FRANCE: Les Mis

Les Misérables

Grizzled, stooping, Paris sewer mason André Pierre paused in his work to test an iron grille before the mouth of a small branch drain. The bars came away in his hand. He crawled in, found his lantern shining across packets of freshly printed bank notes. André thought it wise to summon his companion, Marcel Dumesnil. The men understood at once that they had achieved the impossible, gained unchallenged entry to the burglarproof subterranean vaults of the Banque de France. Swiftly they helped themselves to 25 million francs in 1,000-franc notes.

Dumesnil hid his share. André Pierre tried changing a note...

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