“And I have the original letter here, among the documents forwarded by Don Luis Perenna to the Prefect of Police.  Do you, Major, recognize Private Perenna, who fought under your orders in the Foreign Legion?”

“I recognize him,” said Comte d’Astrignac.

“Beyond the possibility of a mistake?”

“Beyond the possibility of a mistake and without the least feeling of hesitation.”

The Prefect of Police, with a laugh, hinted: 

“You recognize Private Perenna, whom the men, carried away by a sort of astounded admiration of his exploits, used to call Arsene Lupin?”

“Yes, Monsieur le Prefet,” replied the major sharply, “the one whom the men called Arsene Lupin, but whom the officers called simply the Hero, the one who we used to say was as brave as d’Artagnan, as strong as Porthos....”

“And as mysterious as Monte Cristo,” said the Prefect of Police, laughing.  “I have all this in the report which I received from the Fourth Regiment of the Foreign Legion.  It is not necessary to read the whole of it; but it contains the unprecedented fact that Private Perenna, in the space of two years’ time, received the military medal, received the Legion of Honour for exceptional services, and was mentioned fourteen times in dispatches.  I will pick out a detail here and there.”

“Monsieur le Prefet, I beg of you,” protested Don Luis.  “These are trivial matters, of no interest to anybody; and I do not see the reason....”

“There is every reason, on the contrary,” declared M. Desmalions.  “You gentlemen are here not only to hear a will read, but also to authorize its execution as regards the only one of its clauses that is to be carried out at once, the payment of a legacy of a million francs.  It is necessary, therefore, that all of you should know what there is to know of the personality of the legatee.  Consequently, I propose to continue ...”

“In that case, Monsieur le Prefet,” said Perenna, rising and making for the door, “you will allow me ...”

“Right about turn!  Halt! ...  Eyes front!” commanded Major d’Astrignac in a jesting tone.

He dragged Don Luis back to the middle of the room and forced him into a chair.

“Monsieur le Prefet,” he said, “I plead for mercy for my old comrade-in-arms, whose modesty would really be put to too severe a test if the story of his prowess were read out in front of him.  Besides, the report is here; and we can all of us consult it for ourselves.  Without having seen it, I second every word of praise that it contains; and I declare that, in the course of my whole military career, I have never met a soldier who could compare with Private Perenna.  And yet I saw plenty of fine fellows over there, the sort of demons whom you only find in the Legion and who will get themselves cut to bits for the sheer pleasure of the thing, for the lark of it, as they say, just to astonish one another.