hackman.

"Now, then," said Indiman, in a quiet, matter-of-fact tone, "will you
tell me the conditions under which you had access to Mr. Sandford's
vault. Of course your name as an authorized agent of Mr. Sandford was
on the company's books. You had your pass-key, of course?"

"No," said Mr. Sandford. "There was but one pass-key, and that I kept
myself. When Mr. Sydenham had any business to do for me at the
safe-deposit vaults I would let him have the key temporarily."

"You gave it to him on that particular day, the 9th of January?"
continued Indiman.

"Yes."

"Where is it now?" almost shouted Indiman.

"Here," said Mr. Sandford, in surprise. "On my key-ring."

"Exactly. There is the broken link in our psychological chain. When Mr.
Sydenham felt for the pass-key, which should have been in his pocket,
he discovered that it was missing. Instantly the continuity of events
was broken, the subliminal personality was again submerged, and Mr.
Sydenham's normal consciousness was re-established. Mr. Sandford, you
are perfectly aware of the fact that these legal papers were properly
deposited in your vault, and that the pass-key was returned to you by
Mr. Sydenham on the morning of January 10th. Gentlemen, it is evident
that we shall find the original fifty thousand dollars lying in Mr.
Sandford's strong-box, where it was left by Mr. Sydenham on the
afternoon of January 9th."

I confess that I was mightily excited when the moment came to test the
correctness of Indiman's deductions. We were shown into a private room,
and, under Mr. Sandford's eye, the treasure-box belonging to him was
carried in and opened. Almost at the bottom lay a long, brown Manila
envelope fastened with three red rubber bands. It contained fifty
one-thousand-dollar bills.

"I noticed that envelope several times," explained Mr. Sandford, "but
supposed it contained some mining stock. You see here is another
envelope identical in appearance and lying directly beneath it. Mr.
Sydenham never suggested even that he might have left the missing money
in my safe-deposit vault."

"It never occurred to me that I could have done so," said Sydenham. "I
remembered making a deposit of the papers--but the money, no, I had no
recollection of having seen or touched it from the moment that Alden
brought it back from the bank and laid it on my desk."

"Gentlemen," said Mr. Sandford, "I am indebted to you for much more
than the mere recovery of the money. But we