“You are impertinent, monsieur.”
“Impertinent, indeed!” repeated Wilson, beaming with admiration.
“Yes,” said Lupin, “and, yet, to do you credit, you have thrown a strong light on a very mysterious subject. Not a magistrate, not a special reporter, who has been engaged on this case, has come so near the truth. It is a marvellous display of intuition and logic.”
“Oh! a person has simply to use his brains,” said Herlock Sholmes, nattered at the homage of the expert criminal.
“And so few have any brains to use,” replied Lupin. “And, now, that the field of conjectures has been narrowed down, and the rubbish cleared away——”
“Well, now, I have simply to discover why the three episodes were enacted at 25 rue Clapeyron, 134 avenue Henri-Martin, and within the walls of the Château de Crozon and my work will be finished. What remains will be child’s play. Don’t you think so?”
“Yes, I think you are right.”
“In that case, Monsieur Lupin, am I wrong in saying that my business will be finished in ten days?”
“In ten days you will know the whole truth,” said Lupin.
“And you will be arrested.”