XXI
AT THE MONTMARTRE FETE
The fete of Montmartre was at its height. In the Place Blanche a joyouscrowd was pressing round a booth of huge dimensions, splendidly lighted.On the stage a cheap Jack, decked out in many-coloured frippery, wasdelivering his patter:
"Walk in, ladies and gentlemen; it's only ten cents, and you won'tregret your money! The management of the theatre will present to you,without delay, the prettiest woman in the world and also the fattest,who weighs a trifle over 600 pounds and possibly more; as no scale hasyet been found strong enough to weigh her without breaking into athousand pieces.
"You will also have the rare and weird sight of a black from Abyssiniawhose splendid ebony hide has been tattooed in white. Furthermore, ayoung girl of scarcely fourteen summers will astound you by enteringthe cage of the ferocious beasts, whose terrible roarings reach youhere! The programme is most interesting, and after these incomparableattractions, you will applaud the cinema in colours--the last exploit ofmodern science--showing the recent tour of the President of theRepublic, and himself in person delivering his speech to an audience asnumerous as it is select. You will also see, reproduced in the moststirring and life-like manner, all the details of the mysterious murderwhich at this moment engages public interest and keeps the police ontenter-hooks. The crime at the Cite Frochot, with the murdered woman,the Empire clock, and the extinguished candle: all the accessories infull, including the collapse of the elevator into the sewer. The show isbeginning! It has begun!"
Among the throng surrounding the mountebank three persons seemedespecially amused by the peroration. They were two gentlemen, veryelegant and distinguished, in evening clothes, and with them a prettywoman wearing a loose silk mantle over her low dress.
She put her lips to the ear of the older of her companions, who, withhis turned-up moustache and grey hair, looked like a cavalry officer.
She murmured to him these strange words:
"Squint at the guy on the left, the one passing before theclock-seller's booth. That's one of the gang. He was in the Simplonaffair."
The pretty Parisian, so smartly dressed, was no other than Josephine.The young man with the fair beard was Fandor and the cavalry officer wasJuve. The three now "worked" together. The partnership dated from theafternoon that Josephine escaped arrest, thanks to the luckyintervention of Juve.
The latter had little belief in the young woman's innocence, but bygetting her on his side, he hoped to secure information as to Loupart'sdoings.
Juve was talking to a ragged Arab selling nougat to the passers-by.
"Ay, sir," explained the Arab. "I have been dogging little Mimile sincetwo this afternoon."
"Bravo, my dear Michel, your disguise is a perfect success."
Josephine came suddenly close and pulled Juve by the sleeve, and thenpointed to a group of persons who were crossing the Place Blanche.Without troubling further about the Arab, Juve at once began to followthis group, motioning to Josephine and Fandor to follow him closely. Thethree threaded their way through the crowd with a thousand precautions,seeking to avoid attention, yet not losing sight of their quarry. Allthree had recognised Loupart!
The outlaw, dressed in a long blouse, with a tall cap, and armed with astout cudgel, was walking among half a dozen individuals similarlyattired. By their garb they would be taken for cattle-herders from LaVillette.
This group proceeded slowly in the direction of Place Pigalle, and Juve,who was pressing hard on his quarry, slackened his pace in order to letthem forge ahead a little. The square, which was surrounded bybrilliantly illuminated restaurants, was a flood of light, and thedetective did not want people to notice him. Moreover, thepseudo-cattle-drivers had stopped, too: gathering round Loupart theylistened attentively to his remarks, made in a low tone. Clearly theywere accomplices of the robber, who, perhaps, realised that they werebeing followed.
Fandor, who had put his arm through Josephine's, felt the young woman'sheart beating as though it would burst. They were all playing for highstakes. Josephine, especially, was in a compromising and dangerousplight. Not only had she to fear the wrath of her lover, but she ran therisk of being "spotted" by one of the many satellites of the gang ofCyphers, in which case her condemnation would be certain.
Fandor encouraged her with a few kind words:
"You know, mademoiselle, you mustn't be frightened. If I am not greatlymistaken, Loupart is about to be nabbed, and once in Juve's hands hewon't get out of them in a hurry."
Josephine's perturbation was scarcely quieter, and Fandor, a trifleskeptical, asked himself whether in reality the girl was on their sideor if she were not playing the game of false information. Suddenlysomething fresh happened.
Loupart, separating himself from his companions, entered a restaurantupon which the words
"The Crocodile"
were inscribed in dazzling letters on its front. The Crocodilecomprised, like most night resorts, a large saloon on the ground floorand a dining-room on the first floor which was reached by a littlestairway and guarded by a giant clad in magnificent livery. Above thiswere apartments and private rooms.
Just then, as it was near midnight, a number of carriages were bringingcouples in evening dress, who mounted the staircase. To their greatsurprise, Fandor and Josephine saw Loupart make for this staircase. Thelong smock of the seeming cattle-driver would certainly make a queershowing. What was the formidable robber's game? Juve gave hastydirections:
"It's all right. I know the house. It has only one exit. You, Ramot," hewent on, addressing the young woman, "go up to the first floor and takeyour place at a table; here are ten dollars, order champagne and don'tbe too stiff with the company."
Josephine nodded and went upstairs.
Juve and Fandor followed a few minutes later and took up a strategicposition at a table near the doorway. Fandor had a view of the room andJuve commanded the hall and stairway. From the room came a confused humof laughter, cries and doubtful jokes. A negro, clad in red and armedwith a gong, capered among the tables, dancing and singing.
Fandor caught sight of Josephine, who appeared to be carrying out Juve'sinstructions. Beside her was a fair giant of red complexion andclean-shaven face, whose Anglo-Saxon origin was beyond doubt. Fandorknew the face; he had seen the man somewhere; he remembered his squareshoulders and bull-like neck, and the enormous biceps which stood outunder the cloth of his sleeves.
"By Jove!" he cried suddenly. "Why it's Dixon, the American heavyweightchampion!"
Juve signalled to the waiter to bring him the bill as he fitted amonocle into his right eye.
Fandor stared at him, surprised.
"Well, Juve, when you get yourself up as a man of the world, you omit nodetail."
Juve made no reply for some moments, then turned to his companion.
"Who else do you see in the room?"
Fandor looked carefully, and then made a gesture of amazement.
"Chaleck! Chaleck is over there eating his supper!"
"Yes," said Juve simply, "and you are stupid not to have seen himbefore."
The profile of the mysterious doctor was in fact outlined very sharplyat a table, amply served and covered with bottles and flowers, aroundwhich half a score of persons, men and women, had taken their places.
Without turning his head, Juve remarked:
"Judging by the action of the person who is at this moment lighting acigar the supper is not far from coming to an end."
"Come, now, Juve, have you eyes in your back? How can you know what isgoing on at Doctor Chaleck's table, while you are looking in theopposite direction?"
Juve handed his eye-glass to the journalist.
"Ah! Now I see! A trick eye-glass, with a mirror in it--not a bad idea."
"It is quite simple," murmured Juve. "The main thing is to have thoughtof it. Come, let us go down."
"What? And desert the doctor?"
"An arrest should never be made in a public place when it can beavoided. Here, give me your
card that I may send it up with mine."
Juve called M. Dominique, the manager, and, pointing out Chaleck to him,said:
"M. Dominique, please give our cards to that gentleman and say that weare waiting outside to speak to him."
In a few moments Chaleck came out of the saloon to the Place Pigalle.
His face was calm and his glance unmoved. Juve laid his hand upon thedoctor's shoulder, and, signalling to a subordinate in uniform, cried:
"Doctor Chaleck, I arrest you in the name of the law."
Chaleck quietly flicked off his cigar ash and smiled:
"Do you know, M. Juve, I am not pleased with you. I read in the papers,during a recent holiday abroad, that you had pulled my house absolutelyto pieces! That was not nice of you, when we had been on such goodterms."
This speech was so startling, so unlooked for, that Juve, though noteasily surprised, had nothing to answer for the moment.
Meanwhile, Chaleck tamely let himself be dragged toward the station inthe Rue Rochefoucauld.
"The fine fellow," thought Juve, "must have got his whole caseprepared--he will give us a run for our money; still it must----"
The detective gave vent to a loud yell. They had just got to the pointwhere the Rue Rochefoucauld is intersected by the Rue Notre Dame deLorette: a cab drawn by a big horse was moving in one direction and amotor-bus coming from another. It had already cleared the Rue Pigalle,and in a second would cut across the Rue Rochefoucauld, when Chaleck,literally coming out of the Inverness coat he wore, leaped ahead ofJuve, dodged under the cab horse and boarded the bus, which rapidly wenton its way. All this had been accomplished in an instant.
Left dumbfounded, face to face, Juve and Fandor, together with theofficer, contemplated the only token left them by Chaleck. An elegantInverness cloak with capes, which, oddly enough, had shoulders andarms--arms of India-rubber, so well imitated that through the cloth theydistinctly gave the impression of human arms.
Juve let fly a tremendous oath, then turned to Fandor and cried:
"How about Loupart?"
The two men hastily reascended the Rue Pigalle. They counted on standingsentry again before the "Crocodile." But as they reached the square Juveand Fandor were faced by fresh surprises. A powerful motor-car wasslowly getting under way. In it was the American Dixon, with Josephinebeside him.
Was the girl playing them false? That was the most important thing toascertain.
The car made off at a good pace toward the Place Clichy. Half a momentlater Juve was bowling after them in a taxi, calling to Fandor as heleft:
"Look after the other."
Fandor understood "The other" referred to Loupart, and carefully pumpedM. Dominique, but could get no further news from him, so, after waitingan hour for Juve to return, he went home to bed far from easy in hismind.
* * * * *
Juve followed the American through Billancourt, past Sevres Bridge, andfinally into the Bellevue District, when, opposite Brimboison Park,Dixon, with the air of a proprietor, took his motor into a fine lookingestate. Then, having housed the car, the pugilist, with Loupart'smistress, went into the house, which was lit up for half an hour, afterwhich all was plunged again into darkness.
Juve had left his taxi at the bottom of the hill, and, having clearedthe low wall of the grounds, hid himself in view of the house. He waiteduntil daybreak, but nothing occurred to trouble the peace and hush ofthe night. And then, unwilling to be seen in his evening clothes bychance passers-by, he regretfully returned to the Rue Bonaparte.