Arsène Lupin versus Herlock Sholmes

by Maurice Leblanc

  “Well, now!” exclaimed Lupin, struggling to free himself, “what does this mean? When one of us has conquered the other, what good will it do? You will not know what to do with me, nor I with you. We will remain here like two idiots.”

  The two oars slipped into the water. The boat drifted into the stream.

  “Good Lord, what a fuss you make! A man of your age ought to know better! You act like a child.”

  Lupin succeeded in freeing himself from the grasp of the detective, who, thoroughly exasperated and ready to kill, put his hand in his pocket. He uttered an oath: Lupin had taken his revolver. Then he knelt down and tried to capture one of the lost oars in order to regain the shore, while Lupin was trying to capture the other oar in order to drive the boat down the river.

  “It’s gone! I can’t reach it,” said Lupin. “But it’s of no consequence. If you get your oar I can prevent your using it. And you could do the same to me. But, you see, that is the way in this world, we act without any purpose or reason, as our efforts are in vain since Fate decides everything. Now, don’t you see, Fate is on the side of his friend Lupin. The game is mine! The current favors me!”

  The boat was slowly drifting down the river.

  “Look out!” cried Lupin, quickly.

  Someone on the bank was pointing a revolver. Lupin stooped, a shot was fired; it struck the water beyond the boat. Lupin burst into laughter.

  “God bless me! It’s my friend Ganimard! But it was very wrong of you to do that, Ganimard. You have no right to shoot except in self-defense. Does poor Lupin worry you so much that you forget yourself? … Now, be good, and don’t shoot again! … If you do you will hit our English friend.”

  He stood behind Sholmes, facing Ganimard, and said:

  “Now, Ganimard, I am ready! Aim for his heart! … Higher! … A little to the left … Ah! You missed that time … Deuced bad shot … Try again … Your hand shakes, Ganimard … Now, once more … One, two, three, fire! … Missed! … Parbleu! The authorities furnish you with toy-pistols.”

  Lupin drew a long revolver and fired without taking aim. Ganimard put his hand to his hat: the bullet had passed through it.

  “What do you think of that, Ganimard! Ah! that’s a real revolver! A genuine English bulldog. It belongs to my friend, Herlock Sholmes.”

  And, with a laugh, he threw the revolver to the shore, where it landed at Ganimard’s feet.

  Sholmes could not withhold a smile of admiration. What a torrent of youthful spirits! And how he seemed to enjoy himself! It appeared as if the sensation of peril caused him a physical pleasure; and this extraordinary man had no other purpose in life than to seek for dangers simply for the amusement it afforded him in avoiding them.

  Many people had now gathered on the banks of the river, and Ganimard and his men followed the boat as it slowly floated down the stream. Lupin’s capture was a mathematical certainty.

  “Confess, old fellow,” said Lupin, turning to the Englishman, “that you would not exchange your present position for all the gold in the Transvaal! You are now in the first row of the orchestra chairs! But, in the first place, we must have the prologue … after which we can leap, at one bound, to the fifth act of the drama, which will represent the capture or escape of Arsène Lupin. Therefore, I am going to ask you a plain question, to which I request a plain answer—a simple yes or no. Will you renounce this affair? At present I can repair the damage you have done; later it will be beyond my power. Is it a bargain?”

  “No.”

  Lupin’s face showed his disappointment and annoyance. He continued:

  “I insist. More for your sake than my own, I insist, because I am certain you will be the first to regret your intervention. For the last time, yes or no?”

  “No.”

  Lupin stooped down, removed one of the boards in the bottom of the boat, and, for some minutes, was engaged in a work the nature of which Sholmes could not discern. Then he arose, seated himself beside the Englishman, and said:

  “I believe, monsieur, that we came to the river to-day for the same purpose: to recover the object which Bresson threw away. For my part I had invited a few friends to join me here, and I was on the point of making an examination of the bed of the river when my friends announced your approach. I confess that the news did not surprise me, as I have been notified every hour concerning the progress of your investigation. That was an easy matter. Whenever anything occurred in the rue Murillo that might interest me, simply a ring on the telephone and I was informed.”

  He stopped. The board that he had displaced in the bottom of the boat was rising and water was working into the boat all around it.

  “The deuce! I didn’t know how to fix it. I was afraid this old boat would leak. You are not afraid, monsieur?”

  Sholmes shrugged his shoulders. Lupin continued:

  “You will understand then, in those circumstances, and knowing in advance that you would be more eager to seek a battle than I would be to avoid it, I assure you I was not entirely displeased to enter into a contest of which the issue is quite certain, since I hold all the trump cards in my hand. And I desired that our meeting should be given the widest publicity in order that your defeat may be universally known, so that another Countess de Crozon or another Baron d’Imblevalle may not be tempted to solicit your aid against me. Besides, my dear monsieur—”

  He stopped again and, using his half-closed hands as a lorgnette, he scanned the banks of the river.

  “Mon Dieu! They have chartered a superb boat, a real war-vessel, and see how they are rowing. In five minutes they will be along-side, and I am lost. Monsieur Sholmes, a word of advice; you seize me, bind me and deliver me to the officers of the law. Does that programme please you? … Unless, in the meantime, we are shipwrecked, in which event we can do nothing but prepare our wills. What do you think?”

  They exchanged looks. Sholmes now understood Lupin’s scheme: he had scuttled the boat. And the water was rising. It had reached the soles of their boots. Then it covered their feet; but they did not move. It was half-way to their knees. The Englishman took out his tobacco, rolled a cigarette, and lighted it. Lupin continued to talk:

  “But do not regard that offer as a confession of my weakness. I surrender to you in a battle in which I can achieve a victory in order to avoid a struggle upon a field not of my own choosing. In so doing I recognize the fact that Sholmes is the only enemy I fear, and announce my anxiety that Sholmes will not be diverted from my track. I take this opportunity to tell you these things since fate has accorded me the honor of a conversation with you. I have only one regret; it is that our conversation should have occurred while we are taking a foot-bath … a situation that is lacking in dignity, I must confess … What did I say? A foot-bath? It is worse than that.”

  The water had reached the board on which they were sitting, and the boat was gradually sinking.

  Sholmes, smoking his cigarette, appeared to be calmly admiring the scenery. For nothing in the world, while face to face with that man who, while threatened by dangers, surrounded by a crowd, followed by a posse of police, maintained his equanimity and good humor, for nothing in the world would he, Sholmes, display the slightest sign of nervousness.

  Each of them looked as if he might say: Should a person be disturbed by such trifles? Are not people drowned in a river every day? Is it such an unusual event as to deserve special attention? One chatted, whilst the other dreamed; both concealing their wounded pride beneath a mask of indifference.

  One minute more and the boat will sink. Lupin continued his chatter:

  “The important thing to know is whether we will sink before or after the arrival of the champions of the law. That is the main question. As to our shipwreck, that is a foregone conclusion. Now, monsieur, the hour has come in which we must make our wills. I give, devise and bequeath all my property to Herlock Sholmes, a citizen of England, for his own use and benefit. But, mon Dieu, how quickly the champions of the law are approaching! Ah! The brave fell
ows! It is a pleasure to watch them. Observe the precision of the oars! Ah! Is it you, Brigadier Folenfant? Bravo! The idea of a war-vessel is an excellent one. I commend you to your superiors, Brigadier Folenfant … Do you wish a medal? You shall have it. And your comrade Dieuzy, where is he? … Ah! Yes, I think I see him on the left bank of the river at the head of a hundred natives. So that, if I escape shipwreck, I shall be captured on the left by Dieuzy and his natives, or, on the right, by Ganimard and the populace of Neuilly. An embarrassing dilemma!”

  The boat entered an eddy; it swung around and Sholmes caught hold of the oarlocks. Lupin said to him:

  “Monsieur, you should remove your coat. You will find it easier to swim without a coat. No? You refuse? Then I shall put on my own.”

  He donned his coat, buttoned it closely, the same as Sholmes, and said:

  “What a discourteous man you are! And what a pity that you should be so stubborn in this affair, in which, of course, you display your strength, but, oh! So vainly! Really, you mar your genius—”

  “Monsieur Lupin,” interrupted Sholmes, emerging from his silence, “you talk too much, and you frequently err through excess of confidence and through your frivolity.”

  “That is a severe reproach.”

  “Thus, without knowing it, you furnished me, only a moment ago, with the information I required.”

  “What! You required some information and you didn’t tell me?”

  “I had no occasion to ask you for it—you volunteered it. Within three hours I can deliver the key of the mystery to Monsieur d’Imblevalle. That is the only reply—”

  He did not finish the sentence. The boat suddenly sank, taking both of the men down with it. It emerged immediately, with its keel in the air. Shouts were heard on either bank, succeeded by an anxious moment of silence. Then the shouts were renewed: one of the shipwrecked party had come to the surface.

  It was Herlock Sholmes. He was an excellent swimmer, and struck out, with powerful strokes, for Folenfant’s boat.

  “Courage, Monsieur Sholmes,” shouted Folenfant; “we are here. Keep it up … we will get you … a little more, Monsieur Sholmes … catch the rope.”

  The Englishman seized the rope they had thrown to him. But, while they were hauling him into the boat, he heard a voice behind him, saying:

  “The key of the mystery, monsieur, yes, you shall have it. I am astonished that you haven’t got it already. What then? What good will it do you? By that time you will have lost the battle. … ”

  Now comfortably installed astride the keel of the boat, Lupin continued his speech with solemn gestures, as if he hoped to convince his adversary.

  “You must understand, my dear Sholmes, there is nothing to be done, absolutely nothing. You find yourself in the deplorable position of a gentleman—”

  “Surrender, Lupin!” shouted Folenfant.

  “You are an ill-bred fellow, Folenfant, to interrupt me in the middle of a sentence. I was saying—”

  “Surrender, Lupin!”

  “Oh! Parbleu! Brigadier Folenfant, a man surrenders only when he is in danger. Surely, you do not pretend to say that I am in any danger.”

  “For the last time, Lupin, I call on you to surrender.”

  “Brigadier Folenfant, you have no intention of killing me; you may wish to wound me since you are afraid I may escape. But if by chance the wound prove mortal! Just think of your remorse! It would embitter your old age.”

  The shot was fired.

  Lupin staggered, clutched at the keel of the boat for a moment, then let go and disappeared.

  It was exactly three o’clock when the foregoing events transpired. Precisely at six o’clock, as he had foretold, Herlock Sholmes, dressed in trousers that were too short and a coat that was too small, which he had borrowed from an innkeeper at Neuilly, wearing a cap and a flannel shirt, entered the boudoir in the Rue Murillo, after having sent word to Monsieur and Madame d’Imblevalle that he desired an interview.

  They found him walking up and down the room. And he looked so ludicrous in his strange costume that they could scarcely suppress their mirth. With pensive air and stooped shoulders, he walked like an automaton from the window to the door and from the door to the window, taking each time the same number of steps, and turning each time in the same manner.

  He stopped, picked up a small ornament, examined it mechanically, and resumed his walk. At last, planting himself before them, he asked:

  “Is Mademoiselle here?”

  “Yes, she is in the garden with the children.”’

  “I wish Mademoiselle to be present at this interview.”

  “Is it necessary—”

  “Have a little patience, monsieur. From the facts I am going to present to you, you will see the necessity for her presence here.”

  “Very well. Suzanne, will you call her?”

  Madame d’Imblevalle arose, went out, and returned almost immediately, accompanied by Alice Demun. Mademoiselle, who was a trifle paler than usual, remained standing, leaning against a table, and without even asking why she had been called. Sholmes did not look at her, but, suddenly turning toward Monsieur d’Imblevalle, he said, in a tone which did not admit of a reply:

  “After several days’ investigation, monsieur, I must repeat what I told you when I first came here: the Jewish lamp was stolen by someone living in the house.”

  “The name of the guilty party?”

  “I know it.”

  “Your proof?”

  “I have sufficient to establish that fact.”

  “But we require more than that. We desire the restoration of the stolen goods.”

  “The Jewish lamp? It is in my possession.”

  “The opal necklace? The snuff-box?”

  “The opal necklace, the snuff-box, and all the goods stolen on the second occasion are in my possession.”

  Sholmes delighted in these dramatic dialogues, and it pleased him to announce his victories in that curt manner. The baron and his wife were amazed, and looked at Sholmes with a silent curiosity, which was the highest praise.

  He related to them, very minutely, what he had done during those three days. He told of his discovery of the alphabet book, wrote upon a sheet of paper the sentence formed by the missing letters, then related the journey of Bresson to the bank of the river and the suicide of the adventurer, and, finally, his struggle with Lupin, the shipwreck, and the disappearance of Lupin. When he had finished, the baron said, in a low voice:

  “Now, you have told us everything except the name of the guilty party. Whom do you accuse?”

  “I accuse the person who cut the letters from the alphabet book, and communicated with Arsène Lupin by means of those letters.”

  “How do you know that such correspondence was carried on with Arsène Lupin?”

  “My information comes from Lupin himself.”

  He produced a piece of paper that was wet and crumpled. It was the page which Lupin had torn from his memorandum-book, and upon which he had written the phrase.

  “And you will notice,” said Sholmes, with satisfaction, “that he was not obliged to give me that sheet of paper, and, in that way, disclose his identity. Simple childishness on his part, and yet it gave me exactly the information I desired.”

  “What was it?” asked the baron. “I don’t understand.”

  Sholmes took a pencil and made a fresh copy of the letters and figures.

  “CDEHNOPRZEO—237.”

  “Well?” said the baron; “it is the formula you showed me yourself.”

  “No. If you had turned and returned that formula in every way, as I have done, you would have seen at first glance that this formula is not like the first one.”

  “In what respect do they differ?”

  “This one has two more letters—an E and an O.”

  “Really; I hadn’t noticed that.”

  “Join those two letters to the C and the H which remained after forming the word ‘respondez,’ and you will agree with me t
hat the only possible word is ECHO.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It refers to the Echo de France, Lupin’s newspaper, his official organ, the one in which he publishes his communications. Reply in the Echo de France, in the personal advertisements, under number 237. That is the key to the mystery, and Arsène Lupin was kind enough to furnish it to me. I went to the newspaper office.”

  “What did you find there?”

  “I found the entire story of the relations between Arsène Lupin and his accomplice.”

  Sholmes produced seven newspapers which he opened at the fourth page and pointed to the following lines:

  1. Ars. Lup. Lady implores protection. 540.

  2. 540. Awaiting particulars. A.L.

  3. A.L. Under domin. enemy. Lost.

  4. 540. Write address. Will make investigation.

  5. A.L. Murillo.

  6. 540. Park three o’clock. Violets.

  7. 237. Understand. Sat. Will be Sun. morn. park.

  “And you call that the whole story?” exclaimed the baron.

  “Yes, and if you will listen to me for a few minutes, I think I can convince you. In the first place, a lady who signs herself 540 implores the protection of Arsène Lupin, who replies by asking for particulars. The lady replies that she is under the domination of an enemy—who is Bresson, no doubt—and that she is lost if someone does not come to her assistance. Lupin is suspicious and does not yet venture to appoint an interview with the unknown woman, demands the address and proposes to make an investigation. The lady hesitates for four days—look at the dates—finally, under stress of circumstances and influenced by Bresson’s threats, she gives the name of the street—Murillo. Next day, Arsène Lupin announces that he will be in the Park Monceau at three o’clock, and asks his unknown correspondent to wear a bouquet of violets as a means of identification. Then there is a lapse of eight days in the correspondence. Arsène Lupin and the lady do not require to correspond through the newspaper now, as they see each other or write directly. The scheme is arranged in this way: in order to satisfy Bresson’s demands, the lady is to carry off the Jewish lamp. The date is not yet fixed. The lady who, as a matter of prudence, corresponds by means of letters cut out of a book, decides on Saturday and adds: Reply Echo 237. Lupin replies that it is understood and that he will be in the park on Sunday morning. Sunday morning, the theft takes place.”