Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-05-22

expecting to hear the approach of his
friend who was lying bound and
gagged in the tomb, the door formed
a screen between them and him.
They could hear him breathing.
Then he grunted, "H'mph I must be
late" and shuffled away to resume
his duty. lock clicked open. He en-
tered the room where they had been
going, and again they heard the key
being turned.
After wait of several minutes they
started out in the watchman's wake.
He was approaching the gallery's end
by the time they reached the Salon
Care and peered down that long and
barnlike, faintly-lighted hall. At his
present gait it would take him 20 min
utes, at least, to make the tour of the
Van Dyke room, to inspect the hall
of the Rubens paintings, and then,
pursuing his leisurely pace, to return
and leave by the door he had entered.
Those 20 minutes would tell the story,
success or failure, riches and love-or
spirit years in prison.
Vaszi sat down and removed his
shoes. As soon as the Waterman had
disappeared, he entered the Grande
Galerie Meanwhile Germaine, In a
room which adjoins the Salon Care,
unlocked the door of the storage closet
for keeping the copyists' easels and
paints. She found the light, then
cleared space where Vaszi could work.
She unwrapped his tools. All was in
readiness when he returned with the
heavy frame from which Lucrece
looked out with the same inscrutable
eyes that had haunted IS generations.
Germaine stood guard while Vaszi
sweated to substitute the modern Du-
gat in place of the genuine Leonardo.
He had not quite finished framing the
copy before she heard the Waterman
return. Dimly she glimpsed him pass
ing a light which marked the great
gallery's farther extreme. But still she
remained in the shadows, waiting, her
heartbeat quickened by hope and de-
spair as she saw him drawing nearer
and nearer that blank space left on
the southern wall.
He did not see 1t; he kept on COM
ing; he was approaching the same as
beforel Germaine went on tiptoe to
the closet and signaled Vaszi to turn
out the light. She entered it then.
The door was closed. Tensely they
listened there in darkness while the
Waterman paused to glance in that
room before he traverSed the Salon
Care.
Five minutes later Dugat's Lucrece
was adjoining her regular place on the
. wall and Germaine, having wrapped
the Leonardo, was busy restoring the
closet to order. She could hear the
scratch of the cutting tool as Vaszi
prepared to rob the case where Ma
poleon's chaplet crown was shown.
| Then another sound, disturbingly
loud-the crash and tinkle of breaking
glass. She shut the closet door and
locked 1t, and within a few moments
Vaszi joined her. He had left half
filled sack on the floor, left it as
though, hearing someone approach, the
burglar had fled in sudden panic.
Near the eastern end Of the Grande
Galerie are a hall and a flight OF
steps going down. The latter, con-
cealed from view by door, is used
by workmen engaged in the Louvre.
It leads to a room called the Sale
d'Afrique, not far from a sort of post
ern entrance by which all employees
leave the palace.
A guard sat on duty beside this door.
He was all that remained between
them and freedom. From the darkness
they saw him reading a paper, num-
bling now and then at the words which
affronted his eyes.
Vaszi whispered, Hurry! Name of
dog. let us quit this place."
In that moment Germaine moaned
Now the guard had raised his head.
She moaned once more and pretended
to sob, as though she had just re-
covered her senses after unconscious
hours on the floor. The guard got up.
They. could hear him mutter. He was
coming toward her. She moaned again.
Vaszi, half crouching behind al
statue, attacked without mercy. His
great fists leaped. and the fellow
dropped as though hit by a sledge.
He was out. There would be no need
to delay for binding his wrists or gag
ging his tongue.
They opened the door. They closed