The evening world., 1911-01-20

NSas 80 N'h6 -
not ne the Needle. as I have done. $50
warshouoA"
-As . place ef refuge. thenf" -.
Yes. NO doubt. in times of invssion
ana during the civil wars. But In real
destination was TO below shall r.pat
itf-ths strong room or the bank sfais
kings q France"
The round of blows increased. rn0vS
distinctly now. Ganimard must have
broken down the first door and was
attacking the second. There was a
short silence and then more blows.
nearer stiil. II was the third door. Two
remained.
Through one of the windows BeautSe-
lot saw q number of fishing xmacks
sailing round the Needle and. not far
away. floating on the waters like a
great black fsh. the torpedo boat. "a
what q row." exclaimed Lupln.
''one can't hear ones self speaki Lses
20 upstairs. shall ws7 II may interest,"
you to look over the Needle"
They climbed TO tho floor above. which
was protected. like the others. By a
door which Lupln locked behind thin.
MY picture gallery" he said.
asN wall v 'VNNt0a ~
on which Beautrelet recognised ~
most famous signatures. They W.
Raphael's Madonna Of tbs Asnss d.
Andrea del Sarto's Portrait of Luey0lk
Fede, Tltian's Saiome. Bottceiirs
donna and Angels and numbers Of IT,
torettos. Carpaccios. Rembrandts. N
lasquez.
What nne c~opies!" said Beautrsist.
approvingly. -~h
Lupin looked at him with an ar OF
stupefactlon: p
What Copies! You must be mad
The copies are IN Madrid. my dear Eel.
low, In Florence. Venice. Munich. Am.
sterdam."
Are tho original pictures, my -.
patiently collected In all the museums
Of Europe. where | nave replaced thsnr.
Ike an honest man. with hrst rate
copies"
but some day or other 80
Some day or other the fraud WI he
discovered? Well, they will md my Sag
nature on a %canvas-at the back-ani
they viii know that II was I who have
endowed my country with tho Original
masterpieces. After all. / have only 1ops
what Napoleon did In Italy--oh. look.
Beautrrletl Here are NJ. de Gesvress
four HubCnses!"--
The knOcNing continued within the hol-
low OF the Needle without ceasins.
81 can't stand this" laid Lap1n,
Lets 80 higher"
\ fresh staircase. a fresh door. SOD
The tapestry ROOM" Lupin announced
Tho tapestries were not hung on che
walls, but rolled, tied up with cord,
! ticketed, and, In addition. there, were
parcels OF OLD fabrics which Lupin In
folded: wonderful brocades. admirable
v~elvets. soft, faded silks, church vest
ments woven with silver and gold
They went higher sim and Besutrelet
saw the room containing the clocks AMI
other tin epieces, tho book room-oh. the
splendid bindings. the precious. undf<
covera6le volumes, the unique copies
stolen from the great public libraries,-.
the lace room. the ~knicknack room. .r
And each time the circumference OF
the room grew smaller.
And each time now the sound OF
knocking was more distant. Ganfmard
was losing ground.
''rhls is the last room" said LupinA
'@The treasury
This one was quite different. II was
round also, hut very high, and conical In
shape. II occupied the top OF the edtice
and It's Moor must have been hfteen or
twenty yards below the extreme point 81
the Needle.
on the cliff side there was no window.
But on the side OF the sea. whence tAnge
were no indiscreet eyes to fear. two
glazed openings admitted plenty Of MT.
The ground was covered with . par-
quoted flooring OF rsret wood. formtdt
concrete patterns. Against the ualls
Go BE Cen0Dus1l