Chapter 6 6. Death wanders

Arsen Lupin circled around the castle wall and returned to the starting point.There were no gaps in the fence, and the only way to enter Maupetui, the vast estate, was by the low gate locked from the inside, or by the front gate watched by the porter. "Okay," he said, "just be tough." He crawled into the bushes.His motorcycle is hidden here.He untied a bundle of loose ropes wrapped under the seat of the car, and walked towards a place he had just spotted.The place was away from the road, on the edge of a forest.There, some big trees stick out of the courtyard wall. Arsen Lupin tied a stone to one end of the rope, threw it, hooked a thick branch, pulled it down, and straddled his legs.The branch bounced back again, carrying him off the ground.So he climbed over the fence, slipped down the tree, and with a little hop, landed on the grass in the garden.It's winter.Standing on the undulating lawn, through the bare branches around him, he saw in the distance the small castle of Maupetui. He hid behind a clump of fir trees, and used a telescope to observe it carefully. The gloomy facade of the castle.All the windows were closed, and the shutters were all shut.

"This little castle is dead!" thought Arson Lupin. "I would not live in such a place." At this time, the clock struck three o'clock.On the ground floor of the castle a door opened onto the platform.A slender woman in a black cloak stepped out. The woman had only been walking on the platform for a few minutes before she was surrounded by a flock of birds.She breaded them.Then step down the stone steps, walk to the central lawn, and take the path on the right. Arsen Lupin clearly saw her walking towards him through the binoculars.She was tall, fair-haired, and graceful, like a young girl.She walked briskly, watching the bleak December sun, and playing with the dead branches of the roadside bushes.When she came to nearly two-thirds of the distance from Arsen Lupin, a dog barked suddenly.A big dog, a stout Dane, rushed out of a nearby kennel, sprang straight at him, and straightened the chains that held him.The girl moved away a little, and walked over, not paying much attention to such commonplace things.But that dog was even crazier, standing on its hind paws, tightening its chain desperately, not even afraid of strangling itself to death.

The girl walked thirty or forty steps, maybe she was annoyed by the noise, so she turned around and gestured to scare the dog.The Dane was so enraged that he jumped up and snapped the chain.The girl screamed in fright. The dog, dragging the broken chain, ran toward her.The girl started to run, ran as fast as she could, calling desperately for help, but the dog caught up with her in a couple of hops. She fell to the ground, exhausted quickly, and seemed to be doomed.The dog was already on her, almost touching her body. Just at this critical moment, a gunshot rang out.The dog jumped forward, stood firm again, scratched the ground with its paws, barked a few times, let out heavy panting sounds, fell to the ground, moaned lowly for a while, finally gasped for a while, and died. "Dead," said Arsen Robin, who was running up to fire a second shot.The young girl stood up, pale and unsteady.She surveyed the stranger, the man who had just saved her life, with amazement.Finally she whispered, "Thank you... I was freaked out just now... Thank you for coming in time... Thank you, sir."

Arsen Robin took off his hat. "Allow me to introduce myself, miss... My name is Paul Dobreuil... But before I explain to you, please allow me..." He bent over the dog's body, carefully inspecting the break in the chain. "Sure enough!" he said through gritted teeth, "...just as I surmised. My God! Things have sped up...I should have come earlier." He went back to the girl and said hastily to her: "Miss, we must not waste a minute. It is not normal for me to appear in this garden. I do not wish to be seen. It is for your sake. Do you think Can gunshots be heard from the castle?"

The young girl seemed to have collected herself.She answered the question calmly, appearing brave by nature: "I don't think I can hear you." "Is your father at the castle today?" "My father is ill and has been bedridden for months. Besides, his bedroom is on the other side." "Where's the servant?" "They also live on the other side, and they work there too. No one comes here. I'm the only one who comes here for a walk." "So they probably didn't see me, especially with these trees in the way." "Maybe I didn't see it."

"Well, I can talk to you, so there's nothing to worry about?" "Of course, but I don't understand..." "You will understand." Leaning closer to her, he said: "Allow me to say a few words. This is what happened. Four days ago, Mademoiselle Jana Darchieu..." "That's me." She smiled. "Miss Janna d'Archieut," went on Arson Lupin, "has written a letter to her girlfriend, Marcelina, who lives at Versailles..." "How did you know this?" asked the young girl in amazement. "I tore up that letter before I finished writing it."

"You threw the torn paper on the road leading from this castle to Vendome." "Indeed... when I was walking..." "The papers were picked up. I found out the next day." "So...you read that letter?" Miss Jana Darchieu asked angrily. "Yes. I did the rash thing. But I don't regret it, because I can save you." "Help me... what?" "Saving you from death." Arsen Lupin said this very clearly.The girl was startled. "I have not received death threats." "No, Miss. One day about the end of October, you were sitting on a bench on the terrace reading a book. You have developed a habit and you sit there every day at that time. A stone fell from the eaves, and you have to come back a few centimeters. You were crushed to death."

"It was by chance..." "On a mild evening in November, you are walking through the vegetable garden under the moonlight. There is only one shot. A bullet whizzes past your ear." "At least... I think it is..." "Finally, last week, the small bridge two meters past Garden Falls collapsed as you walked across it. It's a miracle that you grabbed a tree root and saved your life." Yana Dalchijo tried to put on a smile . "Forget it. But as I wrote in my letter to Marcelina, this is just a series of coincidences..." "No, ma'am, that's not true. Once or twice by chance is justified... But after that, it doesn't make sense to say that it's by chance! ... We have no right to assume that chance will play tricks three times in a row, and that in such a special case one And again, again and again. So I thought I should come to your rescue. Since my help can only be effective in secret, I didn't hesitate to come in... not through the gate. As I came just in time for what you said. The enemy has once again attacked you."

"What!... What do you think?... No, it's impossible... I don't want to believe..." Arsen Lupin picked up the chain and pointed it out to her: "Look at this last link, it is undoubtedly It has been filed. Otherwise, such a strong chain will not be broken. Besides, the traces of the file are very obvious." Yana's face suddenly lost color, and fear made her beautiful face twitch. "But who hates me so much?" she stammered. "It's terrible... I haven't hurt anyone... But you must be right... And..." She finished in a low voice: " Also, I wonder if my father is in the same danger."

"Did someone kill your father too?" "No, because he doesn't come out of the room at all. But he's so strange! . . . he has no strength at all. . . he can't walk. . . . Arsen Lupin felt the influence he could have on her at this moment, so he said to her: "Don't be afraid, miss. As long as you listen to me unconditionally, I believe we will win." "Yes... yes... I hope... but it's all so horrible..." "Be confident, I beg you. Listen, I need to know something." He asked her questions one after another.Yana Dalchijo answered immediately.

"This dog is always on a leash, isn't it?" "yes." "Fed by whom?" "Guard. He feeds it every evening." "So he can walk up to it and not get bitten?" "Yes, he is the only one who can do this, because this dog is very fierce." "Don't you suspect this man?" "Ah! No! . . . Baptiste! . . . Never!" "Then whom do you not suspect?" "No one doubts. Our servants are loyal and love me." "Do you have any friends who live in the castle?" "No." "No brothers?" "No." "So your father is your only protector?" "Yes. I just told you what condition he was in." "Did you tell him about these attempts to kill you?" "Tell it. I shouldn't have said it. Our doctor, old Dr. Gairult, won't allow me to excite him." "Where's your mother?" "I can't remember. She's been dead for sixteen years . . . exactly sixteen years." "You were...?" "Almost five years old." "You lived here then?" "I live in Paris. My father bought the castle in the second year." Arsen Robin was silent for a while, and then said in conclusion: "Very good. Thank you, miss. For now, these things are enough. Let's talk , we will not be cautious if we stay together any longer." "But," she said, "the guards will find the dog after a while . . . who killed it?" "You, miss. You, in self-defense." "But I never carry a weapon." "You must think you are armed," said Arsen Robin, smiling, "since you have killed him, and only you can kill him. As for others to think what they like. The important thing is, It is I who cannot be suspected the next time I come to the castle." "Come to the castle? You mean it?" "I don't know how to come yet... But I will come, and tonight.... So, I repeat, don't worry, I will take care of everything." Yana looked at him, impressed by his confidence and sincerity Conquered by his appearance, he obeyed him and simply replied: "I'm not worried." "Then everything will be all right. See you tonight, miss." "See you tonight." She walks away.Arsen Lupin watched her disappear around the corner of the castle, and then whispered: "What a beautiful girl! It would be a pity if something happened to her. Fortunately, the righteous Arsen Lupin is protecting her." Not worried about being seen, he pricked up his ears and carefully checked every corner of the garden, looking for the low gate he noticed outside.That is the vegetable garden gate.He unbolted the door, took the key, and walked along the fence to the tree he had just climbed.Two minutes later, he got on his motorcycle. The village of Maupetui is almost next to the castle.Arsen Lupin made inquiries and learned that Dr. Gairult lived next to the church. He rang the bell and was ushered into the consulting room.He stated that his name was Paul Dobreuil, that he lived in the Rue Sureine in Paris, that he had official relations with the Security Service, and asked the doctor to keep it secret.He said that he had read a torn letter and understood that a series of things had happened here. Miss Dalchijo's life was threatened, so he came here to rescue the girl. Dr. Gerurt, an old country doctor who liked Jana very much, immediately agreed that these events were proof of a conspiracy.He was very moved, warmly received the guests, and asked him to have dinner. The two talked for a long time, and went to the castle together in the evening. The doctor went up to the patient's room on the second floor to visit him.The doctor asked his permission to introduce a young colleague, saying that he himself wished to retire and rest, and planned to hand over all patients to him in a short time. As soon as Yasin Luoping came in, he saw Yana Darchijo guarding his father's bedside.She just made a surprised movement, then shrank back.With the doctor's signal, she walked out.The doctor examined the patient in front of Arsen Lupin.Mr. Dalchijo was afflicted with disease, with a thin face and red eyes.On this day, he felt particularly uncomfortable in his heart.After the doctor's auscultation, he asked about his condition, and his anxiety was evident.Every word the doctor replied seemed to be a comfort to him.He also talked about Yana, thinking that everyone was hiding it from him, and that his daughter must have had other accidents.Despite the doctor's denials, he was still concerned.He had hoped to call the police and let them investigate.But he was too excited, and soon exhausted, and slowly fell asleep. Yasen Luoping stopped the doctor in the corridor. "Doctor, tell me your exact opinion. Do you think it is possible that Mr. Dalchijo's illness has an external cause?" "How do you say that?" "Yeah, suppose a person needs to get rid of the father and daughter..." Doctors seem overwhelmed by this assumption. "Indeed...indeed...this disease is very unnatural at times!...almost complete paralysis of both legs. It must be..." The doctor thought for a moment, then whispered: "Poison. . . . But what poison? . . . Besides, I don't see any symptoms of poisoning . . . Maybe I should assume . . . what are you doing? . . . What's the matter?" The two of them were talking in front of the door of a small house on the second floor.Just now, Yana started eating dinner there while the doctor was examining his father.Yassen Lupin watched her through the open door and saw her take a few sips from a cup to her lips. Suddenly, he rushed to her and grabbed her arm: "what are you drinking?" "Yes..." She panicked, "It's a kind of...tea." "But you frowned just now, as if in disgust. Why?" "I don't know...I think..." "What do you think?" "It seems to be... a bit bitter... probably because I put medicine in it." "What medicine?" "A few drops of potion, every day before supper . . . as you ordered, right, doctor?" "right." Dr. Gairult replied, "But this medicine has no bitter taste... You know it very well, Yana, because you have been taking it for half a month, and this is the first time..." "Indeed..." the girl murmured, "the medicine has a bitter taste today... Ah! Look, I still have a fever in my mouth." Dr. Gairult took a sip from his cup. "Wow! Bah!" he yelled, spitting. "It's impossible to put the wrong medicine!" Yasen Luoping carefully looked at the bottle containing the medicine, and asked, "Where is this bottle placed during the day?" But Anna could not answer.She covered her chest with her hands, her face was pale, her eyes twitched, and she looked very painful. "It's so uncomfortable... so uncomfortable." She stammered. The two men quickly carried her back to the bedroom and put her on the bed. "Give her an emetic," said Arsen Lupin. "Open the cupboard," ordered the doctor, "and there's a medicine chest in there... have you found it? Take a small tube... yes, this one... now pour some hot water... on the teapot tray there is .” The nanny heard the bell and ran quickly.She mainly waits on Yana.Arson Robin told her that Miss Dalchieu was suffering from an inexplicable disease. Then he went back to the dining room and inspected the cupboards and closets.Then he went to the kitchen and said the doctor had sent him to study Mr. Dalchijo's diet.He let the cook, the footman, and the guard Baptiste say something about it, as if indifferent.Baptiste dined at the castle. Back upstairs, he finds the doctor. "How about it?" "She's asleep." "Is there no danger?" "No. Fortunately, she only took two or three sips. But this is the second time you have saved her life today. We will be sure after testing the potion in this bottle." "There's no need for tests, doctor. Someone has poisoned, that's for sure." "But who is the person who poisoned it?" "I don't know. But the fiend is evidently familiar with castle habits. He can walk about at will, walk in the garden, file off dog chains, poison food. In short he seems to be attached to the woman he is trying to get rid of, or To be precise, the life of the father and daughter he wants to get rid of, come and go here." "Ah! You think Mr. Dalchijo's life is in danger too, don't you?" "Maybe." "One of the servants? But that's impossible. Don't you think?" "I don't think anything. I don't know anything. All I can say is that the situation is serious, and there are worse things to come. Death is here, doctor, roaming the castle. Soon it will Catch whomever it pursues." "Then what to do?" "Guardian, doctor. Let's find an excuse and say that Mr. Dalchijo's health is worrying, and he sleeps in the small dining room at night. Their father and daughter's rooms are very close, and we can certainly hear what is going on." They both had an armchair available, so they agreed to take turns sleeping in the armchairs. In fact, Arsen Lupin only slept for two or three hours.In the middle of the night, without telling his companions, he left the room, checked the castle carefully, and went out through the gate.It was nearly nine o'clock when he arrived in Paris on his motorcycle. On the way, he called two friends who were waiting for him there.The three of them conducted a one-day investigation separately to understand the situation that Arsen Luoping had considered in advance and needed to know. At six o'clock in the afternoon, he hurried on the road again.He told me afterwards that he had never in his life risked his life by galloping like mad on a foggy December night as he did that day back to the castle.The night was so dark that the headlights could barely see the road ahead.The door is still open.He jumped out of the car in front of the door, ran into the castle, and went up to the second floor in three steps and two steps. There was no one in the bistro. Without hesitation, without knocking on the door, he broke into Yana's bedroom. "Ah, you're all there!" he said, relieved to see Yana sitting and chatting with the doctor. "What? Something new?" The doctor felt nervous seeing him so disturbed.Because he already knew yesterday that this person is very calm. "No," he replied, "nothing new. What about here?" "Not here either. We have just left Monsieur Darchieu. He has had a very good day and has a good appetite. As for Jana, you see, she has color again." "Then it's time to move." "Go! No way," protested the girl. "It has to be like this!" Arsen Lupin stomped his feet anxiously and shouted rudely.But he restrained himself immediately, and said a few words of apology.Then he did not speak for three or four minutes.Neither the doctor nor Jana broke the silence.At last he said to the young girl: "Madame, you are leaving tomorrow morning and will only be away for a week or two. I will take you to the house of that friend in Versailles to whom you have written. I beg you Just make preparations, and do it publicly. Inform the servants. . . . Mr. Dalchieu, the doctor will go and tell him, and will take the utmost care to make him understand that this journey is essential to your safety. Besides, When he regains his strength, he will join you soon. That's it, okay?" "Okay," she replied, completely dominated by the non-negotiable yet calm voice of Arson Robin. "In that case," he said, "get ready quickly. Don't leave your room again." "But..." The girl trembled and said, "Tonight..." "Don't worry. The doctor and I will be there if there is any danger. You cannot open the door until you hear three soft knocks." Anna immediately rang the bell for the maid.The doctor went to Monsieur Darchijo.Arsen Luoping asked his servants to bring food, and started eating in the small dining room. Twenty minutes later, the doctor came back and said: "The matter is settled. Mr. Dalchijo has no objection. In fact, he also thinks that Yana should avoid it for the time being." After speaking, the two of them left, out of the castle. Walking to the gate, Yasen Luoping called the guard and said. "My friend, you can close the door. If Mr. Dalchillo needs us, send for us." The clock in Maupetui church struck ten.Layers of dark clouds weighed down the fields.From time to time, the moon showed its face through the gaps in the clouds. The two walked a hundred steps. When approaching the edge of the village, Arsen Lupin grabbed his companion's arm. "Don't go!" "What's the matter?" cried the doctor. "If I'm right, if my feelings about the matter are right, Miss Dalchillo will be murdered tonight," said Arson Robin. "What! What are you talking about?" The doctor was terrified, tongue-tied, "...If this is the case, why do we have to leave?" "It is precisely so that the criminals who are secretly watching our actions will not delay their actions, and it is precisely so that he will act according to my schedule and not according to his schedule." "Then shall we go back to the castle?" "Of course we will, but we must act individually." "If that's the case, let's go now." "Listen to me, doctor," said Arsen Robin calmly, "we will not waste time talking nonsense. First of all, we must escape all surveillance. Therefore, you go straight home. After a while, make sure that no one is following you Go back when the time comes. Go to the wall on the left side of the castle until you reach the small door in the vegetable garden. This is the key. When the church strikes eleven o'clock, you open the door softly and go straight to the platform behind the castle. The fifth window there is not closed, all you have to do is step over the railing. When you are in Miss Dalchieu's bedroom, lock the door and don't move. Do you understand? No matter what happens, you Don't move either of them. I noticed Miss Dalchieu opened the bathroom window a little bit, didn't I?" "Yes, this is a habit I let her develop." "The murderer will come in from there." "But what about you?" "I'll go in there too." "You already know who the murderer is?" Arsen Luopin hesitated for a moment, and replied: "No... I don't know... We can just do this to find out. Please hold your breath. No matter what happens, you can't speak or move." "I promise." "That's not enough, doctor, I want you to swear." "I swear to you." After speaking, the doctor left.Arsen Lupin immediately climbed onto a small mound nearby, from which he could see the windows of the second and third floors of the castle.Many of the windows were lighted.He waited a long time.One by one the lights went out. So he turned to the right in the opposite direction from the doctor's, and walked along the fence until he came to a grove of trees.He hid his motorcycle near here yesterday. Eleven o'clock struck.He calculated how long it might take the doctor to cross the vegetable garden and enter the castle. He murmured, "It's all arranged in this respect. Go save people, Arsen Lupin. The enemy is about to play his last trump card. . . . Hey, I got there . . . " He repeated the old trick, pulling down the branch as he had done the first time, letting it carry itself up the wall, and from there climb up the main branch. At this time, he pricked up his ears, as if he heard the rustling of branches and leaves.Sure enough, he saw a figure moving thirty meters below him. "Damn it," he thought, "it's over. The bastard has figured it out." Then a ray of moonlight fell.Yasen Luoping clearly saw the man raising his gun and aiming.He wanted to jump off the wall and turn back.But I felt a slam on my chest, heard another gunshot, and only had time to curse, and fell from the branches like a corpse... At this time, Dr. Gairult climbed up to the ledge of the fifth window according to Arson Lupin's instructions, and walked to the second floor fumblingly. Lock the door. "Get into bed quickly," he whispered to the girl.She was still in her evening clothes. "You've got to look like you're asleep. Well, it's not very warm in your room. Is the bathroom window open?" "Yes...you mean to..." "No, leave it on. Someone's coming." "Someone is coming!" Yana panicked and muttered. "Yes, without a doubt." "But whom do you suspect?" "I don't know...I presume someone is hiding in the castle...or in the garden..." "Ah! I'm afraid!" "Don't be afraid, the young man who's protecting you looks very capable and sure. He's probably lying in wait somewhere in the yard." The doctor turned out the light, went to the window, and drew up the curtains.Along the second floor, a narrow ledge blocked his view, and he could only see farther into the courtyard.He went back to the bed. After a few minutes of hard work, they felt endless.The village bell rang again, but they could barely hear it, drowned out by the noises of the night.They listened intently, all nerves tensed. "Did you hear that?" the doctor asked softly. "I heard...I heard it." Yana sat up on the bed and replied. "Lie down... lie down," he said after a while, "someone is coming..." Someone outside touched the stud, there was a sound, followed by a rustling.They could not hear what the sound was.But they felt that the windows of the next door were opened wide because a gust of cold air hit them. Suddenly, they heard clearly: there is someone next door. The doctor gripped the pistol tightly, his hands trembling slightly.But he remembered Arsen Luoping's clear instructions, and he didn't move for fear of violating his will. The room was pitch black, and they could not see where the enemy was, but they sensed him coming.They followed his invisible movements and heard his soft footsteps on the carpet.They were sure he had crossed the threshold. Then the enemy stopped, they were sure of that.He stood five steps away from the bed, motionless, perhaps hesitating, trying to see things in the darkness with sharp eyes. The doctor held Anna's hand in one hand.Her hands were cold, sweaty, and trembling slightly.The doctor's other hand gripped the pistol tightly, his finger on the trigger.Despite his oaths, he had made up his mind to shoot wherever the enemy came near the bed. The enemy took another step, then stopped again.The silence, the stillness, the darkness that made one stare nervously at the other with wide-eyed eyes was terrible.Who came here in the middle of the night?Who is this man?What hatred drove him to murder this young girl?What crime is he going to do?Although Yana and the doctor were afraid, they had only one thought: to find out who they recognized, and to reveal the true face of the enemy. The enemy took another step, then stopped moving again.They felt his figure looming clearly in the darkness.They saw his arms rise slowly.A minute passed, and another minute passed. Suddenly, a little bit later on the right, there was a crisp sound... A strong light shot over and shone on the man's face, illuminating his face all at once. Yana let out a cry of terror.She saw that the person standing beside her bed with a dagger raised above her head was her...father! The lights went out.Almost at the same moment, a gunshot rang out...the doctor fired. "Damn! Don't shoot!" Arsen Robin roared. He hugged the doctor.The doctor gasped, "You saw...you saw...you listen...he ran away..." "Let him escape... that's the best." Arsen Lupin turned on the flashlight again, ran to the bathroom, and found that the man had disappeared, so he walked back to the table without haste, and turned on the light. Yana lay on the bed, pale and fainted. The doctor huddled in the armchair, babbling Yiyi. "Okay," said Arsen Lupin with a smile, "come to your senses, it's all over, and there's nothing to be afraid of." "Her father... her father..." the old doctor muttered. "I beg you, doctor, Miss Dalchijo is ill. Show her!" Without another word, he walked back to the bathroom, past the ledge, which leaned against a ladder.He climbed down quickly, walked twenty steps along the wall, and came across a ladder.He climbed the ladder to Mr. Dalchillo's room.No one is inside. "Very well," he mused, "the fellow decided that something was wrong, and slipped away. Have a good trip...the door is probably locked? That's right...that's how our patients dodge the honest doctor. Get up safe and fast, tie the ladder to the balcony, and do his tricks. This Darchieu is not so stupid." He drew the latch and went back to Jana's bedroom.The doctor came out and dragged him to the small dining room. "She's asleep. Don't disturb her. She's been shaken so much it'll take a while to recover." Yasen Luoping picked up the water bottle, poured a glass of water and drank it, then sat down and said calmly: "It doesn't matter! It will be fine tomorrow." "what did you say?" "I said tomorrow will be all right." "why?" "First of all, because I don't think Miss Dalchijo has any feelings for her father..." "What does that matter! Think about it...a father wants to kill his daughter! A father, in a few months, has killed his daughter time and time again!...Wouldn't this make Anna's sensitive heart ache?" Shattered and never forgotten? What a terrible memory!" "She will forget." "It's something that can never be forgotten." "It will be forgotten, doctor, for the simple reason..." "Say it!" "She is not Mr. Dalchijo's daughter!" "Ok?" "I repeat, she's not that bastard's own daughter." "What did you say? Mr. Dalchillo..." "Mr. Dalhiyo is only her stepfather. Her biological father died just after she was born. Her mother married an uncle brother with the same surname as her husband. She also died when she married, leaving her daughter to Dalhiyo Mr. Yue took care of her. He first took her abroad, and later bought the castle. No one here knew him, and he said that the child was his own daughter. The child himself did not know his own life experience." The doctor was a little confused and murmured, "Do you believe these details are true?" "I spent a whole day in the various towns of Paris, checked the civil records, interviewed two notaries, and looked at the certificate of domicile. Therefore, there was no doubt." "But that doesn't explain his crime, his series of crimes?" "Yes," said Arson Robin, "from the very first moment I intervened in this matter, Miss Dalchieu's words gave me a premonition of where to start the investigation." When my mother died , I am almost five years old.' She said to me, 'It has been sixteen years since then.' So Miss Dalchijo will be twenty-one years old, that is to say, she will enter the age of majority. I Immediately saw that this was an important detail. Manhood is the age at which you are accountable. Miss Darchieu is her mother's heir, what is her fortune? Of course, it never occurred to me that it was her father. In the first place, such a thing is unthinkable; in the second place, the play of Dalchieu who is immobile, bedridden and seriously ill..." "He's really sick," put in the doctor. "All this dispels my suspicions about him . Knowing the truth. Miss Dalchieu has inherited a large estate from her mother, and her stepfather has the right to benefit from this property. Next month, the notary will call them for a family meeting in Paris. As soon as the truth is revealed, Dal Mr. Hiyo is tantamount to bankruptcy." "Hasn't he any savings?" "Originally there were, but he lost a lot of money in speculation, so he posted them all." "However, Yana will not take back the management rights of the property!" "There's one detail you don't know, doctor. It wasn't until I read the torn letter that I found out that Mademoiselle Dalchieu was in love with the brother of Marcelina, her Versailles girlfriend. But Mr. Dalchieu objected— —You now understand the reason for his objection—Miss Dalchieu waits until she is of age to marry." "Indeed..." said the doctor, "indeed...that would be bankrupt." "I repeat, he is tantamount to bankruptcy. The only chance to save him from this predicament is Miss Dalchillo's death. Because he is the most direct heir to her estate." "Of course. But the premise is that people can't doubt him." "Obviously so. That is why he conspired to create a series of accidents in order to make the death seem accidental. That is why, in order to hasten the development of events, I ask you to tell him that Mademoiselle Darchieu is about to leave. After that, it is not enough for this self-proclaimed sick man to wander at night in the garden or the corridors to carry out his long-planned plans. No, he must act, immediately, and there is no time to prepare, but naked. I think He'll make up his mind. And here he is." "Did he not guard against anything?" "Beware of me? Yes. He has a premonition that I will return at night, and he is guarding the place where I climbed over the wall." "So?" "Then," said Arson Lupin, laughing, "I've been shot in the chest... or in my wallet... Well, you can still see the bullet holes... I'm like a dead man He fell from a tree. He thought he had got rid of his only opponent, and came towards the castle. I saw him wandering around for two hours. At last, he made up his mind, brought a ladder from the garage, and set it up.在窗子上。而我只要跟着他就行了。”大夫想了想，说：“您本应早点抓住他。为什么还让他上来呢？这场考验对亚纳来说太残酷了……而且没有用处……” “这是必不可少的！不然达尔希约小姐永远不会相信真实情况，必须让她看到凶手的面孔。她醒来后，您把情况告诉她，她会很快好起来的。” “可是……达尔希约先生……” “对他的失踪，您去跟人家解释吧。您觉得怎么合适就怎么说。……出门旅行……心血来潮……人们会作调查……但请放心，以后听不到他的消息了……” 大夫点点头。 “是的……确实……您说得对……您这件事处理得极为巧妙。您救了亚纳的命……她会感谢您的。但我呢，我能为您做点什么吗？您说过跟保安局有联系……我能不能写封信，赞扬您的行为，您的勇敢？” Arsen Robin laughed. “当然能！这样一封信对我有好处。您就给我的顶头上司加尼玛尔探长写吧。他要是得知他的下属，絮莱纳街的保尔·多布勒伊又干了一件漂亮事，会高兴的。我正好在他指挥下打了一场漂亮仗，侦破的那起案子您大概听说了，'红绸围巾'……这个老实的加尼玛尔先生，他可要大大欣喜一场了！”