FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128  
129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   >>   >|  
d, except the faint noise of Daubrecq's footsteps on the flagstones. Lupin considered that the moment had come. He thrust his arm through the bars and threw the letter in. Daubrecq seemed thunderstruck. The letter had fluttered through the room and lay on the floor, at three steps from him. Where did it come from? He raised his head toward the window and tried to pierce the darkness that hid all the upper part of the room from his eyes. Then he looked at the envelope, without yet daring to touch it, as though he dreaded a snare. Then, suddenly, after a glance at the door, he stooped briskly, seized the envelope and opened it. "Ah," he said, with a sigh of delight, when he saw the signature. He read the letter half-aloud: "Rely implicitly on the bearer of this note. He has succeeded in discovering the marquis' secret, with the money which we gave him, and has contrived a plan of escape. Everything is prepared for your flight. "EUPHRASIE ROUSSELOT" He read the letter again, repeated, "Euphrasie... Euphrasie..." and raised his head once more. Lupin whispered: "It will take me two or three hours to file through one of the bars. Are Sebastiani and his sons coming back?" "Yes, they are sure to," replied Daubrecq, in the same low voice, "but I expect they will leave me to myself." "But they sleep next door?" "Yes." "Won't they hear?" "No, the door is too thick." "Very well. In that case, it will soon be done. I have a rope-ladder. Will you be able to climb up alone, without my assistance?" "I think so... I'll try... It's my wrists that they've broken... Oh, the brutes! I can hardly move my hands... and I have very little strength left. But I'll try all the same... needs must..." He stopped, listened and, with his finger to his mouth, whispered: "Hush!" When Sebastiani and his sons entered the room, Daubrecq, who had hidden the letter and lain down on his bed, pretended to wake with a start. The huntsman brought him a bottle of wine, a glass and some food: "How goes it, monsieur le depute?" he cried. "Well, perhaps we did squeeze a little hard... It's very painful, that thumbscrewing. Seems they often did it at the time of the Great Revolution and Bonaparte... in the days of the chauffeurs. [*] A pretty invention! Nice and clean... no bloodshed... And it didn't last long either! In twenty minutes, you came out with the missing word!" Sebastiani burst out laughing. "
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128  
129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
letter
 

Daubrecq

 

Sebastiani

 
envelope
 

Euphrasie

 

whispered

 

raised

 

stopped

 

listened

 

finger


brutes

 
strength
 

assistance

 
wrists
 
broken
 

ladder

 

chauffeurs

 

pretty

 

invention

 

Bonaparte


Revolution

 

bloodshed

 

missing

 

laughing

 

minutes

 
twenty
 

thumbscrewing

 

painful

 

pretended

 

huntsman


bottle

 

brought

 
entered
 

hidden

 

squeeze

 

depute

 

monsieur

 

dreaded

 

suddenly

 

daring


looked
 
glance
 

delight

 

signature

 

stooped

 
briskly
 

seized

 
opened
 
moment
 

considered