They both rose, with their eyes fixed on each other. And she said:
"Speak, monsieur."
Still standing, he began:
"You must forgive me if I am inaccurate in a few less important particulars. I will vouch for the general correctness of what I am going to say."
"No speeches, I beg. Facts."
He felt, from this abrupt interruption, that the girl was on her guard and he continued:
"Very well, I will come straight to the point. Five years ago, your father happened to meet a M. Maxime Bermond, who introduced himself as a contractor ... or an architect, I am not sure which. In any case, M. Destange took a liking to this young man and, as the state of his health no longer allowed him to attend to his business, he entrusted to M. Bermond the execution of a few orders which he had accepted to please some old customers and which appeared to him to come within the scope of his assistant's capacity."
Shears stopped. It seemed to him that the girl had grown paler. Still, she answered with the greatest calmness.
"I know nothing of the things about which you are talking, monsieur, and I am quite unable to see how they can interest me."
"They interest you in so far, mademoiselle, that M. Maxime Bermond's real name, which you know as well as I do, is Arsène Lupin."