t for the
mistress. The damsel was quite amenable to a little conversation,
quite willing that I should dally in her company. She munched the
bonbons and coquetted a little with me. But she went on stolidly with
her needlework, and I could see that nothing would move her out of
that room, where she had obviously been left in charge.

Then I bethought me of Theodore. I realised that I could not carry
this affair through successfully without his help. So I gave him a
further five francs--as I said to him it was out of my own
savings--and I assured him that a certain M. Jean Duval had promised
me a couple of hundred francs when the business which he had entrusted
to me was satisfactorily concluded. It was for this business--so I
explained--that I required his help, and he seemed quite satisfied.

His task was, of course, a very easy one. What a contrast to the risk
I was about to run! Twenty-five francs, my dear Sir, just for knocking
at the door of Mlle. Mars' dressing-room during the fourth act, whilst
I was engaged in conversation with the attractive guardian of the iron
safe, and to say in well-assumed, breathless tones:

"Mademoiselle Mars has been taken suddenly unwell on the stage.
Will her maid go to her at once?"

It was some little distance from the dressing-room to the wings--down
a flight of ill-lighted stone stairs which demanded cautious ascent
and descent. Theodore had orders to obstruct the maid during her
progress as much as he could without rousing her suspicions.

I reckoned that she would be fully three minutes going, questioning,
finding out that the whole thing was a hoax, and running back to the
dressing-room--three minutes in which to open the chest, extract the
bracelet and, incidentally, anything else of value there might be
close to my hand. Well, I had thought of that eventuality, too; one
must think of everything, you know--that is where genius comes in.
Then, if possible, relock the safe, so that the maid, on her return,
would find everything apparently in order and would not, perhaps,
raise the alarm until I was safely out of the theatre.

It could be done--oh, yes, it could be done--with a minute to spare!
And to-morrow at ten o'clock M. Jean Duval would appear, and I would
not part with the bracelet until a thousand francs had passed from his
pocket into mine. I must get Theodore out of the house, by the way,
before the arrival of M. Duval.

A thousand francs! I had not seen a thous