"The Man Who Could Walk Through Walls" "I congratulate you, my friends." "I congratulate and envy you to be able to keep standing for hours like this, in order to admire a hugely talented painter." " So, do you like it, little man?" " Yes sir." "I can see you're an expert." "What about you, butcher boy?" "Oh, all right, you like your meat better." "What about you, grown man?" "Is it too modern for you?" "OK, I see the problem: you're a bloke like the ignoramus who refused one of my paintings last week." "I told him: "You're sentencing a painter to starvation"!" "He answered: "Stop buying paint pots and you'II keep yours boiling. "" " Jean-Paul!" "Jean-Paul!" " Hey, Leon!" "I must talk to you, I must see you, something fantastic happened to me." " The usual family trouble?" " If it were only that!" "Were you shown the door of your office?" "The door?" "If you only knew how little I care about doors now!" "No, this is far more serious." "Come on!" "Come on!" "All right, I'll join you directly." "Dear admirers and friends, we now have to part." "My union forbids me to work more than two hours a day." "Now, should you elect to stay, I'll be back here at the same time tomorrow." "Go in." "I hope that you're going to tell me what's happening to you now." "Shhh!" "Here yes, but I didn't want to talk in the street, this is too serious." "You're scaring me." "You did not do anything stupid, did you?" "No, of course not." "You promise that I won't read in tomorrow's newspapers:" ""Humble civil servant in the Ministry of Records" " Revealed to be international gang leader!"" " If it were just that!" " Damn!" "Well, shoot, I'm listening." " Yes, but you won't believe me." " Will you speak already?" " All right, calm down, come, sit down..." "And brace yourself." "You'll see, it's incredible!" "It's crazy." "And you're the first person I've told, because you were always swell with me." " How rambling you can be!" " You always treated me like a brother." "We all have our charities." "You're mine:" " I love weak people." " I won't be weak anymore." "Either you talk or I break this bottle on your head." "All right, all right." "Sit down and brace yourself." "Listen." "Forget about the bottle." "You do remember that I came to see you last night, to make some music as we do every Wednesday?" " Yes." " And I told you of my problems with my sister and her bully of a husband." "You know the jerk, don't you?" " Yes." " You told me to stay for dinner," " You made me drink a little..." " No, no." "You drank a lot." "Well, anyway, when I came home around midnight, I was a little drunk." "So I'm climbing up the stairs, all the while telling to myself:" ""Gaston's going to give you hell"." "Cause that bloke doesn't like me, oh no." "If he could only throw me out of my flat, on the grounds that he married my sister..." "Oh, well." "I reach my floor." "It's the fourth floor, isn't it?" "Yeah." "Then I look for my keys in my pocket..." "Where are they?" "Ah, here they are." "I try to open the deadlock but..." "he had blocked it." "I try the other lock... blocked too." "So I say to myself:" "" I'm going to ring the bell. "" "Leon is my brother, in spite of everything." "I tell you again, Germaine, that I won't go and let him in." "And I forbid you to go!" "I tolerated his cornet, I won't tolerate his base partying." "We can't live under the same roof anymore." "This is HIS flat, mind you." "It's yours too since it belonged to your parents." "And you're his elder anyway." "And you're married." " And I don't give a damn!" " Where will he sleep?" "Let him go to Greece." "Or anywhere else, It's all the same to me." "Oh, he's not going to ring the bell all night, is he?" " Where are you going?" " Where I'm going?" "Ah!" "I'm going to give your brother a rooming ticket." "I'll give him his marching orders, that's what I'll do." " Who is it?" " It's me, Leon." " Never heard of him." " Leon." "Your wife's brother." " Your brother-in-law." " I have no brother-in-law." "Or rather, I don't have one anymore." "Do me a favour and go back to wherever you come from." "You night-owl." "Gaston!" "This is my place, isn't it?" "A very good reason to stay there and never come to OUR place again." "The nerve of the bloke..." "I was really appalled." "What could I do?" "Just then, the time-switch goes off." "Here I am, lost in darkness." "So I grope for the switch," "I find it, I push it..." "Hey..." "I wasn't on the landing anymore," "I was in the bedroom... flabbergasted..." "Now, that was something..." " Well, what do you say?" " I say..." "I say..." " I say you didn't prove anything yet." " Oh, but..." "You were so drunk you didn't remember that your brother-in-law, when your sis mollified him, finally opened the door for you." "Yes, but wait for the rest." "The rest." "You're not going to tell me about your whole night, are you?" "No, but I'II tell you of the day after, that is this morning." "Sit down." " What?" "Again?" " And be quiet." " Yeah." " And brace yourself again..." "As he does every morning, his torso stretching a ridiculous sport shirt," "My dear brother-in-law was doing his exercises, while my very dear sister put his breakfast on the table." "The more I think about it, the more I think that you didn't have a right to throw Leon" " Out of his home." " And, pray, why is that?" "Because when you married me, you didn't have a flat" " And were quite happy with his." " True." "And I'm still quite happy with it." "So much that I intend to live in it alone from now on." "If Leon doesn't come back, you'll have to work." "HE's working." "Oh, what a laugh." "An assistant at the Ministry of Records." "18.000 francs a month." "Petty." "Laughable." "Maybe so." "But the three of us lived on that." "You dope." "I've been slaving for five years to perfect an auxiliary jet engine for bicycle and you'd want me to go and work in a factory?" "Don't you ever think of anything but eating?" "You really are your idiot brother's sister." "What a nice family, the Dutilleuls!" "Good morning, Memene!" "Good morning, Gaston!" " So, how are you this morning?" " Where do you come from?" "From my bedroom, of course." "What's with him?" " He's crazy this morning." " How did you come in last night?" "What kind of a question is that?" "Through the door, of course." "Impossible." "The deadbolt is locked and the security bar is still in place." "Through the window then, if it pleases you." "No nonsense now!" "I command you to answer!" "Come on, answer, will you?" "You'll increase his blood pressure!" "But answer what?" "If I didn't come in either through the door or the window, maybe I walked in through the wall." "Don't you dare make fun of us!" "Nobody walks through walls, you know that as well as I do." "So?" "So..." "So... why don't you find an explanation?" "And try to have it when I come back for lunch." " I'm going to the office." "Bye, chum!" " Chum..." "So you don't walk through walls anymore?" "Never when there's an open door." "Here!" "Bye." "How do you think he got in?" "I don't know and I don't want to see him here anymore." "As for his cornet, you'll oblige me by throwing it in the trash." "Take this." "No, this is ridiculous..." "When I reach the second landing, I suddenly want to experiment again." "No one is coming down, no one is coming up, so I discreetly walk to the wall, I try one finger..." "Oh!" "It's going in." "A second one..." "A third one..." "Oh, gee, my hand enters the wall like it were made of butter." "So I say to myself:" "" let's try my whole arm "..." "That was really something else, old boy." "Oh, no, come on, you're pulling my leg, aren't you?" "Come on!" "That's impossible." "Impossible?" "That's what I thought." "But it's just as I told you." "So I say to myself: " If my arm can go in, why not the rest of me?" So..." "Come on, kitty, you're broke something again." "You naughty beast you!" "Oh, this dress!" "What's with this dress!" "This dress..." "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" "Sir, Sir, there's a man in my apartment." "I'm frightened." "Come quick!" "Come with me." " There!" "He's there!" " I fail to see..." " Here." "He was here..." " I don't..." "I was standing in front of my mirror..." "Pulling down my dress, like this." "And then..." "You may stare at me with those eyes, but I'm telling it like it is." " And you've seen nothing yet..." " Look, little Leon..." "There no little Leon anymore." "Little Leon is a thing of the past." "And if you didn't have a weak heart, I would perform for you, but I'd rather stick to the description." "Let me go on..." "The woman has fainted." "I'm not staying any longer, for fear of being late for work again." "And just then I think about my little chum Gaston, my dear brother-in-law." "I say to myself: "You bugged me so much that, now, you're going to pay. "" "So I climb up the stairs again..." "I wish you'd seen Gaston." "He looked so foolish on his bicycle." "The gentleman was making some adjustments." "What's going on?" "Oh, my God, poor darling, what happened?" "If you want to fly a plane, kid, you'll need a pilot license." "Old boy, if you just said is true, we mustn't waste one minute." " You must go and see a doctor now!" " I'm not ill." " I never felt better in my life." " That what you say." " Come, I'll take you to a specialist's." " A specialist in what?" "I don't know." "In psychiatry..." "Well, we'II see, won't we?" "You're disintegrating, old boy, you're disintegrating." "I'II phone a doctor." "But I have to go to the office." "I don't want my boss to give me hell." "And here are the thoughts of the first man ever to walk through walls." " You civil servant!" " Civil servant, civil servant..." "Find a cheap one, will you!" "Because..." " Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes." " You'll have to admit, professor," " That it's... it's mind-blowing." " Mind-blowing?" "Come on." "It's funny." "Funny?" "Is that all?" "I thought that a man able to walk through walls would be..." "I grant you that it's uncommon." "An important question:" "do you obtain the same results when walking backwards?" "I didn't try it yet." "But I think so." "Let me see." "All right, I'll show you, professor." "This way, isn't it?" "So you said: walking backwards?" "Watch me, OK?" " Well, go on." " Well..." "OK." "Please excuse me, ladies and gentlemen." "Thank you." "Tell me something: have you had your tonsils removed?" " Yes, professor." " How old were you?" " Six and a half." " Did you have mumps?" " No, professor." " Too bad." " I'm sorry." " Oh, well, too bad, too bad... and another question:" "when you wake up, do you ever feel a throbbing pain in your jugular vein?" " In the... er, no." " But, professor, do you really think that there's a connection between..." "The tiniest detail often sheds light on the diagnosis." " Take off your clothes." " All of them?" " No, the jacket should be enough." " Oh?" "Right." "Here?" "Right." "Give me your jacket." "Give." "I'm going to examine you." "Say thirty-three." "Thirty-three." "Thirty-three." "Thirty-three." "Thirty-three." "Stop counting." "Breathe!" "Stop breathing." "Cough." "Stop coughing." "Stop coughing!" " Please excuse me, I've got a cold." " Now you tell me!" "All right, everything's normal in the lung department." "Open your mouth..." "Stick out your tongue." " Oh, oh!" " Do you think it's serious, professor?" "You'll have to watch your liver, young man." "Let me sum up the case:" "helical hardening of the corticoid's strangular wall." "Yes, it's that simple." "Well, if it's that simple, why don't you try and walk through walls?" "You'd see." "I've been trying for twenty years, Sir." "Suddenly I realize..." " You're his sister." " Yes I am." "So what?" " Maybe you too can walk through walls." " What?" "If it runs in the family, there's no reason why you couldn't." "Please, Gaston, don't talk such nonsense." "What do you know?" "You never tried it, did you?" " Germaine." "Humour me." "Just a little try." " You're crazy." " Do it for me, Germaine, I'm asking you to." " No, I don't want to." "You damn fool!" "Don't you understand that if you can walk through walls like you brother, our whole future will be different." "I'II be able to do great things, I'll be able to..." "There, there, Gaston, calm down, your blood pressure will go up." "I don't give a damn about my blood pressure." "Up against the wall!" "Now!" " Of course, I'II go, but calm down." " I AM CALM!" " Come on!" "Do it!" " Will you please wait a minute." "Not like that: do it like you mean it!" " I'd like to see you do it." " Oh, Germaine, honey, this is your little loving husband asking you to do it." "Be brave!" "Something tells me that you'll succeed." "Come on!" "Come on, dash through it!" "Go!" "Go!" "Oh, you'll never be good for anything..." "Hello!" "I didn't hear when you rang the bell." "Oh, sorry, I forgot." "Well, Gaston, aren't you feeling alright?" "Are you ill?" "It's nothing." "I'm just... overworked." "Too much bicycling, kid." "I already told you so." "Are you... already back from the office?" "No, oh no." "I didn't go to the office this morning." "I went for a walk." "Do you mind?" "Not at all." "You're of age, kid brother." "And you're the master in your home." "You may go to the office whenever you want to." "Oh, please, don't take such pains." "To tell you the whole truth, I went to see a doctor." "Oh?" "And what does he think of your case." " What case?" " Well, the..." "I mean when you..." " Oh, yes... the wall?" " Yes." "Nothing." "He wasn't even interested." "But he thought it too bad that I never had mumps." "Tell me, my dear brother-in-law, did you think about your future?" "What future?" "Surely, what with you can now do, you're not going to vegetate in some office?" "You must carve an exceptional position for yourself... and have your dear sister profit by it." "Am I right, Germaine?" " Leon always loved his family." " Well Leon doesn't anymore." " What?" " I can see what you're both up to." "And especially you, Gaston." "You'd like to use my power for some shady, lucrative job." "A job that requires a man who walks through walls can't be all that honest." "But I want to work honestly." "Honestly." "Of course you don't know the meaning of the word." "That's why I'll stay my whole life, if necessary, a meek civil servant earning 18.000 francs a month." "And if you don't like it, it's all the same to me." "If you're not fired." "Don't forget that you have a very low rating in progress reports." "Germaine!" "Will you shut up!" "You'd better prepare our dear brother's lunch." "Don't bother, I'll eat out." "Then I'll go to the office, and don't wait for me before you have dinner tonight." "Get it?" " My dear Leon..." " What do you want?" "Show me again, will you?" "When you..." "It's so funny." "Oh, so, when you have fun, you pile ice on your head?" "I don't understand." " You offended him." " Serves him right." "He's a fool." "He doesn't even realize what a treasure he holds in his hands." "There is no God:" "to give such a talent to a nincompoop who's happy to live on 18.000 francs and to have fun with a cornet." "Germaine... what did you do with the cornet?" "I gave it to the janitor, as you asked me, so that she can throw it out." " You stupid woman!" " I fail to understand." "That's what I hold against you." "You never understand anything." " So you play a cornet too." " Yes sir" "But... this is my cornet!" "Who gave it to you?" " Mom did." " Mom did?" "Well you'll tell your mother that the cornet belongs to me." "Get it?" " Mom!" "Mom!" "He took my music from me." " No, please, MY music." "What?" "What is it?" "What's happening?" " Oh, good morning, Mr Dutilleul." " Imagine, Mrs. Menard, that I just found my cornet in the hands of your kid?" "Can you explain?" "Mrs Germaine told me to throw it away." "To throw away my cornet?" "Oh, you!" "My husband doesn't want to see it anymore, she said." "So I had rather give it to my kid." "Well you'II oblige me by carrying it back up when you bring the mail." "What?" "And be given a roasting by Mr Gaston?" "No, no, Mr. Gaston changed a lot since this morning." "All the same, I'd rather you bring it back yourself." "Very well, I'll leave it in some music lover's home." "Ain't it a shame to see such things?" "RECORDS Direction of the District" " Director's office" "Oh, Mr Dutilleul, you're going to be called every name under the sun." "Good morning." "How do you do?" " Sparks are going to fly..." " Let them..." "Oh my, oh my!" "Either I'm mistaken or this is our friend Dutilleul." " We weren't waiting for him any longer." " Good morning, Mr. Burdin." "Don't blame your colleagues for doing your job." "What matters is that yesterday afternoon and this morning gave you satisfaction." "Isn't it?" "Well, Dutilleul, I believe I asked you a question." " At least do me the honour of answering it." " I beg your pardon?" "Was your little jaunt satisfactory?" " Quite so, thank you very much." " Dutilleul!" "Am I to understand that you're trying to be funny?" "Unfortunately, Mr. Burdin, I'm not here to be funny but to do my job." "The job of a lowly assistant." " That you do in a slipshod manner, be frank." " And for a trivial salary, be fair." " What is that?" "But this is a bugle!" " No, not at all." "It's a cornet." " They're one and the same." " Not at all." "Please allow me to explain..." "Enough." "Whether a bugle or a cornet, it doesn't belong here." "I guess strings to pull are favoured in the Ministry of Records, aren't they?" "We'll see if mister First Collector likes yourjokes." "Mr. Burdin, come on, come on..." "Don't be a fool." "What will happen if they take a dislike to you?" " I'll be fired." " And deprived of your pension." "What do you want me to do about it?" "If they hate me..." " Apologize to him." "He loves it." " No way." " So, Three thousand two hundred and forty-two..." " Dutilleul!" "Dutilleul, what did I just learn?" "They say that in addition to staying away without warning, you bring a musical instrument to the office..." "And you dare make a joke in the worst taste about the civil service" " Which allows you to make a living?" " I'm sorry, Mr First Collector, but none of those things are really serious." "And you wouldn't have learned anything about it if Mr Burdin didn't have the mentality of a hall monitor." "So you dare to insult your under chief?" "Who also was, let's pay homage to him, a soldier during the Great War." " Five times distinguished." " Twice." " Twice." "Doesn't it speak for itself already?" " Thank you, General." " I mean: thank you, chief." " At ease, Burdin." "You deserve it." "Well, Dutilleul, do you realize the seriousness of the words" "I'm now forced to include in my report to Mr. Director?" "Couldn't Mr. Director be kept unaware of them?" "Your perpetual lateness can't be hushed up any longer." "Couldn't we blame them on the Parisian public transport?" "Now you're being subversive, Mr Dutilleul." "I do not criticize buses but I protest against all those priority cards." "It gets better and better." "So, according to you, pregnant women should be trampled?" "You are an anarchist!" "No God, no master." "Let me warn you: if you don't mend your ways, I'll be forced to clamp down on you." "Mark my words." " Well, Dutilleul, did you understand?" " Oh, yes, I understood perfectly." " You took your time." " Yes," " But I'm going to catch up..." "Mr Burdin." " Where are you going?" "Where are you going?" "What are you going to do?" "Come on, gentlemen, come on." "Go back to your seats." " Burdin!" "Burdin!" " What is it, Sir?" "What is it?" "You are overworked." "Your stomach, probably..." "Sodium bicarbonate!" "What is it, Sir, don't you feel well?" "Let's stay calm, stay calm, let's not panic..." "Say, I gave some thought to your problem." "It's elementary." " Oh?" " Yes." "Blessed are the feeble-minded, says the Scripture." " Well, you're feeble-minded." " Me?" "Yes." "And the guy who pulls the strings chose you as a guinea pig" " To experiment his last invention." " Do you think so?" "My explanation might not be very scientific but it's as good as any other." " Maybe." " Now let's talk about your plans." "My plans?" "What plans?" "What?" "Doesn't the man who enjoys the strange ability of passing through any obstacle have the slightest curiosity to satisfy?" "No, I don't..." "Oh, come on, don't you now want to glance at..." " At what?" "I don't know." "At the mysteries of life, at everything you don't know," " At everything that is forbidden." " If it's forbidden, I don't have a right to..." " Oh, you poor sod with no imagination." " Hey, I resent that." "There are so many things that I would like to know" " If I could walk through walls." " Things?" "What things?" "Well, for instance..." "Look!" " It's good." "What is it?" " What?" "You don't recognize it?" "Oh, it's the Bois de Boulogne." "The Bois de Boulogne?" "No, dummy, it's the Cupola!" "The Academie Francaise." " Oh, it's the..." " I already told you:" "I suggest." " I'm no photographer." " Yes, but what's so interesting in there?" "In there?" "Illustrious beards." "Great writers who, in secret and through meditation, analyze the French language and make up the Dictionary." "Oh, the Dictionary." "Well, you know, we have a six volumes dictionary at the office and we never use it." "There is some truth in that." "Forget it." "Wait, here is something else." "Here." "What about this?" "Oh, you're trying to trick me." "This is a riddle." "A riddle?" "Of course not." "The sword, the pointed tower... it's the Palais de Justice." "Oh, it's the... well, I can enter the Palais de Justice without walking through walls, you know." "Yes but not during a closed hearing." "Naughty stories." "You would have a ball." "Oh, you know, naughty stories... we tell some all day long at the office." "I know them all." "Do you know the one about the coughing doll...?" "Yes alright, alright, you're hopeless." "Hopeless." "Now, here, what about this?" "What about this?" "Oh, no, not this..." " Why not this?" " Not this, I tell you!" "Come, come..." "Look!" "Something else." "The Chamber of Deputies." "Wouldn't it be fun to catch our members of the parliament during a secret session?" "Now, Leon, Leon:" "the Opera house!" "The Opera house!" "Now that's something." "Eying the little dancers, the "little rats"," " In the green room, backstage." " I would never dare." "I pity you." "What about this?" "The Champs-Elysees." "I already know the Avenue des Champs-Elysees." "You know it, you know it..." "You know the sidewalks but you don't know what's inside the buildings." "And what's inside the buildings?" "Paris, of course, old boy." "Paris with its luxury, its taste, its charm, its chic, its perfumes, its dresses..." "Christian Dior, Jacques Fath, and the whole world that comes running, dazzled by all those wonders." "Well, go, since you can walk through walls." "Go, you big ass." "There's still a little space left inside." " But..." " Come on, go!" " Oh, what's this man doing here?" " What a nerve!" " Ladies..." "Excuse me, wrong door." " That's a real lame excuse." "We hear that one twenty times a day." "The gentleman came to get an eyeful." "Go and find your wife in the aisles." " I'm not married." " Well, go find a fiancee then." "Out you go!" "Men are fantastic!" "They think they can get away with anything just because we're models." "My dress!" " My dress, Marguerite!" " Oh, here he is again!" " Excuse me, I lost my hat." "Here he is again..." "You've got a nerve..." "But how did he come in?" "I locked the door." "Yes, that's true..." " Come on, ladies, open the door." " It's Louise." "We must let her in" "Hurry up, ladies, the show isn't over yet." "We can't get dressed." "There's a man here who won't go out." " Yes." "And you lock yourself in with him?" " Of course not." " We threw him out." " And he came in through the window." " I swear this is not a joke." " Enough, ladies!" " But he's here!" "Here!" " He's here." "He's here?" "Where?" " There, there..." " What are you talking about?" "Enough, enough, ladies, we have too much work to play this little game today." "And just tell yourself that, if you're not satisfied, at least 500 others are waiting to take your job." "And that I'm fed up!" "But he was here..." "We don't know where he may have gone" "He was looking for his hat..." "What about dressmakers?" "Did you see dressmakers?" " Oh, yes, yes." " Did you see models?" "Yes, I can say that I did." "And I can even say that next winter's fashions will be rather... undressed." "Weren't you impressed with so many pretty girls?" "No." "It's just like the office, you know." "They leave their dresses lying around, like our files." "They work with theirjacket off." "So do we." "They're dissatisfied." "So are we." "Their chief is a nasty piece of work." "So is ours." "It's absolutely the same thing." "Oh, you poor little kid." "I should never let you go out alone." "OK, you're going to come with me." "Where?" "Where are you taking me, my dear devil?" "The Devil will lead you to the Tower of Babel." "Oh, the Tower of..." "Yeah, well, to a luxury hotel." "There you'll see a whole humanity." " Come on, hurry up." " All right, let's go then." "What in Hell can he be doing?" " Hey, I'm waiting for you, old boy." "Come." " Oh yeah?" "So, what did you think of rich people and their life of luxury?" "Oh, you know, I wasn't surprised by your luxury hotels." " They're just like the office." " What?" "Again?" "That's an obsession." " Exactly like the office." " What will you have, Sir?" " Brandy and water." " Yes, Sir." "First I saw four blokes playing poker and cursing at each others in every language." "We just play belote but we curse too, you know." "Right, and then?" "Then, then..." "Then I passed near some old ladies, drinking tea, eating biscuits, exchanging all the gossip from the Champs-Elysees." "We do have all of that too." "Jordan and Ernest are eating sandwiches all day long, at four o'clock they have coffee out of a Thermos bottle, then they badmouth the colleagues from the other departments..." "Yes, but you must have seen something interesting!" "Oh, yes, yes, I saw an old diplomat doing some crosswords puzzles." "You know, you don't have to walk through walls in order to see such things." "You just have to be a civil servant." "All of this, now, all of this is just like the office." "Look." "Look at the bartender." "The office, I tell you." "Here, look at the blonde there." "She's the boss' secretary." "And here is the under chief." "What about that?" "Is that the office too?" "That is Room 325." "Oh, you naughty boy..." "You did not tell me everything, did you?" "Bartender, bartender!" "Who's the young woman there, with the small black hat?" " She's Lady Brokeson, Sir." " Oh... a Lady." " I had never seen one before." " Well, she's not for the likes of you." "Especially since there was a very elegant man in her room." "A Frenchman." " And he was kissing her?" " No no," "They were talking about some business that Suzanne must settle tonight, at midnight..." " Suzanne?" " Yes, that is the lady's name." "And what kind of a business is Suzanne to settle?" " I don't know." " You're unlucky." "You could have picked a better day." "Well, it doesn't matter: you'II come back." "Why don't you come back at midnight?" " All right, let's go." "How much, bartender?" " 364 francs, Sir." " No discount for artists?" " Oh, you're an artist, Sir?" " Yes, I certainly am." " I'm sorry, Sir, I had no instructions from the director." "Hello, Maurice?" "It's done." "Yes." "Tomorrow, at my place." "Nine o'clock." " What is it?" " I heard a noise." "A noise?" " The window is open!" " And that's why you wake me up!" "My jewels!" "Maybe someone stole my jewels!" " Poor woman!" " Where are my bracelets?" "You're crazy, Calm down, Your jewels are here." " I was so lucky." " Come on..." "let's go to sleep." "We're leaving early in the morning." " Good night, darlingl" " Good night!" "TAKE CARE OVER YOUR MAIL, People judge a company by the letters it sends." " From the chief." " Oh, isn't that clever!" "Dear miss, it's very naughty to..." "Dear Suzanne My..." "Nine o'clock." "I'm always on time when it comes to serious business." "So, do you have the jewels?" "Well, Suzanne?" "Are the stones pure?" "More so than we are anyway." "But you could ask if I was in any danger." "I know my little pupil too well." "Quick, now, the stuff!" "Quick, Suzanne!" "A plane is supposed to take me to Marseille where Kobler is waiting to sell the diamonds." " I don't have them anymore." " Is this a joke?" "They were stolen from me." " Are you kidding me?" " I swear, Maurice!" " You're trying to double-cross me." " I do not lie." "When I phoned you last night, I had the jewels." "When I woke up, they had disappeared." "Where did you hide them?" " There." " There?" "How clever of you!" "Couldn't you put them elsewhere?" " No one came in?" " No one." "Yeah." "So they vanished just like that, by magic?" "Oh, you don't understand, you don't understand..." "I don't understand either." "I just understand that you like to play the Lady." "You give good manners lessons." "Isn't it fun?" "And to think the old crone travels with at least 50 million worth of jewels." "Unless that is, if you want to work for yourself from now on?" "No, believe me, this is very serious." "Somebody's watching us and followed me." "Maybe the hotel detective." "The detective?" "Then we must leave immediately." " Come on, pack your suitcases." " You really think of everything..." " Here they are." " OK." "Put your hat on, I'II do the rest." "For one now week, we've been visiting every club in Saint-Germain, in the Quartier Latin, on the Champs-Elysees or in Montmartre." "What more do you want?" "That she-cat-burglar of yours is beginning to bug me." " I want to find her." " To find her, to find her." "But she's not a woman for you, for Pete's sake." "Couldn't you fall in love with a typist, like everybody does?" " I want to save her." " To save her." "You fool!" "I already told you she's not for the likes of you." " And she's a thief!" " A pretty thief." "You say that because of her suit, but she's a thief anyway." "And you want to put her back on track with your 1 8.000 francs a month?" "Look, Jean-Paul, let's make one last try, right?" "I swear it will be the last one." "Let's go to Montparnasse." "Montparnasse, sure, when we're in Montmartre." " The way's downhill." " Yeah but the way back is uphill." "The best I can do for you is buying you a drink on the Place du Tertre." " There are American girls there too." " She's English." " Those women are international." "Come on." " Good..." "I'm so happy" "Park the car and wait for us." " Oh, say..." " What?" "It's her." "Look, look." " Are you sure that is her?" " I can't be wrong." " What do you know?" "A maid!" " Yes, she's planning new stupid things." "We'd better tell the Police." "And I'm the civil servant?" "You bourgeois!" " What are we going to do then?" " Well, am I Mephisto or are you?" " I've got an idea." " Oh yes?" " Leave it to me." " Oh..." "Would you like a sketch, Sir?" "A little portrait, Madam?" "You'll take it away as a souvenir from Montmartre." "No, thank you." "Oh, you should support artists." "I've heard of the Marshall Plan, but that's not enough." "A little sketch of the young lady." "She's so charming and so fresh." "Tell them it's a specialty of the Place du Tertre." "I haven't eaten for two days." " She says..." " Yes, she says she accepts, a memento of Paris." "May I?" "OK, now you're about to really see something." "I'm going to do a genuine masterpiece worthy of the National Gallery." "It must be said that Picasso, next to me, was an also-ran." "Just a good for nothing kid." "All right, let's see..." "Come, Stupid." "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." "Tell your employers he's a friend." "He's a peerless palm reader." "Isn't it true, Leon?" "Aren't you great when you're telling fortunes?" " When I...?" " Fortunes." " Oh, yes, yes..." "Fortunes." " And he hasn't eaten for three days." " Don't you ever eat in Montmartre?" " We drink, mostly." "Come on: translate." "No, thank you, they're not interested." "What about you?" "Aren't you interested either?" " Not at all." " Yes... yes, what about you?" "You've got a very interesting hand, you know." "I could unveil such things for you..." "For instance..." "I can see it just from the shape of your fingers..." "You weren't always a nanny." "No, don't say anything, I can see it." "I've got experience." " If I may..." " Yes, sit down." "Please allow me." "This is embarrassing." "May I?" "And you won't be a nanny very long, now." "No." "You're particular about your appearance." "You like jewels, don't you?" " Yes, that's true." " I can see it, you know." "Oh, this is amusing." "Because of the line here, you see." "You like jewels, but not for you." "You like to give them away." "Don't you have a parent working in jewellery?" "No, not precisely." "Go on." "You've played several characters in your life." "All of them very dangerous." "Black becomes you." "But it's a dangerous colour for you." "Well, it keeps being dark, isn't it?" "Oooh... here, you can see it yourself." "Look, here: can you see?" "There's a man in your life who has a bad influence over your destiny." "You must be careful." " Isn't my friend gifted?" " Everything he said was wrong." "You amaze me." "And here is the portrait of your daughter." " It's good, isn't it?" " Yes, I'm happy with it." " Oh, existentialist!" " Whatever you say." "I understood that, I understood." "No, no, nothing." "A gift." "A souvenir." "It would be better if you framed it then delivered it to them." "Oh, yes, you're right, yes." "Tell them I'll deliver it to their hotel when it's framed." " What hotel?" " Oh, yes, what hotel?" " The Ritz." " The Ritz?" "The Ritz." "Thank you." "Goodbye, ladies and gentlemen, thank you." "Thanks a lot." "You scared me." "Excuse me but the other night left a nasty taste in my mouth." "So now, I'm taking precautions, you understand." " Do you have the emeralds?" " They took precautions too." " What?" "Nothing?" " Nothing." "They probably put everything in the hotel safe." "Buggers." "Buggers!" "Do they think I'm going to spend my life clowning on the sidewalk while you eat vanilla ice-creams with them?" "If you want, I'll drive the car and you'll attend to the kid's whims." "Oh, please, please, no nonsense." "I beginning to be fed-up." "Really fed-up." "No, if the scheme doesn't yield anything in the next 48 hours, we call it quits and change personalities." "Still another character." "The bloke on the Place du Tertre was right." " What bloke?" " Some guy who read my palm." "Couldn't he tell you where the jewels are?" "You're getting on my nerves." "OK, OK, we'll talk about it tomorrow." "What now?" "What do you want?" "Good evening, miss." "I brought the portrait." "With the frame." " At this hour?" " Yes." "But you are bothering me, Sir." "Come back tomorrow morning." " And you could have knocked." " The door was open." "How did you know where my room was?" "I showed the portrait to the night watchman." "He recognized the little girl, you see." "So, since I didn't want to wake your employers up," " He told me the number of your room." " Put it on the table and leave me." "Right." "But, before I go, I'd like to apologize for everything that I told you." "I do this for a living and, very often, I say whatever crosses my mind." "If that's what it was, it wasn't bad." "Wasn't it?" "And I didn't tell you everything yet." "If you wish, I..." "No, another time, thank you." "Go away." "It's too bad." "It's too bad, you know, because you're a very interesting subject." "Oh yes." "And I would so much like to do you a favour." "And especially to tell you that you shouldn't do again what you're doing, Miss," " Because it will end in tears." " But, Sir..." "You are young." "You are... pretty." "So why are you doing that?" "I fail to understand." "Do you?" "What about this?" "Do you understand this?" " You're a policeman!" " No." "If I were a policeman, I would have arrested you already." "No, I'm just a poor boy who was charmed by your smile." "I'd like so much to take you out of..." "the pit you're in." "I don't like men who play Good Samaritan." "I only play the cornet, but I'm ready to devote my whole life to you." "Please, get out." "Go dream somewhere else." "Don't you ever dream?" "Never?" "In England, when I was ten," "I dreamed of a castle and a Prince Charming." "I thought I was Snow White." "I woke up ten years later in Pigalle, and Prince Charming was Maurice." " Yes." "Since then, I do not dream anymore." "But... but how do you know Maurice?" "Through your hand." " You are a strange man." " No, I..." "I'm mad to tell you all this." "You..." "You're not going to report me, are you?" "Who do you think I am?" "I'm Dutilleul, Leon." "A civil servant." "I earn 18.000 francs a month." "And I'm ready to share them with you." "Mister Dutilleul, Leon." "Even with millions, you couldn't give me the only thing I love." " What?" " Adventure." "Adventure?" "Why not?" "You know, your thing doesn't impress me." "Anybody could do it." "Oh, no, you're not going to dream again." " You do not look like an adventurer." " Why?" "Go home and look at yourself in a mirror." "You'II understand." "All right." "We'll see." "We'll see." "OK, I'm looking at myself in a mirror." "What's to understand?" "So I don't have the face of an adventurer?" "Well, she'II see." "She'll see." "They're not going to play The Third Man for me, are they?" "Bank robbed!" "The Police's only clue is a signature. "Garou-Garou"." "A new feat by Garou-Garou." "A sensational burglary..." "Breaking news we just learned that the jewels belonging to the Maharani of Sakahldar have vanished." "The police found Garou-Garou's signature on the Maharajah's tuxedo lapel." "No blowtorch." "No wrench." "Not a single trace of breaking and entering." " This Garou-Garou is really something." " Ah, Garou-Garou." "This is a sad time we live in." "Isn't it, Mr Robert?" "People who get robbed are asking for it." "Why don't they do what I do?" "Every evening, I put my earnings in a secret safe that only two persons know about." "My cashier, whom I trust absolutely, and myself." " Isn't it true, miss?" " Yes, Sir." " A very dangerous gent." " But a bandit of great magnitude." " So says commissioner Matelot." " Hello, how are you this morning?" " Hello, hello, leave us." " Just a minute, please." ""The Police are baffled and admit that some kind of devilry governs the case. "" "You just have to wonder how that Garou-Garou does it." "Passing through walls, maybe." " Through walls..." " Dummy..." "Lots of results are expected of commissioner Matelot's experience..." " Hello, old boy." " Hello." "Why the long face this morning?" "I'm thinking of my wife's jewels." "I pawned them, I must get them back on Saturday and I don't have a penny." " Wait, I'll lend you..." " No, thanks', old boy, you can't afford it." "I can't afford it... but maybe I can find a way." "Good morning, Madam." "I'm Jean-Paul, the painter, your brother's friend." "I never had the pleasure of meeting you before, now it's done." "What do you want, Sir?" "I came to warn you, if you don't already know it." "Leon is currently doing very stupid things." "Leon?" "Stupid things?" "Of course you know that he is Garou-Garou." "Leon is Garou-Garou?" "But surely you know that he can walk through walls?" "Sir!" "Please, sir!" "Not that loud, if you don't mind." "There are people living in this house." "Up to recently, Leon only walked through walls for fun." "I had some influence over him." "But now I can't hold him back anymore." "and I'm afraid his accomplishments will land him in prison." "So you dare suggest that my dear brother-in-law..." "This is an outrage, Sir!" "Oh, you, the inventor, I know what you're worth." "When Leon was a decent person, you picked on the poor boy all the time." "But now that he's the equal of the greatest criminals, you admire him..." "I won't stand for that, Sir!" "Get out, please!" "Get out!" "I will, cause I do not want to be here when the Police come." "The Police?" "The Police in our home!" "Let's not dramatize, please." " Oh!" "Bank notes!" " What?" "We are disgraced, Gaston, we are disgraced." "Disgraced... why do you always nit-pick." "Your brother is making himself useful, for once." "Oh God, Oh God, you who are all-seeing!" "Will you shut up?" "This is nobody's business." "629... 629..." "Oh, here it is!" "Here it is!" "Now 623..." "How happy will poor Ernest's wife be!" "Hmm... for Suzanne." "Oh, this is my janitor, Mrs Menard's clock." "Well she'II be happy too." "Before you go, please make sure that you didn't forget anything." "I don't think so." "Oh, yes... my business card." " Suzanne..." " What is it?" "It's too early to have a good idea of the amount..." "From the initial observations, it seems that Garou-Garou's sacking of the "Credit Municipal"" "represents several hundred million francs..." "They're overdoing it." "The media unanimously proclaims this is a scandal." ""LAurore"claims that Garou-Garou is a left-wing agitator." ""L 'Humanite"accuses the Ministry of being an accessory." ""France-Dimanche"says that 80% of French women are, quote, in love with Garou-Garou, unquote." "Well I'm not!" "If this Garou-Garou exists, he's a superman." "A genius." " Let's not exaggerate." " A genius?" " I say he's a thief." "A bandit." "A hoodlum." " Shut up, will you?" "Women, my dear, are devoid of poetry." "Adventure doesn't appeal to them." "Not all of them, Gaston, not all of them." "I'm sure there's at least one whom adventure fascinates." " Yes, but where is she?" " Where is she?" "If I knew that, I wouldn't be here." "No, certainly not." "Bit parts." "I wonder who this Garou-Garou can be." " He's certainly not you." " Oh, that's clever." "But so true." "The woman who would work with him wouldn't queue to get a bit part." "You women are all feather-brained romantics." "You need heroes from serials, great scientists, great stars, great champions..." " And even great bandits." " I'll do the next caper myself." "You'll just have to buy the paper on the next day." "You'll see, Madam, that there's more than Garou-Garou." "Would you like my lipstick to sign on the wall?" " Oh, that's intelligent..." " It's over after the young lady." "Oh, but, listen to me, Sir, I'm with the young lady..." " It's over for today..." " Oh, come on, let me in." "Why did you stay an honest man for so long if you were about to do this?" "To do this!" "I haven't killed anybody yet, have I?" "Do I have a murderer's face?" "You can't tell a murderer's face before it falls into the basket." "And, even then, not always." "I'm talking to you, Leon!" "You're going to swear that you'll forget the girl and change your life." "If you don't I know what's in store for you." "Prison." "And don't expect me to bring you..." "And don't expect me to bring you oranges!" "Oh, right, right." "Hey, you've given me an idea." " I'll have myself arrested." " Are you crazy?" "On the contrary." "I'm being thrown in prison, right?" "They take my picture, I talk to the press." "She recognizes me in the papers." "She learns that I did all that for her." " And she falls into my arms." " This is sheer lunacy." "Where's the phone book?" "I want to call the Surete." "You're not going to have yourself arrested in my place, are you?" "It will be good publicity for you, old boy." "Yes, I'II be arrested too." "They'll give me twenty years." " L, for one, can't walk through walls." " You must admit that you don't even try." "Oh, no?" "No?" "And, pray, what is this?" "All right, all right, get a hold of yourself and try to open your eyes." "My dear Jean-Paul, love opened them for me." "I know what I have to do now." "Goodbye." "Leon!" "Leon!" "What new stupidity is the fool up to now?" "Hello, Police?" "Would you like to be promoted, my good man?" "Put your big boss on the line then." "This is Garou-Garou." "Yes." "You see whom I mean, don't you?" "You've been reading the papers?" "I'd like to be arrested." "Very well, I'm waiting." "Garou-Garou arrested." "The dangerous bandit wants to stay anonymous." "Open number 29." "A nice building, isn't it?" "It looks very sturdy." "You'll have the time to enjoy it." "Oh, I forgot to tell you:" "I'll be eating all of my meals out." "Yes, yes, that's it." "What?" "He kept his tie?" " Oh, and don't worry, I'll find my way back." " Shut up now and go in." "I've got another one." "Watch him closely: don't forget he's Garou-Garou." "Yes, Mr Warden Sir." "You!" "Please excuse me, I didn't have anything to read." " But how did you come in here?" " Oh, that..." "Will you please get the hell out!" "I'm very tidy, the pages won't be dog-eared when you get the book back." " Get the hell out of here!" " No, really..." " Leave the book..." " Now, please..." " Get out of here." " Please..." "Isn't it a pity!" "And those too..." "Take him to his cell!" "And double the guard!" " What do you know!" " And listen to the rest." "It was for the love of a woman named Suzanne that Garou-Garou, the mysterious, still unidentified bandit, claims he accomplished his sensational feats, thus becoming the equal of History's greatest adventurers." " This is him, no doubt about it." " As I always said, gentlemen, there's an unmistakable spark of intelligence in that boy's eyes." "Come on, move along." "Move along, please." " What do all those people want?" " They want to see Garou-Garou." " Madwomen." " All of these women?" "Didn't you read the papers?" "He mentioned a Suzanne." "So here they are!" "No, Madam." "Hey, Suzanne!" " Good morning, Miss." " Sir?" " Don't you recognize me?" " Yes, I must have seen you somewhere." "Of course, the palm reader." "Leon Dutilleul." " Oh, yes." "How do you do?" " I'm fine." "I live in the neighbourhood now." "Are you waiting for someone?" " I came to see a friend who's..." " In jail?" " Yes." " So did I, but visits are forbidden." "Too bad, I'll come back another time." "Taxi!" "Please excuse me, Miss." "Is somebody waiting for you?" "Why?" "Because, if not, I would be so bold as to offer to buy you lunch." " That is a very good idea." " You accept?" "I accept." "You'll read my palm." "I've got a very important question to ask you." " Concerning your work?" " No, concerning my love life." "Oh, yes?" "Well, let's go then." "Thank you, Miss, thank you." " Well?" " Wait, I'll tell you." "Here goes:" "I can picture you married, very happy, yes, with a lot of children." " But how is HE?" " He's a good boy." "Honest, hardworking." "He did only one stupid thing in his life." "For a woman." " But... his appearance?" " That's another thing altogether." "He's not exactly handsome, but he's pleasant." "Yes, very pleasant." "More or less my type." "Yes, I know, I'm not your type, but you're so much mine." " It's too late." " Always because of Maurice?" "Who said anything about Maurice?" "I love an unreachable being..." "A Prince Charming in a time where there's no Prince Charming." " How lucky he is." " He's not: he doesn't know about it." "You have other things than love to worry about when you're called Garou-Garou." " What?" "Garou-Garou?" "But it's..." " What?" "No, nothing." "The bill, please, Miss!" "Will you excuse me for a minute?" "Sir, Sir, I'm a little short on cash," " May I call the director?" " What director?" "The director of the company across the street." "He's a friend of mine, don't be afraid: he can't refuse me anything." " The phone is in the booth." " Good." "Thank you." "Hello?" "Is it the "Prison de la Sante"?" "Please, put the warden on the line." "It's urgent." " Talk to me." " Hello, mister warden?" " This is Garou-Garou." " Who?" "Please calm down." "This is embarrassing but when I got out to have lunch," "I forgot to take your wallet." "Isn't it stupid?" "Would you be so kind as to send somebody to the restaurant across the street in order to settle my humble..." "Oh, he hung up." "Right!" "Everything is settled!" "Take him, dead or alive!" "Stay here, don't let anybody come in." "What do you want?" "Leave me be." " Come with us quietly." "Come on, come on." " Careful, I'm fragile." "Look at those..." "They are..." "I've never seen such a thing before." "Forgot to take my wallet!" "I'll settle your humble bill, I can tell you!" " But what is it, Sir?" " What is it?" " Yes." "What did the poor boy do?" " So you call him a poor boy?" " He's Garou-Garou, Miss!" " Garou-Garou?" "Him?" "Don't you read the papers?" "Here: his face is on the front page." " I didn't recognize him." " Obviously your name is not Suzanne." " What about the bill?" " What do you think I am?" "A fool?" "Now will you have a care!" "Hey, I've got a right to scratch, haven't I." "If you move again, we'II bind you, got it?" "I'm no more in the mood to laugh, you may rest easy." " Yeah, we know all about your tales." " What a character!" " Suzanne!" " Garou-Garou!" "I must see you." "Talk to you." "A rendez-vous tonight." "Hotel Central." "Room 92." "Hotel Central, room 92." "What floor?" "Here comes that bloke again." "This is no way to entertain people." "Should it go on like this, I'll go and live in a hotel." "Shut up and get in there." "Watch him closely." "You can depend on me." "You may well lock me up, you know." "You won't prevent me from seeing her tonight." " I know her address." " Shut your trap!" "Hey, be civil!" "Or I kick your... something." "Well... why not, after all?" " Enjoy your meal." " Thank you." "Excuse me, I'm just passing through." " Please, Madam, don't cry, it's useless." " Oh my brother, my poor brother." "I told you that it would come to a bad end." "A very bad end." "Do you think they'II keep him jailed for long?" " It will all depend on his behaviour." " But should he behave properly?" "Oh, Madam, should he behave properly..." "he'll never get out." "Oh, my God." "No, no, no and no." "I won't leave this room until you tell me why you're in such a hurry to see me go." " I'm waiting for someone." " So what?" "Am I in the way?" " Yes." " Charming." " A man?" " A superman." "A superman?" "There are no supermen!" "There are just mixed up people like you who fall for sweet talk." " Do I know him?" " No." " He's not a cop, is he?" " No." "Don't play that little game with me, Suzanne." "You know very well that I loved you once." "It's all in the past." "Just like it is for me." "But anyway we're working together." "No, you make me work." "You can't have forgotten everything that I did for you." " The mink coat." " It was rabbit." "What about the emerald for your birthday?" "It was fake." "Don't push me to the limit, Suzanne." "I want to know with whom you have a rendez-vous." "I'll tell you then." "I'm waiting for Garou-Garou." "Garou-Garou?" "Are you taking the piss out of me?" " It's the truth." " Your Garou-Garou's in the slammer." "He's going to escape tonight in order to come and meet me." "Don't talk such nonsense." "So he turned your head too with his tales?" " Maybe." " Yeah?" "Well, you'll have to find something else, little one." "I'm in no hurry." "I can wait." "Garou-Garou." "Ah!" "What a scam!" "A reporter's invention!" "I don't believe in Garou-Garou, you see, I don't believe in him." "Well, don't." "Still not believing in Garou-Garou?" "You're going to pay for that." "Police!" "Police!" " But where are you?" " Peek a boo." "Garou-Garou." "As you can see, I always keep my promises." "I hope you're not too disappointed." "You had such a high idea of..." "Garou-Garou." "I can't find the words to tell you how I feel." " You are a... a..." " A man like every other man." "Oh, no, you did some extraordinary things." "You would be a wonderful gang leader." "Don't think that." "I'm just an honest and humble employee." "And a very shy one at that." "All I did was to show you that adventure always lead you to prison." "And once they're in, you know..." "not everybody can get out." "And, unfortunately, I fail to see in your palm that you can walk through walls." " Can't I?" " No." "No, but can you see in my palm if Garou-Garou" " Will stay my friend for a long time?" " Mmm, yes." "Yes, a very long time." "But only if you promise him to be a good little girl and to go back to your country." "To my country?" "Oh..." "Would he come and visit me in England?" "In England." "Yes." "Next summer." "If he can take a paid holiday abroad." "But your are rich now, what with all the money that you..." "Please!" "I'm going to give that money back, down to the last penny." "Give the money back?" "But you're a..." " What?" " A hero, mister Garou-Garou." "No, not mister Garou-Garou." "Call me..." "Leon, since I'm your friend." " Leon." " Thank you, Suzanne." " Well, now, I've got to go back to jail." " To jail?" "But why?" "I don't want my guard to be fired because of me." "He's a family man." "And to top it all, you do have a heart." "Yes, I've got everything that it takes to never succeed in life." " Goodbye, Suzanne." " Goodbye, Leon." " Farewell, Suzanne." " Farewell, Leon." " See you soon, Suzanne?" " See you soon, Leon." "And here we are..." "That was from the civil servant." "What about Garou-Garou?" "Now that's something else." " Good morning, Sir." " Good morning, Maria." " Did you sleep well, Sir?" " Yes, thank you." "Your guest doesn't like tea, Sir." " He asks for hot chocolate." " What guest?" "The gentleman who slept in the guest room." "That's why I call him your guest, Sir, because of the place." "He rang to demand hot chocolate and two croissants." "Two croissants..." "Garou-Garou!" "But..." "But, Sir, I haven't brought him anything yet." " And a good thing you didn't." " I was waiting for you to allow me to." "To allow you to?" "You're going to see what I'll allow you to!" "Don't you know who that guy is?" "Well, my good man, where's my hot chocolate?" " Get out of here!" " Don't be so noisy." "I'll give you hot chocolate. 800 francs a kg!" "And pajamas from La Samaritaine!" "Take him!" "And double the guard!" "Double the guard!" "Treble the guard!" "Quadruple the guard!" " Don't get excited." " Get out of here!" "Oh, if you want to be that way, Mr Warden," "I have the honour of warning you that I'm going to escape." "And no later than now!" "Oh, what do you know?" "Catch that man!" "Bring him back to jail!" "Use any means available." "A sensational escape by Garou-Garou!" "Garou-Garou gives himself up after surrendering his loot." "What about the guy who walks through walls?" "He can't do it anymore, he's tied-up." "Your honour, you're not going to convict a man who did nothing, are you?" "Granted, I can walk through walls..." "Look at him!" "What's he doing?" "He thinks he's a lawyer." "He's rehearsing his plea." "Tell me, your honour, tell me... would you have convicted the writer who prophesized that, one day, man would travel under water and in the air?" "Jules Verne?" "Would you have convicted the physicist who invented X-rays?" "No, your honour, you can't stop progress." "You just can't." "Now, you'll tell me:" "I shouldn't have been a burglar." "Right." "But I have done nothing wrong since I gave it all back." "It was all just to teach a little lesson to a young girl who was about to turn out badly." "Of course, if I had used my power to steal atomic secrets and sell them to foreign powers, OK." "But I did nothing of the sort." "Now, I won't go as far as to claim the Legion d'Honneur just because I did nothing." "No," "Although I know some who got it for less than that." "It was love, your honour." "Love was my motive." "True love." "Because..." "I can tell it to you." "I never dared telling it to her." "But, you know, I love Suzanne, you know." "That's why, your honour, I'm asking you to grant a full acquittal to a humble civil servant like me, who managed to bring a little poetry in a time devoid of poetry." "I rest my case, you honour." " That was a well deserved acquittal!" " Compliments, I'm very happy for you." " Congratulations..." " My dear Leon, you're the living example of the geometric truth stating that a straight line is the shortest way between two points." " You're too good, Mr Burdin." " Call me Felix." "I'll go further!" "I'II go further!" "When he gave you the ability, heretofore refused to any man on Earth, to walk through solid spaces, the All-Mighty pointed you out as the symbol of human aspirations." "I'm proud to shake your hand." "This is too much, Mr Lecuyer, too much." "Call me Gustave." "And now, my friends, our friend Dutilleul is going to perform for our small gathering a demonstration of his prodigious power." " In front of everybody?" " I'm asking you personally, my dear Leon." "But, Gustave, don't you think I might relapse?" "What about you, Felix?" " I do insist too." " Well, in that case..." "If you have a wall within reach." " Mr. Dutilleul?" " What is it?" " A lady is waiting for you downstairs." " A lady?" "My sister Germaine?" " No, she said her name was Suzanne." " Suzanne?" "It's Suzanne!" "Suzanne!" "Yippee!" "Well, if this is his way to walk through walls, I can do it too." " So can l, chief." " Come on, let's get to work." " Suzanne!" " Leon!" "It's nice of you not to have forgotten me." "I didn't want to leave without thanking you." " What?" "You're leaving?" " Yes." "I took your advice." "Here is my plane ticket." "I'm going back to my country in order to try and start a new life." "I don't know whether I should be very happy or very sad." " Do not keep too bad a memory of me." " A bad memory?" "On the contrary:" "I'II keep a wonderful memory of you." "I have a confession to make, Suzanne." "I never dared to tell you but, you know, I..." " Garou-Garou!" "A picture!" " A picture for the paper." "I don't want to be photographed anymore, I'm fed up with it." "Come with me!" " Hey, guys, here he is!" " The wall." "Let's try the wall." "Suzanne!" "Suzanne!" "...so you can walk through walls..." "The End"