its other end, much narrower, was closed by three bars.

Lupin crawled along. His head reached the bars. And he saw...

CHAPTER VIII. THE LOVERS' TOWER

The torture-chamber showed beneath him. It was a large, irregular room,
divided into unequal portions by the four wide, massive pillars that
supported its arched roof. A smell of damp and mildew came from its
walls and from its flags moistened by the water that trickled from
without. Its appearance at any time must have been gruesome. But, at
that moment, with the tall figures of Sebastiani and his sons, with the
slanting gleams of light that fell between the pillars, with the vision
of the captive chained down upon the truckle-bed, it assumed a sinister
and barbarous aspect.

Daubrecq was in the front part of the room, four or five yards down from
the window at which Lupin lurked. In addition to the ancient chains that
had been used to fasten him to his bed and to fasten the bed to an iron
hook in the wall, his wrists and ankles were girt with leather thongs;
and an ingenious arrangement caused his least movement to set in motion
a bell hung to the nearest pillar.

A lamp placed on a stool lit him full in the face.

The Marquis d'Albufex was standing beside him. Lupin could see his pale
features, his grizzled moustache, his long, lean form as he looked at
his prisoner with an expression of content and of gratified hatred.

A few minutes passed in profound silence. Then the marquis gave an
order:

"Light those three candles, Sebastiani, so that I can see him better."

And, when the three candles were lit and he had taken a long look at
Daubrecq, he stooped over him and said, almost gently:

"I can't say what will be the end of you and me. But at any rate I shall
have had some deuced happy moments in this room. You have done me so
much harm, Daubrecq! The tears you have made me shed! Yes, real tears,
real sobs of despair... The money you have robbed me of! A fortune!...
And my terror at the thought that you might give me away! You had but
to utter my name to complete my ruin and bring about my disgrace!... Oh,
you villain!..."

Daubrecq did not budge. He had been deprived of his black glasses, but
still kept his spectacles, which reflected the light from the candles.
He had lost a good deal of flesh; and the bones stood out above his
sunken cheeks.

"Come along," said d'Albufex. "The time has come to act. It seems that
there are rogues prowling about th