The Confessions of Arsène Lupin · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Confessions of Arsène Lupin by Maurice Leblanc.
Chapter 1
I: Two Hundred Thousand Francs Reward!…
Lupin is persuaded by a friend to recount his adventures. He begins by dictating a series of numbers that correspond to flashes of sunlight on a building opposite, revealing a coded signal. The narrative then shifts to a tense confrontation between Lupin and Baron Repstein, in which Lupin accuses the baron of murdering his wife and Lavernoux, and attempts to force him to share his hidden fortune. After a violent struggle, Lupin subdues the baron but is interrupted by the arrival of detectives.
Chapter 2
II: The Wedding-Ring
Yvonne d'Origny's son is forcibly taken by her husband's servant. The count locks Yvonne in the boudoir, binds her, and prepares to cut off her wedding ring to find an inscription he believes will prove her infidelity. However, the workman (Horace Velmont, actually Arsène Lupin) swaps the ring with one engraved with the marriage date. The count is thwarted. Later, Lupin reveals to the narrator that the ring actually bore the name 'Horace Velmont,' showing Yvonne's secret, ideal love for him.
Chapter 3
The Sign of the Shadow
Lupin is shown a painting dated 15.4.2 by the narrator, who has observed that a neighbor, Louise d'Ernemont, leaves her home every April 15th. Lupin investigates and learns that the painting depicts a courtyard linked to a hidden treasure of the guillotined farmer-general d'Ernemont. He visits the notary Maître Valandier, who explains that three identical paintings exist, each held by different heirs, and that the treasure has never been found. Despite the notary's skepticism, Lupin deposits 5,000 francs to search for the treasure on the next April 15th, a year away.
Chapter 4
The Infernal Trap
Lupin is captured by Mme. Dugrival and her nephew Gabriel, who have set an elaborate trap to avenge Dugrival's death and extort money from him. Mme. Dugrival reveals how she discovered Lupin's identity through the stolen banknotes and forces him to sign four cheques under different aliases.
Chapter 5
V: The Red Silk Scarf
Chief Inspector Ganimard, still smarting from past encounters with Lupin, is drawn into a new case when a music-hall singer named Jenny Saphir is found murdered in her flat, stabbed and strangled with a red silk scarf. The investigation reveals that a piece of the scarf is missing, presumably taken by the murderer. Ganimard recalls Lupin's earlier predictions about the crime and reluctantly follows Lupin's clues to an old house in the Rue de Surène, where Lupin, disguised as a house-painter, produces the missing piece of the scarf, complete with a bloodstained handprint that matches the murderer's left hand. Lupin demonstrates his superior deduction and hands over the evidence, leaving Ganimard both humiliated and indebted.
Chapter 6
Shadowed by Death
Lupin, posing as Paul Daubreuil, investigates attempts on Jeanne Darcieux's life. He discovers that her stepfather, M. Darcieux, is the culprit, motivated by financial ruin if Jeanne comes of age and marries. Lupin exposes the truth during a nighttime confrontation, revealing that Jeanne is not Darcieux's biological daughter.
Chapter 7
A Tragedy in the Forest of Morgues
The chapter recounts the mysterious Saint-Nicolas tragedy, where a man and woman are found dead in a forest. The investigation stalls until Arsène Lupin intervenes with a letter revealing that the murderer is a primate—an ape-man brought from Australia by M. and Mme. Bragoff. The creature, later captured and named 'Three Stars,' is identified as the culprit. Lupin's solution draws parallels to Edgar Allan Poe's story, and he discusses the case with the narrator.
Chapter 8
Lupin's Marriage
The Duc de Sarzeau-Vendôme, tormented by Arsène Lupin's public provocations and fearing for his daughter Angélique's fortune, devises a plan to flee to Brittany with her. His three nephews—Mussy, d'Emboise, and Caorches—assist in the escape. However, the real d'Emboise reveals that the man posing as him is an impostor working for Lupin. Together, the duke and the true d'Emboise plot to ambush and kill Lupin that evening near the castle ruins.
Chapter 9
The Invisible Prisoner
Farmer Goussot and his sons return from shooting to find Mother Goussot attacked and robbed. They pursue the tramp Old Trainard, who vanishes within the farm's walls. After a thorough search, a mysterious stranger helps capture Trainard but then steals the stolen money, revealing himself as Arsène Lupin.
Chapter 10
Edith Swan-Neck
The chapter details the theft of the tapestries from Colonel Sparmiento's heavily guarded home, focusing on the public's reaction, the police investigation led by Ganimard, and the eerie resemblance between the tapestry's Edith Swan-Neck and Mme. Sparmiento. Despite elaborate security, the theft occurs during a party, plunging the house into darkness and chaos, yet the tapestries remain untouched at first.
Chapter 11
Endnotes
This chapter lists the source references for the book, citing various works by Maurice Leblanc, including 'The Hollow Needle', '813', 'The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar', and 'Arsène Lupin—The Novel of the Play', along with their translators and publishers.
