VII. MADAME IMBERT'S SAFE
At three o'clock in the morning, there were still half a dozencarriages in front of one of those small houses which form only theside of the boulevard Berthier. The door of that house opened, anda number of guests, male and female, emerged. The majority of thementered their carriages and were quickly driven away, leavingbehind only two men who walked down Courcelles, where they parted,as one of them lived in that street. The other decided to returnon foot as far as the Porte-Maillot. It was a beautiful winter'snight, clear and cold; a night on which a brisk walk is agreeableand refreshing.
But, at the end of a few minutes, he had the disagreeableimpression that he was being followed. Turning around, he saw aman sulking amongst the trees. He was not a coward; yet he felt itadvisable to increase his speed. Then his pursuer commenced torun; and he deemed it prudent to draw his revolver and face him.But he had no time. The man rushed at him and attacked himviolently. Immediately, they were engaged in a desperate struggle,wherein he felt that his unknown assailant had the advantage. Hecalled for help, struggled, and was thrown down on a pile ofgravel, seized by the throat, and gagged with a handkerchief thathis assailant forced into his mouth. His eyes closed, and the manwho was smothering him with his weight arose to defend himselfagainst an unexpected attack. A blow from a cane and a kick from aboot; the man uttered two cries of pain, and fled, limping andcursing. Without deigning to pursue the fugitive, the new arrivalstooped over the prostrate man and inquired:
"Are you hurt, monsieur?"
He was not injured, but he was dazed and unable to stand. Hisrescuer procured a carriage, placed him in it, and accompanied himto his house on the avenue de la Grande-Armee. On his arrivalthere, quite recovered, he overwhelmed his saviour with thanks.
"I owe you my life, monsieur, and I shall not forget it. I do notwish to alarm my wife at this time of night, but, to-morrow, shewill be pleased to thank you personally. Come and breakfast withus. My name is Ludovic Imbert. May I ask yours?"
"Certainly, monsieur."
And he handed Mon. Imbert a card bearing the name: "Arsene Lupin."
* * * * *
At that time, Arsene Lupin did not enjoy the celebrity which theCahorn affair, his escape from the Prison de la Sante, and otherbrilliant exploits, afterwards gained for him. He had not evenused the name of Arsene Lupin. The name was specially invented todesignate the rescuer of Mon. Imbert; that is to say, it was inthat affair that Arsene Lupin was baptized. Fully armed and readyfor the fray, it is true, but lacking the resources and authoritywhich command success, Arsene Lupin was then merely an apprenticein a profession wherein he soon became a master.
With what a thrill of joy he recalled the invitation he receivedthat night! At last, he had reached his goal! At last, he hadundertaken a task worthy of his strength and skill! The Imbertmillions! What a magnificent feast for an appetite like his!
He prepared a special toilet for the occasion; a shabby frock-coat,baggy trousers, a frayed silk hat, well-worn collar and cuffs, allquite correct in form, but bearing the unmistakable stamp ofpoverty. His cravat was a black ribbon pinned with a falsediamond. Thus accoutred, he descended the stairs of the house inwhich he lived at Montmartre. At the third floor, withoutstopping, he rapped on a closed door with the head of his cane. Hewalked to the exterior boulevards. A tram-car was passing. Heboarded it, and some one who had been following him took a seatbeside him. It was the lodger who occupied the room on the thirdfloor. A moment later, this man said to Lupin:
"Well, governor?"
"Well, it is all fixed."
"How?"
"I am going there to breakfast."
"You breakfast--there!"
"Certainly. Why not? I rescued Mon. Ludovic Imbert from certaindeath at your hands. Mon. Imbert is not devoid of gratitude. Heinvited me to breakfast."
There was a brief silence. Then the other said:
"But you are not going to throw up the scheme?"
"My dear boy," said Lupin, "When I arranged that little case ofassault and battery, when I took the trouble at three o'clock in themorning, to rap you with my cane and tap you with my boot at therisk of injuring my only friend, it was not my intention to foregothe advantages to be gained from a rescue so well arranged andexecuted. Oh! no, not at all."
"But the strange rumors we hear about their fortune?"
"Never mind about that. For six months, I have worked on thisaffair, investigated it, studied it, questioned the servants, themoney-lenders and men of straw; for six months, I have shadowed thehusband and wife. Consequently, I know what I am talking about.Whether the fortune came to them from old Brawford, as theypretend, or from some other source, I do not care. I know that itis a reality; that it exists. And some day it will be mine."
"Bigre! One hundred millions!"
"Let us say ten, or even five--that is enough! They have a safefull of bonds, and there will be the devil to pay if I can't get myhands on them."
The tram-car stopped at the Place de l'Etoile. The man whisperedto Lupin:
"What am I to do now?"
"Nothing, at present. You will hear from me. There is no hurry."
Five minutes later, Arsene Lupin was ascending the magnificentflight of stairs in the Imbert mansion, and Mon. Imbert introducedhim to his wife. Madame Gervaise Imbert was a short plump woman,and very talkative. She gave Lupin a cordial welcome.
"I desired that we should be alone to entertain our saviour," shesaid.
From the outset, they treated "our saviour" as an old and valuedfriend. By the time dessert was served, their friendship was wellcemented, and private confidences were being exchanged. Arsenerelated the story of his life, the life of his father as amagistrate, the sorrows of his childhood, and his presentdifficulties. Gervaise, in turn, spoke of her youth, her marriage,the kindness of the aged Brawford, the hundred millions that shehad inherited, the obstacles that prevented her from obtaining theenjoyment of her inheritance, the moneys she had been obliged toborrow at an exorbitant rate of interest, her endless contentionswith Brawford's nephews, and the litigation! the injunctions! infact, everything!
"Just think of it, Monsieur Lupin, the bonds are there, in myhusband's office, and if we detach a single coupon, we loseeverything! They are there, in our safe, and we dare not touchthem."
Monsieur Lupin shivered at the bare idea of his proximity to somuch wealth. Yet he felt quite certain that Monsieur Lupin wouldnever suffer from the same difficulty as his fair hostess whodeclared she dare not touch the money.
"Ah! they are there!" he repeated, to himself; "they are there!"
A friendship formed under such circumstances soon led to closerrelations. When discreetly questioned, Arsene Lupin confessed hispoverty and distress. Immediately, the unfortunate young man wasappointed private secretary to the Imberts, husband and wife, at asalary of one hundred francs a month. He was to come to the houseevery day and receive orders for his work, and a room on the secondfloor was set apart as his office. This room was directly overMon. Imbert's office.
Arsene soon realized that his position as secretary was essentiallya sinecure. During the first two months, he had only fourimportant letters to recopy, and was called only once to Mon.Imbert's office; consequently, he had only one opportunity tocontemplate, officially, the Imbert safe. Moreover, he noticedthat the secretary was not invited to the social functions of theemployer. But he did not complain, as he preferred to remain,modestly, in the shade and maintain his peace and freedom.
However, he was not wasting any time. From the beginning, he madeclandestine visits to Mon. Imbert's office, and paid his respectsto the safe, which was hermetically closed. It was an immenseblock of iron and steel, cold and stern in appearance, which couldnot be forced open by the ordinary tools of the burglar's trade.But Arsene Lupin was not discouraged.
"Where force fails, cunning prevails," he said to himself. "Theessential thing is to be on the spot wh
en the opportunity occurs.In the meantime, I must watch and wait."
He made immediately some preliminary preparations. After carefulsoundings made upon the floor of his room, he introduced a leadpipe which penetrated the ceiling of Mon. Imbert's office at apoint between the two screeds of the cornice. By means of thispipe, he hoped to see and hear what transpired in the room below.
Henceforth, he passed his days stretched at full length upon thefloor. He frequently saw the Imberts holding a consultation infront of the safe, investigating books and papers. When theyturned the combination lock, he tried to learn the figures and thenumber of turns they made to the right and left. He watched theirmovements; he sought to catch their words. There was also a keynecessary to complete the opening of the safe. What did they dowith it? Did they hide it?
One day, he saw them leave the room without locking the safe. Hedescended the stairs quickly, and boldly entered the room. Butthey had returned.
"Oh! excuse me," said, "I made a mistake in the door."
"Come in, Monsieur Lupin, come in," cried Madame Imbert, "are younot at home here? We want your advice. What bonds should we sell?The foreign securities or the government annuities?"
"But the injunction?" said Lupin, with surprise.
"Oh! it doesn't cover all the bonds."
She opened the door of the safe and withdrew a package of bonds.But her husband protested.
"No, no, Gervaise, it would be foolish to sell the foreign bonds.They are going up, whilst the annuities are as high as they everwill be. What do you think, my dear friend?"
The dear friend had no opinion; yet he advised the sacrifice of theannuities. Then she withdrew another package and, from it, shetook a paper at random. It proved to be a three-per-cent annuityworth two thousand francs. Ludovic placed the package of bonds inhis pocket. That afternoon, accompanied by his secretary, he soldthe annuities to a stock-broker and realized forty-six thousandfrancs.
Whatever Madame Imbert might have said about it, Arsene Lupin didnot feel at home in the Imbert house. On the contrary, hisposition there was a peculiar one. He learned that the servantsdid not even know his name. They called him "monsieur." Ludovicalways spoke of him in the same way: "You will tell monsieur. Hasmonsieur arrived?" Why that mysterious appellation?
Moreover, after their first outburst of enthusiasm, the Imbertsseldom spoke to him, and, although treating him with theconsideration due to a benefactor, they gave him little or noattention. They appeared to regard him as an eccentric characterwho did not like to be disturbed, and they respected his isolationas if it were a stringent rule on his part. On one occasion, whilepassing through the vestibule, he heard Madame Imbert say to thetwo gentlemen:
"He is such a barbarian!"
"Very well," he said to himself, "I am a barbarian."
And, without seeking to solve the question of their strangeconduct, he proceeded with the execution of his own plans. He haddecided that he could not depend on chance, nor on the negligenceof Madame Imbert, who carried the key of the safe, and who, onlocking the safe, invariably scattered the letters forming thecombination of the lock. Consequently, he must act for himself.
Finally, an incident precipitated matters; it was the vehementcampaign instituted against the Imberts by certain newspapers thataccused the Imberts of swindling. Arsene Lupin was present atcertain family conferences when this new vicissitude was discussed.He decided that if he waited much longer, he would lose everything.During the next five days, instead of leaving the house about sixo'clock, according to his usual habit, he locked himself in hisroom. It was supposed that he had gone out. But he was lying onthe floor surveying the office of Mon. Imbert. During those fiveevenings, the favorable opportunity that he awaited did not takeplace. He left the house about midnight by a side door to which heheld the key.
But on the sixth day, he learned that the Imberts, actuated by themalevolent insinuations of their enemies, proposed to make aninventory of the contents of the safe.
"They will do it to-night," thought Lupin.
And truly, after dinner, Imbert and his wife retired to the officeand commenced to examine the books of account and the securitiescontained in the safe. Thus, one hour after another passed away.He heard the servants go upstairs to their rooms. No one nowremained on the first floor. Midnight! The Imberts were still atwork.
"I must get to work," murmured Lupin.
He opened his window. It opened on a court. Outside, everythingwas dark and quiet. He took from his desk a knotted rope, fastenedit to the balcony in front of his window, and quietly descended asfar as the window below, which was that of the of Imbert's office.He stood upon the balcony for a moment, motionless, with attentiveear and watchful eye, but the heavy curtains effectually concealedthe interior of the room. He cautiously pushed on the doublewindow. If no one had examined it, it ought to yield to theslightest pressure, for, during the afternoon, he had so fixed thebolt that it would not enter the staple.
The window yielded to his touch. Then, with infinite care, hepushed it open sufficiently to admit his head. He parted thecurtains a few inches, looked in, and saw Mon. Imbert and his wifesitting in front of the safe, deeply absorbed in their work andspeaking softly to each other at rare intervals.
He calculated the distance between him and them, considered theexact movements he would require to make in order to overcome them,one after the other, before they could call for help, and he wasabout to rush upon them, when Madame Imbert said:
"Ah! the room is getting quite cold. I am going to bed. And you,my dear?"
"I shall stay and finish."
"Finish! Why, that will take you all night."
"Not at all. An hour, at the most."
She retired. Twenty minutes, thirty minutes passed. Arsene pushedthe window a little farther open. The curtains shook. He pushedonce more. Mon. Imbert turned, and, seeing the curtains blown bythe wind, he rose to close the window.
There was not a cry, not the trace of struggle. With a few precisemoments, and without causing him the least injury, Arsene stunnedhim, wrapped the curtain about his head, bound him hand and foot,and did it all in such a manner that Mon. Imbert had no opportunityto recognize his assailant.
Quickly, he approached the safe, seized two packages that he placedunder his arm, left the office, and opened the servants' gate. Acarriage was stationed in the street.
"Take that, first--and follow me," he said to the coachman. Hereturned to the office, and, in two trips, they emptied the safe.Then Arsene went to his own room, removed the rope, and all othertraces of his clandestine work.
A few hours later, Arsene Lupin and his assistant examined thestolen goods. Lupin was not disappointed, as he had foreseen thatthe wealth of the Imberts had been greatly exaggerated. It did notconsist of hundreds of millions, nor even tens of millions. Yet itamounted to a very respectable sum, and Lupin expressed hissatisfaction.
"Of course," he said, "there will be a considerable loss when wecome to sell the bonds, as we will have to dispose of themsurreptitiously at reduced prices. In the meantime, they will restquietly in my desk awaiting a propitious moment."
Arsene saw no reason why he should not go to the Imbert house thenext day. But a perusal of the morning papers revealed thisstartling fact: Ludovic and Gervaise Imbert had disappeared.
When the officers of the law seized the safe and opened it, theyfound there what Arsene Lupin had left--nothing.
* * * * *
Such are the facts; and I learned the sequel to them, one day, whenArsene Lupin was in a confidential mood. He was pacing to and froin my room, with a nervous step and a feverish eye that wereunusual to him.
"After all," I said to him, "it was your most successful venture."
Without making a direct reply, he said:
"There are some impenetrable secrets connected with that affair;some obscure points that escape my comprehension. For instance:What caused their flight? Why did
they not take advantage of thehelp I unconsciously gave them? It would have been so simple tosay: `The hundred millions were in the safe. They are no longerthere, because they have been stolen.'"
"They lost their nerve."
"Yes, that is it--they lost their nerve...On the other hand, itis true---"
"What is true?"
"Oh! nothing."
What was the meaning of Lupin's reticence? It was quite obviousthat he had not told me everything; there was something he wasloath to tell. His conduct puzzled me. It must indeed be a veryserious matter to cause such a man as Arsene Lupin even a momentaryhesitation. I threw out a few questions at random.
"Have you seen them since?"
"No."
"And have you never experienced the slightest degree of pity forthose unfortunate people?"
"I!" he exclaimed, with a start.
His sudden excitement astonished me. Had I touched him on a sorespot? I continued:
"Of course. If you had not left them alone, they might have beenable to face the danger, or, at least, made their escape with fullpockets."
"What do you mean?" he said, indignantly. "I suppose you have anidea that my soul should be filled with remorse?"
"Call it remorse or regrets--anything you like---"
"They are not worth it."
"Have you no regrets or remorse for having stolen their fortune?"
"What fortune?"
"The packages of bonds you took from their safe."
"Oh! I stole their bonds, did I? I deprived them of a portion oftheir wealth? Is that my crime? Ah! my dear boy, you do not knowthe truth. You never imagined that those bonds were not worth thepaper they were written on. Those bonds were false--they werecounterfeit--every one of them--do you understand? THEY WERECOUNTERFEIT!"
I looked at him, astounded.
"Counterfeit! The four or five millions?"
"Yes, counterfeit!" he exclaimed, in a fit of rage. "Only so manyscraps of paper! I couldn't raise a sou on the whole of them! Andyou ask me if I have any remorse. THEY are the ones who shouldhave remorse and pity. They played me for a simpleton; and I fellinto their trap. I was their latest victim, their most stupidgull!"
He was affected by genuine anger--the result of malice and woundedpride. He continued:
"From start to finish, I got the worst of it. Do you know the partI played in that affair, or rather the part they made me play?That of Andre Brawford! Yes, my boy, that is the truth, and Inever suspected it. It was not until afterwards, on reading thenewspapers, that the light finally dawned in my stupid brain.Whilst I was posing as his "saviour," as the gentleman who hadrisked his life to rescue Mon. Imbert from the clutches of anassassin, they were passing me off as Brawford. Wasn't thatsplendid? That eccentric individual who had a room on the secondfloor, that barbarian that was exhibited only at a distance, wasBrawford, and Brawford was I! Thanks to me, and to the confidencethat I inspired under the name of Brawford, they were enabled toborrow money from the bankers and other money-lenders. Ha! what anexperience for a novice! And I swear to you that I shall profit bythe lesson!"
He stopped, seized my arm, and said to me, in a tone ofexasperation:
"My dear fellow, at this very moment, Gervaise Imbert owes mefifteen hundred francs."
I could not refrain from laughter, his rage was so grotesque. Hewas making a mountain out of a molehill. In a moment, he laughedhimself, and said:
"Yes, my boy, fifteen hundred francs. You must know that I had notreceived one sou of my promised salary, and, more than that, shehad borrowed from me the sum of fifteen hundred francs. All myyouthful savings! And do you know why? To devote the money tocharity! I am giving you a straight story. She wanted it for somepoor people she was assisting--unknown to her husband. And myhard-earned money was wormed out of me by that silly pretense! Isn'tit amusing, hein? Arsene Lupin done out of fifteen hundred francs bythe fair lady from whom he stole four millions in counterfeitbonds! And what a vast amount of time and patience and cunning Iexpended to achieve that result! It was the first time in my lifethat I was played for a fool, and I frankly confess that I wasfooled that time to the queen's taste!"
Arsène Lupin, gentleman-cambrioleur. English Page 7
