ay to the bank and back, I believe Plummer
and I were watched pretty closely."

III

Plummer's two plain-clothes men and I reached the neighbourhood of the
bank with a quarter of an hour to spare, or rather more. We dismissed
the cab at some little distance from the spot, and approached singly, so
that it was not difficult for us to slip in separately among the dozen
or fifteen clerks as they arrived. We passed directly into the manager's
room, the door of which opened into the space left for the public before
the counter. From this room the whole of the outer office was visible
through the glass of the partition. The manager, Mr. Blockley, a quick,
intelligent man of thirty-six or so, gave us chairs and pointed out how
best we could watch the counter without ourselves being observed.

"If a letter is sent," he said, "it will be brought here to me, of
course, and I will bring the messenger in. If a cheque is presented from
Mayes, I have told the cashier to slide that big ledger off his desk
accidentally with his elbow. That will be your signal, and then you can
do whatever you think proper. I don't think I can do any more than
that."

We took our positions and waited. I felt pretty sure that if Mayes sent
at all it would be early, for obvious reasons. And I was right, for the
very first customer was our man.

He stepped in briskly scarcely a minute after the manager had ceased
speaking, and I remembered having seen him waiting at the street corner
as I came along. He was a well-dressed, smart enough looking man, in
frock coat and tall hat. He took a letter-case from his pocket, picked
out a cheque from the rest of the papers in it, and passed it under the
wire grille of the counter.

The cashier took it, turned it over, and shifted mechanically to post
the amount in the book on his desk. As he did so his elbow touched the
heavy ledger which the manager had pointed out to us, and it fell with a
crash. The cashier calmly put his pen behind his ear, and stooped to
pick up the book, but even as he did it the two Scotland Yard men were
out before the counter, and had sidled up to the stranger, one on each
side.

"May we see that cheque, if you please?" asked one, and the cashier
turned its face toward him. "Ah, just so; a hundred pounds--Mayes. We
must just trouble you to come with us, if you please. There is some
explanation wanted about that cheque."

I had followed the two men from the manager's room, an