipts somewhere.”

  Arsène opened the drawer of 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 Ganimard.

  “Ah!” exclaimed the detective, in surprise, “I though you were closely guarded and searched, and I find that you read the newspapers and collect postal receipts.”

  “Bah! these people are so stupid! They open the lining of my vest, they examine the soles of my shoes, they sound the walls of my cell, but they never imagine that Arsène Lupin would be foolish enough to choose such a simple hiding place.”

  Ganimard laughed, as he said:

  “What a droll fellow you are! Really, you bewilder me. 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, Ganimard, and since you insist—”

  Arsène Lupin paced his cell two or three times, then, stopping before Ganimard, 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, Ganimard, I thought you knew me better. Do I, Arsène Lupin, ever waste my 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 Malaquis castle. Are you willing?”

  “Yes, proceed.”

  “Well, let 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 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 original method.”

  “And how easy! Let us suppose that one day the owner receives a letter warning him that a notorious burglar known as Arsène Lupin is plotting to rob him. What will he do?”

  “Send a letter to the Procureur.”

  “Who will laugh at him, *because the said Arsène 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 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 that state of affairs, the said Arsène Lupin has requested one of his friends to visit Caudebec, make the acquaintance of the editor of the ‘Réveil,’ a newspaper to which the baron is a subscriber, and let said editor understand that such person is the celebrated detective — then, what will happen?”

  “The editor will announce in the ‘Réveil’ the presence in Caudebec of said detective.”

  “Exactly; and one of two things will happen: either the fish — I 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, the pseudo-detective at first refuses to give any assistance. On top of that comes the telegram from Arsène Lupin. 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 articles by way of the window and lowers them with ropes into a nice little launch chartered for the occasion. Simple, isn’t it?”

  “Marvelous! Marvelous!” exclaimed Ganimard. “The boldness of the scheme and the ingenuity of all its details are beyond criticism. But who is 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?”

  “Arsène Lupin’s personal enemy — the most illustrious Ganimard.”

  “I?”

  “Yourself, Ganimard. And, really, it is 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 America. Hein! the revenge is really amusing: I cause Ganimard to arrest Ganimard.”

  Arsène Lupin laughed heartily. The detective, greatly vexed, bit his lips; to him the joke was quite devoid of humor. The arrival of a prison guard gave Ganimard an opportunity to recover himself. The man brought Arsène Lupin’s luncheon, furnished by a neighboring restaurant. After depositing the tray upon the table, the guard retired. Lupin broke his bread, ate a few morsels, and continued:

  “But, rest easy, my dear Ganimard, you will not go to Malaquis. 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 Sureté.”

  “What of that? Does Mon. Dudouis know my business better than I do myself? You will learn that Ganimard — excuse me — that the pseudo-Ganimard still remains on very good terms with the baron. The latter has authorized him to negotiate a very delicate transaction with me, and, at 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.”

  Ganimard regarded the 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, my dear friend. Out of politeness, I did not wish to read it in your presence. But if you will permit me—”

  “You are joking, Lupin.”

  “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, Ganimard 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. At the request of Arsène 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 w
ell.”

  “One hundred thousand balls?” said Ganimard.

  “Yes, one hundred thousand francs. Very little, but then, you know, these are hard times....And I have some heavy bills to meet. If you only knew my budget.... living in the city comes very high.”

  Ganimard arose. His ill humor had disappeared. He reflected for a moment, glancing over the whole affair in an effort to discover 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.”

  Arsène Lupin assumed a modest air, as he replied:

  “Bah! a person must have some diversion to occupy his leisure hours, especially when he is in prison.”

  “What!” exclaimed Ganimard, “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.”

  “Oh! oh!”

  Arsène 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. Arsène Lupin remains in prison just as long as it pleases him, and 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 he had the honor to effect my arrest. Know then, my worthy friend, that 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 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 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.”