The times., 1898-04-17
THE ROBBERY.

Stevens shivered. 'Consider-consider
my position and character"
'Oh, you respectable cur" said Wallis,
you want the cash for yourself and the
risk for me- Well you won't have either" I"
rs it off, them" Stevens expression
for an instant was one of relief; then the
recollection of his liabilities fell on him
and he groaned, "Is 1t OFF,
No, it is not. He will stop for five
minutes"
"How-?"
He has a wife and she is H. 1t is a
pretty job, more suited to you than to
me"
MY character" began Stevens.
Man." said Wallis, sternly. Il know
you. Keep your character for the direc-
tors of the Southeastern Bank. I have
none and cannot afford the luxury of
| heartlessness. Understand that you are
my tool, my paid tool, whose business is
to obey orders. Without you l could not
raise the money which viii be required.
That is the end OF your usefulness. For
that service you will receive e., 900; the
rest will be mine.
The respected cashier of the Southeast
ern Bank jumped up. walked to the door,
returned, and sat down. Wallis laughed.
Williams, the Northwestern carman,
viii be driving van load of gold cases
from the bank to Euston one afternoon
this week. He will let me know the day
and hour by telegram, when he knows
them himself. He expects to get away
from the bank about half-past three, and,
as the Liverpool trains leaves Euston at
4:10, he cannot give us more than five
minutes. He will drive along Gray's Inn
Road, turn down Wells Street, and stop
here"
''Herel" screamed Stevens, "at my
lodgings!"
tire from the affair."
Wallis. let me ifnplore you"
Don't be fool. Do not hundreds of
railway vans stop at private houses
every day? and what is there especially
noticeable about a van carrying gold?
The fact is not placarded on it. An or
dinary railway van stops here, certain
things happen, and five minutes later it
is driven away. If fifty people saw it,
they would see nothing unusual. The
boldest course is always the safest be-
cause the least suspected,
Il do not trust you. You want the
danger to fall on me-
Wallis shrugged his shoulders. 81 do
not want the danger to fall on anybody.
You need not go on unless you like"
81 wish to God"
Better leave God out. 1t seems un-
suitable. Your moral scruples are only
phrases.
IF the robbery is discovered at Euston
we are caught at once
THE robbery will be discovered in New
York" as
You cannot make sure"
absolutely sure. | WAS not a clerk in
the bullion office of the Bank of England
without learning a few useful things. 1
was smart clerk.
VT rod coli tow FsflG
coarsely.
Precisely was sacked for borrowing
few pounds from a money lender; for
exactly the same thing which you are
going to do on a larger scale this after
noon"
''I wish that could be avoided. I should
lose my place if it were found out
''Will your place be more secure when
you are a bankrupt. as you WILDE in a
you are bankrupt, as you will be in a
few weeks il We don't get this gold?"
81 am hemmed in on all Sides groan-
ed Stevens; "oh, why"
you will want G100. have promised
Williams ESQ, and | have also promised
that no suspicion shall ever approach
him. l have not your unblemished char
acter, but l am man of my word
you did! Why, / thought"
Yes: you thought that all risk was to
the kind of thought which would come
naturally to you"
How will you prevent it?'
THAT is my business. You will kindly
now go to Graham, the money-lender in
Essex Street. He will let a respectable
bank cashier like you have e100 without
any trouble, and he won't charge you
more than so per cent. When you have
the money, / may perhaps give you few
more details You may not trust me.
but you canot rise to the supreme dis
trust which l have for you. Now, 60"
It was twenty minutes to on Friday
afternoon. Stevens stood at the window
of his own sitting-room looking into
Wells Street. He was instructed to give
instant warning of the approaching rail-
way van. AS a watchman he was in
different, lacking concentration. Wallis
moved about his preparations, quiet, de-
termined; man who knew that haste
eats up valuable seconds. On the floor
stood a small open case filed with large
fat leaden bars. The protecting bands
of hoop-iron had been bent back and the
cover taken off. The writer in the
Economist has already described both
case and contents in ample detail. Wallis
was the designer and constructor. Near
the case was large spring balance. On
the table conveniently arranged were
plaster of Paris, water, a large bowl,
putty, inseed oil, sealing wax. a hammer
and nails, a chisel, knife, and a watch.
A small gas cooking stove supplied by
long flexible tube had been placed on the
table; it was burning Wallis looked
round, thinking hard. "All is ready" he
said:
A strange cry came from the window
Instantly Wallis picked up a great
coarse black sack and looked round
again. Stand by the balance" he said
sharply.
There was a rattle of wheels outside,
and Wallis was gone. The seconds tick
ed away. ten, twenty, thirty, and he came
heavily back. In a moment a second
case stood by the first closed. nailed
down, and on the edge Of the cover the
Bank of England's broad red seal, Ste
vens staggered back shivering, the awful
reality of what had been done striking
him like a blow. Wallis stopped and
with a powerful effort swung the stolen
case to the tray of the balance. Read
the weight" he cried, land make no
mistake" He dragged his own cleverly
designed case near and temporarily ad-
justed the cover.
"A hundred and ninety-nne and a quar-
ter" murmured Stevens
"Of 1t comes. Now read again" He
heaved up the load of lead.
"A hundred and thirty and a half"
Wallis snatched at the chisel and cut
long curls from the uppermost bar.
Now"
"A hundred and twenty-nine" Wal
lis threw back into the case small
piece of lead, then another. MAKE 1t
about an ounce less than the gold" he
said; 1--WE must allow for the nails and
the wax"
moment later came the quick beat
of the hammer as Wallis drove the long
nails thrnuph the cnuer aud fnrtnnnd