e latch. Next he shut the door to the
kitchen hallway and fastened that, when, with a sigh of relief, he
walked to the long carved oak table that flanked the window, hoisted
himself on it, produced his gold cigarette case, took out a cigarette,
set fire to it, snapped the case and returned it to his pocket.

While he inhaled a deep breath of stimulating smoke his eyes were
fixed upon the great chest directly in front of him.

He was sitting easily on the table, kicking his legs, and he continued
just in that attitude when the lid of the chest lifted a few inches
and a small brilliantly nickelled revolver came out and covered him.

"I'm waiting for yez, Misther Gladwin," chuckled the young man.

By some strange psychologic freak he was not in the least dismayed by
the ominous menace of that shining muzzle, which gradually came
further out as the arm and head of the picture expert followed it.

Once the thief had glimpsed the young man and made out that they had
the room to themselves he came out of the chest as lightly and
noiselessly as he had enveloped himself in it. But his smile was gone
now and in its place there was the wariness of the hunted animal.
Still covering Gladwin and surveying the room he said in low, level
tones:

"If you move it'll be the last act of your life, McGinty."

"Murphy, sorr," purred Gladwin, his face abeam.

"I like your nerve, young un."

"I've been taking lessons from the man who invented nerve."

"Well, you don't seem anxious to give the alarm," said Wilson, toying
with the little automatic and turning it over in the expanse of his
palm.

"No, I'm afraid it might make you nervous."

"Might make me so nervous that this gun would go off, eh?"

A shadow of the old smile came back as he went stealthily to the door
and listened.

"You seem to enjoy smoking," said the peer of art collectors, turning
his back to Gladwin.

"Don't you?"

"Yes."

"Have you time to smoke a cigar?"

"Is it a good one?"

"I don't know--it's the one you gave me while I was Officer 666."

Gladwin tossed the cigar to the thief, who caught it deftly and
inserted it between his lips. "And here's some more of your
possessions," added the young man, drawing out the bribe money he had
accepted while he masqueraded in the officer's uniform.

"Thanks," said Wilson, as he caught the money, "and here's your little
yellow boy, though I wish that intellectual giant of a cop were here
so I could hire his