Arsene Lupin

ckly, struggling to keep back the tears of relief. She did not see the Duke gallop up the slope, dismount, and hand over his h

in a gay, ringing voice, and pulled out his watch. "Five to the minute-that's all right

bearing. His air, his voice, were entirely careless. He was a man whos

down himself; and Sonia handed him a cup of tea with

ghting a duel?"

already?" said the D

d Germaine. "Why

d, your Grace?" sa

" said the Duke

wedding-cards, Sonia," said Germaine sharpl

ermaine said, "Did you

t?" said the Duke; and there was a faint mocking light in his

e been fighting about some wom

bout a woman, it could on

ly be about Sonia, or my maid," said Germa

" said the Duke. "I was in a bad temper; and

t me, it wasn't really worth while fighting," s

deepened a little

has been killed in a duel about Mademoiselle Gournay-Martin.' That would have sound

g to annoy me again," s

dream of, my dear girl,

s? Is he wounded

of bed for the next six months," said t

ious!" cri

ood. He has a touch of enteritis; and for enter

narily mobile face, changing with every passing mood. Sometimes his eyes met hers; and hers fell before them. But as soon as they turned away from her she was watching him again,

from his pocket, and said to Germaine, "It must

sclosed a pearl pendan

e!" she crie

not entirely desirable. The pearls did not improve the look of her rather coarse brown skin; and her skin added nothing to the beauty of the pearls. Sonia saw this, and so did the

incapable even of suspecting that so expen

dness! Are all those inv

o the letter V," sa

g the whole world. You'll have to have the Madeleine enlarged. It won't

Germaine. "There'll be something like

have careful arrangemen

s. They'll remember it better if the

shoulders, and turning to Sonia, said, "Will you be an angel and play me a little Grie

oiselle Kritchnoff has her wor

orsel of Grieg, I beg," said the

dgingly. "But I've something i

and Mademoiselle Sonia." Germaine frowned and shrugged her shoulders. "With yo

important!" c

uke, smiling. "Look! isn't it nice?" And he took a

most appalling faces," said Germaine,

"But they're not appalling faces-not by any means. You shall be judge, Mademoiselle Sonia. The faces-well, we won'

aid Germaine

said the Duke, with an air of resignation; and he took the p

y that we've had a paper-knife and a Loui

ke in a sudden shout t

necklace,"

" cried

given a paper-knife, and you shout 'hurrah!' I say we've been given a pearl n

klace is from one of your father's

y?" said

t be from the Faubourg Saint-Germain, and

; we

They balance; the equilibrium is restored. You can't hav

and bit her lip;

rap about me," s

ou adorable,"

you do it on purpose. I think it's in very bad taste.

Duke; and he laughed again, with a blithe, boyish cheerfu

rious about anyt

rious man in Euro

e window and stared

ppreciation. Between addressing the envelopes Sonia kept glancing at him. Once he caught her eye, and smiled at her. Germaine's b

f mine staring from the walls and have taken away the quite adm

topped in the middle of addressing an envelope;

e where that tapestry hangs. What ha

fun of us again

e knows what happ

ent you all the papers three years ago

ago I was in the neighbourhood of the So

ques. All Paris was talking of it," sa

stole it?"

ll quickly to the gap i

ow you,"

middle of the panel over which the portrait of th

NE L

k of that autogra

d the Duke in a tone

ms that he always does so," sa

s he?" sai

know who Arsene Lupin is?"

lightest notion,

ief in France. For the last ten years he has kept the police at bay. He has baffled Ganimard, Holmlock Shears, the great English detective, and even Guerchar

unch at a restaurant," said the

has a thousand disguises. He has dined tw

w did they learn that?" said

ey noticed that one of the guests had disappeared,

hem?" sai

card behind him with thes

s a restitution. You took the

oax, wasn't it?

affair of the Daray Bank-the savings bank for poor people?" said S

ier who doubled his fortune at the expense of a hea

rything he had in his strong-box. He didn't leave him a sou of the money. And then, when h

're talking about-it's a ph

ine in a peevish tone. "There was a lot of phil

think of it, that robbery was not worthy of this national hero. My portrait

trait, you're very much mistaken. All my fat

y're better guarded than the Bank of France. Your fa

too careful of them. Tha

couch before the gap in the pictures, to go into the matter more

complice," s

hat?" aske

said G

?" said the Duke. "You're getting qu

ng papa received a letter-but wait. Sonia,

net and a sixteenth-century Italian cabinet-for all the world as if it were standing in a crowded curiosity shop-with the natural effect that the three pieces, by their mere incongruity, took so

ressed to M. Gournay-Martin, Collector, at

he envelope and t

d handwriti

refully," s

tly formed. It looked the handwriting of a man who knew exactly what he

AR

ving been introduced to one another; but I flatt

k signed Boulle, and various other objects of less importance. But above all I have set my heart on that coronet which you bought at the sale of the Marquise de Ferronaye, and which was formerly worn by the unfortunate Princesse de Lamballe. I take the greatest interest in this coronet: in the first place, on account of the

o forward them, addressed to me, carriage paid, to the Batignolles Station. Failin

trouble to which I am pu

very si

NE LU

ll take this extra trouble cheerfully. I am aware, of course, that some of the best judges declare that a picture loses some of its quality when seen through glass. Bu

, this is extraordinarily funny. It

ld have seen his face. He took it

ding the things to Batignol

of the seventh. It was arranged that they should come from Rennes by the last train so that the burglars should have no warning of their coming. Well, they came, seven picked men-men who had seen service in Tonquin. We gave them supper; and then the corporal posted them in the hall and the two drawing-rooms where the pictures and things were. At eleven we all went to bed, after promising the corporal that, in the ev

ed drama

said t

it wa

done?" sai

s had gone, tapestries had gone, cabi

onet too?" s

make up for not getting it that Lupin stole your portrait. At any

otized the corporal and the six soldiers? O

eren't any soldiers. The corporal was Lupin, and

"The colonel promised your father a c

as guiding them to the chateau, sleeping like logs in the little wood half a mile from the inn. Of course the innkeeper could not explain when their wine was drugged. He could only tell us that a motorist, who had stopped at the inn to get some supper, had called the soldiers in an

de a thorough job of it

could not find a single clue. It was not for want of trying, for he hates Lupi

ver as they make '

know, I shouldn't be at all surprise

do you mean?"

s. That silver statuette now-it was on the cabinet, and we found it moved to the piano. Yet nobody had to

hey have!" s