he work of
enigmatical beings who are difficult to trace and too clever or
intelligent to let themselves be caught. History is full of stories of
such mysterious characters, the Iron Mask, for instance, and Cagliostro.
In every age there have been bands of dangerous creatures, led by such
men as Cartouche and Vidocq and Rocambole. Now why should we suppose
that in our time no one exists who emulates the deeds of those mighty
criminals?"

The Abbe Sicot raised a gentle voice from the depths of a comfortable
arm-chair wherein he was peacefully digesting his dinner.

"The police do their work better in our time than ever they did before."

"That is perfectly true," the president admitted, "but their work is
also more difficult than ever it was before. Criminals who operate in
the grand manner have all sorts of things at their disposal nowadays.
Science has done much for modern progress, but unfortunately it can be
of invaluable assistance to criminals at times; the hosts of evil have
the telegraph and the motor-car at their disposal just as authority has,
and some day they will make use of the aeroplane."

Young Charles Rambert had been listening to the president's dissertation
with the utmost interest and now broke in, with a voice that quivered
slightly.

"You were talking about Fantomas just now, sir----"

The president cast a cryptic look at the lad and did not reply directly
to him.

"That is what I am coming to, for, of course, you have understood me,
ladies. In these days we have been distressed by a steady access of
criminality, and among the assets we shall henceforth have to count a
mysterious and most dangerous creature, to whom the baffled authorities
and public rumour generally have for some time now given the name of
Fantomas. It is impossible to say exactly or to know precisely who
Fantomas is. He often assumes the form and personality of some definite
and even well-known individual; sometimes he assumes the forms of two
human beings at one and the same time. Sometimes he works alone,
sometimes with accomplices; sometimes he can be identified as such and
such a person, but no one has ever yet arrived at knowing Fantomas
himself. That he is a living person is certain and undeniable, yet he is
impossible to catch or to identify. He is nowhere and everywhere at
once, his shadow hovers above the strangest mysteries, and his traces
are found near the most inexplicable crimes, and yet----"

"You are frig