The Crystal Stopper - Maurice Leblanc (best ereader for epub .txt) 📗

note which Daubrecq wrote to Prasville:

“Within reach of your hand, my dear Prasville!⁠ ⁠… You touched it! A little more and the trick was done⁠ ⁠…”

Nothing seemed to have moved since that day. The same things were lying about on the desk: books, account-books, a bottle of ink, a stamp-box, pipes, tobacco, things that had been searched and probed over and over again.

“The bounder!” thought Lupin. “He’s organized his business jolly cleverly. It’s all dovetailed like a well-made play.”

In his heart of hearts, though he knew exactly what he had come to do and how he meant to act, Lupin was thoroughly aware of the danger and uncertainty attending his visit to so powerful an adversary. It was quite within the bounds of possibility that Daubrecq, armed as he was, would remain master of the field and that the conversation would take an absolutely different turn from that which Lupin anticipated.

And this prospect angered him somewhat.

He drew himself up, as he heard a sound of footsteps approaching.

Daubrecq entered.

He entered without a word, made a sign to Lupin, who had risen from his chair, to resume his seat and himself sat down at the writing-desk. Glancing at the card which he held in his hand:

“Dr. Vernes?”

“Yes, monsieur le député, Dr. Vernes, of Saint-Germain.”

“And I see that you come from Mme. Mergy. A patient of yours?”

“A recent patient. I did not know her until I was called in to see her, the other day, in particularly tragic circumstances.”

“Is she ill?”

“Mme. Mergy has taken poison.”

“What!”

Daubrecq gave a start and he continued, without concealing his distress:

“What’s that you say? Poison! Is she dead?”

“No, the dose was not large enough. If no complications ensue, I consider that Mme. Mergy’s life is saved.”

Daubrecq said nothing and sat silent, with his head turned to Lupin.

“Is he looking at me? Are his eyes open or shut?” Lupin asked himself.

It worried Lupin terribly not to see his adversary’s eyes, those eyes hidden by the double obstacle of spectacles and black glasses: weak, bloodshot eyes, Mme. Mergy had told him. How could he follow the secret train of the man’s thought without seeing the expression of his face? It was almost like fighting an enemy who wielded an invisible sword.

Presently, Daubrecq spoke:

“So Mme. Mergy’s life is saved⁠ ⁠… And she has sent you to me⁠ ⁠… I don’t quite understand⁠ ⁠… I hardly know the lady.”

“Now for the ticklish moment,” thought Lupin. “Have at him!”

And, in a genial, good-natured and rather shy tone, he said:

“No, monsieur le député, there are cases in which a doctor’s duty becomes very complex⁠ ⁠… very puzzling⁠ ⁠… And you may think that, in taking this step⁠ ⁠… However, to cut a long story short, while I was attending Mme. Mergy, she made a second attempt to poison herself⁠ ⁠… Yes; the bottle, unfortunately, had been left within her reach. I snatched it from her. We had a struggle. And, railing in her fever, she said to me, in broken words, ‘He’s the man⁠ ⁠… He’s the man⁠ ⁠… Daubrecq the deputy⁠ ⁠… Make him give me back my son. Tell him to⁠ ⁠… or else I would rather die⁠ ⁠… Yes, now, tonight⁠ ⁠… I would rather die.’ That’s what she said, monsieur le député⁠ ⁠… So I thought that I ought to let you know. It is quite certain that, in the lady’s highly nervous state of mind⁠ ⁠… Of course, I don’t know the exact meaning of her words⁠ ⁠… I asked no questions of anybody⁠ ⁠… obeyed a spontaneous impulse and came straight to you.”

Daubrecq reflected for a little while and said:

“It amounts to this, doctor, that you have come to ask me if I know the whereabouts of this child whom I presume to have disappeared. Is that it?”

“Yes.”

“And, if I did happen to know, you would take him back to his mother?”

There was a longer pause. Lupin asked himself:

“Can he by chance have swallowed the story? Is the threat of that death enough? Oh, nonsense it’s out of the question!⁠ ⁠… And yet⁠ ⁠… and yet⁠ ⁠… he seems to be hesitating.”

“Will you excuse me?” asked Daubrecq, drawing the telephone, on his writing-desk, toward him. “I have an urgent message.”

“Certainly, monsieur le député.”

Daubrecq called out:

“Hullo!⁠ ⁠… 822.19, please, 822.19.”

Having repeated the number, he sat without moving.

Lupin smiled:

“The headquarters of police, isn’t it? The secretary-general’s office⁠ ⁠…”

“Yes, doctor⁠ ⁠… How do you know?”

“Oh, as a divisional surgeon, I sometimes have to ring them up.”

And, within himself, Lupin asked:

“What the devil does all this mean? The secretary-general is Prasville⁠ ⁠… Then, what?⁠ ⁠…”

Daubrecq put both receivers to his ears and said:

“Are you 822.19? I want to speak to M. Prasville, the secretary-general⁠ ⁠… Do you say he’s not there?⁠ ⁠… Yes, yes, he is: he’s always in his office at this time⁠ ⁠… Tell him it’s M. Daubrecq⁠ ⁠… M. Daubrecq the deputy⁠ ⁠… a most important communication.”

“Perhaps I’m in the way?” Lupin suggested.

“Not at all, doctor, not at all,” said Daubrecq. “Besides, what I have to say has a certain bearing on your errand.” And, into the telephone, “Hullo! M. Prasville?⁠ ⁠… Ah, it’s you, Prasville, old cock!⁠ ⁠… Why, you seem quite staggered! Yes, you’re right, it’s an age since you and I met. But, after all, we’ve never been far away in thought⁠ ⁠… And I’ve had plenty of visits from you and your henchmen⁠ ⁠… In my absence, it’s true. Hullo!⁠ ⁠… What?⁠ ⁠… Oh, you’re in a hurry? I beg your pardon!⁠ ⁠… So am I, for that matter⁠ ⁠… Well, to come to the point, there’s a little service I want to do you⁠ ⁠… Wait, can’t you, you brute?⁠ ⁠… You won’t regret it⁠ ⁠… It concerns your renown⁠ ⁠… Hullo!⁠ ⁠… Are you listening?⁠ ⁠… Well, take half-a-dozen men with you⁠ ⁠… plain-clothes detectives, by preference: you’ll find them at the night-office⁠ ⁠… Jump into a taxi, two taxis, and come along here as fast as you can⁠ ⁠… I’ve got a rare quarry for you, old chap. One of the upper ten⁠ ⁠… a lord, a marquis Napoleon himself⁠ ⁠… in a word, Arsène Lupin!”

Lupin sprang to his feet. He was prepared for everything but this. Yet something within him stronger than astonishment, an impulse of his whole nature, made him say,