the last exploit of harry the actor the one insignificant fact upon which turnedthe following incident in the joint experiences of mr. carlyle and max carrados was merelythis: that having called upon his friend just at the moment when the private detective wason the point of leaving his office to go to the safe deposit in lucas street, piccadilly,the blind amateur accompanied him, and for ten minutes amused himself by sitting quitequietly among the palms in the centre of the circular hall while mr. carlyle was occupiedwith his deed-box in one of the little compartments provided for the purpose. the lucas street depository was then (it hassince been converted into a picture palace)
generally accepted as being one of the strongestplaces in london. the front of the building was constructed to represent a gigantic safedoor, and under the colloquial designation of "the safe" the place had passed into asynonym for all that was secure and impregnable. half of the marketable securities in the westof london were popularly reported to have seen the inside of its coffers at one timeor another, together with the same generous proportion of family jewels. however exaggeratedan estimate this might be, the substratum of truth was solid and auriferous enough todazzle the imagination. when ordinary safes were being carried bodily away with impunityor ingeniously fused open by the scientifically equipped cracksman, nervous bond-holders turnedwith relief to the attractions of an establishment
whose modest claim was summed up in its telegraphicaddress: "impregnable." to it went also the jewel-case between the lady's social engagements,and when in due course "the family" journeyed north—or south, east or west—whenever,in short, the london house was closed, its capacious storerooms received the plate-chestas an established custom. not a few traders also—jewellers, financiers, dealers in pictures,antiques and costly bijouterie, for instance—constantly used its facilities for any stock that theydid not require immediately to hand. there was only one entrance to the place,an exaggerated keyhole, to carry out the similitude of the safe-door alluded to. the ground floorwas occupied by the ordinary offices of the company; all the strong-rooms and safes layin the steel-cased basement. this was reached
both by a lift and by a flight of steps. ineither case the visitor found before him a grille of massive proportions. behind itsbars stood a formidable commissionaire who never left his post, his sole duty being toopen and close the grille to arriving and departing clients. beyond this, a short passageled into the round central hall where carrados was waiting. from this part, other passagesradiated off to the vaults and strong-rooms, each one barred from the hall by a grillescarcely less ponderous than the first one. the doors of the various private rooms putat the disposal of the company's clients, and that of the manager's office, filled thewall-space between the radiating passages. everything was very quiet, everything lookedvery bright, and everything seemed hopelessly
impregnable. "but i wonder?" ran carrados's dubious reflectionas he reached this point. "sorry to have kept you so long, my dear max,"broke in mr. carlyle's crisp voice. he had emerged from his compartment and was crossingthe hall, deed-box in hand. "another minute and i will be with you." carrados smiled and nodded and resumed hisformer expression, which was merely that of an uninterested gentleman waiting patientlyfor another. it is something of an attainment to watch closely without betraying undue curiosity,but others of the senses—hearing and smelling, for instance—can be keenly engaged whilethe observer possibly has the appearance of
falling asleep. "now," announced mr. carlyle, returning brisklyto his friend's chair, and drawing on his grey suã¨de gloves. "you are in no particular hurry?" "no," admitted the professional man, withthe slowness of mild surprise. "not at all. what do you propose?" "it is very pleasant here," replied carradostranquilly. "very cool and restful with this armoured steel between us and the dust andscurry of the hot july afternoon above. i propose remaining here for a few minutes longer."
"certainly," agreed mr. carlyle, taking thenearest chair and eyeing carrados as though he had a shrewd suspicion of something morethan met the ear. "i believe some very interesting people rent safes here. we may encounter abishop, or a winning jockey, or even a musical comedy actress. unfortunately it seems tobe rather a slack time." "two men came down while you were in yourcubicle," remarked carrados casually. "the first took the lift. i imagine that he wasa middle-aged, rather portly man. he carried a stick, wore a silk hat, and used spectaclesfor close sight. the other came by the stairway. i infer that he arrived at the top immediatelyafter the lift had gone. he ran down the steps, so that the two were admitted at the sametime, but the second man, though the more
active of the pair, hung back for a momentin the passage and the portly one was the first to go to his safe." mr. carlyle's knowing look expressed: "goon, my friend; you are coming to something." but he merely contributed an encouraging "yes?" "when you emerged just now our second manquietly opened the door of his pen a fraction. doubtless he looked out. then he closed itas quietly again. you were not his man, louis." "i am grateful," said mr. carlyle expressively."what next, max?" "that is all; they are still closeted." both were silent for a moment. mr. carlyle'sfeeling was one of unconfessed perplexity.
so far the incident was utterly trivial inhis eyes; but he knew that the trifles which appeared significant to max had a way of standingout like signposts when the time came to look back over an episode. carrados's sightlessfaculties seemed indeed to keep him just a move ahead as the game progressed. "is there really anything in it, max?" heasked at length. "who can say?" replied carrados. "at leastwe may wait to see them go. those tin deed-boxes now. there is one toeach safe, i think?" "yes, so i imagine. the practice is to carrythe box to your private lair and there unlock it and do your business. then you lock itup again and take it back to your safe."
"steady! our first man," whispered carradoshurriedly. "here, look at this with me." he opened a paper—a prospectus—which he pulledfrom his pocket, and they affected to study its contents together. "you were about right, my friend," mutteredmr. carlyle, pointing to a paragraph of assumed interest. "hat, stick and spectacles. he isa clean-shaven, pink-faced old boy. i believe—yes, i know the man by sight. he is a bookmakerin a large way, i am told." "here comes the other," whispered carrados. the bookmaker passed across the hall, joinedon his way by the manager whose duty it was to counterlock the safe, and disappeared alongone of the passages. the second man sauntered
up and down, waiting his turn. mr. carlylereported his movements in an undertone and described him. he was a younger man than theother, of medium height, and passably well dressed in a quiet lounge suit, green alpinehat and brown shoes. by the time the detective had reached his wavy chestnut hair, largeand rather ragged moustache, and sandy, freckled complexion, the first man had completed hisbusiness and was leaving the place. "it isn't an exchange lay, at all events,"said mr. carlyle. "his inner case is only half the size of the other and couldn't possiblybe substituted." "come up now," said carrados, rising. "thereis nothing more to be learned down here." they requisitioned the lift, and on the stepsoutside the gigantic keyhole stood for a few
minutes discussing an investment as a coupleof trustees or a lawyer and a client who were parting there might do. fifty yards away,a very large silk hat with a very curly brim marked the progress of the bookmaker towardspiccadilly. the lift in the hall behind them swirled upagain and the gate clashed. the second man walked leisurely out and sauntered away withouta backward glance. "he has gone in the opposite direction," exclaimedmr. carlyle, rather blankly. "it isn't the 'lame goat' nor the 'follow-me-on,' nor eventhe homely but efficacious sand-bag." "what colour were his eyes?" asked carrados. "upon my word, i never noticed," admittedthe other.
"parkinson would have noticed," was the severecomment. "i am not parkinson," retorted mr. carlyle,with asperity, "and, strictly as one dear friend to another, max, permit me to add,that while cherishing an unbounded admiration for your remarkable gifts, i have the strongestsuspicion that the whole incident is a ridiculous mare's nest, bred in the fantastic imaginationof an enthusiastic criminologist." mr. carrados received this outburst with theutmost benignity. "come and have a coffee, louis," he suggested. "mehmed's is only astreet away." mehmed proved to be a cosmopolitan gentlemanfrom mocha whose shop resembled a house from the outside and an oriental divan when onewas within. a turbaned arab placed cigarettes
and cups of coffee spiced with saffron beforethe customers, gave salaam and withdrew. "you know, my dear chap," continued mr. carlyle,sipping his black coffee and wondering privately whether it was really very good or very bad,"speaking quite seriously, the one fishy detail—our ginger friend's watching for the other toleave—may be open to a dozen very innocent explanations." "so innocent that to-morrow i intend takinga safe myself." "you think that everything is all right?" "on the contrary, i am convinced that somethingis very wrong." "then why—?"
"i shall keep nothing there, but it will giveme the entrã©e. i should advise you, louis, in the first place to empty your safe withall possible speed, and in the second to leave your business card on the manager." mr. carlyle pushed his cup away, convincednow that the coffee was really very bad. "but, my dear max, the place—'the safe'—isimpregnable!" "when i was in the states, three years ago,the head porter at one hotel took pains to impress on me that the building was absolutelyfireproof. i at once had my things taken off to another hotel. two weeks later the firstplace was burnt out. it was fireproof, i believe, but of course the furniture and the fittingswere not and the walls gave way."
"very ingenious," admitted mr. carlyle, "butwhy did you really go? you know you can't humbug me with your superhuman sixth sense,my friend." carrados smiled pleasantly, thereby encouragingthe watchful attendant to draw near and replenish their tiny cups. "perhaps," replied the blind man, "becauseso many careless people were satisfied that it was fireproof." "ah-ha, there you are—the greater the confidencethe greater the risk. but only if your self-confidence results in carelessness. now do you know howthis place is secured, max?" "i am told that they lock the door at night,"replied carrados, with bland malice.
"and hide the key under the mat to be readyfor the first arrival in the morning," crowed mr. carlyle, in the same playful spirit. "dearold chap! well, let me tell you—" "that force is out of the question. quiteso," admitted his friend. "that simplifies the argument. let us considerfraud. there again the precautions are so rigid that many people pronounce the formsa nuisance. i confess that i do not. i regard them as a means of protecting my own propertyand i cheerfully sign my name and give my password, which the manager compares withhis record-book before he releases the first lock of my safe. the signature is burned beforemy eyes in a sort of crucible there, the password is of my own choosing and is written onlyin a book that no one but the manager ever
sees, and my key is the sole one in existence." "no duplicate or master-key?" "neither. if a key is lost it takes a skilfulmechanic half-a-day to cut his way in. then you must remember that clients of a safe-depositare not multitudinous. all are known more or less by sight to the officials there, anda stranger would receive close attention. now, max, by what combination of circumstancesis a rogue to know my password, to be able to forge my signature, to possess himselfof my key, and to resemble me personally? and, finally, how is he possibly to determinebeforehand whether there is anything in my safe to repay so elaborate a plant?" mr. carlyleconcluded in triumph and was so carried away
by the strength of his position that he drankoff the contents of his second cup before he realized what he was doing. "at the hotel i just spoke of," replied carrados,"there was an attendant whose one duty in case of alarm was to secure three iron doors.on the night of the fire he had a bad attack of toothache and slipped away for just a quarterof an hour to have the thing out. there was a most up-to-date system of automatic firealarm; it had been tested only the day before and the electrician, finding some part notabsolutely to his satisfaction, had taken it away and not had time to replace it. thenight watchman, it turned out, had received leave to present himself a couple of hourslater on that particular night, and the hotel
fireman, whose duties he took over, had missedbeing notified. lastly, there was a big riverside blaze at the same time and all the engineswere down at the other end of the city." mr. carlyle committed himself to a dubiousmonosyllable. carrados leaned forward a little. "all these circumstances formed a coincidenceof pure chance. is it not conceivable, louis, that an even more remarkable series mightbe brought about by design?" "our tawny friend?" "possibly. only he was not really tawny."mr. carlyle's easy attitude suddenly stiffened into rigid attention. "he wore a false moustache." "he wore a false moustache!" repeated theamazed gentleman. "and you cannot see! no,
really, max, this is beyond the limit!" "if only you would not trust your dear, blunderingold eyes so implicitly you would get nearer that limit yourself," retorted carrados. "theman carried a five-yard aura of spirit gum, emphasized by a warm, perspiring skin. thatinevitably suggested one thing. i looked for further evidence of making-up and found it—thesepreparations all smell. the hair you described was characteristically that of a wig—wornlong to hide the joining and made wavy to minimize the length. all these things aretrifles. as yet we have not gone beyond the initial stage of suspicion. i will tell youanother trifle. when this man retired to a compartment with his deed-box, he never evenopened it. possibly it contains a brick and
a newspaper. he is only watching." "watching the bookmaker." "true, but it may go far wider than that.everything points to a plot of careful elaboration. still, if you are satisfied—" "i am quite satisfied," replied mr. carlylegallantly. "i regard 'the safe' almost as a national institution, and as such i havean implicit faith in its precautions against every kind of force or fraud." so far mr.carlyle's attitude had been suggestive of a rock, but at this point he took out hiswatch, hummed a little to pass the time, consulted his watch again, and continued: "i am afraidthat there were one or two papers which i
overlooked. it would perhaps save me comingagain to-morrow if i went back now—" "quite so," acquiesced carrados, with perfectgravity. "i will wait for you." for twenty minutes he sat there, drinkingan occasional tiny cup of boiled coffee and to all appearance placidly enjoying the quaintatmosphere which mr. mehmed had contrived to transplant from the shores of the persiangulf. at the end of that period carlyle returned,politely effusive about the time he had kept his friend waiting but otherwise bland andunassailable. anyone with eyes might have noticed that he carried a parcel of aboutthe same size and dimensions as the deed-box that fitted his safe.
the next day carrados presented himself atthe safe-deposit as an intending renter. the manager showed him over the vaults and strong-rooms,explaining the various precautions taken to render the guile or force of man impotent:the strength of the chilled-steel walls, the casing of electricity-resisting concrete,the stupendous isolation of the whole inner fabric on metal pillars so that the watchman,while inside the building, could walk above, below, and all round the outer walls of whatwas really—although it bore no actual relationship to the advertising device of the front—amonstrous safe; and, finally, the arrangement which would enable the basement to be floodedwith steam within three minutes of an alarm. these details were public property. "the safe"was a showplace and its directors held that
no harm could come of displaying a stronghand. accompanied by the observant eyes of parkinson,carrados gave an adventurous but not a hopeful attention to these particulars. submittingthe problem of the tawny man to his own ingenuity, he was constantly putting before himself thequestion: how shall i set about robbing this place? and he had already dismissed forceas impracticable. nor, when it came to the consideration of fraud, did the simple buteffective safeguards which mr. carlyle had specified seem to offer any loophole. "as i am blind i may as well sign in the book,"he suggested, when the manager passed him a gummed slip for the purpose. the precautionagainst one acquiring particulars of another
client might well be deemed superfluous inhis case. but the manager did not fall into the trap. "it is our invariable rule in all cases, sir,"he replied courteously. "what word will you take?" parkinson, it may be said, had beenleft in the hall. "suppose i happen to forget it? how do weproceed?" "in that case i am afraid that i might haveto trouble you to establish your identity," the manager explained. "it rarely happens." "then we will say 'conspiracy.'" the word was written down and the book closed.
"here is your key, sir. if you will allowme—your key-ring—" a week went by and carrados was no nearerthe absolute solution of the problem he had set himself. he had, indeed, evolved severalways by which the contents of the safes might be reached, some simple and desperate, hangingon the razor-edge of chance to fall this way or that; others more elaborate, safer on thewhole, but more liable to break down at some point of their ingenious intricacy. and settingaside complicity on the part of the manager—a condition that carrados had satisfied himselfdid not exist—they all depended on a relaxation of the forms by which security was assured.carrados continued to have several occasions to visit the safe during the week, and he"watched" with a quiet persistence that was
deadly in its scope. but from beginning toend there was no indication of slackness in the business-like methods of the place; norduring any of his visits did the "tawny man" appear in that or any other disguise. anotherweek passed; mr. carlyle was becoming inexpressibly waggish, and carrados himself, although hedid not abate a jot of his conviction, was compelled to bend to the realities of thesituation. the manager, with the obstinacy of a conscientious man who had become obsessedwith the pervading note of security, excused himself from discussing abstract methods offraud. carrados was not in a position to formulate a detailed charge; he withdrew from activeinvestigation, content to await his time. it came, to be precise, on a certain fridaymorning, seventeen days after his first visit
to "the safe." returning late on the thursdaynight, he was informed that a man giving the name of draycott had called to see him. apparentlythe matter had been of some importance to the visitor for he had returned three hourslater on the chance of finding mr. carrados in. disappointed in this, he had left a note.carrados cut open the envelope and ran a finger along the following words:— "dear sir,—i have to-day consulted mr. louiscarlyle, who thinks that you would like to see me. i will call again in the morning,say at nine o'clock. if this is too soon or otherwise inconvenient i entreat you to leavea message fixing as early an hour as possible. "yours faithfully,
"herbert draycott. "p.s.—i should add that i am the renterof a safe at the lucas street depository. h.d." a description of mr. draycott made it clearthat he was not the west-end bookmaker. the caller, the servant explained, was a thin,wiry, keen-faced man. carrados felt agreeably interested in this development, which seemedto justify his suspicion of a plot. at five minutes to nine the next morning mr.draycott again presented himself. "very good of you to see me so soon, sir,"he apologized, on carrados at once receiving him. "i don't know much of english ways—i'man australian—and i was afraid it might
be too early." "you could have made it a couple of hoursearlier as far as i am concerned," replied carrados. "or you either for that matter,i imagine," he added, "for i don't think that you slept much last night." "i didn't sleep at all last night," correctedmr. draycott. "but it's strange that you should have seen that. i understood from mr. carlylethat you—excuse me if i am mistaken, sir—but i understood that you were blind." carrados laughed his admission lightly. "oh yes," he said. "but never mind that. whatis the trouble?"
"i'm afraid it means more than just troublefor me, mr. carrados." the man had steady, half-closed eyes, with the suggestion of depthwhich one notices in the eyes of those whose business it is to look out over great expansesof land or water; they were turned towards carrados's face with quiet resignation intheir frankness now. "i'm afraid it spells disaster. i am a working engineer from themount magdalena district of coolgardie. i don't want to take up your time with outsidedetails, so i will only say that about two years ago i had an opportunity of acquiringa share in a very promising claim—gold, you understand, both reef and alluvial. asthe work went on i put more and more into the undertaking—you couldn't call it a ventureby that time. the results were good, better
than we had dared to expect, but from onecause and another the expenses were terrible. we saw that it was a bigger thing than wehad bargained for and we admitted that we must get outside help." so far mr. draycott's narrative had proceededsmoothly enough under the influence of the quiet despair that had come over the man.but at this point a sudden recollection of his position swept him into a frenzy of bitterness. "oh, what the blazes is the good of goingover all this again!" he broke out. "what can you or anyone else do anyhow? i've beenrobbed, rooked, cleared out of everything i possess," and tormented by recollectionsand by the impotence of his rage the unfortunate
engineer beat the oak table with the backof his hand until his knuckles bled. carrados waited until the fury had passed. "continue, if you please, mr. draycott," hesaid. "just what you thought it best to tell me is just what i want to know." "i'm sorry, sir," apologized the man, colouringunder his tanned skin. "i ought to be able to control myself better. but this businesshas shaken me. three times last night i looked down the barrel of my revolver, and threetimes i threw it away…. well, we arranged that i should come to london to interest somefinanciers in the property. we might have done it locally or in perth, to be sure, butthen, don't you see, they would have wanted
to get control. six weeks ago i landed here.i brought with me specimens of the quartz and good samples of extracted gold, dust andnuggets, the clearing up of several weeks' working, about two hundred and forty ouncesin all. that includes the magdalena lodestar, our lucky nugget, a lump weighing just underseven pounds of pure gold. "i had seen an advertisement of this lucasstreet safe-deposit and it seemed just the thing i wanted. besides the gold, i had allthe papers to do with the claims—plans, reports, receipts, licences and so on. thenwhen i cashed my letter of credit i had about one hundred and fifty pounds in notes. ofcourse i could have left everything at a bank, but it was more convenient to have it, asit were, in my own safe, to get at any time,
and to have a private room that i could takeany gentlemen to. i hadn't a suspicion that anything could be wrong. negotiations hungon in several quarters—it's a bad time to do business here, i find. then, yesterday,i wanted something. i went to lucas street, as i had done half-a-dozen times before, openedmy safe, and had the inner case carried to a room…. mr. carrados, it was empty!" "quite empty?" "no." he laughed bitterly. "at the bottomwas a sheet of wrapper paper. i recognized it as a piece i had left there in case i wantedto make up a parcel. but for that i should have been convinced that i had somehow openedthe wrong safe. that was my first idea."
"it cannot be done." "so i understand, sir. and, then, there wasthe paper with my name written on it in the empty tin. i was dazed; it seemed impossible.i think i stood there without moving for minutes—it was more like hours. then i closed the tinbox again, took it back, locked up the safe and came out." "without notifying anything wrong?" "yes, mr. carrados." the steady blue eyesregarded him with pained thoughtfulness. "you see, i reckoned it out in that time that itmust be someone about the place who had done it."
"you were wrong," said carrados. "so mr. carlyle seemed to think. i only knewthat the key had never been out of my possession and i had told no one of the password. well,it did come over me rather like cold water down the neck, that there was i alone in thestrongest dungeon in london and not a living soul knew where i was." "possibly a sort of up-to-date sweeney todd's?" "i'd heard of such things in london," admitteddraycott. "anyway, i got out. it was a mistake; i see it now. who is to believe me as it is—itsounds a sort of unlikely tale. and how do they come to pick on me? to know what i had?i don't drink, or open my mouth, or hell round.
it beats me." "they didn't pick on you—you picked on them,"replied carrados. "never mind how; you'll be believed all right. but as for gettinganything back—" the unfinished sentence confirmed mr. draycott in his gloomiest anticipations. "i have the numbers of the notes," he suggested,with an attempt at hopefulness. "they can be stopped, i take it?" "stopped? yes," admitted carrados. "and whatdoes that amount to? the banks and the police stations will be notified and every littlepublic-house between here and land's end will change one for the scribbling of 'john jones'across the back. no, mr. draycott, it's awkward,
i dare say, but you must make up your mindto wait until you can get fresh supplies from home. where are you staying?" draycott hesitated. "i have been at the abbotsford, in bloomsbury,up to now," he said, with some embarrassment. "the fact is, mr. carrados, i think i oughtto have told you how i was placed before consulting you, because i—i see no prospect of beingable to pay my way. knowing that i had plenty in the safe, i had run it rather close. iwent chiefly yesterday to get some notes. i have a week's hotel bill in my pocket, and"—heglanced down at his trousers—"i've ordered one or two other things unfortunately."
"that will be a matter of time, doubtless,"suggested the other encouragingly. instead of replying draycott suddenly droppedhis arms on to the table and buried his face between them. a minute passed in silence. "it's no good, mr. carrados," he said, whenhe was able to speak. "i can't meet it. say what you like, i simply can't tell those chapsthat i've lost everything we had and ask them to send me more. they couldn't do it if idid. understand sir. the mine is a valuable one; we have the greatest faith in it, butit has gone beyond our depth. the three of us have put everything we own into it. whilei am here they are doing labourers' work for a wage, just to keep going … waiting, oh,my god! waiting for good news from me!"
carrados walked round the table to his deskand wrote. then, without a word, he held out a paper to his visitor. "what's this?" demanded draycott, in bewilderment."it's—it's a cheque for a hundred pounds." "it will carry you on," explained carradosimperturbably. "a man like you isn't going to throw up the sponge for this set-back.cable to your partners that you require copies of all the papers at once. they'll manageit, never fear. the gold … must go. write fully by the next mail. tell them everythingand add that in spite of all you feel that you are nearer success than ever." mr. draycott folded the cheque with thoughtfuldeliberation and put it carefully away in
his pocket-book. "i don't know whether you've guessed as much,sir," he said in a queer voice, "but i think that you've saved a man's life to-day. it'snot the money, it's the encouragement … and faith. if you could see you'd know betterthan i can say how i feel about it." carrados laughed quietly. it always amusedhim to have people explain how much more he would learn if he had eyes. "then we'll go on to lucas street and givethe manager the shock of his life," was all he said. "come, mr. draycott, i have alreadyrung up the car." but, as it happened, another instrument hadbeen destined to apply that stimulating experience
to the manager. as they stepped out of thecar opposite "the safe" a taxicab drew up and mr. carlyle's alert and cheery voice hailedthem. "a moment, max," he called, turning to settlewith his driver, a transaction that he invested with an air of dignified urbanity which almostmade up for any small pecuniary disappointment that may have accompanied it. "this is indeedfortunate. let us compare notes for a moment. i have just received an almost imploring messagefrom the manager to come at once. i assumed that it was the affair of our colonial friendhere, but he went on to mention professor holmfast bulge. can it really be possiblethat he also has made a similar discovery?" "what did the manager say?" asked carrados.
"he was practically incoherent, but i reallythink it must be so. what have you done?" "nothing," replied carrados. he turned hisback on "the safe" and appeared to be regarding the other side of the street. "there is atobacconist's shop directly opposite?" "there is." "what do they sell on the first floor?" "possibly they sell 'rubbo.' i hazard thesuggestion from the legend 'rub in rubbo for everything' which embellisheseach window." "the windows are frosted?" "they are, to half-way up, mysterious man."
carrados walked back to his motor-car. "while we are away, parkinson, go across andbuy a tin, bottle, box or packet of 'rubbo.'" "what is 'rubbo,' max?" chirped mr. carlylewith insatiable curiosity. "so far we do not know. when parkinson getssome, louis, you shall be the one to try it." they descended into the basement and werepassed in by the grille-keeper, whose manner betrayed a discreet consciousness of somethingin the air. it was unnecessary to speculate why. in the distance, muffled by the armouredpassages, an authoritative voice boomed like a sonorous bell heard under water. "what, however, are the facts?" it was demanding,with the causticity of baffled helplessness.
"i am assured that there is no other key inexistence; yet my safe has been unlocked. i am given to understand that without thepassword it would be impossible for an unauthorized person to tamper with my property. my password,deliberately chosen, is 'anthropophaginian,' sir. is it one that is familiarly on the lipsof the criminal classes? but my safe is empty! what is the explanation? who are the guiltypersons? what is being done? where are the police?" "if you consider that the proper course toadopt is to stand on the doorstep and beckon in the first constable who happens to pass,permit me to say, sir, that i differ from you," retorted the distracted manager. "youmay rely on everything possible being done
to clear up the mystery. as i told you, ihave already telephoned for a capable private detective and for one of my directors." "but that is not enough," insisted the professorangrily. "will one mere private detective restore my â£6000 japanese 4-1/2 per cent.bearer bonds? is the return of my irreplaceable notes on 'polyphyletic bridal customs amongthe mid-pleistocene cave men' to depend on a solitary director? i demand that the policeshall be called in—as many as are available. let scotland yard be set in motion. a searchinginquiry must be made. i have only been a user of your precious establishment for six months,and this is the result." "there you hold the key of the mystery, professorbulge," interposed
carrados quietly. "who is this, sir?" demanded the exasperatedprofessor at large. "permit me," explained mr. carlyle, with blandassurance. "i am louis carlyle, of bampton street. this gentleman is mr. max carrados,the eminent amateur specialist in crime." "i shall be thankful for any assistance towardselucidating this appalling business," condescended the professor sonorously. "let me put youin possession of the facts—" "perhaps if we went into your room," suggestedcarrados to the manager, "we should be less liable to interruption." "quite so; quite so," boomed the professor,accepting the proposal on everyone else's
behalf. "the facts, sir, are these: i am theunfortunate possessor of a safe here, in which, a few months ago, i deposited—among lessimportant matter—sixty bearer bonds of the japanese imperial loan—the bulk of my smallfortune—and the manuscript of an important projected work on 'polyphyletic bridal customsamong the mid-pleistocene cave men.' today i came to detach the coupons which fall dueon the fifteenth; to pay them into my bank a week in advance, in accordance with my custom.what do i find? i find the safe locked and apparently intact, as when i last saw it amonth ago. but it is far from being intact, sir! it has been opened, ransacked, clearedout! not a single bond, not a scrap of paper remains."
it was obvious that the manager's temperaturehad been rising during the latter part of this speech and now he boiled over. "pardon my flatly contradicting you, professorbulge. you have again referred to your visit here a month ago as your last. you will bearwitness of that, gentlemen. when i inform you that the professor had access to his safeas recently as on monday last you will recognize the importance that the statement may assume." the professor glared across the room likean infuriated animal, a comparison heightened by his notoriously hircine appearance. "how dare you contradict me, sir!" he cried,slapping the table sharply with his open hand.
"i was not here on monday." the manager shrugged his shoulders coldly. "you forget that the attendants also saw you,"he remarked. "cannot we trust our own eyes?" "a common assumption, yet not always a strictlyreliable one," insinuated carrados softly. "i cannot be mistaken." "then can you tell me, without looking, whatcolour professor bulge's eyes are?" there was a curious and expectant silencefor a minute. the professor turned his back on the manager and the manager passed fromthoughtfulness to embarrassment. "i really do not know, mr. carrados," he declaredloftily at last. "i do not refer to mere trifles
like that." "then you can be mistaken," replied carradosmildly yet with decision. "but the ample hair, the venerable flowingbeard, the prominent nose and heavy eyebrows—" "these are just the striking points that aremost easily counterfeited. they 'take the eye.' if you would ensure yourself againstdeception, learn rather to observe the eye itself, and particularly the spots on it,the shape of the finger-nails, the set of the ears. these things cannot be simulated." "you seriously suggest that the man was notprofessor bulge—that he was an impostor?" "the conclusion is inevitable. where wereyou on monday, professor?"
"i was on a short lecturing tour in the midlands.on saturday i was in nottingham. on monday in birmingham. i did not return to londonuntil yesterday." carrados turned to the manager again and indicateddraycott, who so far had remained in the background. "and this gentleman? did he by any chancecome here on monday?" "he did not, mr. carrados. but i gave himaccess to his safe on tuesday afternoon and again yesterday." draycott shook his head sadly. "yesterday i found it empty," he said. "andall tuesday afternoon i was at brighton, trying to see a gentleman on business."
the manager sat down very suddenly. "good god, another!" he exclaimed faintly. "i am afraid the list is only beginning,"said carrados. "we must go through your renters' book." the manager roused himself to protest. "that cannot be done. no one but myself ormy deputy ever sees the book. it would be—unprecedented." "the circumstances are unprecedented," repliedcarrados. "if any difficulties are placed in the wayof these gentlemen's investigations, i shall make it my duty to bring the facts beforethe home secretary," announced the professor,
speaking up to the ceiling with the voiceof a brazen trumpet. carrados raised a deprecating hand. "may i make a suggestion?" he remarked. "now,i am blind. if, therefore—?" "very well," acquiesced the manager. "buti must request the others to withdraw." for five minutes carrados followed the listof safe-renters as the manager read them to him. sometimes he stopped the catalogue toreflect a moment; now and then he brushed a finger-tip over a written signature andcompared it with another. occasionally a password interested him. but when the list came toan end he continued to look into space without any sign of enlightenment.
"so much is perfectly clear and yet so muchis incredible," he mused. "you insist that you alone have been in charge for the lastsix months?" "i have not been away a day this year." "meals?" "i have my lunch sent in." "and this room could not be entered withoutyour knowledge while you were about the place?" "it is impossible. the door is fitted witha powerful spring and a feather-touch self-acting lock. it cannot be left unlocked unless youdeliberately prop it open." "and, with your knowledge, no one has hadan opportunity of having access to this book?"
"no," was the reply. carrados stood up and began to put on hisgloves. "then i must decline to pursue my investigationany further," he said icily. "why?" stammered the manager. "because i have positive reason for believingthat you are deceiving me." "pray sit down, mr. carrados. it is quitetrue that when you put the last question to me a circumstance rushed into my mind which—sofar as the strict letter was concerned—might seem to demand 'yes' instead of 'no.' butnot in the spirit of your inquiry. it would be absurd to attach any importance to theincident i refer to."
"that would be for me to judge." "you shall do so, mr. carrados. i live atwindermere mansions with my sister. a few months ago she got to know a married couplewho had recently come to the opposite flat. the husband was a middle-aged, scholarly manwho spent most of his time in the british museum. his wife's tastes were different;she was much younger, brighter, gayer; a mere girl in fact, one of the most charming andunaffected i have ever met. my sister amelia does not readily—" "stop!" exclaimed carrados. "a studious middle-agedman and a charming young wife! be as brief as possible. if there is any chance it mayturn on a matter of minutes at the ports.
she came here, of course?" "accompanied by her husband," replied themanager stiffly. "mrs. scott had travelled and she had a hobby of taking photographswherever she went. when my position accidentally came out one evening she was carried awayby the novel idea of adding views of a safe deposit to her collection—as enthusiasticas a child. there was no reason why she should not; the place has often been taken for advertisingpurposes." "she came, and brought her camera—underyour very nose!" "i do not know what you mean by 'under myvery nose.' she came with her husband one evening just about closing time. she broughther camera, of course—quite a small affair."
"and contrived to be in here alone?" "i take exception to the word 'contrived.'it—it happened. i sent out for some tea, and in the course—" "how long was she alone in here?" "two or three minutes at the most. when ireturned she was seated at my desk. that was what i referred to. the little rogue had puton my glasses and had got hold of a big book. we were great chums, and she delighted tomock me. i confess that i was startled—merely instinctively—to see that she had takenup this book, but the next moment i saw that she had it upside down."
"clever! she couldn't get it away in time.and the camera, with half-a-dozen of its specially sensitized films already snapped over thelast few pages, by her side!" "that child!" "yes. she is twenty-seven and has kicked hatsoff tall men's heads in every capital from petersburg to buenos ayres! get through toscotland yard and ask if inspector beedel can come up." the manager breathed heavily through his nose. "to call in the police and publish everythingwould ruin this establishment—confidence would be gone. i cannot do it without furtherauthority."
"then the professor certainly will." "before you came i rang up the only directorwho is at present in town and gave him the facts as they then stood. possibly he hasarrived by this. if you will accompany me to the boardroom we will see." they went up to the floor above, mr. carlylejoining them on the way. "excuse me a moment," said the manager. parkinson, who had been having an improvingconversation with the hall porter on the subject of land values, approached. "i am sorry, sir," he reported, "but i wasunable to procure any
'rubbo.' the place appears to be shut up." "that is a pity; mr. carlyle had set his hearton it." "will you come this way, please?" said themanager, reappearing. in the boardroom they found a white-hairedold gentleman who had obeyed the manager's behest from a sense of duty, and then remainedin a distant corner of the empty room in the hope that he might be over-looked. he wasamiably helpless and appeared to be deeply aware of it. "this is a very sad business, gentlemen,"he said, in a whispering, confiding voice. "i am informed that you recommend callingin the scotland yard authorities. that would
be a disastrous course for an institutionthat depends on the implicit confidence of the public." "it is the only course," replied carrados. "the name of mr. carrados is well known tous in connection with a delicate case. could you not carry this one through?" "it is impossible. a wide inquiry must bemade. every port will have to be watched. the police alone can do that." he threw alittle significance into the next sentence. "i alone can put the police in the right wayof doing it." "and you will do that, mr. carrados?"
carrados smiled engagingly. he knew exactlywhat constituted the great attraction of his services. "my position is this," he explained. "so farmy work has been entirely amateur. in that capacity i have averted one or two crimes,remedied an occasional injustice, and now and then been of service to my professionalfriend, louis carlyle. but there is no reason at all why i should serve a commercial firmin an ordinary affair of business for nothing. for any information i should require a fee,a quite nominal fee of, say, one hundred pounds." the director looked as though his faith inhuman nature had received a rude blow. "a hundred pounds would be a very large initialfee for a small firm like this, mr. carrados,"
he remarked in a pained voice. "and that, of course, would be independentof mr. carlyle's professional charges," added carrados. "is that sum contingent on any specific performance?"inquired the manager. "i do not mind making it conditional on myprocuring for you, for the police to act on, a photograph and a description of the thief." the two officials conferred apart for a moment.then the manager returned. "we will agree, mr. carrados, on the understandingthat these things are to be in our hands within two days. failing that—"
"no, no!" cried mr. carlyle indignantly, butcarrados good-humouredly put him aside. "i will accept the condition in the same sportingspirit that inspires it. within forty-eight hours or no pay. the cheque, of course, tobe given immediately the goods are delivered?" "you may rely on that." carrados took out his pocket-book, producedan envelope bearing an american stamp, and from it extracted an unmounted print. "here is the photograph," he announced. "theman is called ulysses k. groom, but he is better known as 'harry the actor.' you willfind the description written on the back." five minutes later, when they were alone,mr. carlyle expressed his opinion of the transaction.
"you are an unmitigated humbug, max," he said,"though an amiable one, i admit. but purely for your own private amusement you springthese things on people." "on the contrary," replied carrados, "peoplespring these things on me." "now this photograph. why have i heard nothingof it before?" carrados took out his watch and touched thefingers. "it is now three minutes to eleven. i receivedthe photograph at twenty past eight." "even then, an hour ago you assured me thatyou had done nothing." "nor had i—so far as result went. untilthe keystone of the edifice was wrung from the manager in his room, i was as far awayfrom demonstrable certainty as ever."
"so am i—as yet," hinted mr. carlyle. "i am coming to that, louis. i turn over thewhole thing to you. the man has got two clear days' start and the chances are nine to oneagainst catching him. we know everything, and the case has no further interest for me.but it is your business. here is your material. "on that one occasion when the 'tawny' mancrossed our path, i took from the first a rather more serious view of his scope andintention than you did. the same day i sent a cipher cable to pierson of the new yorkservice. i asked for news of any man of such and such a description—merely negative—whowas known to have left the states; an educated man, expert in the use of disguises, audaciousin his operations, and a specialist in 'dry'
work among banks and strong-rooms." "why the states, max?" "that was a sighting shot on my part. i arguedthat he must be an english-speaking man. the smart and inventive turn of the modern yankhas made him a specialist in ingenious devices, straight or crooked. unpickable locks andinvincible lock-pickers, burglar-proof safes and safe-specializing burglars, come equallyfrom the states. so i tried a very simple test. as we talked that day and the man walkedpast us, i dropped the words 'new york'—or, rather, 'noo y'rk'—in his hearing." "i know you did. he neither turned nor stopped."
"he was that much on his guard; but into hisstep there came—though your poor old eyes could not see it, louis—the 'psychologicalpause,' an absolute arrest of perhaps a fifth of a second; just as it would have done withyou if the word 'london' had fallen on your ear in a distant land. however, the whys andthe wherefores don't matter. here is the essential story. "eighteen months ago 'harry the actor' successfullylooted the office safe of m'kenkie, j.f. higgs & co., of cleveland, ohio. he had just marrieda smart but very facile third-rate vaudeville actress—english by origin—and wanted moneyfor the honeymoon. he got about five hundred pounds, and with that they came to europeand stayed in london for some months. that
period is marked by the congreave square postoffice burglary, you may remember. while studying such of the british institutions as most appealedto him, the 'actor's' attention became fixed on this safe-deposit. possibly the impliedchallenge contained in its telegraphic address grew on him until it became a point of professionalhonour with him to despoil it; at all events he was presumedly attracted by an undertakingthat promised not only glory but very solid profit. the first part of the plot was, tothe most skilful criminal 'impersonator' in the states, mere skittles. spreading overthose months he appeared at 'the safe' in twelve different characters and rented twelvesafes of different sizes. at the same time he made a thorough study of the methods ofthe place. as soon as possible he got the
keys back again into legitimate use, havingmade duplicates for his own private ends, of course. five he seems to have returnedduring his first stay; one was received later, with profuse apologies, by registered post;one was returned through a leading berlin bank. six months ago he made a flying visithere, purely to work off two more. one he kept from first to last, and the remainingcouple he got in at the beginning of his second long residence here, three or four monthsago. "this brings us to the serious part of thecool enterprise. he had funds from the atlantic and south-central mail-car coup when he arrivedhere last april. he appears to have set up three establishments; a home, in the guiseof an elderly scholar with a young wife, which,
of course, was next door to our friend themanager; an observation point, over which he plastered the inscription 'rub in rubbofor everything' as a reason for being; and, somewhere else, a dressing-room with essentialconditions of two doors into different streets. "about six weeks ago he entered the last stage.mrs. harry, with quite ridiculous ease, got photographs of the necessary page or two ofthe record-book. i don't doubt that for weeks before then everyone who entered the placehad been observed, but the photographs linked them up with the actual men into whose handsthe 'actor's' old keys had passed—gave their names and addresses, the numbers of theirsafes, their passwords and signatures. the rest was easy."
"yes, by jupiter; mere play for a man likethat," agreed mr. carlyle, with professional admiration. "he could contrive a dozen differentoccasions for studying the voice and manner and appearance of his victims. how much hashe cleared?" "we can only speculate as yet. i have putmy hand on seven doubtful callers on monday and tuesday last. two others he had ignoredfor some reason; the remaining two safes had not been allotted. there is one point thatraises an interesting speculation." "what is that, max?" "the 'actor' has one associate, a man knownas 'billy the fondant,' but beyond that—with the exception of his wife, of course—hedoes not usually trust anyone. it is plain,
however, that at least seven men must latterlyhave been kept under close observation. it has occurred to me—" "yes, max?" "i have wondered whether harry has enlistedthe innocent services of one or other of our private inquiry offices." "scarcely," smiled the professional. "it wouldhardly pass muster." "oh, i don't know. mrs. harry, in the characterof a jealous wife or a suspicious sweetheart, might reasonably—" mr. carlyle's smile suddenly faded.
"by jupiter!" he exclaimed. "i remember—" "yes, louis?" prompted carrados, with laughterin his voice. "i remember that i must telephone to a clientbefore beedel comes," concluded mr. carlyle, rising in some haste. at the door he almost ran into the subdueddirector, who was wringing his hands in helpless protest at a new stroke of calamity. "mr. carrados," wailed the poor old gentlemanin a tremulous bleat, "mr. carrados, there is another now—sir benjamin gump. he insistson seeing me. you will not—you will not desert us?"
"i should have to stay a week," replied carradosbriskly, "and i'm just off now. there will be a procession. mr. carlyle will supportyou, i am sure." he nodded "good-morning" straight into theeyes of each and found his way out with the astonishing certainty of movement that madeso many forget his infirmity. possibly he was not desirous of encountering draycott'sembarrassed gratitude again, for in less than a minute they heard the swirl of his departingcar. "never mind, my dear sir," mr. carlyle assuredhis client, with impenetrable complacency. "never mind. i will remain instead. perhapsi had better make myself known to sir benjamin at once."
the director turned on him the pleading, trustfullook of a cornered dormouse. "he is in the basement," he whispered. "ishall be in the boardroom—if necessary." mr. carlyle had no difficulty in discoveringthe centre of interest in the basement. sir benjamin was expansive and reserved, bewilderedand decisive, long-winded and short-tempered, each in turn and more or less all at once.he had already demanded the attention of the manager, professor bulge, draycott and twounderlings to his case and they were now involved in a babel of inutile reiteration. the inquiryagent was at once drawn into a circle of interrogation that he did his best to satisfy impressivelywhile himself learning the new facts. the latest development was sufficiently astonishing.less than an hour before sir benjamin had
received a parcel by district messenger. itcontained a jewel-case which ought at that moment to have been securely reposing in oneof the deposit safes. hastily snatching it open, the recipient's incredible forebodingswere realized. it was empty—empty of jewels, that is to say, for, as if to add a stingto the blow, a neatly inscribed card had been placed inside, and on it the agitated baronetread the appropriate but at the moment rather gratuitous maxim: "lay not up for yourselvestreasures upon earth—" the card was passed round and all eyes demandedthe expert's pronouncement. "'—where moth and rust doth corrupt andwhere thieves break through and steal.' h'm," read mr. carlyle with weight. "this is a mostimportant clue, sir benjamin—"
"hey, what? what's that?" exclaimed a voicefrom the other side of the hall. "why, damme if i don't believe you've got another! lookat that, gentlemen; look at that. what's on, i say? here now, come; give me my safe. iwant to know where i am." it was the bookmaker who strode tempestuouslyin among them, flourishing before their faces a replica of the card that was in mr. carlyle'shand. "well, upon my soul this is most extraordinary,"exclaimed that gentleman, comparing the two. "you have just received this, mr.—mr. berge,isn't it?" "that's right, berge—'iceberg' on the course.thank the lord harry, i can take my losses coolly enough, but this—this is a facer.put into my hand half-an-hour ago inside an
envelope that ought to be here and as safeas in the bank of england. what's the game, i say? here, johnny, hurry and let me intomy safe." discipline and method had for the moment goneby the board. there was no suggestion of the boasted safeguards of the establishment. themanager added his voice to that of the client, and when the attendant did not at once appearhe called again. "john, come and give mr. berge access to hissafe at once." "all right, sir," pleaded the harassed key-attendant,hurrying up with the burden of his own distraction. "there's a silly fathead got in what thinksthis is a left-luggage office, so far as i can make out—a foreigner."
"never mind that now," replied the managerseverely, "mr. berge's safe: no. 01724." the attendant and mr. berge went off togetherdown one of the brilliant colonnaded vistas. one or two of the others who had caught thewords glanced across and became aware of a strange figure that was drifting indecisivelytowards them. he was obviously an elderly german tourist of pronounced type—long-haired,spectacled, outrageously garbed and involved in the mental abstraction of his philosophicalrace. one hand was occupied with the manipulation of a pipe, as markedly teutonic as its owner;the other grasped a carpet-bag that would have ensured an opening laugh to any low comedian. quite impervious to the preoccupation of thegroup, the german made his way up to them
and picked out the manager. "this was a safety deposit, nicht wahr?" "quite so," acquiesced the manager loftily,"but just now—" "your fellow was dense of comprehension."the eyes behind the clumsy glasses wrinkled to a ponderous humour. "he forgot his ownbusiness. now this goot bag—" brought into fuller prominence, the carpet-bagrevealed further details of its overburdened proportions. at one end a flannel shirt cuffprotruded in limp dejection; at the other an ancient collar, with the grotesque attachmentknown as a "dickey," asserted its presence. no wonder the manager frowned his annoyance."the safe" was in low enough repute among
its patrons at that moment without any burlesqueinterlude to its tragic hour. "yes, yes," he whispered, attempting to leadthe would-be depositor away, "but you are under a mistake. this is not—" "it was a safety deposit? goot. mine bag—iwould deposit him in safety till the time of mine train. ja?" "nein, nein!" almost hissed the agonized official."go away, sir, go away! it isn't a cloakroom. john, let this gentleman out." the attendant and mr. berge were returningfrom their quest. the inner box had been opened and there was no need to ask the result. thebookmaker was shaking his head like a baffled
bull. "gone, no effects," he shouted across thehall. "lifted from 'the safe,' by crumb!" to those who knew nothing of the method andoperation of the fraud it seemed as if the financial security of the capital was tottering.an amazed silence fell, and in it they heard the great grille door of the basement clangon the inopportune foreigner's departure. but, as if it was impossible to stand stillon that morning of dire happenings, he was immediately succeeded by a dapper, keen-facedman in severe clerical attire who had been let in as the intruder passed out.
"canon petersham!" exclaimed the professor,going forward to greet him. "my dear professor bulge!" reciprocated thecanon. "you here! a most disquieting thing has happened to me. i must have my safe atonce." he divided his attention between the manager and the professor as he monopolizedthem both. "a most disquieting and—and outrageous circumstance. my safe, please—yes, yes,rev. henry noakes petersham. i have just received by hand a box, a small box of no value butone that i thought, yes, i am convinced that it was the one, a box that was used to containcertain valuables of family interest which should at this moment be in my safe here.no. 7436? very likely, very likely. yes, here is my key. but not content with the disconcertingeffect of that, professor, the box contained—and
i protest that it's a most unseemly thingto quote any text from the bible in this way to a clergyman of my position—well, hereit is. 'lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth—' why, i have a dozen sermonsof my own in my desk now on that very verse. i'm particularly partial to the very needfullesson that it teaches. and to apply it to me! it's monstrous!" "no. 7436, john," ordered the manager, withweary resignation. the attendant again led the way towards anotherarmour-plated aisle. smartly turning a corner, he stumbled over something, bit a profaneexclamation in two, and looked back. "it's that bloomin' foreigner's old bag again,"he explained across the place in aggrieved
apology. "he left it here after all." "take it upstairs and throw it out when you'vefinished," said the manager shortly. "here, wait a minute," pondered john, in absent-mindedfamiliarity. "wait a minute. this is a funny go. there's a label on that wasn't here before.'why not look inside?'" "'why not look inside?'" repeated someone. "that's what it says." there was another puzzled silence. all werearrested by some intangible suggestion of a deeper mystery than they had yet touched.one by one they began to cross the hall with the conscious air of men who were not curiousbut thought that they might as well see.
"why, curse my crumpet," suddenly explodedmr. berge, "if that ain't the same writing as these texts!" "by gad, but i believe you are right," assentedmr. carlyle. "well, why not look inside?" the attendant, from his stooping posture,took the verdict of the ring of faces and in a trice tugged open the two buckles. thecentral fastening was not locked, and yielded to a touch. the flannel shirt, the weird collarand a few other garments in the nature of a "top-dressing" were flung out and john'shand plunged deeper…. harry the actor had lived up to his dramaticinstinct. nothing was wrapped up; nay, the rich booty had been deliberately opened outand displayed, as it were, so that the overturning
of the bag, when john the keybearer in anaccess of riotous extravagance lifted it up and strewed its contents broadcast on thefloor, was like the looting of a smuggler's den, or the realization of a speculator'sdream, or the bursting of an aladdin's cave, or something incredibly lavish and bizarre.bank-notes fluttered down and lay about in all directions, relays of sovereigns rolledaway like so much dross, bonds and scrip for thousands and tens of thousands clogged thedownpouring stream of jewellery and unset gems. a yellow stone the size of a four-poundweight and twice as heavy dropped plump upon the canon's toes and sent him hopping andgrimacing to the wall. a ruby-hilted kris cut across the manager's wrist as he stroveto arrest the splendid rout. still the miraculous
cornucopia deluged the ground, with its pattering,ringing, bumping, crinkling, rolling, fluttering produce until, like the final tableau of somespectacular ballet, it ended with a golden rain that masked the details of the heap beneatha glittering veil of yellow sand. "my dust!" gasped draycott. "my fivers, by golly!" ejaculated the bookmaker,initiating a plunge among the spoil. "my japanese bonds, coupons and all, and—yes,even the manuscript of my work on 'polyphyletic bridal customs among the mid-pleistocene cavemen.' hah!" something approaching a cachinnation of delight closed the professor's contributionto the pandemonium, and eyewitnesses afterwards declared that for a moment the dignified scientiststood on one foot in the opening movement
of a can-can. "my wife's diamonds, thank heaven!" criedsir benjamin, with the air of a schoolboy who was very well out of a swishing. "but what does it mean?" demanded the bewilderedcanon. "here are my family heirlooms—a few decent pearls, my grandfather's collectionof camei and other trifles—but who—?" "perhaps this offers some explanation," suggestedmr. carlyle, unpinning an envelope that had been secured to the lining of the bag. "itis addressed 'to seven rich sinners.' shall i read it for you?" for some reason the response was not unanimous,but it was sufficient.
mr. carlyle cut open the envelope. "my dear friends,—aren't you glad? aren'tyou happy at this moment? ah yes; but not with the true joy of regeneration that alonecan bring lightness to the afflicted soul. pause while there is yet time. cast off theburden of your sinful lusts, for what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the wholeworld and lose his own soul? (mark, chap. viii, v. 36.) "oh, my friends, you have had an all-firednarrow squeak. up till the friday in last week i held your wealth in the hollow of myungodly hand and rejoiced in my nefarious cunning, but on that day as i with my guiltyfemale accomplice stood listening with worldly
amusement to the testimony of a convertedbrother at a meeting of the salvation army on clapham common, the gospel light suddenlyshone into our rebellious souls and then and there we found salvation. hallelujah! "what we have done to complete the unrighteousscheme upon which we had laboured for months has only been for your own good, dear friendsthat you are, though as yet divided from us by your carnal lusts. let this be a lessonto you. sell all you have and give it to the poor—through the organization of the salvationarmy by preference—and thereby lay up for yourselves treasures where neither moth norrust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal. (matthew, chap. vi,v. 20.)
"yours in good works, private henry, the salvationist. "p.s. (in haste).—i may as well inform youthat no crib is really uncrackable, though the cyrus j. coy co.'s safe deposit on west24th street, n.y., comes nearest the kernel. and even that i could work to the bare rockif i took hold of the job with both hands—that is to say i could have done in my sinful days.as for you, i should recommend you to change your t.a. to 'peanut.'"u.k.g." "there sounds a streak of the old adam inthat postscript, mr. carlyle," whispered inspector beedel, who had just arrived in time to hearthe letter read.
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