Maurice Leblanc

“ Whatever he did, it was impossible for him to hasten the hour of the catastrophe. This catastrophe would take place or would not take place; but Lupin would not know for certain until the last hour of the last day was spent to the last minute. Then—and then alone—he would know of the definite failure of his scheme.
"The inevitable failure," he kept on repeating to himself. "Success depends upon circumstances far too subtle and can be obtained only by methods far too psychological.... There is no doubt that I am deceiving myself as to the value and the range of my weapons.... ”

“ On the next day Maitre Quimbel, in cheery tones, asked for Lupin to be brought to the barristers' room. He was an elderly man, wearing a pair of very powerful spectacles, which made his eyes seem enormous. He put his hat on the table, spread out his brief-case and at once began to put a series of questions which he had carefully prepared. ”

“ For, after all, if the detective came out victorious in the duel, if he found the letters, who would ever know? What proof would any one have of his triumph?
In the main, all hopes were centred on Lupin, on his well-known habit of calling the public to witness his acts. What was he going to do? How could he avert the frightful danger that threatened him? Was he even aware of it?
Those were the questions which men asked themselves.
Between the four walls of his cell, prisoner 14 asked himself pretty nearly the same questions ”

“ So it was Arsene Lupin who was conducting the case! It was he who, from his prison cell, was stage-managing the comedy or the tragedy announced in the first note. What luck! Everybody was delighted. With an artist like Lupin, the spectacle could not fail to be both picturesque and startling.
Three days later the Grand Journal contained the following letter from Arsene Lupin:
"The name of the devoted friend to whom I referred has been imparted to me. ”

“ And, an hour later, Maitre Quimbel solemnly walked away, carrying Lupin's orders.
Now, one day, the governor of the Sante received a telephone message, signed, "L. M.," informing him that Maitre Quimbel was, in all probability, serving Lupin as his unwitting postman and that it would be advisable to keep an eye upon the worthy man's visits. The governor told Maitre Quimbel, who thereupon resolved to bring his junior with him. ”

“ This was easily done; and, thenceforward, Lupin, sure of success, had only to wait quietly until the sign agreed upon between him and his friends appeared upon the top sheet of the packet.
On the sixth day, he gave an exclamation of delight:
"At last!" he said.
He took a tiny bottle from a hiding-place, uncorked it, moistened the tip of his forefinger with the liquid which it contained and passed his finger over the third sheet in the packet.
In a moment, strokes appeared, then letters., then words and sentences.
He read:
"All well. Steinweg free. Hiding in country. ”

“ The communications to the Grand Journal did, in fact, stop for a time, but Lupin never ceased corresponding with his friends, "via the hat," as they said among themselves. It was so simple! There was no danger. Who could ever suspect that Maitre Quimbel's hat served Lupin as a letter-box?
Every two or three mornings, whenever he called, in fact, the celebrated advocate faithfully brought his client's letters: letters from Paris, letters from the country, letters from Germany ”

“ The letters exist, as stated, and it is impossible to deny their exceptional importance, seeing that, for ten years, they have been the object of an uninterrupted search on the part of the government interested. ”