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The Crystal Stopper-Part3_Maurice LeBlanc(1864-1941)_Translated Works(翻译文学)-第2页

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proofs of his confidence which he has given me, there is one thing which

I have, never been quite able to fathom, and that is the organization of



his gang.

The existence of the gang is an undoubted fact. Certain adventures can



be explained only by countless acts of devotion, invincible efforts of

energy and powerful cases of complicity, representing so many forces



which all obey one mighty will. But how is this will exerted? Through

what intermediaries, through what subordinates? That is what I do not



know. Lupin keeps his secret; and the secrets which Lupin chooses to

keep are, so to speak, impenetrable.



The only supposition which I can allow myself to make is that this gang,

which, in my opinion, is very limited in numbers and therefore all the



more formidable, is completed and extendeddefinitely" target="_blank" title="ad.模糊地；无限期地">indefinitely by the addition

of independent units, provisional associates, picked up in every class



of society and in every country of the worid, who are the executive

agents of an authority with which, in many cases, they are not even



acquainted. The companions, the initiates, the faithful adherents -

men who play the leading parts under the direct command of Lupin - move



to and fro between these secondary agents and the master.

Gilbert and Vaucheray evidently belonged to the main gang. And that is



why the law showed itself so implacable in their regard. For the first

time, it held accomplices of Lupin in its clutches - declared, undisputed



accomplices - and those accomplices had committed a murder. If the murder

was premeditated, if the accusation of deliberate homicide could be



supported by substantial proofs, it meant the scaffold. Now there was,

at the very least, one self-evident proof, the cry for assistance which



Leonard had sent over the telephone a few minutes before his death:

"Help!... Murder!... I shall be killed!... "



The desperateappeal had been heard by two men, the operator on duty and

one of his fellow-clerks, who swore to it positively. And it was in



consequence of this appeal that the conunissary of police, who was at

once informed, had proceeded to the Villa Marie-Therese, escorted by his



men and a number of soldiers off duty.

Lupin had a very clear notion of the danger from the first. The fierce



struggle in which he had engaged against society was entering upon a new

and terrible phase. His luck was turning. It was no longer a matter of



attacking others, but of defending himself and saving the heads of his

two companions.



A littie memorandum, which I have copied from one of the note-books

in which he often jots down a summary of the situations that perplex him,



will show us the workings of his brain:

"One definite fact, to begin with, is that Gilbert and Vaucheray



humbugged me. The Enghien expedition, undertaken ostensibly with the

object of robbing the Villa Marie-Therese, had a secret purpose. This



purpose obsessed their minds throughout the operations; and what they

were looking for, under the furniture and in the cupboards, was one



thing and one thing alone: the crystal stopper. Therefore, if I want to

see clear ahead, I must first of all know what this means. It is certain



that, for some hidden reason, that mysterious piece of glass possesses

an incalculable value in their eyes. And not only in theirs, for, last



night, some one was bold enough and clever enough to enter my flat and

steal the object in question from me."



This theft of which he was the victim puzzled Lupin curiously.

Two problems, both equally difficult of solution, presented themselves



to his mind. First, who was the mysteriousvisitor? Gilbert, who

enjoyed his entire confidence and acted as his private secretary, was



the only one who knew of the retreat in the Rue Matignon. Now Gilbert

was in prison. Was Lupin to suppose that Gilbert had betrayed him and



put the police on his tracks? In that case, why were they content with

taking the crystal stopper, instead of arresting him, Lupin?



But there was something much stranger still. Admitting that they had

been able to force the doors of his flat - and this he was compelled to



admit, though there was no mark to show it - how had they succeeded in

entering the bedroom? He turned the key and pushed the bolt as he did



every evening, in accordance with a habit from which he never departed.

And, nevertheless - the fact was undeniable - the crystal stopper had



disappeared without the lock or the bolt having been touched. And,

although Lupin flattered himself that he had sharp ears, even when



asleep, not a sound had waked him!

He took no great pains to probe the mystery. He knew those problems too






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