The Washington herald., 1915-04-11

him."
My words failed to reassure her
However, she said no more, fearing
no doubt, lest ] should think her trou
blesome.
AS for myself, l opened my news
papers aid read the reports of Ar
sene Lupin's trial. They contained
nothing that was not already known
and they interested me but slightly
Moreover, | was tired, had had =
poor night, felt my eyelids growing
heavy, and my head began to nod.
but surely, Sir, you are not going
to Sleep"
The lady snatchcd my paper from
my hands, and looked at me with in.
dIgnation.
Certainly not" | replied. 81 have
And | struggled hard, fixing my
eyes on the landscape, on the clouds
that streaked the sky. And soon all
this became confused in space. the
image OF the excited lady and the
drowsy man was obliterated in my
mind, and | was filled with the great,
| deep silence of sleep.
1t was soon made agreeable by
light and incoherent dreams, in which
being who played the part and bore
the name of Arsenc Lupin occupied
certain place. He turned and shift
ed on the horizon, his back laden with
valuables, clambering over walls and
stripping countryhouses of their con-
tents.
But the outline of this being, who
had ceased 10 be Arscne Lupin, grew
| more distinct. He came toward me,
grew bigger and bigger, leaped into
the carriage with incredible agility
and fell full upon my chest.
A sharp pain X "a piercing
scream | awoke. The man, my
fellow traveller, with one knee on
my chest, was clutching my throat.
| saw this very dimly, for my eyes
were shot with blood. | also saw the
lady IN a corner writhing in a vio-
lent fit of Mysteries / did not even at
tempt to resist. l should not have had
the strength for it had | wished to-:
my temples were throbbing, | choked
= = my throat ratified. = s = Another
minute and l should have been suf-
located.
The man must have felt this. He
loosened his grip. Without leaving
hold Of me, with his right hand he
stretched a rope, in which he had
prepared slipknot. and, with a quick
turn, tied my wrists together. In a
moment | was bound. gaggcd-ren-
dcred motIonlesS and helpless
And he performed this task in the
most natural manner in the world,
with an ease that revealed the knowl-
edge OF a master, of an expert in
theft and crime. Not word, not
fevcred movement. Sheer GOODNESS
and audacity. And there lay l on the
seat, roped up like mummy, Ar
sene Lupin!
1t was really ridiculous. And not
withstanding the seriousness of the
circumstances | could not but apprc-
clate and almost enjoy the irony OF
the situation. Arsenc Lupin done
like novice, stripped like the first
conner, For OF course the scoundrel
relieved me of my pocketbook and
purse! Arsene Lupin victimized in his
turn-duped and beaten! What an ad-
vcnturci
There remained the lady. He took
no notice of her at all He contcnted
himself with picking up the wrist bag
that lay on the floor and extracting
the jewels, the purse, the gold and
SILVER knlcknacks which it contained.
The lady opened her eyes. shuddered
with fright, took off her rings and
handed them to the man as though
she wished to spare him any super
fluous exertion. He took the rings.
and looked at her. She tainted away.
Then, calm and silent as before,
without troubling about us further,
he resumed his seat. lit a cigarette.
and abandoned himself to careful
scrutiny of the treasures which he
had captured, the inspection of which |
seemed to satisfy him completely.
| w; much less satisfied. | am not
speaking of the twelve thousand |
francs OF which | had been undulv |
this was a loss which / |
accepted only for the time: | had |
no doubt that those twelve thousand |
francs would return to my possession
after short interval, together with
the exceedingly important papers
which my pocketbook contained
plans. estimates, specifications, adj
dresses, lists OF correspondents, let
terS of compromising character But,
tor the moment, more immediate
and serious care was worrying me-
What was to happen next?
As may readily be imagined, the
caused by my passing
through the Care Saint-Lazare had
not escaped me. As | was going to
stay with friends who knew me by
he name of Gui!laume Berlat, and to
whom my resemblance to Arsene Lu-
Din was the occasion of many a
friendly jest, | had not been able to
iisguise myself after my wont. and
ny presence had been discovered.
Moreover, a man, doubtless Arsene
-upin, had been seen to rush from
he EXPRESS into the fast train. Hence
was inevitable and fated that the
of police at Rouen, warn
ID by telegram, would await the ar
ival of the train, assisted by a re-
pectable number of constables, ques-
ion any suspicious passengers, and
roc""d to make a minute inspection
II tnc carriages.
And TO avoid this annoying catas-
rophc, what could | do, entangled as
was in my bonds?
And the train was speeding toward
,ouen. the next and the only stop
ing place: it rushed through Vernon,
through Saint-Pierre.
was puzzled also by another prob
I'm i'm which | was not so directly