Produced by Robert Cicconetti, Meredith Bach, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net [Illustration: "_Suddenly he rushed at her and caught her by the arm_"] THE INTERNATIONAL ADVENTURE LIBRARY THREE OWLS EDITION THE CONFESSIONS OF ARSENE LUPIN An Adventure Story BY MAURICE LEBLANC Author of "Arsene Lupin" W. R. CALDWELL & CO. NEW YORK _Copyright, 1912, 1913, by_ Maurice Leblanc _All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages, including the Scandinavian_ CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND FRANCS REWARD! 1 II. THE WEDDING-RING 36 III. THE SIGN OF THE SHADOW 66 IV. THE INFERNAL TRAP 101 V. THE RED SILK SCARF 138 VI. SHADOWED BY DEATH 177 VII. A TRAGEDY IN THE FOREST OF MORGUES 210 VIII. LUPIN'S MARRIAGE 228 IX. THE INVISIBLE PRISONER 266 X. EDITH SWAN-NECK 291 THE CONFESSIONS OF ARSENE LUPIN THE CONFESSIONS OF ARSENE LUPIN I TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND FRANCS REWARD!... "Lupin," I said, "tell me something about yourself." "Why, what would you have me tell you? Everybody knows my life!" replied Lupin, who lay drowsing on the sofa in my study. "Nobody knows it!" I protested. "People know from your letters in the newspapers that you were mixed up in this case, that you started that case. But the part which you played in it all, the plain facts of the story, the upshot of the mystery: these are things of which they know nothing." "Pooh! A heap of uninteresting twaddle!" "What! Your present of fifty thousand francs to Nicolas Dugrival's wife! Do you call that uninteresting? And what about the way in which you solved the puzzle of the three pictures?" Lupin laughed: "Yes, that was a queer puzzle, certainly. I can suggest a title for you if you like: what do you say to _The Sign of the Shadow_?" "And your successes in society and with the fair sex?" I continued. "The dashing Arsene's love-affairs!... And the clue to your good actions? Those chapters in your life to which you have so often alluded under the names of _The Wedding-ring_, _Shadowed by Death_, and so on!... Why delay these confidences and confessions, my dear Lupin?... Come, do what I ask you!..."