The Greatest Adventures of Arsène Lupin (Boxed-Set). Морис Леблан

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СКАЧАТЬ all those changes! You don't mean that you will actually go to Paris by train?" said the Duke.

      "I do," said the millionaire. "Come along—I must go and tell Germaine; there's no time to waste," and he hurried off to the chateau.

      "Get the lamps lighted, Jean, and make sure that the tank's full. As for the engine, I must humour it and trust to luck. I'll get her to Paris somehow," said the Duke.

      He went back to the chateau, and Firmin followed him.

      When the Duke came into the great hall he found Germaine and her father indulging in recriminations. She was declaring that nothing would induce her to make the journey by train; her father was declaring that she should. He bore down her opposition by the mere force of his magnificent voice.

      When at last there came a silence, Sonia said quietly: "But is there a train? I know there's a train at midnight; but is there one before?"

      "A time-table—where's a time-table?" said the millionaire.

      "Now, where did I see a time-table?" said the Duke. "Oh, I know; there's one in the drawer of that Oriental cabinet." Crossing to the cabinet, he opened the drawer, took out the time-table, and handed it to M. Gournay-Martin.

      The millionaire took it and turned over the leaves quickly, ran his eye down a page, and said, "Yes, thank goodness, there is a train. There's one at a quarter to nine."

      "And what good is it to us? How are we to get to the station?" said Germaine.

      They looked at one another blankly. Firmin, who had followed the Duke into the hall, came to the rescue.

      "There's the luggage-cart," he said.

      "The luggage-cart!" cried Germaine contemptuously.

      "The very thing!" said the millionaire. "I'll drive it myself. Off you go, Firmin; harness a horse to it."

      Firmin went clumping out of the hall.

      It was perhaps as well that he went, for the Duke asked what time it was; and since the watches of Germaine and her father differed still, there ensued an altercation in which, had Firmin been there, he would doubtless have taken part.

      The Duke cut it short by saying: "Well, I don't think I'll wait to see you start for the station. It won't take you more than half an hour. The cart is light. You needn't start yet. I'd better get off as soon as the car is ready. It isn't as though I could trust it."

      "One moment," said Germaine. "Is there a dining-car on the train? I'm not going to be starved as well as have my night's rest cut to pieces."

      "Of course there isn't a dining-car," snapped her father. "We must eat something now, and take something with us."

      "Sonia, Irma, quick! Be off to the larder and see what you can find. Tell Mother Firmin to make an omelette. Be quick!"

      Sonia went towards the door of the hall, followed by Irma.

      "Good-night, and bon voyage, Mademoiselle Sonia," said the Duke.

      "Good-night, and bon voyage, your Grace," said Sonia.

      The Duke opened the door of the hall for her; and as she went out, she said anxiously, in a low voice: "Oh, do—do be careful. I hate to think of your hurrying to Paris on a night like this. Please be careful."

      "I will be careful," said the Duke.

      The honk of the motor-horn told him that Jean had brought the car to the door of the chateau. He came down the room, kissed Germaine's hands, shook hands with the millionaire, and bade them good-night. Then he went out to the car. They heard it start; the rattle of it grew fainter and fainter down the long avenue and died away.

      M. Gournay-Martin arose, and began putting out lamps. As he did so, he kept casting fearful glances at the window, as if he feared lest, now that the Duke had gone, the burglars should dash in upon him.

      There came a knock at the door, and Jean appeared on the threshold.

      "His Grace told me that I was to come into the house, and help Firmin look after it," he said.

      The millionaire gave him instructions about the guarding of the house. Firmin, since he was an old soldier, was to occupy the post of honour, and guard the hall, armed with his gun. Jean was to guard the two drawing-rooms, as being less likely points of attack. He also was to have a gun; and the millionaire went with him to the gun-room and gave him one and a dozen cartridges. When they came back to the hall, Sonia called them into the dining-room; and there, to the accompaniment of an unsubdued grumbling from Germaine at having to eat cold food at eight at night, they made a hasty but excellent meal, since the chef had left an elaborate cold supper ready to be served.

      They had nearly finished it when Jean came in, his gun on his arm, to say that Firmin had harnessed the horse to the luggage-cart, and it was awaiting them at the door of the chateau.

      "Send him in to me, and stand by the horse till we come out," said the millionaire.

      Firmin came clumping in.

      The millionaire gazed at him solemnly, and said: "Firmin, I am relying on you. I am leaving you in a position of honour and danger—a position which an old soldier of France loves."

      Firmin did his best to look like an old soldier of France. He pulled himself up out of the slouch which long years of loafing through woods with a gun on his arm had given him. He lacked also the old soldier of France's fiery gaze. His eyes were lack-lustre.

      "I look for anything, Firmin—burglary, violence, an armed assault," said the millionaire.

      "Don't be afraid, sir. I saw the war of '70," said Firmin boldly, rising to the occasion.

      "Good!" said the millionaire. "I confide the chateau to you. I trust you with my treasures."

      He rose, and saying "Come along, we must be getting to the station," he led the way to the door of the chateau.

      The luggage-cart stood rather high, and they had to bring a chair out of the hall to enable the girls to climb into it. Germaine did not forget to give her real opinion of the advantages of a seat formed by a plank resting on the sides of the cart. The millionaire climbed heavily up in front, and took the reins.

      "Never again will I trust only to motor-cars. The first thing I'll do after I've made sure that my collections are safe will be to buy carriages—something roomy," he said gloomily, as he realized the discomfort of his seat.

      He turned to Jean and Firmin, who stood on the steps of the chateau watching the departure of their master, and said: "Sons of France, be brave—be brave!"

      The cart bumped off into the damp, dark night.

      Jean and Firmin watched it disappear into the darkness. Then they came into the chateau and shut the door.

      Firmin looked at Jean, and said gloomily: "I don't like this. These burglars stick at nothing. They'd as soon cut your throat as look at you."

      "It can't be helped," said Jean. "Besides, you've got the post of honour. You guard the hall. I'm to look after the drawing-rooms. They're not likely to break in through the drawing-rooms. And I shall lock the door between them and the СКАЧАТЬ