THE DEATH-SENTENCE
Lupin's motor-car was not only an office, a writing- room furnished with books, stationery, pens and ink, but also a regular actor's dressing-room, containing a complete make-up box, a trunk filled with every variety of wearing-apparel, another crammed with "properties"- umbrellas, walking-sticks, scarves, eye-glasses and so on - in short, a complete set of paraphernalia which enabled him to alter his appearance from top to toe in the course of a drive.
The man who rang at Daubrecq the deputy's gate, at six o-clock that evening, was a stout, elderly gentleman, in a black frock-coat, a bowler hat, spectacles and whiskers.
The portress took him to the front-door of the house and rang the bell.
Victoire appeared.
Lupin asked:
"Can M.Daubrecq see Dr.Vernes?"
"M.Daubrecq is in his bedroom; and it is rather late...""Give him my card, please."
He wrote the words, "From Mme.Mergy," in the margin and added:
"There, he is sure to see me."
"But..." Victoire began.
"Oh, drop your buts, old dear, do as I say, and don't make such a fuss about it!"She was utterly taken aback and stammered:
"You!...is it you?"
No, it's Louis XIV.!" And, pushing her into a corner of the hall, "Listen...The moment I'm done with him, go up to your room, put your things together anyhow and clear out."What!"
"Do as I tell you.You'll find my car waiting down the avenue.Come, stir your stumps! Announce me.I'll wait in the study.""But it's dark in there."
"Turn on the light."
She switched on the electric light and left Lupin alone.
"It's here," he reflected, as he took a seat, "it's here that the crystal stopper byes...Unless Daubrecq always keeps it by him...But no, when people have a good hiding-place, they make use of it.And this is a capital one; for none of us...so far..."Concentrating all his attention, he examined the objects in the room;and he remembered the note which Daubrecq wrote to Prasville:
"Within reach of your hand, my dear Prasville!...
You touched it! A little more and the trick was done...
Nothing seemed to have moved since that day.The same things were lying about on the desk: books, account-books, a bottle of ink, a stamp-box, pipes, tobacco, things that had been searched and probed over and over again.
"The bounder!" thought Lupin."He's organized his business jolly cleverly.It's all dove-tailed like a well-made play."In his heart of hearts, though he knew exactly what he had come to do and how he meant to act, Lupin was thoroughly aware of the danger and uncertainty attending his visit to so powerful an adversary.It was quite within the bounds of possibility that Dauhrecq, armed as he was, would remain master of the field and that the conversation would take an absolutely different turn from that which Lupin anticipated.
And this prospect angered him somewhat.
He drew himself up, as he heard a sound of footsteps approaching.
Daubrecq entered.
He entered without a word, made a sign to Lupin, who had risen from his chair, to resume his seat and himself sat down at the writing-desk.
Glancing at the card which he held in his hand:
"Dr.Vernes?"
"Yes, monsieur le depute, Dr.Vernes, of Saint-Germain.""And I see that you come from Mme.Mergy.A patient of yours?""A recent patient.I did not know her until I was called in to see her, the other day, in particularly tragic circumstances.
"Is she ill?"
"Mme.Mergy has taken poison."
"What!"
Daubrecq gave a start and he continued, without concealing his distress:
"What's that you say? Poison! Is she dead?""No, the dose was not large enough.If no compilcations ensue, Iconsider that Mme.Mergy's life is saved."Daubrecq said nothing and sat silent, with his head turned to Lupin.
"Is he looking at me? Are his eyes open or shut?" Lupin asked himself.
It worried Lupin terribly not to see his adversary's eyes, those eyes hidden by the double obstacle of spectaicles and black glasses: weak, bloodshot eyes, Mme.Mergy had told him.How could he follow the secret train of the man's thought without seeing the expression of his face?
It was almost like fighting an enemy who wielded an invisible sword.
Presently, Daubrecq spoke:
"So Mme.Mergy's life is saved...And she has sent you to me...Idon't quite understand...I hardly know the lady."Now for the ticklish moment," thought Lupin."Have at him!"And, in a genial, good-natured and rather shy tone, he said:
"No, monsieur le depute, there are cases in which a doctor's duty becomes very complex...very puzzling...And you may think that, in taking this step...However, to cut a long story short, while I was attending Mine.
Mergy, she made a second attempt to poison herself...Yes; the bottle, unfortunately, had been left within her reach.I snatched it from her.
We had a struggle.And, railing in her fever, she said to me, in broken words, 'He's the man...He's the man...Daubrecq the deputy...Make him give me back my son.Tell him to...or else I would rather die...
...Yes, now, to-night...I would rather die.' That's what she said, monsieur le depute...So I thought that I ought to let you know.It is quite certain that, in the lady's highly nervous state of mind...Of course, I don't know the exact meaning of her words...I asked no questions of anybody...obeyed a spontaneous impulse and came straight to you.
Daubrecq reflected for a little while and said:
"It amounts to this, doctor, that you have come to ask me if I know the whereabouts of this child whom I presume to have disappeared.Is that it?""Yes."
"And, if I did happen to know, you would take him back to his mother?"There was a longer pause.Lupin asked himself:
"Can he by chance have swallowed the story? Is the threat of that death enough? Oh, nonsense it's out of the question!...And yet...and yet...he seems to be hesitating.""Will you excuse me?" asked Daubrecq, drawing the telephone, on his writing-desk, toward him."I have an urgent message.""Certainly, monsieur le depute."
Daubrecq called out:
"Hullo!...822.19, please, 822.19."
