What a strange voyage! And yet it had begun so well.
La Provence was a large ocean liner, fast and comfortable, which sailed from Le Havre to New York. The captain was the kindest man in the world, and in first class the passengers were rich and elegant. At first they were strangers, but very soon they had gotten to know one another. People chatted on the deck, played cards in the lounge and danced in the evening. We were far from everything, as if we were on an island.
And yet we were not completely alone in the middle of the ocean. For a few years, the big liners had had the wireless telegraph. Thanks to it, you could receive messages at sea, without any wire, as if by magic. On the first day, two friends sent me their goodbyes in this way.
On the second day, far from any coast, there was a storm in the afternoon. It was at that moment that the telegraph received a message:
"Arsène Lupin on board, first class, blond hair, wound right forearm, traveling alone, under the name R..."
At that very moment, there was a violent clap of thunder, and the transmission was cut off. The end of the message never arrived. Of Arsène Lupin's false name, we only knew the first letter: an R.
The captain and the telegraph operators should have kept the secret. But that same evening, everyone on board knew the news: the famous Arsène Lupin was among us!
Arsène Lupin! For months, the newspapers had been telling the story of his exploits. He was a burglar, but not a burglar like the others: he was a gentleman. He only stole from the rich, in castles and in elegant drawing rooms. One day, in the house of a rich baron, he had left empty-handed. He had only left his calling card: "Arsène Lupin, gentleman burglar, will come back when the furniture is genuine." He changed faces as easily as other people change shirts: he could be an old man, a young man, a Russian doctor or an opera singer. Old Inspector Ganimard, the best policeman in France, had sworn to arrest him with his own hands.
And this man was there, on our ship! Perhaps it was this gentleman... or that one... or the man who sat next to me at dinner...
— And this voyage is going to last another five days! complained Miss Nelly Underdown the next day. It's unbearable! I really hope they arrest him.
She turned to me.
— And you, Monsieur d'Andrézy, you are already a friend of the captain. Don't you know anything?
How I would have loved to know something, just to please her! Miss Nelly was the most beautiful passenger on the ship. She had large dark eyes and a charming smile. Her mother, who was French, had brought her up in Paris, and now she was going to join her father, a very rich American from Chicago. Her friend, Lady Jerland, was traveling with her.
Since the first day, I had been courting her, and she did not seem to mind. She laughed at my jokes and listened to my stories. I had only one rival: a handsome young man, elegant and silent, whom she sometimes looked at with interest.
That morning, he was with us on the deck, in a small group.
— I don't know anything precise, mademoiselle, I answered. But why don't we carry out our own investigation, like old Ganimard?
— You are very sure of yourself!
— The problem is not so difficult. We know three things. First, Lupin is traveling under a name that begins with R. Second, he is traveling alone. Third, he has blond hair.
— And so?
— So all we have to do is read the passenger list.
I had the list in my pocket. I took it out and read it.
— In first class, there are thirteen passengers whose names begin with R. Nine of them are traveling with a wife, children or a servant. That leaves four who are traveling alone. First, the Marquis de Raverdan...
— He works at an embassy, said Miss Nelly. I know him.
— Major Rawson...
— He's my uncle, said someone.
— Monsieur Rivolta...
— That's me! cried an Italian, who had a magnificent black beard.
Miss Nelly burst out laughing.
— This gentleman is not exactly fair-haired!
— Then, I went on, only the last one on the list remains: Monsieur Rozaine. Does anybody know Monsieur Rozaine?
Nobody answered. But Miss Nelly turned to the silent young man.
— Well, Monsieur Rozaine, aren't you going to say anything?
Everyone looked at him. He had blond hair.
There was an awkward silence. Rozaine gave a strange smile.
— Why am I not saying anything? Because I have already made the same calculation. My name begins with R, I am traveling alone and I have blond hair. So I think you should arrest me.
He was joking, of course. And yet his lips were very pale. Miss Nelly asked him, very innocently:
— But you don't have a wound, do you?
— That's true, the wound is missing.
With a nervous gesture, he pulled up his sleeve and showed his arm. My eyes met Miss Nelly's: he had shown his left arm. But the message spoke of the right arm!
I was going to point this out when Lady Jerland, Miss Nelly's friend, came running toward us. She was very upset.
— My jewels, my pearls! They've taken everything!
In fact, they had not taken everything, and that was much stranger: they had chosen. During tea time, in broad daylight, someone had forced the door of her cabin. He had found a little bag hidden at the bottom of a hatbox. Then he had removed the finest and smallest stones: the pearls, the diamonds, the rubies. He had left the settings on the table, that is, the gold and silver frames that hold the stones, like flowers without their petals.
Everyone had the same idea: it was Arsène Lupin. It was just his way, elegant and clever. Small stones without their settings are so easy to hide!
At dinner, nobody wanted to sit next to Rozaine. Then, in the evening, we learned that the captain had sent for him. Everyone was relieved: people thought that Arsène Lupin had been arrested.
That evening, we danced until midnight. Miss Nelly was very cheerful, and she no longer thought about Rozaine at all. Under the moon, on the deck, I told her everything I felt for her, and she did not seem annoyed.
But the next morning, some news surprised everyone: Rozaine was free.
Rozaine was the son of a rich merchant from Bordeaux, and his papers were in order. There was no trace of a wound on either of his arms. And at the time of the theft, he had been walking on the deck: several passengers had seen him.
— Papers! said his enemies. Arsène Lupin can make as many as he wants! And he doesn't need to be there to steal!
And one question still had no answer: apart from Rozaine, which passenger had a name beginning with R, was traveling alone and had blond hair? Before lunch, when Rozaine came toward our group, Miss Nelly and Lady Jerland stood up and walked away. They were afraid.
An hour later, Rozaine had a notice passed around the whole ship. He promised ten thousand francs to the person who unmasked Arsène Lupin, or who found the jewels.
— And if nobody helps me, he said to the captain, I will deal with this bandit myself!
Rozaine against Arsène Lupin! But some passengers laughed: "And what if Rozaine is Lupin? Then it's Arsène Lupin against Arsène Lupin!" The game promised to be exciting.