"Come," he said, in a cheerful tone, rising from his chair, "all will

yet be well. We have two months, three months before us. It is more



than I need... on condition, of course, that I am unhampered in my

movements. And, for that, you will have to withdraw from the contest,



you know."

"How do you mean?"



"Yes, you must disappear for a time; go and live in the country. Have

you no pity for your little Jacques? This sort of thing would end by



shattering the poor little man's nerves... And he has certainly earned

his rest, haven't you, Hercules?



The next day Clarisse Mergy, who was nearly breaking down under the

strain of events and who herself needed repose, lest she should fall



seriously ill, went, with her son, to hoard with a friend who had a

house on the skirt of the Forest of Saint-Germain. She felt very weak,



her brain was haunted by visions and her nerves were upset by troubles

which the least excitement aggravated. She lived there for some days in



a state of physical and mentalinertia, thinking of nothing and forbidden

to see the papers.



One afternoon, while Lupin, changing his tactics, was working out a

scheme for kidnapping and confining Daubrecq; while the Growler and the



Masher, whom he had promised to forgive if he succeeded, were watching

the enemy's movements; while the newspapers were announcing the



forthcoming trial for murder of Arsene Lupin's two accomplices, one

afternoon, at four o'clock, the telephone-bell rang suddenly in the flat



in the Rue Chateaubriand.

Lupin took down the receiver:



"Hullo!"

A woman's voice, a breathless voice, said:



"M. Michel Beaumont?"

"You are speaking to him, madame. To whom have Ithe honour... "



"Quick, monsieur, come at once; Madame Mergy has taken poison."

Lupin did not wait to hear detai1s. He rushed out, sprang into his



motor-car and drove to Saint-Germain.

Clarisse's friend was waiting for him at the door of the bedroom.



"Dead?" he asked.

"No," she replied, "she did not take sufficient. The doctor has just



gone. He says she will get over it."

"And why did she make the attempt?"



"Her son Jacques has disappeared."

"Carried off?"



"Yes, he was playing just inside the forest. A motor-car was seen

pulling up. Then there were screams. Clarisse tried to run, but



her strength failed and she fell to the ground, moaning, 'It's

he... it's that man... all is lost!' She looked like a madwoman.



Suddenly, she put a little bottle to her lips and swallowed the contents."

"What happened next?"



"My husband and I carried her to her room. She was in great pain."

"How did you know my address, my name?"



"From herself, while the doctor was attending to her. Then I telephoned

to you."



"Has any one else been told?"

"No, nobody. I know that Clarisse has had terrible things to bear...



and that she prefers not to be talked about."

"Can I see her?"



"She is asleep just now. And the doctor has forbidden all excitement."

"Is the doctor anxious about her?"



"He is afraid of a fit of fever, any nervousstrain, an attack of some

kind which might cause her to make a fresh attempt on her life. And



that would be... "

"`What is needed to avoid it?"



A week or a fortnight of absolute quiet, which is impossible as long as

her little Jacques... "



Lupin interrupted her:

"You think that, if she got her son back... "



"Oh, certainly, there would be nothing more to fear!"

You're sure? You're sure?... Yes, of course you are!... Well, when



Madame Mergy wakes, tell her from me that I will bring her back her son

this evening, before midnight. This evening, before midnight: it's a



solemn promise."

With these words, Lupin hurried out of the house and, stepping into his



car, shouted to the driver:

"Go to Paris, Square Lamartine, Daubrecq the deputy's!"



CHAPTER VI

THE DEATH-SENTENCE



Lupin's motor-car was not only an office, a writing- room furnished

• secondary [´sekəndəri, -deri] a.第二的；次要的 (初中英语单词)


• scratch [skrætʃ] v.&n.抓，搔；抓伤 (初中英语单词)


• drawer [drɔ:ə] n.抽屉 (初中英语单词)


• valuable [´væljuəbəl, -jubəl] a.有价值的，贵重的 (初中英语单词)


• absence [´æbsəns] n.不在，缺席；缺乏 (初中英语单词)


• incident [´insidənt] n.小事件；事变 (初中英语单词)


• advanced [əd´vɑ:nst] a.先进的；高级的 (初中英语单词)


• definite [´definit] a.确定的，明确的 (初中英语单词)


• retire [ri´taiə] v.撤退；退职；退休 (初中英语单词)


• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)


• writing [´raitiŋ] n.书写；写作；书法 (初中英语单词)


• opening [´əupəniŋ] n.开放；开端 a.开始的 (初中英语单词)


• account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)


• absurd [əb´sə:d] a.荒谬的，可笑的 (初中英语单词)


• working [´wə:kiŋ] a.工人的；劳动的 (初中英语单词)


• convey [kən´vei] vt.运送；传达；转让 (初中英语单词)


• shiver [´ʃivə] v.&n.(使)颤抖；碎片 (初中英语单词)


• dismay [dis´mei] n.惊慌 vt.使惊慌 (初中英语单词)


• frankly [´fræŋkli] ad.直率地；慷慨地 (初中英语单词)


• release [ri´li:s] vt&n.释放；放松；赦免 (初中英语单词)


• mistress [´mistris] n.女主人；情妇；女能手 (初中英语单词)


• monster [´mɔnstə] n.怪物 a.大得异常的 (初中英语单词)


• gently [´dʒentli] ad.温和地；静静地 (初中英语单词)


• bargain [´bɑ:gin] n.买卖合同 v.议(价) (初中英语单词)


• absolute [´æbsəlu:t] a.绝对的 n.绝对 (初中英语单词)


• security [si´kjuəriti] n.安全；证券；抵押品 (初中英语单词)


• devotion [di´vəuʃən] n.献身；忠诚；热爱 (初中英语单词)


• restore [ri´stɔ:] vt.(使)恢复；修复 (初中英语单词)


• cheerful [´tʃiəful] a.快乐的；高兴的 (初中英语单词)


• withdraw [wið´drɔ:] v.收回；撤销；撤退 (初中英语单词)


• haunted [´hɔ:tid] a.常出现鬼的，闹鬼的 (初中英语单词)


• excitement [ik´saitmənt] n.兴奋；骚动；煽动 (初中英语单词)


• physical [´fizikəl] a.物质的；有形的 (初中英语单词)


• mental [´mentl] a.精神的；心理的 (初中英语单词)


• inertia [i´nə:ʃə] n.懒惰；迟钝 (初中英语单词)


• forgive [fə´giv] vt.原谅，谅解，宽恕 (初中英语单词)


• monsieur [mə´sjə:] n.先生 (初中英语单词)


• sprang [spræŋ] spring 的过去式 (初中英语单词)


• waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)


• anxious [´æŋkʃəs] a.担忧的；渴望的 (初中英语单词)


• nervous [´nə:vəs] a.神经的；神经过敏的 (初中英语单词)


• midnight [´midnait] n.午夜；漆黑 (初中英语单词)


• cupboard [´kʌbəd] n.碗柜，食橱 (高中英语单词)


• distrust [dis´trʌst] n.&vt.不信任，怀疑 (高中英语单词)


• openly [´əupənli] ad.公开地；直率地 (高中英语单词)


• fortunately [´fɔ:tʃənətli] ad.幸运地 (高中英语单词)


• riddle [´ridl] n.谜(语) v.解(谜等) (高中英语单词)


• loving [´lʌviŋ] a.爱的，有爱情的 (高中英语单词)


• repose [ri´pəuz] v.&n.(使)休息；安息 (高中英语单词)


• breathless [´breθlis] a.屏息的 (高中英语单词)


• forbidden [fə´bidn] forbid的过去分词 (高中英语单词)


• strain [strein] vt.拉紧 vi.拖 n.张力 (高中英语单词)


• fortnight [´fɔ:tnait] n.两星期 (高中英语单词)


• hurried [´hʌrid] a.仓促的，慌忙的 (高中英语单词)


• tactics [´tæktiks] n.策略；战术 (英语四级单词)


• feverish [´fi:vəriʃ] a.发烧的；狂热的 (英语四级单词)


• abominable [ə´bɔminəbəl] a.可憎的；极坏的 (英语四级单词)


• wretch [retʃ] n.不幸的人；卑鄙的人 (英语四级单词)


• astray [ə´strei] ad.&a.在歧途上(的) (英语四级单词)


• obedient [ə´bi:djənt] a.服从的，恭顺的 (英语四级单词)


• entreat [in´tri:t] vt.恳求，恳请 (英语四级单词)


• ardent [´ɑ:dənt] a.热心的；热情洋溢的 (英语四级单词)


• disappearance [,disə´piərəns] n.消失；失踪 (英语六级单词)


• vaudeville [´vɔ:dəvil] n.滑稽通俗喜剧；杂耍 (英语六级单词)


• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)


• shocking [´ʃɔkiŋ] a.令人震惊的；可怕的 (英语六级单词)


• narcotic [nɑ:´kɔtik] n.麻醉剂 a.麻醉性的 (英语六级单词)


• unspeakable [ʌn´spi:kəbl] a.不能以言语表达的 (英语六级单词)


• oblivion [ə´bliviən] n.(被)忘却；漠视 (英语六级单词)


• speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 (英语六级单词)