The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1906-01-11


Il have probably forgotten what you
sad yourself. didn't think you meant
it at the time, but | thought I'd put
you to the test Now | see You didn't,
and l don't blame YOU. only am to
blame. Get out of it, my dear boy, as
quick as you can. Leave it to me.
You won't give me away, whatever
else you do"
Oh. his c!everness, his fiendish
clevcrness! Had he fallen back on
threats, coercion, sneers, all might have
been different even yet But he set
me free to leave him in the lurch. He
would not blame me. He did not even
bind me to secrecy. He trusted me-:
He knew my weakness and my
strength and was playing on both with
his masters touch.
mot so FAST said 1. did l put
this into your head, or We're you going
to do 1t in any case?"
Not in any case" said Ratfles. Its
true I've had the key for days, but
when l won tonight thought of
chucking it, for, as matter Of fact,
it's not one man job"
''That settles it. I'm your man."
''You mean it?"
"Yes-for tonight
"Good old Bunny" he murmured,
holding the lantern for one moment to
my face. The next he was explaining
his plans and was nodding, as though
we had been fellow craftsmen all our
days.
II know the shop" he whispered,
because I've got a few things there.
know this upper part too. It's been
to let for a month, and got an order
to view and took cast of the key be-
fore using it. The one thing don't
know is how to make connection be-
tween the two. At present there's
none. We may make it up here, though
rather fancy the basement myself.
If you wait a minute I'll tell YOU"
He set his lantern on the floor, crept
to a back window and opened it with
scarcely sound, only to return. shak-
ing his head, after shutting the win
dow with the same care.
THAT was our one chance" said he,
"a back window above a back win
dow, but it's too dark to see anything,
| and we daren't show an outside light.
Come down after me to the basement
and remember, though there's not
| soul on the premises, you can't make
| too little noise. -there-listen to
| that"
F.! 1t was the measured tread that VIC
had heard before on the fagstones out
| side. Raffles darkened his lantern, and
again we stood motionless till it had
| passed.
Either a policeman" he muttered,
''or Waterman that all these jewelers.
run between them. The watchman's
the man for us to watch. He's simply
paid to spot this kind of thing"
| We crept very gingerly down the
stairs, which creaked bit In spite of
us, and we picked up our shoes in the
| passage; then down some narrow stone
steps. at the foot Of which Rat11es
showed his light andsput on his shoes
once more, bidding me do the same IN,
a rather louder tone than he had per-
mitted himself to employ overhead.
We We're now considerably below the
level of the street in a small space
with as many doors as it had sides.
Three We're ajar, and we saw through
them into empty cellars, but in the
fourth a key was turned and bolt
drawn, and this one presently let us
out into the bottom of a deep, square
well of fog. A similar door faced 1t
across this area, and Rallies had the
lantern close against it and was hid
ing the light With his body when a
short and sudden crash made my
heart stand still. Next moment saw
the door wide open and Raffies stand
ing within and reckoning me with a
jimmy.
Door No. L." he whispered. deuce
knows how many more there'll be, but
, know of two at least We won't
have to make much noise over them
either. Down here there's less risk"
We We're now at the bottom of the
exact fellow to the narrow stone stair
which we had just descended, the yard,
or we'll, being the one part common to
both the private and the business
premises. But this flight led to no
open passage. Instead singularly
the top.
81 thought So" muttered Rafaes,
r handing me the lantern and pocketing
a bunch of skeleton keys after tam
pering for few minutes with the lock.
"It'll be an hours work to get through
that"
Cant you pick it?"
mo. l know these locks. It's nc
) use trying: We must cut it out, and
it'll take us an hour"
1t took us forty-seven minutes by
my watch, or, rather, it took Raffies
/, and never in my life have seen any
thing more deliberately DONE My part
r was simply to stand by with the dark
= lantern in one hand and small bot.
tie of rock oil in the other. Raffley
t had produced pretty embroidered
case. intended obviously for his razors,
but filled instead with the tools of his
secret trade, including the rock oil.
| m IT..