THE STORYTELLER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 173, 14 August 1909, Page 4

THE STORYTELLER.

FOR SAFE DEPOSIT. o ' SEXTOS BLAKE TRICKS TWO TRICKSTERS. I. - Lord Arlingford wishes to see his box," whispered the cashier. And Mr. Upton Greig, manager of the Barnmouth biiinch of the Southern Counties Bank, hurried out to greet his most important client. ■ ...jjjHl ■Lome this way, my lord," he said, tilling the flap in the counter. Lord Arlingford, a stout and rather pompous-looking person of sixty, followed the manager into the large prilate room behind the office.

"We are home again sooner than I expected, Mr. Greig," said his lordship affably. "Lady Arlingford is going to iJunglas to-morrow, and, as she desires „o take her rubies with her, I came x\ self to fetch them." Mr. Greig unlocked a door in the right-hand wall, and ushered his cllcm down a wide flight of stone steps. At the bottom was a great black do<v of solid metal, unrelieved except by a large brass handle and two small key holes in the centre. Mr. Greig took : bunch of keys from his pocket, unlocks the two Hocks separ.ii" l >', then, wrench | iug round the handle, »wu'ng the mas«i\steel door silently back upon its wci! oiled hinges. Beyond was a second grille door, made of latticed etccl. A third key opened i this. Mr. Greig. stepped forward, switched on -an electric light, and revealed a large brick-vaulted cellar with t floor of solid concrete. The only openings' in the walls were narrow air-shafts over the door, and these but served to show the enormous thickness of the walls themselves. Round the walk were shelves, on which were ranged a number of boxes, mostly of iron or steel. Among them was a small, square steel one, which Mr. Greig lifted down from near the end of a shelf. "It hasn't had time to collect much dust, my lord," said the manager, with a smile. "No," replied Lord Arlingford. 'I think it was only on May 28th that I left it with you, was it not!" "That was the date, I think. Exactly a week ago." Lord. Arlingford produced l)is keys, chose the right one, inserted it in the iock, and lifted the lid. In a tray lay five handsome jewelcases of crimson morocco.

"Have you ever seen the Arlingford rubiest" asked the peer. "No, my lord. I should like to, above all things," replied the manager, with a bow.

"This is the tiara," said Lord Arlingford, snapping open the largest care. "Why, good heavens! What's tliie mean?" he stammered, gasping.

The case was empty. So were all the other four. The Arlingford rubies had utterly disappeared!

"It means absolute ruin for me, Mr. Blake!" said Greig. The man's voice vibrated with sternlyrepressed emotion. "You have told me the whole story,'-' replied Blake. "But are you sure, Mr. Greig, that you have omitted nothing? For instance, could no one hare got at your keys?" Greig flushed slightly under the steady gaze of the keen eyes. "I will be quite open," he said. "One evening I went to the swimming-bulb and left my keys in my while I was in the water." "And do you think that anyone could have got at them in Hie meantime? Tt doesn't take long, remember, to get a wax impression." "I am almost certain that no one did so," replied the manager vehemently. ''The dressing-rooms open on the bath. I was not in the water for more than f.vc minutes. I should certainly have wen any person who catered my dress iiig-bdx."--"Very well. We will now take a loo:; at the vaulV

Sexton Blake's examination of tie vault seemed to the jangled nerves e the manager unnecessarily long ani tedious. The detective sounded wali?nd floor. From the floor, Blake turned "attention to the contents of the vault. He asked to be shown where

Lord Ariingford's box had stood, lie went; round and looked at every lm» and ; chest in the place, on the shelves and the floor, and made various entries in a small notebook. At' last the detective snapped the elastic.'on his book, put it back in hipocket, and said briskly: "That will do for 'the present, i,U. Greig. Now, if you will allow me, I will see the box-register." To the manager this seemed almost

as futile a proceeding as the examination "67 the vault, but he made no objection, and presently Blake was deep in the ledger which recorded the dates of the deposit of boxes iu the strom room, their description, and the namearid addresses of the clients who had deposited them. "Here is Lord 'Ariingford's. 1 see on May '2Bth," said Blake.

"Vcsi-it was only in the vault a week. The loss was discovered 'the day before jes'terday-Tjuae 4th," replied the other, with- a puzzled frown.. "'I see that a large plate-chest was deposited on -the following day —the :!oth-4>y a Mr. and Mrs. Math-son iineh," said Blake.

-.. ."Xet; it's there now," answered (ircig. '•And are these old clients of yours ?'' "Xo, not very. Their account was opened in April, I think. Wait; I'll tell you."

He went out of the private room into .the o'iflce, and while he was go;ie Blake whipped out his pocket-book and cornered certain entries with those in the l.ox-rcgistcr. The.door opened again. "Yes; April -2nd," said Oreig. "11l just take a note of their adores.?,- a?id you may expect me again about three o'clock," said Blake, and walked off'toriskly, leaving the manager .in a state of profound perplexity. ° Punctually at the hour mentioned the rft-toctive returned to the bank, and asoon as he was shown into the private ropm his first words' were: Greig, I „ ms t examine that clicsl—the Batheson Finch's, I mean." "Impossible!" exclaimed the manager n shocked tones. "It would be a crime.' A such a thing became known it would mm the bank."

, "Oh, very well, Mr. Creig! But I warn you that, if you refuse, I must throw up the case."

"Wry well," said (Ireig at last will a sort of groin. "It must be as vo. wish, Mr. Mat,., \\liori will von' ,i. it V"

"At oik*." relied, Sexto;, ]!. ako « hll ■l.v. -If hp wait till night it will prob..Mv lie tuo late." Once more the two descended to the vault, Orcig carefully closed and locke,l I he doors liehind them, then helped Wake to lift the wcightv chest into the open. Dlaxe examined the box closely. II was very large, being about four feedeep, three long, and three broad. II ■was rather new. made of yellow phe and clamped with iron. On'the top wa= painted in black the name, "H. Jlathcson 1- mch"—nothing else. -Suddenly Blake gave a low chuckle "IjOok at this!" he sa id. "This" was a. small slii almost ],i,l,[eu inderone of the metal dumps He pulled out a bunch of' skeleton •keys, and. after examining the loe'»elected a eouole. The second turned' the wards, and h a moment the lid was flung back. ■. "ItV empty!" gasped the manager, his Mee like ashes. "Have they robbed that tno . ? ; . < 5 -'* | ''«w •'No- it's not empty.": returned JJl'ake l»ok here.' lie plunged his hand into the depths of the box, and lifted out a large chunk of jug-iron. Another and another were removed, until „ nil, of ten in all lav Ui:nn (be floor. Grcig looked on in a state of blank ainari-iiH'nt. '•Rut. what does' it mean?'' he asked helple-siy. Kor answer Blake picked up one of the lump* of iron and .held it out to the manager. "What do you think that weighs'" , Ii" asked. ■ r,T, ''" L )'"*. !t unwillingly, and bal- ' nneed, it in his. hand. I ''Oh, about ,i stone, I suppose." ' ; And there are ten of them," remarked Blake. "Olio hundred and forty i l-ounds ,n «R Do( . s thai tell vou an/ thing?". ■ • J Oreig shook his head again. He was o eleyer at his own work, but his brain i had none of that lightning power of de- u Unetmn which had made Sexton Blake <1 -tliesTcntest detective in England. )i Well, I'll toll you this much, sfr. 1 '•reig, said Blake, in -his quiet tot, n I see light. And. though I have no idea whether or not I can recover the u rubies, T think I can lav my hand on « the people who stole them." ' "And now." he went on, "as I shall b •-have to stay in the bank for the present, * I'M go back upstairs again, and, if tou'll bl allow me, sit in youj private room,''

"The place is at your disposal," said (ireig earnestly. In one minute half the lines were gone whieh the last two days had stamued upon his tired face. No sooner were they back up the stairs than a clerk came into the room and spoke to the eanagcr: "A carriage has called for Mr. Matheson Finch's plate-chest."

The manager actually smiled as he -tood on the steps of the bank and 'vatehed a brougham—plainly a jobbed • lie—driving away with a huge ironl.ound yellow chest on the top. "Xo. *5, I'npton Terrace, Mnrley," was ilie address which had been given to the ilriter, but as soon as the carriage was round the corner the driver turned his horse in a direction which was certainly not that of Tarnmouth's pretty suburb, Murlev.

At last it slopped outside a small, ugly house with a square of shabby jrass between its rusty iron railings 7:i.l its blistered front door.

The man inside presumably Mr. Malhcson Finch—got out, and he and .lie driver, with much perspiration and many gasps, Sifted the chest off the •arriage and carried it in through a farrow passage to a dirty, ill-furnished Lack room.

The driver then departed. A small man, with a pinched face and i v east in his left eve, came down. "So you've-got it, Josh?" he said, in i queer, squeakv voice. "It's my belief t 'ud have been a sight better to leave ,'.t where it were." "Xot much it wouldn't!" retorted in ether. "Didn't you hear? They y that plaguey detective Sexton i' ■ down. Emily saw him this morning ... the station. First thing, you know, he d have spotted this box, and wanted to know what them air-holes meant." "Mavbe you knows best," replied Bill apologetically. "Anyway, it were a good plant. An', now, what are you going to do with the chest?" "Bury it along with the other, replied Josh emphatically. "You'll wait till dark, I reckon?' "You bet! We don't touch a spade till after midnight," "Then come on round to the Goat and Compasses, an' let's drink to our own healths. Nobody'll ever find them jewels under the hearthstone!" "Right you are, then!" said Josh. "I'm that thirsty I could drink a bucket!"

It was the best part of two tours before the pair returned. Blundering into the back room ahead »f his partner, Bill pulled up suddenly, and stared stupidly at the box. "'Oo opened it?" he demanded thickly. "Opened it? What—the box open?" Josh's voice rose to a stream, and he sprang forward, in his haste seeding Bill spinning across the room. After one glance at the wide-open lid, ■fosh rushed to the fireplace, and, with a mighty effort, wrenched up the hearthstone and flung it aside. A yell of fury burst from him. "Tricked!" he roared, in tones that made the windows rattle. "The tricksters tricked!" came a quiet voice from behind.

Josh spun round, to find himself staring down the black muzzle of Sexton Blake's revolver.

"I don't understand it yet!" exclaimed Greig excitedly. "For the life of me, 1 can't see how a man could live all those weeks and months in a box, and none of us be any the wiser? And how did he get out?" He couldn't have had keys; and, in any case, it's' n time-lock, and no one can open it from the hour we close till the office opens next morning." It was eight o'clock the same evening, :ind Blake, having finished his task, was lining with the grateful manager. Ho listened smiling to the other's eager ■ liiestions. "My dear Mr. Greig," he said, "it's simple enough. The thief was' in your strong-room for one night only, and it was you yourself who let him in anil out."

fireig's face assumed -a itnpeficd exicssion. Blake took out his, pocket-

■ ' f>ok here," he said. "It was on May Sth :hat Lord Arlingford left his rubies ill! M.1I?" "YeO

"And on the 29th that you had the jig chest from the Mathcs'on Finch's?'' ••Exactly!" ''What happened on the 30th?'' Greig paused a moment.

"Come to think of it. a box wen! out. Yes; X remember. A large plafe-i! 'st Vlougiug to a Mr. Fred May." "Yen. which had been in your • : :-.- room," said lilake. glancing a;.- i • ais notebook, "since the previous ... .- ■lth. X-iw" do you understand?'' A light broke on the -manager's face. Down came his fist with a bang on the tahle. "What an ass I was! Of course, 1 see! The thief came in Finch's box. ami left in Mav's. The iron was makeweight." "Just so!" laughed Blake. "1 suspected it the moment 1 saw the entry >:f the 30th. Further enquiries made inc almost positive, and when you kindly shut hie up in that Matheson Finch box, 1 chuckled to think that the thief was' unsuspectingly carting me straight to the spot where in all probability he had hidden his spoil." "Funny sort of safe deposit that!" exclaimed Greig. "Yes. His partner positively crowed over the fact that no one would be able 10 find their hiding-place. They were under the hearthstone."—Answers.