The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1918-10-17
SEVENTEEN (continued>

And ii [ give you my word
of honor, Monsieur lie President
to return the moment my task is
done and give myself up?
Valenglay struck the table with
his fist and, raising his voice, adj
dressed Don Luis with certain
genial familiarity:
Come, Arsene Lupin,'' he
said, play the game! If you
really want to have your way,
pay for it! Hang it all, remember
chat after all this business, and
especially after the incidents OF
last night, you and Florence Lee
vassenr VII be to the public what
you already are; the responsible
actors in the tragedy; nay, more,
the real and only criminals. And it
is now, when Florence Levasseur
has taken to her heels, that you
come and ask for your liberty
Very well, but damn it, set a
price to it and don t haggle with
me!
II am not haggling, Monsieur
President, declared Don Luis, III
q very straightforward manner
more extraordinary and tremend-
GUS than you imagine. But if it
were twice as extraordinary and
twice as tremendous, it would not
count once Florence Levasseur s
life is in danger. Nevertheless,
was entitled to try for a less ex-
pensive transaction. OF this your
words remove all hope I will
therefore lay my cards upon the
table, as you demand, and as l
had made up my mind to do. 2
! He sat down opposite Valen-
CLAY, IN the attitude Of a man
treating with another on equal
terms.
II shall not be long. A single
sentence, Monsieur lie President,
will express the bargain which
am proposing to the Prime Min
lister of my country
And looking Valenglay straight
in the eyes, he said slowly, syll-
able by syllable:
In exchange for "a hours lib
erty and no more, undertaking on
my honor to return here tomor-
row morning and to return here
either with Florence, to give you
every proof of her innocence, or
without her, to constitute myself
a prisoner, I offer you
He took his time and, in SER
Icns voice, concluded:
. [ offer you a kingdom, Mon
slonr lie President du Conseil. =
The sentence sounded bombas-
tic and ludicrous, sounded silly
enough to provoke shrug of the
shoulders, sounded like one of
those sentences which only an I'M
beetle or lunatic could utter.
And yet Valenglay remained i'm.
passive. He knew that, in such
circumstances as the present, the
man before him was not the man
to indulge in TESTING.
And he knew it so fully that.
instinctively, accustomed as he
was to momentous political ques-
tons In which secrecy is of the
utmost Importance, he cast a
glance toward the Project of Po-
lice, as though M. Desmalion s
presence in the room hindered
him.
I positively insist, said Don
Lsiis, that Monsieur lie Project
de Police shall stay and hear
what | have to say. He is better
able than any one else to appre-
eIate the value Of it,; and he will
bear witness to its correctness in
certain particulars. 2
Speak said Valenglay.
His curiosity knew no bounds.
He did not much care whether
IS - Il. cut,iti nav.
any practical results. I'm his heart
he did mot believe IN it. But what
he wanted to know was the
lengths to which that demon 81
asldacity Was prepared to go, and
ON what new prodigious adyen-
s1n ~ he based the ..seteas a