presented the State with his
papers and his plans for the construction of a new submarine: one more
gift to France? Well, among the plans, I kept those of a submersible
motor boat and that is how you come to have the honor of sailing in my
company."

[11] The Exploits of Arsene Lupin. By Maurice Leblanc. VI: The
Seven of Hearts.

He called to Charolais:

"Take us up, Charolais--there's no danger now--"

They shot up to the surface and the glass skylight emerged above the
water.

They were a mile from the coast, out of sight, therefore, and
Beautrelet was now able to realize more fully at what a headlong pace
they were traveling. First Fecamp passed before them, then all the
Norman seaside places: Saint-Pierre, the Petits--Dalles, Veulettes,
Saint-Valery, Veules, Quiberville. Lupin kept on jesting and Isidore
never wearied of watching and listening to him, amazed as he was at the
man's spirits, at his gaiety, his mischievous ways, his careless chaff,
his delight in life.

He also noticed Raymonde. The young woman sat silent, nestling up
against the man she loved. She had taken his hands between her own and
kept on raising her eyes to him; and Beautrelet constantly observed
that her hands were twitching and that the wistful sadness of her eyes
increased. And, each time, it was like a dumb and sorrowful reply to
Lupin's sallies. One would have thought that his frivolous words, his
sarcastic outlook on life, caused her physical pain.

"Hush!" she whispered. "It's defying destiny to laugh--so many
misfortunes can reach us still!"

Opposite Dieppe, they had to dive lest they should be seen by the
fishing-craft. And twenty minutes later, they shot at an angle toward
the coast and the boat entered a little submarine harbor formed by a
regular gap between the rocks, drew up beside a jetty and rose gently
to the surface.

Lupin announced:

"Port-Lupin!"

The spot, situated at sixteen miles from Dieppe and twelve from the
Treport and protected, moreover, by the two landslips of cliff, was
absolutely deserted. A fine sand carpeted the rounded slope of the tiny
beach.

"Jump on shore, Beautrelet--Raymonde, give me your hand. You,
Charolais, go back to the Needle, see what happens between Ganimard and
Duguay-Trouin and come back and tell me at the end of the day. The
thing interests me tremendously."

Beautrelet asked himself with a certain curiosity how they were going
to get out of this hemmed-in creek which