“That you throw down your weapons, Marescal. Absolute peace for Aurelie and Bregeac, and even for Jodot and the Ancivels. I’m going to deal with them myself. Since the whole of this case from the police point of view is in your hands, and there is no actual proof, no real evidence, let it drop. It will be pigeon-holed.”
“And you’ll give me back the letters?”
“No. They’re a pledge; and I keep them. If you do not play fair, I publish some of them in all their simple crudeness. All the worse for you—all the worse for your pretty friends.”
The drops of sweat stood out on Marescal’s forehead. [[248]]
“I’ve been betrayed,” he snarled.
“Very likely,” Ralph agreed.
“Betrayed by her. For some time I’ve had a feeling that she was spying on me. It’s thanks to her that you’ve been able to manage this business exactly as you liked. She recommended you to her husband and had you placed with me.”
“What do you expect?” said Ralph cheerfully. “All’s fair in war. If you employ such discreditable means in your fighting, could I act otherwise, when it was a matter of defending Aurelie against your abominable hatred? And then you’ve been too simple, Rudolph. How could you suppose that a man like me would go to sleep for a month and wait on events and your good pleasure? You saw me act at Beaucourt, at Monte Carlo, and Sainte-Marie, and you saw me get away with the bottle and the paper? Why didn’t you take precautions?”
He shook him affectionately by the shoulder.
“Come, Marescal, don’t bow before the storm,” he went on. “You lose the game—be it so. But you have Bregeac’s resignation in your pocket, and since you stand well at Court, and his post has been promised you, it’s a great step forward. The good days will come again, Marescal, be sure of it. One condition however: don’t trust women. Don’t use them to rise in your profession, and don’t use your profession to succeed with them. Be a lover, if it’s your fancy, and [[249]]be a detective, if you like the job; but don’t be either a lover-detective, or a detective-lover. In conclusion, a word of advice: if ever you meet Arsène Lupin on your path, slip away by a by-path. For a detective, it’s the beginning of wisdom. I have spoken. Give your orders and—good-by.”