The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar quotes

Arsène Lupin, the eccentric gentleman who operates only in the châteaux and salons, and who, one night, entered the residence of Baron Schormann, but emerged empty-handed, leaving, however, his card on which he had scribbled these words: “

Arsène Lupin, gentleman-burglar, will return when the furniture is genuine.

” Arsène Lupin, the man of a thousand disguises: in turn a chauffer, detective, bookmaker, Russian physician, Spanish bullfighter, commercial traveler, robust youth, or decrepit old man.

The thief had taken only part of them; a very curious thing. Of the diamond sunbursts, jeweled pendants, bracelets and necklaces, the thief had taken, not the largest but the finest and most valuable stones. The mountings were lying upon the table.

I saw them there, despoiled of their jewels, like flowers from which the beautiful colored petals had been ruthlessly plucked.

And this theft must have been committed at the time Lady Jerland was taking her tea; in broad daylight, in a stateroom opening on a much frequented corridor;

This incident caused considerable astonishment, and displayed the humorous side of Arsène Lupin, burglar though he was, but dilettante as well. He combined business with pleasure.

He reminded us of the author who almost died in a fit of laughter provoked by his own play.

Certainly, he was an artist in his particular line of work, and whenever I saw Rozaine, gloomy and reserved, and thought of the double role that he was playing, I accorded him a certain measure of admiration.

We clung together as a matter of safety. And yet the most intimate acquaintances were estranged by a mutual feeling of distrust.

Arsène Lupin was, now, anybody and everybody.

Our excited imaginations attributed to him miraculous and unlimited power. We supposed him capable of assuming the most unexpected disguises;

“

What a pity that I am not an honest man!

”

His portrait? How can I describe him? I have seen him twenty times and each time he was a different person; even he himself said to me on one occasion: “

I no longer know who I am. I cannot recognize myself in the mirror.

” Certainly, he was a great actor, and possessed a marvelous faculty for disguising himself. Without the slightest effort, he could adopt the voice, gestures and mannerisms of another person.

“Why,” said he, “why should I retain a definite form and feature?

Why not avoid the danger of a personality that is ever the same? My actions will serve to identify me.

”

“So much the better if no one can ever say with absolute certainty: There is Arsène Lupin!

The essential point is that the public may be able to refer to my work and say, without fear of mistake: Arsène Lupin did that!

”

He loved them—his bibelots.

He loved them intensely, like a miser; jealously, like a lover.

Every day, at sunset, the iron gates at either end of the bridge and at the entrance to the court of honor are closed and barred. At the least touch on these gates, electric bells will ring throughout the castle.

“

Monsieur, it is not customary for thieves to warn people they are about to rob. Arsène Lupin, especially, would not commit such a folly.

”

“

Discover something with Arsène Lupin! Why, my dear monsieur, Arsène Lupin never leaves any clue behind him.

He leaves nothing to chance. Sometimes I think he put himself in my way and simply allowed me to arrest him in America.”

“

Bah! a person must have some diversion to occupy his leisure hours, especially when he is in prison.

”

“Ah! my dear monsieur, do you suppose I am going to rot upon the wet straw? You insult me.

Arsène Lupin remains in prison just as long as it pleases him, and not one minute more.

”

“

A woman was looking at me, Ganimard, and I loved her. Do you fully understand what that means: to be under the eyes of a woman that one loves?

I cared for nothing in the world but that. And that is why I am here.”

“Pardon me … a bad habit.

Because they have taken mine is no reason why I should take yours.

Besides, I have a chronometer here that satisfies me fairly well.”

every day it expected to be regaled with news of his escape; and, it is true, he had gained a considerable amount of public sympathy by reason of his verve, his gayety, his diversity, his inventive genius and the mystery of his life.

Arsène Lupin must escape. It was his inevitable fate.

The public expected it, and was surprised that the event had been delayed so long. Every morning the Préfect of Police asked his secretary:

And, on the day before the trial, a gentleman called at the office of the Grand Journal, asked to see the court reporter, threw his card in the reporter’s face, and walked rapidly away. These words were written on the card: “

Arsène Lupin always keeps his promises.

”

then, despite all my precautions, I should have been recognized. But I had no fear.

Logically, psychologically, no one could entertain the idea that I was Arsène Lupin.

”

“Now,” replied Lupin, “I am going to take a rest, enjoy the best of food and drink and gradually recover my former healthy condition.

It is all very well to become Baudru or some other person, on occasion, and to change your personality as you do your shirt, but you soon grow weary of the change.

I feel exactly as I imagine the man who lost his shadow must have felt, and I shall be glad to be Arsène Lupin once more.”

The lady had to feign a continued lack of consciousness in order to deceive the enemy. But fits of coughing, provoked by the smoke, exposed her true condition. As to me, I was very uncomfortable, and very tired. And I meditated; I plotted.

The train was rushing on, joyously, intoxicated with its own speed.

Saint Étienne! … At that moment, the man arose and took two steps toward us, which caused the lady to utter a cry of alarm and fall into a genuine swoon. What was the man about to do? He lowered the window on our side.

At right and left, the trees flew past us with startling rapidity, and I, free, out of danger, had simply to arrange my little personal affairs with the two honest representatives of the Rouen police who were sitting behind me.

Arsène Lupin was going in search of Arsène Lupin!

Modest guardians of social order—Gaston Delivet and Honoré Massol—how valuable was your assistance! What would I have done without you? Without you, many times, at the crossroads, I might have taken the wrong route!

We fairly flew, scarcely touching the ground.

The milestones looked like little timid beasts that vanished at our approach.

Suddenly, at a turn of the road, we saw a vortex of smoke. It was the Northern Express. For a kilometre, it was a struggle, side by side, but an unequal struggle in which the issue was certain. We won the race by twenty lengths.

I must confess that I had taken from it everything that possessed any interest or value, leaving there only a shell comb, a stick of rouge Dorin for the lips, and an empty purse.

But, you know, business is business. And then, really, her husband is engaged in such a dishonorable vocation!

The man was becoming conscious. What was I to do? I was unable to save him or condemn him. So I took his revolver and fired a shot in the air.

… should happen to meet him, will you tell him that he unjustly keeps possession of a relic that is the property and pride of a certain family, and that, although the stones have been removed, the Queen’s necklace still belongs to the house of Dreux-Soubise.

It belongs to us as much as our name or our honor.

”

I had dined with some friends at the Cascade restaurant, and, the entire evening, whilst we smoked and the orchestra played melancholy waltzes, we talked only of crimes and thefts, and dark and frightful intrigues.

That is always a poor overture to a night’s sleep.

The Saint-Martins went away in an automobile. Jean Daspry—that delightful, heedless Daspry who, six months later, was killed in such a tragic manner on the frontier of Morocco—Jean Daspry and I returned on foot through the dark, warm night.

“

I beg your pardon, monsieur, for meddling in your business; but, really, you play a very poor game. Let me hold the cards.

”

“

It’s between us two, comrade, and play fair, if you please. Hearts are trumps, and I play the seven.

”

“

Ah! did you imagine that a Monsieur Durand or Dupont could manage an affair like this? No, it required the skill and cunning of Arsène Lupin.

And now that you have my name, go and prepare your revenge. Arsène Lupin will wait for you.”

“

There is no handwriting that cannot be imitated.

”

“Yes, after a great deal of trouble. I found it yesterday afternoon while you were asleep. And yet, God knows it was simple enough!

But the simplest things are the ones that usually escape our notice.

” Then, showing me the seven-of-hearts, he added: “Of course I had guessed that, in order to open the larger safe, this card must be placed on the sword of the mosaic king.”

With what a thrill of joy he recalled the invitation he received that night! At last, he had reached his goal! At last, he had undertaken a task worthy of his strength and skill!

The Imbert millions! What a magnificent feast for an appetite like his!

He prepared a special toilet for the occasion; a shabby frock-coat, baggy trousers, a frayed silk hat, well-worn collar and cuffs, all quite correct in form, but bearing the unmistakable stamp of poverty. His cravat was a black ribbon pinned with a false diamond.

It was an immense block of iron and steel, cold and stern in appearance, which could not be forced open by the ordinary tools of the burglar’s trade. But Arsène Lupin was not discouraged.

“Where force fails, cunning prevails,” he said to himself.

“The essential thing is to be on the spot when the opportunity occurs. In the meantime, I must watch and wait.”

And do you know why? To devote the money to charity! I am giving you a straight story. She wanted it for some poor people she was assisting—unknown to her husband. And my hard-earned money was wormed out of me by that silly pretense!

Isn’t it amusing, hein? Arsène Lupin done out of fifteen hundred francs by the fair lady from whom he stole four millions in counterfeit bonds!

And what a vast amount of time and patience and cunning I expended to achieve that result!

“Ouf! Here I am—and how simple it was! I wonder why more people do not adopt the profitable and pleasant occupation of burglar.

With a little care and reflection, it becomes a most delightful profession.

Not too quiet and monotonous, of course, as it would then become wearisome.”

“Ouf! Here I am—and how simple it was!

I wonder why more people do not adopt the profitable and pleasant occupation of burglar.

With a little care and reflection, it becomes a most delightful profession. Not too quiet and monotonous, of course, as it would then become wearisome.”

“Bah!” exclaimed the judge, “you have Lupin on the brain. You see him everywhere.”

“I see him everywhere, because he is everywhere.”

“Say rather that you see him every time you encounter something you cannot explain.

Besides, you overlook the fact that the crime was committed at twenty minutes past eleven in the evening, as is shown by the clock, while the nocturnal visit, mentioned by the concierge, occurred at three o’clock in the morning.”

Officers of the law frequently form a hasty conviction as to the guilt of a suspected person, and then distort all subsequent discoveries to conform to their established theory.

The deplorable antecedents of Victor Danègre, habitual criminal, drunkard and rake, influenced the judge, and despite the fact that nothing new was discovered in corroboration of the early clues, his official opinion remained firm and unshaken.

“Oh! you are joking! Or do you mean that I should give you an article worth thousands and hundreds of thousands and get nothing in return?”

“You will get your life. Is that nothing?”

The unfortunate man shuddered. Then Grimaudan added, in a milder tone:

“Arsène Lupin will be pleased to consider all propositions submitted to him through his agents.”

“And that is how crime is always punished and virtue rewarded,” said Arsène Lupin, after he had told me the foregoing history of the black pearl.

“And that is how you, under the assumed name of Grimaudan, ex-inspector of detectives, were chosen by fate to deprive the criminal of the benefit of his crime.”

“You are right. Nothing can be changed.

Arsène Lupin is now and always will be Arsène Lupin.

To you, he cannot be even so much as a memory. Pardon me. … I should have known that any attention I may now offer you is simply an insult. Forgive me.”