He observed that she wore a wedding-ring. Seeing a locket hanging from her bodice, he stooped and, turning it, found a miniature photograph representing a man of about forty and a lad—a stripling rather—in a schoolboy’s uniform. He studied the fresh, young face set in curly hair:
“It’s as I thought,” he said. “Ah, poor woman!”
The hand which he took between his grew warmer by degrees. The eyes opened, then closed again. She murmured:
“Jacques...”
She recovered consciousness entirely4. But, as she did not speak, Lupin put questions to her, to make her feel a gradual need of unbosoming herself. And he said, pointing to the locket:
“The schoolboy is Gilbert, isn’t he?”
“Yes,” she said.
“And Gilbert is your son?”
She gave a shiver and whispered:
So she was the mother of Gilbert, of Gilbert the prisoner at the Sante, relentlessly7 pursued by the authorities and now awaiting his trial for murder!
Lupin continued:
“And the other portrait?”
“My husband.”
“Your husband?”
“Yes, he died three years ago.”
She was now sitting up. Life quivered in her veins8 once more, together with the horror of living and the horror of all the ghastly things that threatened her. Lupin went on to ask:
“What was your husband’s name?”
She hesitated a moment and answered:
“Mergy.”
He exclaimed:
“Victorien Mergy the deputy?”
“Yes.”
There was a long pause. Lupin remembered the incident and the stir which it had caused. Three years ago, Mergy the deputy had blown out his brains in the lobby of the Chamber9, without leaving a word of explanation behind him; and no one had ever discovered the slightest reason for that suicide.
“Do you know the reason?” asked Lupin, completing his thought aloud.
“Yes, I know it.”
“Gilbert, perhaps?”
“No, Gilbert had disappeared for some years, turned out of doors and cursed by my husband. It was a very great sorrow, but there was another motive10.”
“What was that?” asked Lupin.
But it was not necessary for Lupin to put further questions. Madame Mergy could keep silent no longer and, slowly at first, with all the anguish11 of that past which had to be called up, she told her story:
“Twenty-five years ago, when my name was Clarisse Darcel and my parents living, I knew three young men at Nice. Their names will at once give you an insight into the present tragedy: they were Alexis Daubrecq, Victorien Mergy and Louis Prasville. The three were old acquaintances, had gone to college in the same year and served in the same regiment12. Prasville, at that time, was in love with a singer at the opera-house at Nice. The two others, Mergy and Daubrecq, were in love with me. I shall be brief as regards all this and, for the rest, as regards the whole story, for the facts tell their own tale. I fell in love with Victorien Mergy from the first. Perhaps I was wrong not to declare myself at once. But true love is always timid, hesitating and shy; and I did not announce my choice until I felt quite certain and quite free. Unfortunately, that period of waiting, so delightful14 for those who cherish a secret passion, had permitted Daubrecq to hope. His anger was something horrible.”
“I shall never forget it... The three of us were in the drawing-room. Oh, I can hear even now the terrible words of threat and hatred17 which he uttered! Victorien was absolutely astounded18. He had never seen his friend like this, with that repugnant face, that bestial19 expression: yes, the expression of a wild beast... Daubrecq ground his teeth. He stamped his feet. His bloodshot eyes—he did not wear spectacles in those days—rolled in their sockets20; and he kept on saying, ‘I shall be revenged ... I shall be revenged... Oh, you don’t know what I am capable of!... I shall wait ten years, twenty years, if necessary... But it will come like a thunderbolt... Ah, you don’t know!... To be revenged... To do harm... for harm’s sake... what joy! I was born to do harm... And you will both beseech21 my mercy on your knees, on your knees, yes, on your knees...’ At that moment, my father entered the room; and, with his assistance and the footman’s, Victorien Mergy flung the loathsome22 creature out of doors. Six weeks later, I married Victorien.”
“And Daubrecq?” asked Lupin, interrupting her. “Did he not try...”
“No, but on our wedding-day, Louis Prasville, who acted as my husband’s best man in defiance23 of Danbrecq’s opposition24, went home to find the girl he loved, the opera-singer, dead, strangled...”
“What!” said Lupin, with a start. “Had Daubrecq...”
“It was known that Daubrecq had been persecuting25 her with his attentions for some days; but nothing more was known. It was impossible to discover who had gone in or out during Prasville’s absence. There was not a trace found of any kind: nothing, absolutely nothing.”
“But Prasville...”
“There was no doubt of the truth in Prasville’s mind or ours. Daubrecq had tried to run away with the girl, perhaps tried to force her, to hustle26 her and, in the course of the struggle, maddened, losing his head, caught her by the throat and killed her, perhaps without knowing what he was doing. But there was no evidence of all this; and Daubrecq was not even molested27.”
“And what became of him next?”
“For some years we heard nothing of him. We knew only that he had lost all his money gambling28 and that he was travelling in America. And, in spite of myself, I forgot his anger and his threats and was only too ready to believe that he had ceased to love me and no longer harboured his schemes of revenge. Besides, I was so happy that I did not care to think of anything but my happiness, my love, my husband’s political career, the health of my son Antoine.”
“Antoine?”
“Yes, Antoine is Gilbert’s real name. The unhappy boy has at least succeeded in concealing29 his identity.”
Lupin asked, with some hesitation30:
“At what period did... Gilbert... begin?”
“I cannot tell you exactly. Gilbert—I prefer to call him that and not to pronounce his real name—Gilbert, as a child, was what he is to-day: lovable, liked by everybody, charming, but lazy and unruly. When he was fifteen, we put him to a boarding-school in one of the suburbs, with the deliberate object of not having him too much at home. After two years’ time he was expelled from school and sent back to us.”
“Why?”
“Because of his conduct. The masters had discovered that he used to slip out at night and also that he would disappear for weeks at a time, while pretending to be at home with us.”
“What used he to do?”
“Amuse himself backing horses, spending his time in cafes and public dancing-rooms.”
“Then he had money?”
“Yes.”
“Who gave it him?”
“His evil genius, the man who, secretly, unknown to his parents, enticed31 him away from school, the man who led him astray, who corrupted32 him, who took him from us, who taught him to lie, to waste his substance and to steal.”
“Daubrecq?”
“Daubrecq.”
Clarisse Mergy put her hands together to hide the blushes on her forehead. She continued, in her tired voice:
“Daubrecq had taken his revenge. On the day after my husband turned our unhappy child out of the house, Daubrecq sent us a most cynical33 letter in which he revealed the odious34 part which he had played and the machinations by which he had succeeded in depraving our son. And he went on to say, ‘The reformatory, one of these days... Later on, the assize-court ... And then, let us hope and trust, the scaffold!’”
Lupin exclaimed:
“What! Did Daubrecq plot the present business?”
“No, no, that is only an accident. The hateful prophecy was just a wish which he expressed. But oh, how it terrified me! I was ailing35 at the time; my other son, my little Jacques, had just been born. And every day we heard of some fresh misdeed of Gilbert’s—forgeries, swindles—so much so that we spread the news, in our immediate36 surroundings, of his departure for abroad, followed by his death. Life was a misery37; and it became still more so when the political storm burst in which my husband was to meet his death.”
“What do you mean?”
“A word will be enough: my husband’s name was on the list of the Twenty-seven.”
“Ah!”
The veil was suddenly lifted from Lupin’s eyes and he saw, as in a flash of lightning, a whole legion of things which, until then, had been hidden in the darkness.
Clarisse Mergy continued, in a firmer voice:
“Yes, his name was on it, but by mistake, by a piece of incredible ill-luck of which he was the victim. It is true that Victorien Mergy was a member of the committee appointed to consider the question of the Two-Seas Canal. It is true that he voted with the members who were in favour of the company’s scheme. He was even paid—yes, I tell you so plainly and I will mention the sum—he was paid fifteen thousand francs. But he was paid on behalf of another, of one of his political friends, a man in whom he had absolute confidence and of whom he was the blind, unconscious tool. He thought he was showing his friend a kindness; and it proved his own undoing38. It was not until the day after the suicide of the chairman of the company and the disappearance39 of the secretary, the day on which the affair of the canal was published in the papers, with its whole series of swindles and abominations, that my husband knew that a number of his fellow-members had been bribed40 and learnt that the mysterious list, of which people suddenly began to speak, mentioned his name with theirs and with the names of other deputies, leaders of parties and influential41 politicians. Oh, what awful days those were! Would the list be published? Would his name come out? The torture of it! You remember the mad excitement in the Chamber, the atmosphere of terror and denunciation that prevailed. Who owned the list? Nobody could say. It was known to be in existence and that was all. Two names were sacrificed to public odium. Two men were swept away by the storm. And it remained unknown where the denunciation came from and in whose hands the incriminating documents were.”
“Daubrecq,” suggested Lupin.
“No, no!” cried Madame Mergy. “Daubrecq was nothing at that time: he had not yet appeared upon the scene. No, don’t you remember, the truth came out suddenly through the very man who was keeping it back: Germineaux, the ex-minister of justice, a cousin of the chairman of the Canal Company. As he lay dying of consumption, he wrote from his sick-bed to the prefect of police, bequeathing him that list of names, which, he said, would be found, after his death, in an iron chest in the corner of his room. The house was surrounded by police and the prefect took up his quarters by the sick man’s bedside. Germineaux died. The chest was opened and found to be empty.”
“Daubrecq, this time,” Lupin declared.
“Yes, Daubrecq,” said Madame Mergy, whose excitement was momentarily increasing. “Alexis Daubrecq, who, for six months, disguised beyond recognition, had acted as Germineaux’s secretary. It does not matter how he discovered that Germineaux was the possessor of the paper in question. The fact remains42 that he broke open the chest on the night before the death. So much was proved at the inquiry43; and Daubrecq’s identity was established.”
“But he was not arrested?”
“What would have been the use? They knew well enough that he must have deposited the list in a place of safety. His arrest would have involved a scandal, the reopening of the whole case...”
“So...”
“So they made terms.”
Lupin laughed:
“That’s funny, making terms with Daubrecq!”
“Yes, very funny,” said Madame Mergy, bitterly. “During this time he acted and without delay, shamelessly, making straight for the goal. A week after the theft, he went to the Chamber of Deputies, asked for my husband and bluntly demanded thirty thousand francs of him, to be paid within twenty-four hours. If not, he threatened him with exposure and disgrace. My husband knew the man he was dealing44 with, knew him to be implacable and filled with relentless6 hatred. He lost his head and shot himself.”
“How absurd!” Lupin could not help saying. “How absurd! Daubrecq possesses a list of twenty-seven names. To give up any one of those names he is obliged, if he would have his accusation45 believed, to publish the list itself—that is to say, to part with the document, or at least a photograph of it. Well, in so doing, he creates a scandal, it is true, but he deprives himself, at the same time, of all further means of levying46 blackmail47.”
“Yes and no,” she said.
“How do you know?”
“Through Daubrecq himself. The villain49 came to see me and cynically50 told me of his interview with my husband and the words that had passed between them. Well, there is more than that list, more than that famous bit of paper on which the secretary put down the names and the amounts paid and to which, you will remember, the chairman of the company, before dying, affixed51 his signature in letters of blood. There is more than that. There are certain less positive proofs, which the people interested do not know of: the correspondence between the chairman and the secretary, between the chairman and his counsel, and so on. Of course, the list scribbled53 on the bit of paper is the only evidence that counts; it is the one incontestable proof which it would be no good copying or even photographing, for its genuineness can be tested most absolutely. But, all the same, the other proofs are dangerous. They have already been enough to do away with two deputies. And Daubrecq is marvelously clever at turning this fact to account. He selects his victim, frightens him out of his senses, points out to him the inevitable54 scandal; and the victim pays the required sum. Or else he kills himself, as my husband did. Do you understand now?”
“Yes,” said Lupin.
And, in the silence that followed, he drew a mental picture of Daubrecq’s life. He saw him the owner of that list, using his power, gradually emerging from the shadow, lavishly55 squandering56 the money which he extorted57 from his victims, securing his election as a district-councillor and deputy, holding sway by dint58 of threats and terror, unpunished, invulnerable, unattackable, feared by the government, which would rather submit to his orders than declare war upon him, respected by the judicial59 authorities: so powerful, in a word, that Prasville had been appointed secretary-general of police, over the heads of all who had prior claims, for the sole reason that he hated Daubrecq with a personal hatred.
“And you saw him again?” he asked.
“I saw him again. I had to. My husband was dead, but his honour remained untouched. Nobody suspected the truth. In order at least to defend the name which he left me, I accepted my first interview with Daubrecq.”
“Your first, yes, for there have been others.”
“Many others,” she said, in a strained voice, “yes, many others... at the theatre... or in the evening, at Enghien... or else in Paris, at night ... for I was ashamed to meet that man and I did not want people to know it... But it was necessary... A duty more imperative60 than any other commanded it: the duty of avenging61 my husband...”
“Yes, revenge has been the motive of my conduct and the sole preoccupation of my life. To avenge63 my husband, to avenge my ruined son, to avenge myself for all the harm that he has done me: I had no other dream, no other object in life. That is what I wanted: to see that man crushed, reduced to poverty, to tears—as though he still knew how to cry!—sobbing in the throes of despair...”
“You wanted his death,” said Lupin, remembering the scene between them in Daubrecq’s study.
“No, not his death. I have often thought of it, I have even raised my arm to strike him, but what would have been the good? He must have taken his precautions. The paper would remain. And then there is no revenge in killing64 a man... My hatred went further than that... It demanded his ruin, his downfall; and, to achieve that, there was but one way: to cut his claws. Daubrecq, deprived of the document that gives him his immense power, ceases to exist. It means immediate bankruptcy65 and disaster... under the most wretched conditions. That is what I have sought.”
“But Daubrecq must have been aware of your intentions?”
“Certainly. And, I assure you, those were strange meetings of ours: I watching him closely, trying to guess his secret behind his actions and his words, and he... he...”
“And he,” said Lupin, finishing Clarisse’s thought, “lying in wait for the prey67 which he desires... for the woman whom he has never ceased to love... whom he loves... and whom he covets68 with all his might and with all his furious passion...”
She lowered her head and said, simply:
“Yes.”
A strange duel69 indeed was that which brought face to face those two beings separated by so many implacable things! How unbridled must Daubrecq’s passion be for him to risk that perpetual threat of death and to introduce to the privacy of his house this woman whose life he had shattered! But also how absolutely safe he must feel himself!
“And your search ended... how?” asked Lupin.
“My search,” she replied, “long remained without fruit. You know the methods of investigation70 which you have followed and which the police have followed on their side. Well, I myself employed them, years before either of you did, and in vain. I was beginning to despair. Then, one day, when I had gone to see Daubrecq in his villa48 at Enghien, I picked up under his writing-table a letter which he had begun to write, crumpled71 up and thrown into the waste-paper-basket. It consisted of a few lines in bad English; and I was able to read this: ‘Empty the crystal within, so as to leave a void which it is impossible to suspect.’ Perhaps I should not have attached to this sentence all the importance which it deserved, if Daubrecq, who was out in the garden, had not come running in and begun to turn out the waste-paper-basket, with an eagerness which was very significant. He gave me a suspicious look: ‘There was a letter there,’ he said. I pretended not to understand. He did not insist, but his agitation72 did not escape me; and I continued my quest in this direction. A month later, I discovered, among the ashes in the drawing-room fireplace, the torn half of an English invoice73. I gathered that a Stourbridge glass-blower, of the name of John Howard, had supplied Daubrecq with a crystal bottle made after a model. The word ‘crystal’ struck me at once. I went to Stourbridge, got round the foreman of the glass-works and learnt that the stopper of this bottle had been hollowed out inside, in accordance with the instruction in the order, so as to leave a cavity, the existence of which would escape observation.”
Lupin nodded his head:
“The thing tallies74 beyond a doubt. Nevertheless, it did not seem to me, that, even under the gilt75 layer... And then the hiding-place would be very tiny!”
“Tiny, but large enough,” she said. “On my return from England, I went to the police-office to see Prasville, whose friendship for me had remained unchanged. I did not hesitate to tell him, first, the reasons which had driven my husband to suicide and, secondly76, the object of revenge which I was pursuing. When I informed him of my discoveries, he jumped for joy; and I felt that his hatred for Daubrecq was as strong as ever. I learnt from him that the list was written on a slip of exceedingly thin foreign-post-paper, which, when rolled up into a sort of pellet, would easily fit into an exceedingly limited space. Neither he nor I had the least hesitation. We knew the hiding-place. We agreed to act independently of each other, while continuing to correspond in secret. I put him in touch with Clemence, the portress in the Square Lamartine, who was entirely devoted77 to me...”
“But less so to Prasville,” said Lupin, “for I can prove that she betrays him.”
“Now perhaps, but not at the start; and the police searches were numerous. It was at that time, ten months ago, that Gilbert came into my life again. A mother never loses her love for her son, whatever he may do, whatever he may have done. And then Gilbert has such a way with him... well, you know him. He cried, kissed my little Jacques, his brother and I forgave him.”
“Would to Heaven that I had not forgiven him! Ah, if that hour could but return, how readily I should find the horrible courage to turn him away! My poor child... it was I who ruined him!...” And, pensively78, “I should have had that or any sort of courage, if he had been as I pictured him to myself and as he himself told me that he had long been: bearing the marks of vice79 and dissipation, coarse, deteriorated80.
“But, though he was utterly81 changed in appearance, so much so that I could hardly recognize him, there was, from the point of view of—how shall I put it?—from the moral point of view, an undoubted improvement. You had helped him, lifted him; and, though his mode of life was hateful to me, nevertheless he retained a certain self-respect... a sort of underlying82 decency83 that showed itself on the surface once more... He was gay, careless, happy... And he used to talk of you with such affection!”
She picked her words, betraying her embarrassment84, not daring, in Lupin’s presence, to condemn85 the line of life which Gilbert had selected and yet unable to speak in favour of it.
“What happened next?” asked Lupin.
“I saw him very often. He would come to me by stealth, or else I went to him and we would go for walks in the country. In this way, I was gradually induced to tell him our story, of his father’s suicide and the object which I was pursuing. He at once took fire. He too wanted to avenge his father and, by stealing the crystal stopper, to avenge himself on Daubrecq for the harm which he had done him. His first idea—from which, I am bound to tell you, he never swerved—was to arrange with you.”
“Well, then,” cried Lupin, “he ought to have...!”
“Yes, I know... and I was of the same opinion. Unfortunately, my poor Gilbert—you know how weak he is!—was under the influence of one of his comrades.”
“Vaucheray?”
“Yes, Vaucheray, a saturnine86 spirit, full of bitterness and envy, an ambitious, unscrupulous, gloomy, crafty87 man, who had acquired a great empire over my son. Gilbert made the mistake of confiding88 in him and asking his advice. That was the origin of all the mischief89. Vaucheray convinced him and convinced me as well that it would be better if we acted by ourselves. He studied the business, took the lead and finally organized the Enghien expedition and, under your direction, the burglary at the Villa Marie-Therese, which Prasville and his detectives had been unable to search thoroughly90, because of the active watch maintained by Leonard the valet. It was a mad scheme. We ought either to have trusted in your experience entirely, or else to have left you out altogether, taking the risk of fatal mistakes and dangerous hesitations91. But we could not help ourselves. Vaucheray ruled us. I agreed to meet Daubrecq at the theatre. During this time the thing took place. When I came home, at twelve o’clock at night, I heard the terrible result: Leonard murdered, my son arrested. I at once received an intuition of the future. Daubrecq’s appalling92 prophecy was being realized: it meant trial and sentence. And this through my fault, through the fault of me, the mother, who had driven my son toward the abyss from which nothing could extricate93 him now.”
Clarisse wrung94 her hands and shivered from head to foot. What suffering can compare with that of a mother trembling for the head of her son? Stirred with pity, Lupin said:
“We shall save him. Of that there is not the shadow of a doubt. But, it is necessary that I should know all the details. Finish your story, please. How did you know, on the same night, what had happened at Enghien?”
She mastered herself and, with a face wrung with fevered anguish, replied:
“Through two of your accomplices95, or rather two accomplices of Vaucheray, to whom they were wholly devoted and who had chosen them to row the boats.”
“The two men outside: the Growler and the Masher?”
“Yes. On your return from the villa, when you landed after being pursued on the lake by the commissary of police, you said a few words to them, by way of explanation, as you went to your car. Mad with fright, they rushed to my place, where they had been before, and told me the hideous97 news. Gilbert was in prison! Oh, what an awful night! What was I to do? Look for you? Certainly; and implore98 your assistance. But where was I to find you?... It was then that the two whom you call the Growler and the Masher, driven into a corner by circumstances, decided99 to tell me of the part played by Vaucheray, his ambitions, his plan, which had long been ripening100...”
“To get rid of me, I suppose?” said Lupin, with a grin.
“Yes. As Gilbert possessed101 your complete confidence, Vaucheray watched him and, in this way, got to know all the places which you live at. A few days more and, owning the crystal stopper, holding the list of the Twenty-seven, inheriting all Daubrecq’s power, he would have delivered you to the police, without compromising a single member of your gang, which he looked upon as thenceforth his.”
“Were cut out by his instructions, in anticipation102 of the contest on which he was embarking103 against you and against Daubrecq, at whose house he did the same thing. He had under his orders a sort of acrobat104, an extraordinarily105 thin dwarf106, who was able to wriggle107 through those apertures108 and who thus detected all your correspondence and all your secrets. That is what his two friends revealed to me. I at once conceived the idea of saving my elder son by making use of his brother, my little Jacques, who is himself so slight and so intelligent, so plucky109, as you have seen. We set out that night. Acting110 on the information of my companions, I went to Gilbert’s rooms and found the keys of your flat in the Rue13 Matignon, where it appeared that you were to sleep. Unfortunately, I changed my mind on the way and thought much less of asking for your help than of recovering the crystal stopper, which, if it had been discovered at Enghien, must obviously be at your flat. I was right in my calculations. In a few minutes, my little Jacques, who had slipped into your bedroom, brought it to me. I went away quivering with hope. Mistress in my turn of the talisman111, keeping it to myself, without telling Prasville, I had absolute power over Daubrecq. I could make him do all that I wanted; he would become the slave of my will and, instructed by me, would take every step in Gilbert’s favour and obtain that he should be given the means of escape or else that he should not be sentenced. It meant my boy’s safety.”
“Well?”
Clarisse rose from her seat, with a passionate112 movement of her whole being, leant over Lupin and said, in a hollow voice:
“There was nothing in that piece of crystal, nothing, do you understand? No paper, no hiding-place! The whole expedition to Enghien was futile113! The murder of Leonard was useless! The arrest of my son was useless! All my efforts were useless!”
“But why? Why?”
“Why? Because what you stole from Daubrecq was not the stopper made by his instructions, but the stopper which was sent to John Howard, the Stourbridge glassworker, to serve as a model.”
If Lupin had not been in the presence of so deep a grief, he could not have refrained from one of those satirical outbursts with which the mischievous114 tricks of fate are wont115 to inspire him. As it was, he muttered between his teeth:
“How stupid! And still more stupid as Daubrecq had been given the warning.”
“No,” she said. “I went to Enghien on the same day. In all that business Daubrecq saw and sees nothing but an ordinary burglary, an annexation116 of his treasures. The fact that you took part in it put him off the scent117.”
“Still, the disappearance of the stopper...”
“To begin with, the thing can have had but a secondary importance for him, as it is only the model.”
“How do you know?”
“Very well; but why did the key of the cupboard from which it was stolen never leave the man-servant’s possession? And why, in the second place, was it found afterward119 in the drawer of a table in Daubrecq’s house in Paris?”
“Of course, Daubrecq takes care of it and clings to it in the way in which one clings to the model of any valuable thing. And that is why I replaced the stopper in the cupboard before its absence was noticed. And that also is why, on the second occasion, I made my little Jacques take the stopper from your overcoat-pocket and told the portress to put it back in the drawer.”
“Then he suspects nothing?”
“Nothing. He knows that the list is being looked for, but he does not know that Prasville and I are aware of the thing in which he hides it.”
Lupin had risen from his seat and was walking up and down the room, thinking. Then he stood still beside Clarisse and asked:
“When all is said, since the Enghien incident, you have not advanced a single step?”
“Not one. I have acted from day to day, led by those two men or leading them, without any definite plan.”
“Or, at least,” he said, “without any other plan than that of getting the list of the Twenty-seven from Daubrecq.”
“Yes, but how? Besides, your tactics made things more difficult for me. It did not take us long to recognize your old servant Victoire in Daubrecq’s new cook and to discover, from what the portress told us, that Victoire was putting you up in her room; and I was afraid of your schemes.”
“It was you, was it not, who wrote to me to retire from the contest?”
“Yes.”
“You also asked me not to go to the theatre on the Vaudeville120 night?”
“Yes, the portress caught Victoire listening to Daubrecq’s conversation with me on the telephone; and the Masher, who was watching the house, saw you go out. I suspected, therefore, that you would follow Daubrecq that evening.”
“And the woman who came here, late one afternoon...”
“Was myself. I felt disheartened and wanted to see you.”
“And you intercepted121 Gilbert’s letter?”
“Yes, I recognized his writing on the envelope.”
“But your little Jacques was not with you?”
“No, he was outside, in a motor-car, with the Masher, who lifted him up to me through the drawing-room window; and he slipped into your bedroom through the opening in the panel.”
“What was in the letter?”
“As ill-luck would have it, reproaches. Gilbert accused you of forsaking122 him, of taking over the business on your own account. In short, it confirmed me in my distrust; and I ran away.”
“What a shocking waste of time! And what a fatality125 that we were not able to come to an understanding earlier! You and I have been playing at hide-and-seek, laying absurd traps for each other, while the days were passing, precious days beyond repair.”
“You see, you see,” she said, shivering, “you too are afraid of the future!”
“No, I am not afraid,” cried Lupin. “But I am thinking of all the useful work that we could have done by this time, if we had united our efforts. I am thinking of all the mistakes and all the acts of imprudence which we should have been saved, if we had been working together. I am thinking that your attempt to-night to search the clothes which Daubrecq was wearing was as vain as the others and that, at this moment, thanks to our foolish duel, thanks to the din2 which we raised in his house, Daubrecq is warned and will be more on his guard than ever.”
Clarisse Mergy shook her head:
“No, no, I don’t think that; the noise will not have roused him, for we postponed126 the attempt for twenty-four hours so that the portress might put a narcotic127 in his wine.” And she added, slowly, “And then, you see, nothing can make Daubrecq be more on his guard than he is already. His life is nothing but one mass of precautions against danger. He leaves nothing to chance... Besides, has he not all the trumps128 in his hand?”
Lupin went up to her and asked:
“What do you mean to convey? According to you, is there nothing to hope for on that side? Is there not a single means of attaining129 our end?”
“Yes,” she murmured, “there is one, one only...”
He noticed her pallor before she had time to hide her face between her hands again. And again a feverish130 shiver shook her frame.
He seemed to understand the reason of her dismay; and, bending toward her, touched by her grief:
“Please,” he said, “please answer me openly and frankly131. It’s for Gilbert’s sake, is it not? Though the police, fortunately, have not been able to solve the riddle132 of his past, though the real name of Vaucheray’s accomplice96 has not leaked out, there is one man, at least, who knows it: isn’t that so? Daubrecq has recognized your son Antoine, through the alias133 of Gilbert, has he not?”
“Yes, yes...”
“And he promises to save him, doesn’t he? He offers you his freedom, his release, his escape, his life: that was what he offered you, was it not, on the night in his study, when you tried to stab him?”
“Yes... yes... that was it...”
“And he makes one condition, does he not? An abominable134 condition, such as would suggest itself to a wretch66 like that? I am right, am I not?”
Clarisse did not reply. She seemed exhausted135 by her protracted136 struggle with a man who was gaining ground daily and against whom it was impossible for her to fight. Lupin saw in her the prey conquered in advance, delivered to the victor’s whim137. Clarisse Mergy, the loving wife of that Mergy whom Daubrecq had really murdered, the terrified mother of that Gilbert whom Daubrecq had led astray, Clarisse Mergy, to save her son from the scaffold, must, come what may and however ignominious138 the position, yield to Daubrecq’s wishes. She would be the mistress, the wife, the obedient slave of Daubrecq, of that monster with the appearance and the ways of a wild beast, that unspeakable person of whom Lupin could not think without revulsion and disgust.
Sitting down beside her, gently, with gestures of pity, he made her lift her head and, with his eyes on hers, said:
“Listen to me. I swear that I will save your son: I swear it... Your son shall not die, do you understand?... There is not a power on earth that can allow your son’s head to be touched as long as I am alive.”
“I believe you... I trust your word.”
“Do. It is the word of a man who does not know defeat. I shall succeed. Only, I entreat139 you to make me an irrevocable promise.”
“What is that?”
“You must not see Daubrecq again.”
“I swear it.”
“You must put from your mind any idea, any fear, however obscure, of an understanding between yourself and him... of any sort of bargain...”
“I swear it.”
She looked at him with an expression of absolute security and reliance; and he, under her gaze, felt the joy of devotion and an ardent140 longing141 to restore that woman’s happiness, or, at least, to give her the peace and oblivion that heal the worst wounds:
“Come,” he said, in a cheerful tone, rising from his chair, “all will yet be well. We have two months, three months before us. It is more than I need... on condition, of course, that I am unhampered in my movements. And, for that, you will have to withdraw from the contest, you know.”
“How do you mean?”
“Yes, you must disappear for a time; go and live in the country. Have you no pity for your little Jacques? This sort of thing would end by shattering the poor little man’s nerves... And he has certainly earned his rest, haven’t you, Hercules?”
The next day Clarisse Mergy, who was nearly breaking down under the strain of events and who herself needed repose142, lest she should fall seriously ill, went, with her son, to board with a friend who had a house on the skirt of the Forest of Saint-Germain. She felt very weak, her brain was haunted by visions and her nerves were upset by troubles which the least excitement aggravated143. She lived there for some days in a state of physical and mental inertia144, thinking of nothing and forbidden to see the papers.
One afternoon, while Lupin, changing his tactics, was working out a scheme for kidnapping and confining Daubrecq; while the Growler and the Masher, whom he had promised to forgive if he succeeded, were watching the enemy’s movements; while the newspapers were announcing the forthcoming trial for murder of Arsene Lupin’s two accomplices, one afternoon, at four o’clock, the telephone-bell rang suddenly in the flat in the Rue Chateaubriand.
Lupin took down the receiver:
“Hullo!”
A woman’s voice, a breathless voice, said:
“M. Michel Beaumont?”
“You are speaking to him, madame. To whom have I the honour...”
“Quick, monsieur, come at once; Madame Mergy has taken poison.”
Lupin did not wait to hear details. He rushed out, sprang into his motor-car and drove to Saint-Germain.
Clarisse’s friend was waiting for him at the door of the bedroom.
“Dead?” he asked.
“No,” she replied, “she did not take sufficient. The doctor has just gone. He says she will get over it.”
“And why did she make the attempt?”
“Her son Jacques has disappeared.”
“Carried off?”
“Yes, he was playing just inside the forest. A motor-car was seen pulling up. Then there were screams. Clarisse tried to run, but her strength failed and she fell to the ground, moaning, ‘It’s he... it’s that man... all is lost!’ She looked like a madwoman.”
“Suddenly, she put a little bottle to her lips and swallowed the contents.”
“What happened next?”
“My husband and I carried her to her room. She was in great pain.”
“How did you know my address, my name?”
“From herself, while the doctor was attending to her. Then I telephoned to you.”
“Has any one else been told?”
“No, nobody. I know that Clarisse has had terrible things to bear... and that she prefers not to be talked about.”
“Can I see her?”
“She is asleep just now. And the doctor has forbidden all excitement.”
“Is the doctor anxious about her?”
“He is afraid of a fit of fever, any nervous strain, an attack of some kind which might cause her to make a fresh attempt on her life. And that would be...”
“What is needed to avoid it?”
“A week or a fortnight of absolute quiet, which is impossible as long as her little Jacques...”
Lupin interrupted her:
“You think that, if she got her son back...”
“Oh, certainly, there would be nothing more to fear!”
“You’re sure? You’re sure?... Yes, of course you are!... Well, when Madame Mergy wakes, tell her from me that I will bring her back her son this evening, before midnight. This evening, before midnight: it’s a solemn promise.”
With these words, Lupin hurried out of the house and, stepping into his car, shouted to the driver:
“Go to Paris, Square Lamartine, Daubrecq the deputy’s!”
点击收听单词发音
1 impending | |
a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 din | |
n.喧闹声,嘈杂声 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 distress | |
n.苦恼,痛苦,不舒适;不幸;vt.使悲痛 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 eldest | |
adj.最年长的,最年老的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 relentless | |
adj.残酷的,不留情的,无怜悯心的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7 relentlessly | |
adv.不屈不挠地;残酷地;不间断 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8 veins | |
n.纹理;矿脉( vein的名词复数 );静脉;叶脉;纹理 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9 chamber | |
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10 motive | |
n.动机,目的;adv.发动的,运动的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11 anguish | |
n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦,烦恼 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12 regiment | |
n.团,多数,管理;v.组织,编成团,统制 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13 rue | |
n.懊悔,芸香,后悔;v.后悔,悲伤,懊悔 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14 delightful | |
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
15 ass | |
n.驴;傻瓜,蠢笨的人 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
16 stifled | |
(使)窒息, (使)窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 ); 镇压,遏制; 堵 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
17 hatred | |
n.憎恶,憎恨,仇恨 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
18 astounded | |
v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词);愕然;愕;惊讶 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
19 bestial | |
adj.残忍的;野蛮的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
20 sockets | |
n.套接字,使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 );孔( socket的名词复数 );(电器上的)插口;托座;凹穴 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
21 beseech | |
v.祈求,恳求 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
22 loathsome | |
adj.讨厌的,令人厌恶的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
23 defiance | |
n.挑战,挑衅,蔑视,违抗 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
24 opposition | |
n.反对,敌对 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
25 persecuting | |
(尤指宗教或政治信仰的)迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的现在分词 ); 烦扰,困扰或骚扰某人 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
26 hustle | |
v.推搡;竭力兜售或获取;催促;n.奔忙(碌) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
27 molested | |
v.骚扰( molest的过去式和过去分词 );干扰;调戏;猥亵 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
28 gambling | |
n.赌博;投机 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
29 concealing | |
v.隐藏,隐瞒,遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
30 hesitation | |
n.犹豫,踌躇 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
31 enticed | |
诱惑,怂恿( entice的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
32 corrupted | |
(使)败坏( corrupt的过去式和过去分词 ); (使)腐化; 引起(计算机文件等的)错误; 破坏 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
33 cynical | |
adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的,不信世道向善的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
34 odious | |
adj.可憎的,讨厌的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
35 ailing | |
v.生病 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
36 immediate | |
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
37 misery | |
n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
38 undoing | |
n.毁灭的原因,祸根;破坏,毁灭 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
39 disappearance | |
n.消失,消散,失踪 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
40 bribed | |
v.贿赂( bribe的过去式和过去分词 );向(某人)行贿,贿赂 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
41 influential | |
adj.有影响的,有权势的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
42 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
43 inquiry | |
n.打听,询问,调查,查问 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
44 dealing | |
n.经商方法,待人态度 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
45 accusation | |
n.控告,指责,谴责 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
46 levying | |
征(兵)( levy的现在分词 ); 索取; 发动(战争); 征税 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
47 blackmail | |
n.讹诈,敲诈,勒索,胁迫,恫吓 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
48 villa | |
n.别墅,城郊小屋 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
49 villain | |
n.反派演员,反面人物;恶棍;问题的起因 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
50 cynically | |
adv.爱嘲笑地,冷笑地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
51 affixed | |
adj.[医]附着的,附着的v.附加( affix的过去式和过去分词 );粘贴;加以;盖(印章) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
52 fixed | |
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
53 scribbled | |
v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 );乱画;草草地写;匆匆记下 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
54 inevitable | |
adj.不可避免的,必然发生的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
55 lavishly | |
adv.慷慨地,大方地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
56 squandering | |
v.(指钱,财产等)浪费,乱花( squander的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
57 extorted | |
v.敲诈( extort的过去式和过去分词 );曲解 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
58 dint | |
n.由于,靠;凹坑 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
59 judicial | |
adj.司法的,法庭的,审判的,明断的,公正的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
60 imperative | |
n.命令,需要;规则;祈使语气;adj.强制的;紧急的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
61 avenging | |
adj.报仇的,复仇的v.为…复仇,报…之仇( avenge的现在分词 );为…报复 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
62 bent | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
63 avenge | |
v.为...复仇,为...报仇 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
64 killing | |
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
65 bankruptcy | |
n.破产;无偿付能力 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
66 wretch | |
n.可怜的人,不幸的人;卑鄙的人 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
67 prey | |
n.被掠食者,牺牲者,掠食;v.捕食,掠夺,折磨 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
68 covets | |
v.贪求,觊觎( covet的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
69 duel | |
n./v.决斗;(双方的)斗争 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
70 investigation | |
n.调查,调查研究 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
71 crumpled | |
adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
72 agitation | |
n.搅动;搅拌;鼓动,煽动 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
73 invoice | |
vt.开发票;n.发票,装货清单 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
74 tallies | |
n.账( tally的名词复数 );符合;(计数的)签;标签v.计算,清点( tally的第三人称单数 );加标签(或标记)于;(使)符合;(使)吻合 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
75 gilt | |
adj.镀金的;n.金边证券 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
76 secondly | |
adv.第二,其次 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
77 devoted | |
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
78 pensively | |
adv.沉思地,焦虑地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
79 vice | |
n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
80 deteriorated | |
恶化,变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
81 utterly | |
adv.完全地,绝对地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
82 underlying | |
adj.在下面的,含蓄的,潜在的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
83 decency | |
n.体面,得体,合宜,正派,庄重 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
84 embarrassment | |
n.尴尬;使人为难的人(事物);障碍;窘迫 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
85 condemn | |
vt.谴责,指责;宣判(罪犯),判刑 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
86 saturnine | |
adj.忧郁的,沉默寡言的,阴沉的,感染铅毒的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
87 crafty | |
adj.狡猾的,诡诈的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
88 confiding | |
adj.相信人的,易于相信的v.吐露(秘密,心事等)( confide的现在分词 );(向某人)吐露(隐私、秘密等) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
89 mischief | |
n.损害,伤害,危害;恶作剧,捣蛋,胡闹 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
90 thoroughly | |
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
91 hesitations | |
n.犹豫( hesitation的名词复数 );踌躇;犹豫(之事或行为);口吃 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
92 appalling | |
adj.骇人听闻的,令人震惊的,可怕的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
93 extricate | |
v.拯救,救出;解脱 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
94 wrung | |
绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 ); 握紧(尤指别人的手); 把(湿衣服)拧干; 绞掉(水) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
95 accomplices | |
从犯,帮凶,同谋( accomplice的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
96 accomplice | |
n.从犯,帮凶,同谋 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
97 hideous | |
adj.丑陋的,可憎的,可怕的,恐怖的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
98 implore | |
vt.乞求,恳求,哀求 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
99 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
100 ripening | |
v.成熟,使熟( ripen的现在分词 );熟化;熟成 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
101 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
102 anticipation | |
n.预期,预料,期望 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
103 embarking | |
乘船( embark的现在分词 ); 装载; 从事 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
104 acrobat | |
n.特技演员,杂技演员 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
105 extraordinarily | |
adv.格外地;极端地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
106 dwarf | |
n.矮子,侏儒,矮小的动植物;vt.使…矮小 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
107 wriggle | |
v./n.蠕动,扭动;蜿蜒 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
108 apertures | |
n.孔( aperture的名词复数 );隙缝;(照相机的)光圈;孔径 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
109 plucky | |
adj.勇敢的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
110 acting | |
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
111 talisman | |
n.避邪物,护身符 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
112 passionate | |
adj.热情的,热烈的,激昂的,易动情的,易怒的,性情暴躁的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
113 futile | |
adj.无效的,无用的,无希望的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
114 mischievous | |
adj.调皮的,恶作剧的,有害的,伤人的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
115 wont | |
adj.习惯于;v.习惯;n.习惯 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
116 annexation | |
n.吞并,合并 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
117 scent | |
n.气味,香味,香水,线索,嗅觉;v.嗅,发觉 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
118 inquiries | |
n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 );疑问;探究;打听 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
119 afterward | |
adv.后来;以后 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
120 vaudeville | |
n.歌舞杂耍表演 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
121 intercepted | |
拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 ); 截住; 截击; 拦阻 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
122 forsaking | |
放弃( forsake的现在分词 ); 弃绝; 抛弃; 摒弃 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
123 shrugged | |
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
124 irritation | |
n.激怒,恼怒,生气 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
125 fatality | |
n.不幸,灾祸,天命 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
126 postponed | |
vt.& vi.延期,缓办,(使)延迟vt.把…放在次要地位;[语]把…放在后面(或句尾)vi.(疟疾等)延缓发作(或复发) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
127 narcotic | |
n.麻醉药,镇静剂;adj.麻醉的,催眠的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
128 trumps | |
abbr.trumpets 喇叭;小号;喇叭形状的东西;喇叭筒v.(牌戏)出王牌赢(一牌或一墩)( trump的过去式 );吹号公告,吹号庆祝;吹喇叭;捏造 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
129 attaining | |
(通常经过努力)实现( attain的现在分词 ); 达到; 获得; 达到(某年龄、水平、状况) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
130 feverish | |
adj.发烧的,狂热的,兴奋的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
131 frankly | |
adv.坦白地,直率地;坦率地说 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
132 riddle | |
n.谜,谜语,粗筛;vt.解谜,给…出谜,筛,检查,鉴定,非难,充满于;vi.出谜 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
133 alias | |
n.化名;别名;adv.又名 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
134 abominable | |
adj.可厌的,令人憎恶的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
135 exhausted | |
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
136 protracted | |
adj.拖延的;延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
137 whim | |
n.一时的兴致,突然的念头;奇想,幻想 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
138 ignominious | |
adj.可鄙的,不光彩的,耻辱的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
139 entreat | |
v.恳求,恳请 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
140 ardent | |
adj.热情的,热烈的,强烈的,烈性的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
141 longing | |
n.(for)渴望 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
142 repose | |
v.(使)休息;n.安息 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
143 aggravated | |
使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 ); 使更严重; 激怒; 使恼火 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
144 inertia | |
adj.惰性,惯性,懒惰,迟钝 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
欢迎访问英文小说网 |