Memoirs of Arsène Lupin - Maurice Leblanc (books like beach read TXT) 📗

a boxer suffers from a knockout blow. But when Ralph recovered consciousness he found without the slightest surprise that he was in the same situation as Beaumagnan, like him bound, and like him set with his back against the wall.

He was very little more surprised to see Josephine stretched on two chairs in front of the door, a victim of one of those nervous attacks which too violent emotions, too prolonged always brought on. The blow she had struck Ralph had thrown her into one of them. Leonard was tending her, holding a bottle of smelling-salts to her nostrils.

He must have summoned one of his confederates, for Ralph saw the young man enter whom he knew by the name of Dominique, the young man who had looked after the carriage in front of the house of Bridget Rousselin.

“Damn it!” said the newcomer on perceiving the two captives. “There seems to have been a squabble. Beaumagnan! d’Andresy! The chief does strike hard! Result a fainting fit. What?”

“Yes, but it’s nearly over,” growled Leonard.

“What are we to do?”

“Carry her to the carriage and drive her to the Nonchalante,” growled Leonard.

“And what about me?”

“You’re going to keep guard on these two,” said Leonard nodding towards the prisoners.

“Hang it! They’re awkward customers. I don’t like the job,” said Dominique, scowling at them.

Leonard took Josephine by the shoulders, Dominique by the ankles. They raised her and were carrying her out, when, opening her eyes, she said to them in a voice so low that she could not suppose that Ralph’s hearing was fine enough to catch a syllable of what she said:

“No. I’ll walk all right. You will stay here, Leonard. You’re the best man to guard Ralph.”

“Let me knock him on the head and be done with it,” whispered Leonard. “This young fellow will bring us bad luck.”

“I love him,” she murmured.

“But he doesn’t love you any longer.”

“Yes. He will come back to me. Besides, whatever happens, I’m not going to let him go.”

“Then what do you propose to do?” asked Leonard glumly.

“The Nonchalante should be at Caudebec. I’m going to rest there till early tomorrow morning. I must rest.”

“And the treasure? It will need a gang to handle a stone of that size.”

“Tonight I’ll send word to the Corbus to meet me tomorrow at Jumièges. Then I’ll see to Ralph⁠—unless⁠—But don’t bother me any more now. I’m done,” she muttered.

“But what about Beaumagnan?” he persisted.

“We’ll set him free when I have the treasure.”

“Aren’t you afraid that that girl will inform the police? It would be an easy job for them to surround this old lighthouse.”

“Nonsense! Do you think she’s going to put the police on the track of her father and Ralph?” said Josephine.

She sat up on one of the chairs and fell back again with a groan. Some minutes passed. At last with an effort which seemed to exhaust her she succeeded in standing upright, and resting on Dominique, went to Ralph.

“He’s insensible,” she murmured. “Guard him carefully, Leonard, and the other too. If one of them gets away, the game’s up.”

She went away slowly. Leonard accompanied her to the old barouche and in a little while came back, after padlocking the gate. He brought with him a parcel containing food. Then they heard the sound of hoofs on the stony road.

Ralph had already discovered that he was securely bound. He said to himself: “The chief is growing rather feeble. Firstly in talking about the steps she proposes to take before witnesses; secondly in entrusting stout fellows like Beaumagnan and me to the care of a single man. Those are mistakes which prove that she’s in a bad state of health.”

All the same it was true that Leonard’s experience would render any attempt to escape uncommonly difficult.

“Leave those ropes alone,” he said to Ralph as he entered. “If you don’t I’ll plug you on the jaw.”

This formidable jailor took every precaution to make his task easy. After running them through the back of a chair he tied together the ends of the two ropes which bound the prisoners. Then he propped the chair on two legs so that it would fall over easily, and on it he set the dagger that Josephine had given him. If one of the prisoners stirred the chair would fall over.

“You’re less stupid than you look,” said Ralph.

“Shut your mouth or I’ll plug you on the jaw,” said Leonard.

He set about making a meal.

Ralph chanced saying: “I hope you’re enjoying it. If there’s any over, don’t forget me.”

Leonard rose with his fists clenched.

“All right: I’ll shut up,” said Ralph.

Leonard sat down again.

The hours passed. It grew dusk. Beaumagnan appeared to be asleep. Leonard smoked pipe after pipe, Ralph scolded himself for having been so careless as not to have kept an eye on Josephine.

“I ought to have been distrusting her all the time,” he said to himself. “I’ve a long way to go yet to make her value me at my true worth. But what decision! What a clear view of the reality! And what a freedom from scruples! Just one single defect which prevents the monster from being perfect⁠—her nervous system of a degenerate. And lucky for me it is today that she has that nervous system, since it will allow me to get to Mesnil-sous-Jumièges before her.”

He had not the slightest doubt that it was possible to escape from Leonard. He had observed that the bonds which bound his ankles were loosened by certain movements, and feeling sure of getting his right leg free, he considered with satisfaction the effect of a kick on the point of Leonard’s jaw. After that, hell for leather to the treasure!

The darkness thickened in the room. Leonard lit a candle, smoked a last pipe, and drank a last glass of wine. After that he became so sleepy that he nodded first to the right and then to the left with such vigor that he nearly fell off his chair. Then he tried holding the candle in his