He’ll crack a crib in Scotland one
week, and be raising money to build an orphanage in Cornwall the next
I’ve been on his track for years and have never set eyes on him yet.”

“I hope that I may have the pleasure of introducing you to-night
I’ve
had one or two little turns also with Mr
John Clay, and I agree with
you that he is at the head of his profession
It is past ten, however,
and quite time that we started
We rattled through an endless labyrinth of gas-lit streets
until we emerged into Farrington Street
“We are close there now,” my friend remarked
“This fellow Merryweather
is a bank director, and personally interested in the matter
I thought
it as well to have Jones with us also
He is not a bad fellow, though
an absolute imbecile in his profession
He
is as brave as a bulldog and as tenacious as a lobster if he gets his
claws upon anyone
Here we are, and they are waiting for us.”

We had reached the same crowded thoroughfare in which we had found
ourselves in the morning
Our cabs were dismissed, and, following the
guidance of Mr
Merryweather, we passed down a narrow passage and
through a side door, which he opened for us
Within there was a small
corridor, which ended in a very massive iron gate
This also was
opened, and led down a flight of winding stone steps, which terminated
at another formidable gate
“You are not very vulnerable from above,” Holmes remarked as he held up
the lantern and gazed about him
Merryweather, striking his stick upon the
flags which lined the floor
“Why, dear me, it sounds quite hollow!” he
remarked, looking up in surprise
“I must really ask you to be a little more quiet!” said Holmes
severely
“You have already imperilled the whole success of our
expedition
Might I beg that you would have the goodness to sit down
upon one of those boxes, and not to interfere?”

The solemn Mr
A few seconds sufficed to
satisfy him, for he sprang to his feet again and put his glass in his
pocket
“We have at least an hour before us,” he remarked, “for they can hardly
take any steps until the good pawnbroker is safely in bed
Then they
will not lose a minute, for the sooner they do their work the longer
time they will have for their escape
We are at present, Doctor—as no
doubt you have divined—in the cellar of the City branch of one of the
principal London banks
“We have had several
warnings that an attempt might be made upon it.”

“Your French gold?”

“Yes
We had occasion some months ago to strengthen our resources and
borrowed for that purpose 30,000 napoleons from the Bank of France
It
has become known that we have never had occasion to unpack the money,
and that it is still lying in our cellar
The crate upon which I sit
contains 2,000 napoleons packed between layers of lead foil
“And now it is time
that we arranged our little plans
I expect that within an hour matters
will come to a head
Merryweather, we must put the
screen over that dark lantern.”

“And sit in the dark?”

“I am afraid so
I had brought a pack of cards in my pocket, and I
thought that, as we were a _partie carrée_, you might have your rubber
after all
But I see that the enemy’s preparations have gone so far
that we cannot risk the presence of a light
And, first of all, we must
choose our positions
These are daring men, and though we shall take
them at a disadvantage, they may do us some harm unless we are careful
I shall stand behind this crate, and do you conceal yourselves behind
those
Then, when I flash a light upon them, close in swiftly
If they
fire, Watson, have no compunction about shooting them down.”

I placed my revolver, cocked, upon the top of the wooden case behind
which I crouched
Holmes shot the slide across the front of his lantern
and left us in pitch darkness—such an absolute darkness as I have never
before experienced
The smell of hot metal remained to assure us that
the light was still there, ready to flash out at a moment’s notice
To
me, with my nerves worked up to a pitch of expectancy, there was
something depressing and subduing in the sudden gloom, and in the cold
dank air of the vault
“They have but one retreat,” whispered Holmes
“That is back through
the house into Saxe-Coburg Square
I hope that you have done what I
asked you, Jones?”

“I have an inspector and two officers waiting at the front door.”

“Then we have stopped all the holes
And now we must be silent and
wait.”

What a time it seemed
From comparing notes afterwards it was but an
hour and a quarter, yet it appeared to me that the night must have
almost gone, and the dawn be breaking above us
From my position I could look
over the case in the direction of the floor
Suddenly my eyes caught
the glint of a light