plates, the fork, the spoon, and the knife--an
ordinary knife with a rounded blade. He turned the handle to the left;
then to the right. It yielded and unscrewed. The knife was hollow, and
served as a hiding-place for a sheet of paper.

"Peuh!" he said, "that is not very clever for a man like Arsene. But we
mustn't lose any time. You, Dieuzy, go and search the restaurant."

Then he read the note:

"I trust to you, H-P will follow at a distance every day. I will go
ahead. Au revoir, dear friend."

"At last," cried Mon. Dudouis, rubbing his hands gleefully, "I think we
have the affair in our own hands. A little strategy on our part, and the
escape will be a success in so far as the arrest of his confederates are
concerned."

"But if Arsene Lupin slips through your fingers?" suggested the guard.

"We will have a sufficient number of men to prevent that. If, however,
he displays too much cleverness, ma foi, so much the worse for him! As
to his band of robbers, since the chief refuses to speak, the others
must."

* * * * *

And, as a matter of fact, Arsene Lupin had very little to say. For
several months, Mon. Jules Bouvier, the examining judge, had
exerted himself in vain. The investigation had been reduced to a few
uninteresting arguments between the judge and the advocate, Maitre
Danval, one of the leaders of the bar. From time to time, through
courtesy, Arsene Lupin would speak. One day he said:

"Yes, monsieur, le judge, I quite agree with you: the robbery of the
Credit Lyonnais, the theft in the rue de Babylone, the issue of
the counterfeit bank-notes, the burglaries at the various chateaux,
Armesnil, Gouret, Imblevain, Groseillers, Malaquis, all my work,
monsieur, I did it all."

"Then will you explain to me---"

"It is useless. I confess everything in a lump, everything and even ten
times more than you know nothing about."

Wearied by his fruitless task, the judge had suspended his examinations,
but he resumed them after the two intercepted messages were brought to
his attention; and regularly, at mid-day, Arsene Lupin was taken from
the prison to the Depot in the prison-van with a certain number of other
prisoners. They returned about three or four o'clock.

Now, one afternoon, this return trip was made under unusual conditions.
The other prisoners not having been examined, it was decided to take
back Arsene Lupin first, thus he found himself alone in the vehicle.

These prison-vans, vulgarly call