laughed:

"Well, you certainly are easy--_counterfeit_!"

"What!" roared Phelan, and Travers Gladwin joined him in the
exclamation.

"Will you swear that man gave you this bill?" cut in the thief,
sharply, snatching out a pencil and marking the gold certificate
across the corner.

"I will, sorr!" shouted Phelan. "I will, an'----"

"Very well! Now you see this mark in the corner--will you be able to
identify it?"

"Yes, sorr." Phelan was fairly grovelling.

"Good," said the thief, and nonchalantly shoved the bill into his
waistcoat pocket.

"See here, Phelan," protested Gladwin.

"Kape your mouth shut--I'd just like to take wan punch at yez."

Phelan meant it and took a step toward Gladwin when the thief stopped
him and asked:

"Now, officer, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Thank you, Mr. Gladwin--I got to get the patrol wagon here some
way."

If Bateato had entered into an inflexible contract with himself not to
utter another syllable before the break of day at least he might have
eased Phelan's mind on that score and informed him that something
ominously like a patrol wagon was rounding the corner at that moment.
And if the art collector had not been so keenly amused at his facile
conquest of the gullible bluecoat his alert ears might have warned him
to say something entirely different from this:

"I'd call the wagon for you, officer, only I'm afraid these people
might overpower you and get away with that trunk of pictures. You see
what a nice mess they've been making of my picture gallery. Why, if I
hadn't happened in to-night they would have walked off with half a
million dollars' worth of paintings."

"You call the wagon, Mr. Gladwin," returned Phelan, grimly. "I kin
handle the lot of o' them an' ten more like them."

"All right, officer, but be very careful--I shan't be long."

And turning with a mocking bow to Travers Gladwin, he sauntered out
into the hallway and walked into the arms of Police Captain Stone and
ten reserves.

CHAPTER XXXV.

BATEATO KEEPS HIS PROMISE.

Although the escaping thief was brushed back into the room rather
rudely and Travers Gladwin cried out as he caught sight of the
uniformed officer and his men, "By Jove, captain, I'm glad you've
come," the consummate bluffer did not bat an eyelash or manifest the
merest symptom of fear, stepping easily to one side and watching for
the coming of his cue with feline alertness.

For a moment Captain Stone