uttered incoherent words, succeeded in twice saying, "Marie... Marie..."

and fell back, exhausted and lifeless.



"Let go at once!" said d'Albufex to Sebastiani. "Hang it all, can we

have overdone it?"



But a rapid examination showed him that Daubrecq had only fainted.

Thereupon, he himself, worn out with the excitement, dropped on the



foot of the bed and, wiping the beads of perspiration from his forehead,

stammered:



"Oh, what a dirty business!"

"Perhaps that's enough for to-day," said the huntsman, whose rough face



betrayed a certain emotion. "We might try again to-morrow or the next

day... "



The marquis was silent. One of the sons handed him a flask of brandy.

He poured out half a glass and drank it down at a draught:



"To-morrow?" he said. "No. Here and now. One little effort more. At

the stage which he has reached, it won't be difficult." And, taking the



huntsman aside, "Did you hear what he said? What did he mean by that

word, 'Marie'? He repeated it twice."



"Yes, twice," said the huntsman. "Perhaps he entrusted the document to

a person called Marie."



"Not he!" protested d'Albufex. "He never entrusts anything to anybody.

It means something different."



"But what, monsieur le marquis?"

"We'll soon find out, I'll answer for it."



At that moment, Daubrecq drew a long breath and stirred on his couch.

D'Albufex, who had now recovered all his composure and who did not take



his eyes off the enemy, went up to him and said:

"You see, Daubrecq, it's madness to resist... Once you're beaten,



there's nothing for it but to submit to your conqueror, instead of

allowing yourself to be tortured like an idiot... Come, be sensible."



He turned to Sebastiani:

"Tighten the rope... let him feel it a little that will wake him up...



He's shamming death... Sebastiani took hold of the stick again and

turned until the cord touched the swollen flesh. Daubrecq gave a start.



"That'll do, Sebastiani," said the marquis. "Our friend seems favourably

disposed and understands the need for coming to terms. That's so,



Daubrecq, is it not? You prefer to have done with it? And you're quite

right!"



The two men were leaning over the sufferer, Sebastiani with his hand on

the stick, d'Albufex holding the lamp so as to throw the light on



Daubrecq's face: "His lips are moving... he's going to speak. Loosen

the rope a little, Sebastiani: I don't want our friend to be hurt... No,



tighten it: I believe our friend is hesitating... One turn more... stop!

... That's done it! Oh, my dear Daubrecq, if you can't speak plainer



than that, it's no use! What? What did you say?"

Arsene Lupin muttered an oath. Daubrecq was speaking and he, Lupin,



could not hear a word of what he said! In vain, he pricked up his ears,

suppressed the beating of his heart and the throbbing of his temples:



not a sound reached him.

"Confound it!" he thought. "I never expected this. What am I to do?"



He was within an ace of covering Daubrecq with his revolver and putting

a bullet into him which would cut short any explanation. But he



reflected that he himself would then be none the wiser and that it was

better to trust to events in the hope of making the most of them.



Meanwhile the confession continued beneath him, indistinctly, interrupted

by silences and mingled with moans. D'Albufex clung to his prey:



"Go on!... Finish, can't you?... "

And he punctuated the sentences with exclamations of approval:



"Good!... Capital!... Oh, how funny!... And no one suspected?... Not

even Prasville?... What an ass!... Loosen a bit, Sebastiani: don't you



see that our friend is out of breath?... Keep calm, Daubrecq... don't

tire yourself... And so, my dear fellow, you



were saying... "

That was the last. There was a long whispering to which d'Albufex



listened without further interruption and of which Arsene Lupin could

not catch the least syllable. Then the marquis drew himself up and



exclaimed, joyfully:

"That's it!... Thank you, Daubrecq. And, believe me, I shall never



forget what you have just done. If ever you're in need, you have only

to knock at my door and there will always be a crust of bread for you



in the kitchen and a glass of water from the filter. Sebastiani, look

after monsieur le depute as if he were one of your sons. And, first of



all, release him from his bonds. It's a heartless thing to truss one's

fellow-man like that, like a chicken on the spit!"



"Shall we give him something to drink?" suggested the huntsman.

"Yes, that's it, give him a drink."

• stupid [´stju:pid] a.愚蠢的；糊涂的 (初中英语单词)


• energy [´enədʒi] n.活力，精力；能力 (初中英语单词)


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


• captive [´kæptiv] n.俘虏；捕获物 (初中英语单词)


• addition [ə´diʃən] n.加；加法；附加物 (初中英语单词)


• fasten [´fɑ:sən] v.扎牢；闩住；钉牢 (初中英语单词)


• arrangement [ə´reindʒmənt] n.整理；排列；筹备 (初中英语单词)


• movement [´mu:vmənt] n.活动；运动；动作 (初中英语单词)


• standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)


• despair [di´speə] vi.&n.绝望 (初中英语单词)


• terror [´terə] n.恐怖；惊骇 (初中英语单词)


• forbid [fə´bid] vt.禁止，不许，阻止 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)


• monsieur [mə´sjə:] n.先生 (初中英语单词)


• expose [ik´spəuz] vt.揭露，暴露；陈列 (初中英语单词)


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


• circle [´sə:kəl] n.圆圈 v.环绕；盘旋 (初中英语单词)


• torture [´tɔ:tʃə] n.&vt.折磨；痛苦；拷问 (初中英语单词)


• violent [´vaiələnt] a.强暴的；猛烈的 (初中英语单词)


• rattle [´rætl] n.嘎吱声 (初中英语单词)


• whisper [´wispə] v.耳语 n.低语；沙沙声 (初中英语单词)


• dreadful [´dredful] a.可怕的；讨厌的 (初中英语单词)


• retreat [ri´tri:t] v.&n.退却；撤退；放弃 (初中英语单词)


• victory [´viktəri] n.胜利，战胜 (初中英语单词)


• hidden [´hid(ə)n] hide 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• examination [ig,zæmi´neiʃən] n.检查；考试；检验 (初中英语单词)


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


• emotion [i´məuʃən] n.感情；情绪；激动 (初中英语单词)


• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)


• resist [ri´zist] v.抵抗；对抗；抵制 (初中英语单词)


• submit [səb´mit] vt.使服从；使忍受 (初中英语单词)


• bullet [´bulit] n.子弹 (初中英语单词)


• explanation [,eksplə´neiʃən] n.解释；说明；辩解 (初中英语单词)


• interruption [intə´rʌpʃ(ə)n] n.停止，中断 (初中英语单词)


• irregular [i´regjulə] a.不规则的；不正当的 (高中英语单词)


• massive [´mæsiv] a.厚实的；魁伟的 (高中英语单词)


• ingenious [in´dʒi:niəs] a.富于创新的；巧妙的 (高中英语单词)


• marquis [´mɑ:kwis] n.侯爵 (高中英语单词)


• profound [prə´faund] a.深奥的；渊博的 (高中英语单词)


• document [´dɔkjumənt] n.公文；文件；证件 (高中英语单词)


• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)


• vainly [´veinli] ad.虚荣地；自负地 (高中英语单词)


• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)


• repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)


• madness [´mædnis] n.疯狂；狂热 (高中英语单词)


• conqueror [´kɔŋkərə] n.征服者，胜利者 (高中英语单词)


• confession [kən´feʃən] n.招供；认错；交待 (高中英语单词)


• loosen [´lu:sən] v.放松；松弛 (高中英语单词)


• syllable [´siləbəl] n.音节；只言片语 (高中英语单词)


• unequal [ʌn´i:kwəl] a.不平等的；不同的 (英语四级单词)


• barbarous [´bɑ:bərəs] a.野蛮的；不规范的 (英语四级单词)


• huntsman [´hʌntsmən] n.猎人；管理猎犬的人 (英语四级单词)


• hoarse [hɔ:s] a.嘶哑的；嗓门粗哑的 (英语四级单词)


• accomplished [ə´kʌmpliʃt] a.完成了的；熟练的 (英语四级单词)


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


• composure [kəm´pəuʒə] n.镇静，沉着 (英语四级单词)


• swollen [´swəulən] swell的过去分词 (英语四级单词)


• sufferer [´sʌfərə] n.受苦的人；患者 (英语四级单词)


• revolver [ri´vɔlvə] n.左轮手枪；旋转者 (英语四级单词)


• filter [´filtə] n.滤器 v.过滤，渗入 (英语四级单词)


• arched [´ɑ:tʃid] a.弓形(结构)的 (英语六级单词)


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


• holding [´həuldiŋ] n.保持，固定，存储 (英语六级单词)


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


• beating [´bi:tiŋ] n.敲；搅打；失败 (英语六级单词)