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Show I TIE B01FESSI01S OF USEE LIPl-BY MijEJIi II LUPIN'S MARRIAGE fl "Monsieur Arscuo Lupin has the B honor to inform you of his approaching ! marriago with Madoiuoiscllo Angoliquc fl do Sarzcau-Vendome, Princosso do 9 Bourbon-Condo, and to request tho fl pleasure of your company at tho-wed- fl cling, which will take placo at tho fl church of Sainlc-CIotilde. . " fl "The Due do Sarzeau-Vcndouio has fl the honor io inform you of the ap- fl proaching marriage of his daughter I Angolique, Priucesso do Bourbon- B Conde, with Monsieur Arseno Lupin, fl and to request. . , ." H Jean Due do Sarzcau-Vcndomo could I not finish reading the invitations which H ho held in his trembling hand. Palo H with anger, his lone, lean body shak- B ing with tremors: H "Thorol" ho gasped, handing the two communications to his daughter, "This is what our friends havo re- fl ccived! This has boon tho talk of H Paris sinco vesterdayl What do you H gay to that dustardly insult, Angoliquol K What would your poor mother say to it, I if she wore alivo?" ."',., Angelique was tall and thin hko bor H father, skinnv and angular liko him. B She was 33 years of ace, always dressed D in black stuff, shy and rotiring in inan- M ner, with a head too small in propor- tion to her height and narrowed on H either side until the nose Boomed to I jut forth in protest against such parsi- I niony. And yet it would be impossible f io say that sho was ugly, for her oyos were cxtremoly beautiful, soft and grave, proud and a little sad: pathetic eyes which to sco once was to remom- ! CSho flushed with' shame at hearing her father's words, which told her the scandal of which sho was tho victim. Bur, as she loved him, notwithstanding his harshness to her, his injustice and despotism, sho said: "Oh, 1 think it must be meant for a M joke, father, to which we need pay no R attention I" "A joke? Why, everyone is gos- I sininp about it! A dozen papers have l printed the confounded notice this morning, with satirical comments. They 1 quote our pedigree, our ancestors, our it illustrious dead. Thoy pretend to take m rhe thing seriously.-" I "Still, no one could Dolieve . . . ' "Of cpurso not. But that doesn't 1 prevent us from being the by-word of f "U will all bo forgotten by tomor- jl ' "Tomorrow, my girl, people. will rc- S member that tho namo of Angelique de jt b'arzenu-Ycndome has been bandied 1 about as it should not be. Oh, if 1 in could find out tho name of tho scound- jl rel who has dared ..." J At that moment., Hyacinthe, tho f dulccs valet, came in and said that I monsieur lc due was wanted on the tole- I phone. Still fuming, he took down tho 2 receiver and prowled: 1 "Well? who is it? Yes, it's the 1 Due de Sarzcau-Vendomo speaking." 1 A voice replied: jf "I want to apologize to you mon- sicur lo due, and to Mllo. Angelique. 1 It's my secretary 's fault." 1 "Your secretary?" I "Yes, the invitations were only a I . rough draft which I meant to submit to I you. Unfortunately my secretary I "But, tell mo, monsieur, who arc I " What, monsieur lc due, don't you know my voice? Tho voice of j'our future fu-ture son-in-law?" "Arsenc Lupin," The duke dropped into" a chair. His "Arsenc Lupin ... it is ho I . . Arseno Lupin. . - ." Angelique gave a smile: , ! "You see, father, it's only a joko, But the" duke's rage broke out afresh and be began to walk up and down, moving his arms; "T shall go" to the police! . . . The fellow can 't be allowed to make a .ool of me in this way! ... If j there's any lav.' loft in the land, it I tnt'st bo stopped!" I Hyacinthe entered the room again. I ' Hp brought two visiting cards. 1 "ChotoisJ Lcpetit? Don't know I "Thoy are both journalists, monsieur 1 'l " Vhat do they want?" 1 "Tln-.v would like to speak to mon- s'cur Jo" due with regard to . . . tho marriage . . ." flV "Turn them out!" exclaimed the ft h.J'o. "Kick them out! And tell the porter not to admit scum of that sort to tuv howso in future. " I "Please, father . . ." Angelique flfl ventured to say.- flfi "As for you, shut up! If 3ou had BB po'isciilud to marry one of your cousins BB when 1. wanted you to this wouldn't BI havo happened." 1 Tho fcumo evening, one of the two re- flH port r is printed, on the front page of his paper, a somewhat fanciful story o flB his expedition to the family mansion BB ot the Sarzeau-Vcudomcs, in tho liue flB 'lc Yarenncs, and expatiated pleasant- Bfl '-y "I'0" t,ic nobleman's wrathful flB protest h. flfl Tho next morninjr. another no.wsna flB l,l'r published an iutnrviow with Ar- flB sc,ie "I'l'i v.iiich vus supposed to flH have taken place in a obby at tbe flH Opera. Arscne Lupin retorted in a BO letter to tho editor: flH "I share 1113' prospective falhor-in- flfl law's indignation to the full. The send- flH iug out of the invitations was a gross BB breach of etiquette for which I am not flfl responsible, but for which T wish to flfl make a public apology. Why, sir, the flfl date of the marriago is not yet fixed. BB k"'0'3 father suggestn early in flfl Ma-. Sho and I think that six weeks flfl is really too long to wait! . . ." B That which gavo a special piquancy flfl to tho affair and added immensely to the onjoymcnt of the friends of .the fll family was the duke's well-known fll character: his pride and the nncom- B promising nature of his ideas and prin- B riplcs. Due Jean was the last descond- B ant of the Barons do Sarzean, the most ancient family in Brittany; he B was the lineal descendant of that Sar- B zcau who, upon marrying a Vendome, B refused to bear the new title which B Louis XV forced upon him until after B he had been imprisoned for ten vcar? B in the Bastile; and ho had abandoned B none of the prejudices of tho old re- B gimc. Tn his youth, ho followed the B Comte de Chambord into exile. In his Hfl old ago, ho refused a poat in tho Cham- Hfl bcr on tho pretext that a Sarzeau could B only sit with hjs peers. B The incident stung him to tho quick. B rothing could pacify him. lie cursed B Lupin in good round terms, threat- HH oned him with every sort of punish- II ment and rounded On his daughter: flH "There, if you had only married I B . . After all you had plonty of chances. Your three cousins, Mnssy, B d'l'niboiso and C'norchos, are noble- fll men of good descent, allied to the best families, fairly well off; and they are still anxious to marry you. Why do you refuse them? All, becausu miss is a dreamer, a sentimentalist; and bo-cause bo-cause her cousins are too fat, or too thin, or too coarso for her " She was, in fact, a dreamer. Loft to her own devices .from childhood, sho had rend all the books of chivalry, all tho colorless romances of olden-timo olden-timo that, littered the ancestral presses; and she looked upon life as a fairy-lulo in which tho beauteous maidens maid-ens " are always happy, while tho othors wait till death for tho bridegroom bride-groom who does not come. Why should she marry one of her cousins when they wero only nftcr her money, the millions which she had inherited from her mother7 Sho might as well remain an old maid and go on dreaming. dream-ing. . . . Sho answered, gently: "You will end by making yourself ill, father. Forget this silly business." But how could he forget it? Every Ev-ery morning, some pin-prick renewed his wound. Three days running, An-gcliquo An-gcliquo received a wonderful sheaf of flowora, with Arseno Lupin's card pooping poop-ing from it. Tho duke could not go to his club but a friend accosted him. "That was a good one today!" "What was?" j "Why, your son-in-law's latest! BTaven't you seen it? llore, read it for 3'oursolf: 'M Arseno Lupin is petitioning pe-titioning tho council of stato for permission per-mission to add his wifo's name to his own and to bo known henceforth aB Lupin de Sarzoau-Vendome.' " And, the next day, ho read: .. "As the young "bride, by virtue of an unrepealed decroc of Charles X, bearB the title and anna of tho Bour-bon-Condes, of whom sho is tho heiress-of-linc, tho eldest son of the Lupins do Sarzoau-Vendome will be styled Prince do Bourbon-Condo." -And, the day after, an advertisement: advertise-ment: "Exhibition of Mile, de Sarzcau-Tendomo's Sarzcau-Tendomo's trousseau at Messrs. 's Great Linen Warehouse. Each article marked with initials L. S. A7." Then an illustrated paper published a photographic scone: the duke, his daughtor and his son-in-law sitting at a table playing three-handed auction- Drnige. And tho date also was announced with a great flourish of trumpets: tho 4th of Maj. And particulars wero given of tho marriage settlement. Lupin showed himself wonderfully disinterested. He was prepared to sign, the newspapers said, with his eyes closed, without knowing the figure of tho dowry. All these things drove tho old duke crazy. His hatred of Lupin assumed morbid proportions. Much as it went against tho grain, he called on tho prefect pre-fect of police, who advised him to bo on his guard: "We know tho gcntloman's ways; he is employing one of his favorite dodges. Forgive the expression, mon-siour mon-siour lc due, but he is 'nursing' you. Don't fall into the trap." "What dodge? What trap?" asked tho duke, anxiously. "He is trying to make you lose your head and to lead you, by intimidation, to do something which "you would refuse" re-fuse" to do in cold blood." "'Still, M, Arsenc Lupin can hardly hope that T will offer him my daughter's daugh-ter's hand.!" "No, but he hopes that you will commit, com-mit, to put it mi Id It, a blunder." "What blunder?" "Exactly that blunder which he wants you' to commit." "Then vou think, monsieur le prefect. pre-fect. . . 7" "I think the best thing you- can do, monsieur lc due, is to go home, or, if all this excitement worries you, to run down to the country and stay there quietly, without upsetting yourself." This conversation only increased tho old duke's fears. Lupin appeared to him in tho light, of a terrible person, who employed diabolical methods and kept accomplices in every Bphere of society. so-ciety. Prudence was the watchword. And life, from that moment, becamo intolerable. The duke grow moro crabbed and silent than ever and denied de-nied his door to all his old friends and even to Angcliquc's three suitors, her Cousins Mussy, d'Em'boiso and dc Oaorches, who were none of thorn on speaking terms with the others, in consequence con-sequence of their rivalry, and who were in .the habit of calling, turn and turn about, evc-ry week. For no earthlv reason, ho dismissed his butler and his coachman. But ho dared not fill their places, for fear of engaging creatures of Arseno Lupin's; ai.d his own man, Hyacinthe, in whom ho had every confidence, having had him in his scrvlco for over forty years, had to take upon himself the laborious duties of tho stables and the pantry. "Come, father," said Angelique, trying to make him listen to common sense. "I rcall3 can't seo what you are afraid of. No one can force me into this ridiculous marriage." "Well, of course, that's not what I'm afraid of," "What then, father?" "How can I tell? An abduction! A burglary! An act of violenco! There is no doubt that the villain is scheming something; and there is also no doubt that we are surrounded by spies." One afternoon, ho received n nows-papcr nows-papcr in which the following paragraph was marked in red pencil: "The signing of the marriago contract con-tract is fixed Jor this evening, at the Sarzcau-Vcndomo townhouso. It will bo quite a privato ceremony and only a -few privileged friends will be present to congratulate the happy pair, Tho witnesses wit-nesses to tho contract on behalf of Mile, de Sarzcau-Vondorae, the Prince de la iiochcfoucauId-Lunours and the "Comto de Chartres, will bo introduced by M. Arsenc Lupin to the two gentlemen who havo claimed tho honor of acting as hiH groomsmen, namely, tho prefect of police and the governor of tho Sante prison." Ten minutes later, tho duke sent his servant Hyacinthe to the post with three express messages. At 4 o'clock, in Angeiiqiic's presence, ho saw the three cousins: Muss', fat, heavy, pasty-faced; d'Emboise, slender, fresh-colored fresh-colored and shy; Caorches, short, thin, and unhealthy-looking: all threo, old bachelors by this time, lacking distinction distinc-tion in dress or appearanco. The meoting was a short ono, Tho duko had workod out hiB whole plan of campaign, a defensive- campaign, of which ne 6et forth the first stage in explicit ex-plicit terms: "Angoliquo and I will leave Paris tonight for our placo in Brittany. I rely on you, my three nephews, to help us got away. You, d'Emboise. will como and fetch us in your car, with tho hood up. You, Mussy, will bring your big motor and kindly see to the luggage lug-gage with Hyacinthe, my man. You, Caorches. will go to the Gare d 'Orleans and book our berths in thq sleeping car for Vannes by tho 10:40 train. J.s that settled?" Tho rest of tho day passed without incident. The duke, to avoid any accidental ac-cidental indiscretion, waited until after dinner to toll Hyacinthe to pack a trunk and a portmanteau. Hyacinthe was to accompany them, ns well aa Angoliquo An-goliquo 's maid. At 0 o'clock, all tho other servants went to bed, by their master's order. At ten minutes to 10, the duko,. who was completing his preparations, hoard the sound of a motor horn. Tho porter opened the gatosg the courtyard. The duko, standing at. tho window, recognized recog-nized d'Emboiso's lnndaulotte: "Tell him I. shall be down presently," present-ly," he said -to Hyacinthe, "and let mademoiselle know.' In a few minutes, as Hyueiutho did not return, ho left his room. But he was attacked on the landing by two masked men, who gagged and bound him before ho could utter a cry. And one of the men said to him, in a low voice: "Take this as a first warning, monsieur mon-sieur lo due. .If you persist in leaving Paris and refusing your consent, it win bo a more serious, matter." And tho same man said to his companion; com-panion; "Keep an eye on him. I will see to the young lady." By that, time, two other confederates had secured the lady's muid; and An gcliquo, horself gagged, lay fainting on a couch in her boudoir. She came to almost immediately, under un-der tho stimulus of a bottlo of salts held to her nostrils, and, when she opened her eyes; sho saw bending over her a young man, in evening clothes, with a smiling and friendly face, who said: "I imploro your forgiveness, mademoiselle. made-moiselle. All these happenings are a triflo sudden and this behavior rathor out. of the way. But circumstances often of-ten compel us to deeds of which our conscience con-science does not approve. Pray pardon me. ' ' He took her hand very gently and slipped a broad gold ring on tho"girl's finger, saying: "There, now wc are engaged. t Never, forget tho man who gave yon this ring. Ho entreats you not to run away from him . . . and t.6 stay in Paris and await the proofs of his devotion. Have faith inhini." lie said all this in so serious and ro-spoctful ro-spoctful a voice, with so much author ity and deference, that sho had not the strength to resist. Their 03'cs mot. He whispered: "The exquisite purity of your oyos! It would bo heavenly to live with those e3'cs upon one. Now close them. ..." lie withdrew. His accomplices followed fol-lowed suit. Tho car drovo off, and tho house in tho Rue do Varennes remained still and silent until tho momont when Angelique, regaining completo consciousness, con-sciousness, called out for the servants. They found the duke, Hyacinthe, the lady.'s maid and tho porter' and his wifo all tightly bound. A fow priceless ornaments or-naments had disappeared, as wol! as the duke's pocket-book " and all his jewelry; tie pins, pearl studs, watch and. so on. Tho police wero advisod without delay. de-lay. In the morning it appeared that, on the evening before. d'Emboise, whon leaving his house in the motor car, was stabbed by his own chauffeur and thrown, half dead, into a deserted street. Mussy nnd Caorches had each received re-ceived a telephone message, purporting to come from the duke, countermanding their attendance. Next week, without troubling further about the police investigation, without obeying the summons of tho examining magistrate, without even reading Arsenc Ar-senc Lupin's letters to the papers on "the Araronnes Flight," the duko, his daughter nnd his valot stealthily took a slow train for Vannos and arrived one evening, at the old foudal castlo that towers over tho headland of Sarzoan. Tho duko at once organized a defence with the aid of the Breton peasants, true medieval vassals to a man. On the fourth day Mussy arrivod, on tho fifth, Caorches, and, on the seventh, d'Emboise, whose wound was not as se-voro se-voro as had been feared. The duke waited two days longer before be-fore communicating to those about him what, now that his escape had succeeded in spite of Lupin, ho called tho second part of his plan. Ho did so, in the presenco of the three cousins, by a dictatorial dic-tatorial order to Angelique, expressed in these peremptory 'tonus: "All this bother is upsetting mo terribly. ter-ribly. I have entered on a struggle with this man whose daring you have seen for yourself; and the struggle Is killing mo. I want to end it at all costs. There is only one way of doing so, An-geliquo, An-geliquo, and that is for you to release me from all responsibility by accepting the hand of one of vour eonsinn. Bnfnro a month is out. j'ou must bo the wife of Mussy, Caorches or d'Emboiso. You have a free choice. Mako your decision." de-cision." For four whole days Angelique wont and entreated her father, but in vain. She felt that he would bo inflexible and that she must end by submitting to his wishes. Sho acceptod: "Whichever you please, father. J love nono of them. So I may as well bo unhappy with one as with the other." Thereupon a fresh discussion ensued, as tho duke wanted to compel her to mnke her own choico. She stood firm. Reluctantly and for financial considerations, considera-tions, ho namod d'Emboise. The banns wero published without delay. de-lay. From that momont, the watch in and around tho castle was increased twofold, two-fold, all tho more inasmuch as Lupin's silence and the sudden cessntion of the campaign which ho had been conducting in tho press could not but alarm the Due do Sarzcau-Vcndomo. Tt was obvious ob-vious that the enemy was getting ready to strike and would ondcavor to oppose the marriago by ono of his characteristic character-istic moves. Nevertheless, nothing happened: nothing two days before tho ceremony; nothing on tho day before; nothing on the morning itself. The marriage took placo in tho mayor's offico, followed bv tho religious colobration in church; and the thing was done. Then and not till then, tho duke breathed frecl3 Notwithstanding his daughter's, sadness, notwithstanding the embarrassod silence of his son-in-law, who found the situation a little trying, he rubbed his hands with an air of pleasure, as though he had achieved a brilliant victory: 1 "Toll -them to lower the drawbridge," draw-bridge," he said to Hvacinthe, "and to admit everybody. Wo havo nothing more to fear from that scoundrel." After tho wedding breakfast, ho had wine' served out to the peasants and clinked glasses with them. Thoy danced and sang. At 3 o'clock ho returned to the ground floor rooms. It was tho hour tor his afternoon nap. Ho walked to the guardroom at tho end of the suite. But ho had no sooner placed his foot on tho threshold than ho stopped suddenly and exclaimed: "What are you doing here, d'Emboise? d'Em-boise? Is this a joko?" D'Emboise wus standing before him, dressed as a Breton fisherman, in a dirty jacket and breeches, torn, patched nnd many sizes too large for him. The duko seemed dumfouuded. Ho stared with eyes of amazement, at that face which ho knew and which, at tho same time, roused memories of a very distant past within his brain, Then ho. si.rodo. abruptly to ono of the windows win-dows overlooking the castle tcrrnce and called: "Angelique!" "What is it, father?" she asked, coming forward. "Whore's your husband?" "Over thoro, father," said Angelique, Ange-lique, pointing to d'lQmboisc, who was smoking a cigarutte and reading, some way off. The duko stumbled and fell into a chair, with a great shudder of fright: "Oh, 1 shall go mad! " But the man in the Ilslierman 'a garb knelt down before him and taid "Look :itme, iinch!. You know me, don't you? F'm your nephew, the one who used to play' here in the old days, the ono whom .you called .lacquot . . . J ust. tli ink a minute . . . Hero, look at. this scar. . "Yes, yes," stammered the duko, '' I recognize you. It 's Jacques. But the otho.- one. . . . " Ho put. his hands to his head: "And yet, no, it can't bo. . Explain yourself .' . .1 don't understand un-derstand ... I don't want to un-t un-t dorstand. . . . " Thoro was a pause, during which the newcomer shut tho window nnd closod the door leading to the next room. Then hp came up to tho old duke, touched him gently on the shouldor, to wake him from his torpor, and without further profaco, as though to cut short any explanation that was not absolutely absolute-ly nccesary, spoke as follows: "Four 3'ears ago, that ib to say, in tho eleventh year of my voluntary exile wheu I settled in tho oxtrcmo south of Algcrin, I inndo the acquaintauco, in tho course of a hunting oxnedition arranged ar-ranged by a big Arab chief, of a man whoso geniality, whose charm of manner, man-ner, whose consummate prowess, whose indomitable pluck, whose combined humor hu-mor and depth of mind fascinated me in tho highest degree. The Comto d'An-dresy d'An-dresy spent six weeks as mv guest. After he left, we kept up a correspondence correspond-ence nt regular intervals, I. also often saw his namo in tho papers in tho so-ciet3r so-ciet3r and sporting columns. He was to come back and J was preparing to receive re-ceive him, throe months ago, when, ono evening as I was out riding, my two Arab attendants flung themsolvcs upon me, bound me, blindfolded mo and ttfok mo, traveling day and night, for a week, along deserted roads, to a baj-on baj-on tho coast, where fivo men nwaitcd them. I was at once carried on board a small steam yacht, which weighed anchor without dolaj. Thoro was nothing noth-ing to tell me who the men were nor what their object was in kidnaping I me. They had locked mo into a narrow nar-row cabin, secured by a massivo door nnd lightod by a port hole protected by two iron cross-bnrs. Every morning ! a hand was inserted through a hatch between tho next cabin and my own and placed on my bunk two or three pounds of bread, a good helping of food and a flagon of wine and removed tho remains of 3'esterday's meals, which 1 put there for the purpose. From time , to time, at night, the yacht slopped and I heard tho sound of the boat rowing to some harbor and then roturning, doubt-loss doubt-loss with provisions. Then wc set out j once moro, without hurrying, as though , on a cruise of people ot our class, who travel for pleasure and are not pressed for time. Sometimes, standing on a chair, I would see tho coastline, through my port hole, too indistinctly, however, to locate it. And this lasted for weeks, i One morning, in the ninth week, I perceived per-ceived that the hatch had boon left unfastened un-fastened and I pushed it open. The I cabin was empty at the time. With an effort, I was a"blo to take a nail file from a dressing table. Two wooks after that, by dint of patient perseverance, I had succeeded in filing through tho bars of my port hole and E could havo escaped es-caped that wa3, onl3', though I am a good swimmer, T soon grow tired. 1 ad therefore to choose a moment wheu the yacht was not too far from tho land. It was not until 3'esterday that, perched on 1113- chair, 1 caught sight of the coast; anil, in the oveuing, at sunset, sun-set, I recognized, to ni3' astonishment, the outlines of the Chateau do Sarzeau, with its pointed turrets and its square keep. 1 wondered if this was tho goal of my mysterious voyage. All night long, we cruised in the offing. The samb all day yesterda3'. At last, this morning, wc put in at a distance which I considered favorable, all the more so as wo were steaming through rocks under un-der cover of which I could swim unob- serveu. uut, ,iust 113 WIlR aooui 10 make m' escape, I noticed that the shutter of the hatch, which thoy thought the3' had closed, had once more oponed of itself and was flapping against tho partition. 1 again jpushed it a,-jar from curiosity. Within arm's longth was a little cupboard which 1 managed to open and in which my hand, groping at random, laid hold of a bundle bun-dle of papers. This consisted of letters, let-ters, letters containing instructions addressed ad-dressed to tho pirates who held me prisoner. An hour later, whon I wriggled through the port hole and slipped into the sea, I know all: the reasons for my abduction, tho means emplo3'cd, tho object in view and the infamous Bcheme plotted during the last threo months against, tho Due do Sar-zeau-Veudomo and his daughter. Unfortunately, Un-fortunately, it was too late. J, was obliged, in order not to be soon from tho 3'acht, to crouch in the clofL of a rock and did not reach laud until mid da3r. By the timo that 1 had been to a fisherman's cabiu, exchanged my clothes for his and como ou hore, it was 3 o'clock. On my arrival, I learned that Angelique 's marriage was celebrated this morning." Tho old duke had not spoken a word. With his e3'os riveted on the stranger's, ho was listening in ever-increasing dis-may. dis-may. At times, tho thought or the warnings given him 113- tho prefocl ot police returned to his mind; "Thcy'ro nursing you, mouBieur lo due. they are nursing you." He said, in a hollow voice: "Speak on . . . finish 3'our story . . . All this is ghastly . . . I don't understand it yo, . . . and I feel nervous . . " . '' The stranger resumed: "I am sorry to say, tho story is easily pieced together and is summod up iii a few sentences. It is liko this: The Comte d'Andrcsy remembered several things from his stay with mo and from tho confidences which I was foolish enough to mako lo him. First of ail, I was 3-our uophow and yet j'ou had seeu comparative little of'mo,be-causo of'mo,be-causo I left Sarzeau when I was quite a child, and sinco then our intercourse was limited to the fow weeks which I spent hero, fifteen years ago, when I proposod tor the hand of m3' Cousin Angelique; secondly, having broken with the past, I received no letters: lastly, there was a certain plvj-sical re-senililanco re-senililanco between d'Andrcsy and myself my-self which could bo accentuated lo such an extent as to become striking. His schfimo was built up on those three points, He bribed my Arab servants to give him warning in case L loft Algeria. "A hand had seized his, and a voice said 'Ssli! . . . Not a word.' " Then ho went back to Paris, bearing my name nnd made up to look exactly like me, came to seo 3'ou, was invited to your house once a fortnight and Iivod under 1113- name, which thus buenmo one of the many aliases beneath which he conceals his real identity. Three months ago, when 'the applo was ripe,' as he says in his letters, ho began tho attack b3' a series of communications to the press; and, at the same time, fearing no doubt that some newspapsr would tell 1110 in Algeria tho part that was being pla3cd under my name in Paris, ho had mo assaulted ' 1j3' 1113' servants and kidnaped b3' his confederates. 1 need not explain any more in so far as yon aro concerned, uncle." Tho Due do Sarzcau-Vcndomo was shaken with a fit of nervous trembling. Tho awful truth to which he refused to open his C3-cs appeared to him in its nakedness and assumed tho hateful couutenauco of the 01101113". He clutched his nephew's hands and said to him, tiercoh, despairing: "It's Lupin, is it not?" " Yes, uncle." "And it's to him . . . it's to him that I have given ni3 daughter!" "Yes, uncle, to him, who has stolen m3 name of Jacques d'Emboise from me and stolen your daughter from you. I Angelique is tho wedded wife of Arsene I Lupin; and that in accordance with your orders. This letter in his handwriting hand-writing bears witness to it. He has upset 3our whole life, thrown 3011 off your balance, bosieging your hours of waking and your nights of dreaming, rifling" our town house, until the moment mo-ment when, seized with terror, you took refuge here, where, thinking that you would escape his artifices and his rapacity, 3011 told 3our daughtor to choose "ono of her threo cousins, Mussy, d'Emboiso or Caorches, ns her husband." hus-band." "But why did she select that ono rather than' tho others?" I "It was 3ou who selected him, uncle." un-cle." "At random . . . because he had the biggest income . . ." "No, not at random, but on tho insidious, in-sidious, persistent and very clover ad-vico ad-vico of your servant Hj'acinthe." The duke gavo a start: "What! Is H3acintho au accomplice?" accom-plice?" "No. not of Arsenc Lupin, but of tho man wnom he believes to bo u'Jmboiso and who promised to give him a hundred hun-dred thousand francs "within a week after tho marriago." "Oh, tho illain! . . . Ho planned everything, foresaw ovei3thing! . . ." "Foresaw everything, uncle, down to shamming au attempt upon his life so, as to avert suspicion, down to shamming sham-ming a wound received in 3'Our service." serv-ice." "But with what obicct? Why all these dastardly tricks?" Angoliquc has a fortuno of eleven million' francs. .Your solicitor in Paris was to hand the securities next week to the counterfeit d'Emboise, who had onl3 to realize thorn forthwith and disappear. dis-appear. But, this cr3: morning, you 3'oursolf wore to hand your aou-ln-law, as a personal wedding" present, five hundred thousand francs' worth of bearer stock, which he has arranged to i deliver to one of his accomplices at 9 j o'clock this evening, outside the cnstle, j near tho Great Oak, so that thoy mayi be negotiated tomorrow morning in I I Brussels." The Due de Sarzcau-Vendome had risen from his seat and was stamping furiousl3 up and down the room; "At t1 o'clock this evening?" he I said. " Wo '11 soo about that . . I Wo '11 seo about that .. . . I'll have the gendarmes here before then . . ." "Arsene Lupin laughs at gendarmes." gen-darmes." "Let's telograph to Paris." "Yes, but how about tho fivo hundred hun-dred thousand francs? . . . And, still worse, undo, tho scandal? . . . Think of this: your daughter, Angoliquo Ango-liquo do Sarzcau-Vendome, married to that swindler, that chief. . . No, no, it would never do. . . ." 'What then?" "What? . . ." The nenhow now rose and, stopping to a gunrack, took down a riflo and laid it on the table, in front of the duko: "Away in Algeria, uncle, on tho verge of the desort, whon wo find ourselves our-selves faeo to faco with a wild beast, we do not send for the gendarmes. Wc take our riflo and we shoot tho wild beast. Otherwise, the beast would tear us to pieces with its claws." "What do 3ou mean?" "T moan that, over there, I acquired tho habit, of disponsing with the gendarmes. gen-darmes. Tt is a rathor summary way of doing jr.Btico, but it is the best wa3. believe me. and tod.ry, in tho prcsont case, it is tho only way. O1100 tho beast is killed, you nnd I will bury it in some corner, unseen and unknown." "And Angelique?" "Wo will tell her later." "What will become of her?" "She will be my wife, tho wife of the real d'Emboiso. 1 desert her .tomorrow .to-morrow and return to Algeria. The divorce will be granted in two months time. " The duko listened, palo and staring, with sot jaws. lie whispered: "Are you sure that his accomplices ou the yacht will not iuform him of 3our escape?" "Not beforo tomorrow." "So that . . .?" "80 that inevitably, at 0 o'clock this evening, Arseno Lupin, on his wa3 to tho Great Oak, will take tho patrol path that follows tho old ramparts and skirts tho ruins of tho chapel. I shall bo there, in the ruins." "I shall be there too," said the Due do Sarzcau-Vendome, quietty, taking 1 down a gun. It was now 5 o'clock. The duko talked some time longer to his nephew, examined tho weapons, loaded them with fresh cartridges. Then, wheu night came, ho took d'Emboise through tho dark passages to his bedroom and hid him in an adjoining closet. Nothing further happened until diu- ner. Tho duko forced himself to keep calm during the meal. From time to time, he stole a glance at his son-in-law and was surprised at the likeness .between him and the real d'Emboise. It was the same complexion, the same cast of features, the same cut of hair. Nevertheless, tho look of the eye was different, keener' in this case and brighter; and gradually the duke discovered dis-covered minor details which had passed unperceived till then and which proved tho fellow's imposture." The part3 broke up after dinner. Tt was 8 o'clock. The duko wont to his room and released his nephew. Ten minutes later, under cover of the darkness, dark-ness, the slipped into the ruius, gun in hand. Meanwhile, Angelique, accompanied by her husband, had gone to the suite ot rooms which she occupied 011 the ground floor of a towor that flanked tho left wing. Her husband stopped at the entrance to tho rooms and said: "I am going for a short stroll, An- f clique. Ma3 1 come to vou here, when return,?" "Yes," sho replied. Ho left her and went up to the first floor, which had boon assigned to him as his quarters. The moment he was alone, he locked the door, noiselessly opened a wiudow that looked ovor tho landscape and leaned out. lie saw a shadow at the foot of the tower, some hundred feot or more below him. He whistled and received a faint whistlo in repb. Ho then took from a cupboard a thick leather satchel, crammod with papers, wrapped it in a piece of black cloth and tied it up. Then he sat down at tho table and wrote: "Glad you got my message, for 1 think it nnsato to walk out of the castle with that large bundle of securities. se-curities. Hore they arc. You will be in Paris, on 3our motor-cycle, in time to catch the morning train to Brussels, whero 3011 will hand ovor tho bonds to Z.; and ho will nogotiatc them at once. "A. L VP1 As l1ftss b.v fcho Ureal Oak, tell our chaps that I'm coming. L havo somo instructions to give thorn But overything is going well. No one hero has tho least suspicion." He fastened the letter to the parcel and lowerod both through the window with a longth of string: "Good," ho suid. "That's all right. It's a weight off my mind." llct waitod a few minutes lougor, stalking up and down tho room and smiling at tho portraits of two gallant gentlemen hanging on the wall: "Horace do Sarzcau-Vendome, mar-shal mar-shal of ! ranee. . . . And you, the Great Conde. . . . 1 salute 'you my ancestors both. Lupiu do Sarzeau yo" ?mc w 1 show h5lself worthy of hiVf' I?011 time c.ame- hti took his hat and wont down. But, when he reached the ground floor Angoliquo burst from her rooms and excraimcd with a distraught air: "a.nca, ,C Sayr 4.U- ; ' vo" don't mind ' a' -.'J- th,nk 70U hrul bettor . . ." And then,, without saying more,' she went in again, leaving a vision of irresponsible ir-responsible terror in hor husband's mind. "She's out of sorts," he said to himself. him-self. "Marriage doesn't suit her " jRe ilt,a cjK-U'ctto and went out without attaching importance to an in- him- UR havu Psed . "Poor Angelique! This will all end in a divorce ..." The night outside was dark, with a cloudy sky, ' in a Tho servants woru closing tho shut-tors shut-tors of the castle. There wVo J " it habit to go- to bed soon after dinner. Lupin passed the gatcji 5ji lodgo a "1 1 be I"t his toota W drawbridge, said: 'v M ' 4 Leave the gate open. J an m for a breath of nir; 1 shall b W i'00,,,' . , I tfii The patrol path was on tho nj ran along ono of tho old ra M which used to surround tho cafll W a second and much larger inclos KJ til it ended at an almost teri K postern gate. The park, wlnctfi m a hillock and afterward folio? & side of a deep valley, was bort) ajJ tho left by thick coppices. I ffl "What a wondcriul place fori K bush!" ho said. "A rogula ffl threat spot! " I Ho stopped, thinking that hc,i noise. But no, it was a riintlinj; K loaves. And yot a stone wcntv r uo'vn 1 he slopes, bounuing agai g rugged projections of tho rock strange to say, nothing seemed; H quier. him. The enfp sca-brcc2 S blowing ovor the plains of lh E land; and he eagerly filled hi with it: S "What a thing it is to be alh Si thought. "Still young, a me'r y the old nobility, a multi-mill 0 what could a man want morel At a short diHlanco, ho sa'wi fl the darkness tho yet darker ou 0- the chapel, the ruins of which fP above the path. A few dropa 11 began to rail; and he heard 4 5 strike (J. lie quickened his puc f! was a abort descent; then the pi L again. And sudden, he utopp M moro. -3 $ A hand had seized his. Ho drew back, tried to relea 5 self. 4 ft But someone stepped trom tlf of trees against which he was bi f and a voice said: "Ssh! . 3 a word! ..." 5 (ft lie recognized his wife, An 0 "What's the mutter?" he 4 ft She whispered, so low that h ft I hardh catch the words: .'f. fit I "Tliov- are lying in wait 'f z the aro in there,4! 5 ruins, with their guns . . j "Who?" J (J "Keep quiet . . . List ft The3 stood for a moment!; g stirring; then she said: 'ff S "They are not moving i 2 Perhaps the3 never heard me V Let's go back . . . " i-"But i-"But . . ." I Her accent was so imperious j obeyed without further questic suddenlv sho took fright: 2 "Run I . . . They are7 I am sure of it! , True enough, they heard a bo fgotsleps. X Then, swiftly, still holding the hand, she dragged him, y Tcsistible energy, along a sb' following its turns without he in spite of tho darkness and the bles. And the3 ven soon arc tho drawbridge. 3 She put hor arm in his. Tl keeper touched his cap. Thevj the courtyard and entered tHe, and she led hiin to the come; in which both of them had thei: ments: b "Come in here," she said. $ "To your rooms?" $ "Yes." $ Two maids were sitting up3 Their mistress ordered them t to their bedrooms, on tho thii Almost immediately after, thi a knock at tho door of the outi and a voice called: "Angoliquo!" ij "Is that vou, father?" sha suppressing; her agitation. "Yes. is vour husband hers "Wc have "just como in." 't "Toll him I want to speak'j Ask him to come to my room. porta nt." j "Very well, father, I'll send you. ' ' She listened for a few sccont returned to the boudoir whore l band was and said? $ "I am sure my father is stiliji He moved as though to go oti "In that case, if he wants ti to mo ..." ? "My father is not alone," 8 quickly, blocking his way. $ "Who is with him?" I "His nephew, Jacques d'Em There was a moment's silonj looked at ber with a certain ai ment. failing quite to underata wife's attitude. But, without j,; to go into tho matter: "Ah, so that dear old d'Em there?" ho chuckled. "Then tl iu the fire? Unless, indeed nrvthinAi said. "Iv'overheard a convorsal tween them just now. His nepl read certain letters . . . i tated at firsl about telling you. Then T thought that my dutyV He studied her afresh. But ' conquered 1)3 tho queerness of-i uation. lie burst out laughing: ' ' What? Don 't my f neuds 0. ship burn my letters? And thi let their prisoner escape? Thfl Oh, when 3ou don't soe to ov yourself!' . . . No matter,! tiuctly humorous . . versus d'Emboiso . . Oh, t pose T were no longer recognizs pose d'Emboise himself wore to,, me with himself?" , i He turned lo a wash-han took a towel, dipped it in th and soapod it; and, in tho twin! au eye. wiped tho make-up n face and altered the set of uib; "That's it," he said, shown self to Angolique under tho as which sho had seen him on tn of the burglary in Paris. "I Jf comfortable liko this for a dii with my father-in-law." "Where are you going?" shi flinging herself in front of tho(( "Why, to join tho gentlemen, "You shall not pass." "Whv not?" ,) "Suppose thev kill you!"-) "Kill mo7" " .3 "That's what they mean to; kill you . . . io hido your bod" whero. . . . Who would know:,! "Very well," he said, "froi point o'f view, they are qmt But, if I don't go to thorn, th come here. That door wpa-t them. . . . Nor you. I'm ing. Therefore, it's better to ha with it." "Follow mc," commanaoal' liquo. She took up the lamp tDal room, went into her bedroorrUjMJ aside tho wardrobo, which &'.-9Hf on hidden castors, pulled baciCMfj tapest.rv-hanging, and said: S "Here is a door that has used for years. My father bolw kev to be lost. T have it hfjrMJ lock the door with H. A 8f-r.B tho wall will take you to tnfi of the lower. You need only "Mji bolts of another door and ?oufi free." ' Mi I7o could hardlv believe Ins ca donly. he grasped lh meaning. gcliquc's whole behavior. Jn,,3H that nnd, plain, but wonderEuUjH fnoo, ho stood for a momont (Continued on Following ?9A The Confessions of Arsene Lupin. (Continued from Preceding Pago.) toiianced, almost abashed. Ho no longer thought of laughing. A feeling of respect, mingled with rcmorso and kindness, overcame him. "Why are you saving mol" ho whispered. whis-pered. "You nro my husband." Ho protested: "No, no . . . I havo stolon that title. Tho law will uovor recoguizo my marriage.' ' "My fathur docs not want a scandal." scan-dal." she said. "Just so," ho replied, sharply, "just bo. I foresaw that; and that was why 1 had your cousin d'JCmboiso near at hand. Onco I disappear, ho becomes your husband. llo iB tho man you have married in tho oyos of, men. " "You aro the man 1 have married in tho oyes of tho church!" "Tho church 1 Tho church! There ars means of arranging matters with tho church . . . Your marriago can bo annulled." "On what pretext that wo can admit?" ad-mit?" He romaincd silent, thinkiug over all those points which he hud not considering consid-ering all thoso points which wore trivial triv-ial and absurd tor him, but which were serious for her, and ho repented soverul times; ! "This is terrible . this is torri-blo torri-blo ... J should have, anticipated " And, suddenly, soized with an idoa, ho clapped his hands and cried: "Thoro. 1 have it! I'm hand in glovo with ono of the chief figures nt. tho Vatican. Tho Popo never refuses mo anything. I shall obtain an audience au-dience and 1 have no doubt th?it, tho Holy Pather, moved by my entreaties entreat-ies - . ' . " His plan wa3 so humorous and his delight so artless that Angellfiuo could not nolp smiling; and alio said: "T am- vour wife in tho oyes of God." Sho gavo him a look that showed ncithor scorn nor animosity, nor ovon anger; and ho realized that .sho omitted omit-ted to seo iu him tho outlaw and tho evil-doer and romomberod only tho man who was her husband and to ttfhom the priest had bound hor until the hour of death. He took n stop toward her and observed ob-served her more attentively. She did not lower hor oyes at first. But sho blushed. And never had he Been so pathetic, a faco, marked with such modesty and such dignity. He sjiid to hor. as on that first ovoning in raris: "Oh, your oyes . . . tho calm and i sadness of your eyos . . . tho beauty of your oyes!" She dropped her head and stammered: "Go away . . . go . . . " In tho presence" of her confusion, he received a quick iutuitiou of the deeper feelings that stirred her, unknown un-known to herself. To that spinstor soul, of which ho recognized tho romantic power of imagination, the unsatisfied yearnings, tho poring oyer old-world books, ho suddenly represented, in that exceptional moment aud in consequence of tho unconventional circumstances of their meetings, somebody special, a Ky-ronic Ky-ronic hero, a chivalrous brigand of romance. ro-mance. One ovoning, in spito of all obstacles, he, tho world-famed adventurer, adven-turer, already ennobled in song and story aud exalted bv his own audacity, had coino to her and slipped tho magic ring upon her finger: a mystic and passionate betrothal, as in tho days of tho Corsair and Ilernani . . . Greatly moved aud touched, ho was on tho verge of giving way to an enthusiastic imimlso and exclaiming: "Lot us go away together! . . Lot us ily! . . . You are my bride . . , my wifo . . . Sharo my dan- fors, inv sorrows and my jjoj-s . . . t will "bo a slrango aud vigorous, a proud am! magnificent life . . . " But Awoliquo's eyes wore raised to his again; aud thev wore so pure and noblo that he blushed in his turn. This was uot tho woman to -whom such words could be addressed. Ho whispered: "Porgivo me . . . T am a contemptible contempt-ible wretch ... I have wrecked your lifo ..." . , "No," sho replied, softly, "On tho contrary, you have shown mc whero my real life lies." , . Ho was about to ask hor to explain. But sho hud opened the door and was pointing tho way to him. Nothing more could bo spokon hotwoon them. Ho went out without a word, bowing very low as he passed. A month lator, Angeliqiio de Sarzeau-Vcndomo, Sarzeau-Vcndomo, Princosso do Bourbon-Conde, Bourbon-Conde, lawful wifo of Arseno Lupin, took tho voil and, under tho name of Sister Mario-Augusle, buried herself within the walls of tho Visitation convent. con-vent. On the day of tho coremony, tho mothor superior of tho convent received a heavy soalod envelope containing a letter with the following words: "For Sislor rario-Auguate's poor." Inclosed with tho lottor worn fivo hundred banknotes of a thousand francs each. |