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The Crystal Stopper-Part17_Maurice LeBlanc(1864-1941)_Translated Works(翻译文学)-第2页

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and the most favourable moment and, one evening, to hustle him into a

motor-car.



Lupin, on his side, got ready an old building, standing in the middle

of a large garden, not far from Paris, which presented all the necessary



conditions of safety and isolation and which he called the Monkey's Cage.

Unfortunately, Daubrecq must have suspected something, for every time,



so to speak, he changed his route, or took the underground or a tram;

and the cage remained unoccupied.



Lupin devised another plan. He sent to Marseilles for one of his

associates, an elderlyretiredgrocer called Brindebois, who happened to



live in Daubrecq's electoral district and interested himself in politics.

Old Brindebois wrote to Daubrecq from Marseilles, announcing his visit.



Daubrecq gave this important constituent a heartywelcome, and a dinner

was arranged for the following week.



The elector suggested a little restaurant on the left bank of the Seine,

where the food, he said, was something wonderful. Daubrecq accepted.



This was what Lupin wanted. The proprietor of the restaurant was one of

his friends. The attempt, which was to take place on the following



Thursday, was this time bound to succeed.

Meanwhile, on the Monday of the same week, the trial of Gilbert and



Vaucheray opened.

The reader will remember - and the case took place too recently for me



to recapitulate its details - the really incomprehensible partiality

which the presiding judge showed in his cross-examination of Gilbert.



The thing was noticed and severely criticised at the time. Lupin

recognized Daubrecq's hateful influence.



The attitude observed by the two prisoners differed greatiy. Vaucheray

was gloomy, silent, hard-faced. He cynically, in curt, sneering, almost



defiant phrases, admitted the crimes of which he had formerly been

guilty. But, with an inconsistency which puzzled everybody except Lupin,



he denied any participation in the murder of Leonard the valet and

violently accused Gilbert. His object, in thus linking his fate with



Gilbert's, was to force Lupin to take identical measures for the rescue

of both his accomplices.



Gilbert, on the other hand, whose frank countenance and dreamy,

melancholy eyes won every sympathy, was unable to protect himself against



the traps laid for him by the judge or to counteract Vaucheray's lies.

He burst into tears, talked too much, or else did not talk when he



should have talked. Moreover, his counsel, one of the Leaders of the

bar, was taken ill at the last moment - and here again Lupin saw the



hand of Daubrecq - and he was replaced by a junior who spoke badiy,

muddied the whole case, set the jury against him and failed to wipe out



the impression produced by the speeches of the advocate-general and of

Vaucheray's counsel.



Lupin, who had the inconceivable audacity to be present on the last day

of the trial, the Thursday, had no doubt as to the result. A verdict of



gullty was certain in both cases.

It was certain because all the efforts of the prosecution, thus



supporting Vaucheray's tactics, had tended to link the two prisoners

closely together. It was certain, also and above all, because it



concerned two of Lupin's accomplices. From the opening of the inquiry

before the magistrate until the delivery of the verdict, all the



proceedings had been directed against Lupin; and this in spite of the

fact that the prosecution, for want of sufficient evidence and also in



order not to scatter its efforts over too wide an area, had decided not

to include Lupin in the indictment. He was the adversary aimed at, the



leader who must be punished in the person of his friends, the famous and

popular scoundrel whose fascination in the eyes of the crowd must be



destroyed for good and all. With Gilbert and Vaucheray executed, Lupin's

halo would fade away the legend would be exploded.



Lupin ... Lupin... Arsene Lupin: it was the one name heard throughout

the four days. The advocate-general, the presiding judge, the jury, the



counsel, the witnesses had no other words on their lips. Every moment,

Lupin was mentioned and cursed at, scoffed at, insulted and held



responsible for all the crimes committed. It was as though Gilbert and

Vaucheray figured only as supernumeraries, while the real criminal






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