, one day, when
Arsene Lupin was in a confidential mood. He was pacing to and fro in my
room, with a nervous step and a feverish eye that were unusual to him.

"After all," I said to him, "it was your most successful venture."

Without making a direct reply, he said:

"There are some impenetrable secrets connected with that affair; some
obscure points that escape my comprehension. For instance: What
caused their flight? Why did they not take advantage of the help I
unconsciously gave them? It would have been so simple to say: `The
hundred millions were in the safe. They are no longer there, because
they have been stolen.'"

"They lost their nerve."

"Yes, that is it--they lost their nerve...On the other hand, it is
true---"

"What is true?"

"Oh! nothing."

What was the meaning of Lupin's reticence? It was quite obvious that he
had not told me everything; there was something he was loath to tell.
His conduct puzzled me. It must indeed be a very serious matter to cause
such a man as Arsene Lupin even a momentary hesitation. I threw out a
few questions at random.

"Have you seen them since?"

"No."

"And have you never experienced the slightest degree of pity for those
unfortunate people?"

"I!" he exclaimed, with a start.

His sudden excitement astonished me. Had I touched him on a sore spot? I
continued:

"Of course. If you had not left them alone, they might have been able to
face the danger, or, at least, made their escape with full pockets."

"What do you mean?" he said, indignantly. "I suppose you have an idea
that my soul should be filled with remorse?"

"Call it remorse or regrets--anything you like---"

"They are not worth it."

"Have you no regrets or remorse for having stolen their fortune?"

"What fortune?"

"The packages of bonds you took from their safe."

"Oh! I stole their bonds, did I? I deprived them of a portion of their
wealth? Is that my crime? Ah! my dear boy, you do not know the truth.
You never imagined that those bonds were not worth the paper they were
written on. Those bonds were false--they were counterfeit--every one of
them--do you understand? THEY WERE COUNTERFEIT!"

I looked at him, astounded.

"Counterfeit! The four or five millions?"

"Yes, counterfeit!" he exclaimed, in a fit of rage. "Only so many scraps
of paper! I couldn't raise a sou on the whole of them! And you ask me if
I have any remorse. THEY are the ones who should have remorse and pity.
They p