Arsène Lupin Versus Herlock Sholmes, Maurice Leblanc [i read a book txt] 📗

“Where did you take her?”

“Avenue des Ternes, corner of the Place Saint-Ferdinand. She remained there about ten minutes, and then returned to the Parc Monceau.”

“Could you recognize the house in the avenue des Ternes?”

“Parbleu! Shall I take you there?”

“Presently. First take me to 36 quai des Orfèvres.”

At the police office he saw Detective Ganimard.

“Monsieur Ganimard, are you at liberty?”

“If it has anything to do with Lupin⁠—no!”

“It has something to do with Lupin.”

“Then I do not go.”

“What! you surrender⁠—”

“I bow to the inevitable. I am tired of the unequal struggle, in which we are sure to be defeated. Lupin is stronger than I am⁠—stronger than the two of us; therefore, we must surrender.”

“I will not surrender.”

“He will make you, as he has all others.”

“And you would be pleased to see it⁠—eh, Ganimard?”

“At all events, it is true,” said Ganimard, frankly. “And since you are determined to pursue the game, I will go with you.”

Together they entered the carriage and were driven to the avenue des Ternes. Upon their order the carriage stopped on the other side of the street, at some distance from the house, in front of a little café, on the terrace of which the two men took seats amongst the shrubbery. It was commencing to grow dark.

“Waiter,” said Sholmes, “some writing material.”

He wrote a note, recalled the waiter and gave him the letter with instructions to deliver it to the concierge of the house which he pointed out.

In a few minutes the concierge stood before them. Sholmes asked him if, on the Sunday morning, he had seen a young woman dressed in black.

“In black? Yes, about nine o’clock. She went to the second floor.”

“Have you seen her often?”

“No, but for some time⁠—well, during the last few weeks, I have seen her almost every day.”

“And since Sunday?”

“Only once⁠ ⁠… until today.”

“What! Did she come today?”

“She is here now.”

“Here now?”

“Yes, she came about ten minutes ago. Her carriage is standing in the Place Saint-Ferdinand, as usual. I met her at the door.”

“Who is the occupant of the second floor?”

“There are two: a modiste, Mademoiselle Langeais, and a gentleman who rented two furnished rooms a month ago under the name of Bresson.”

“Why do you say ‘under the name’?”

“Because I have an idea that it is an assumed name. My wife takes care of his rooms, and⁠ ⁠… well, there are not two shirts there with the same initials.”

“Is he there much of the time?”

“No; he is nearly always out. He has not been here for three days.”

“Was he here on Saturday night?”

“Saturday night?⁠ ⁠… Let me think.⁠ ⁠… Yes, Saturday night, he came in and stayed all night.”

“What sort of a man is he?”

“Well, I can scarcely answer that. He is so changeable. He is, by turns, big, little, fat, thin⁠ ⁠… dark and light. I do not always recognize him.”

Ganimard and Sholmes exchanged looks.

“That is he, all right,” said Ganimard.

“Ah!” said the concierge, “there is the girl now.”

Mademoiselle had just emerged from the house and was walking toward her carriage in the Place Saint-Ferdinand.

“And there is Monsieur Bresson.”

“Monsieur Bresson? Which is he?”

“The man with the parcel under his arm.”

“But he is not looking after the girl. She is going to her carriage alone.”

“Yes, I have never seen them together.”

The two detectives had arisen. By the light of the street-lamps they recognized the form of Arsène Lupin, who had started off in a direction opposite to that taken by the girl.

“Which will you follow?” asked Ganimard.

“I will follow him, of course. He’s the biggest game.”

“Then I will follow the girl,” proposed Ganimard.

“No, no,” said Sholmes, quickly, who did not wish to disclose the girl’s identity to Ganimard, “I know where to find her. Come with me.”

They followed Lupin at a safe distance, taking care to conceal themselves as well as possible amongst the moving throng and behind the newspaper kiosks. They found the pursuit an easy one, as he walked steadily forward without turning to the right or left, but with a slight limp in the right leg, so slight as to require the keen eye of a professional observer to detect it. Ganimard observed it, and said:

“He is pretending to be lame. Ah! if we could only collect two or three policemen and pounce on our man! We run a chance to lose him.”

But they did not meet any policemen before they reached the Porte des Ternes, and, having passed the fortifications, there was no prospect of receiving any assistance.

“We had better separate,” said Sholmes, “as there are so few people on the street.”

They were now on the Boulevard Victor-Hugo. They walked one on each side of the street, and kept well in the shadow of the trees. They continued thus for twenty minutes, when Lupin turned to the left and followed the Seine. Very soon they saw him descend to the edge of the river. He remained there only a few seconds, but they could not observe his movements. Then Lupin retraced his steps. His pursuers concealed themselves in the shadow of a gateway. Lupin passed in front of them. His parcel had disappeared. And as he walked away another man emerged from the shelter of a house and glided amongst the trees.

“He seems to be following him also,” said Sholmes, in a low voice.

The pursuit continued, but was now embarrassed by the presence of the third man. Lupin returned the same way, passed through the Porte des Ternes, and re-entered the house in the avenue des Ternes.

The concierge was closing the house for the night when Ganimard presented himself.

“Did you see him?”

“Yes,” replied the concierge, “I was putting out the gas on the landing when he closed and bolted his door.”

“Is there any person with him?”

“No; he has no servant. He never eats here.”

“Is there a servants’ stairway?”

“No.”

Ganimard said to Sholmes:

“I had better stand at the door of his room while you go for the commissary of police in the rue Demours.”

“And