wn, holding on to the hand-rail with one hand to maintain himself
against the rocking of the train, and every now and then taking out his
watch with the other to see the time. "I haven't any too much time," he
muttered. "I shall have to be quick, or my friend will miss his train!"
He smiled, as if amused at the idea, and then, holding his cigar away
from him so as not to inhale the smoke, he drew several deep breaths.
"There is a faint smell," he said, "but you would have to be told of it
to detect it. The devil of it is that it so often causes nightmare; that
would be awful!" He suspended his patrol and listened again. There was
no sound to be heard from within the compartments except the snoring of
a few travellers and the monotonous, rhythmical noise of the wheels
passing over the joints of the rails. "Come: I've waited twenty minutes;
it would be risky to wait longer; let's get to work!"

He stepped briskly back into the compartment, and furtively glancing
into the corridor to make sure that no one was there, he went across to
the opposite window and opened it wide. He put his head out into the air
for a minute or two, and then turned to examine his travelling
companions. All three were still sound asleep.

The man gave vent to a dry chuckle. He drew his bundle towards him, felt
until he found something within it, and flung it back on to the seat.
Then he walked up to the man opposite him, slipped his hand inside his
coat and abstracted a pocket-book and began to examine the papers it
contained. "Ah!" he exclaimed suddenly; "that was what I was afraid of!"
and taking one of the papers he put it inside his own pocket-book, chose
one from his own and put it into the other man's pocket-book, and then,
having effected this exchange, replaced the man's property and chuckled
again. "You do sleep!"

And indeed, although the pick-pocket took no particular precaution, the
man continued to sleep soundly, as did the other two men in the
compartment.

The thief looked once more at his watch.

"Time!"

He leaned out of the open window and slipped back the safety catch. Then
he opened the door quite wide, took the sleeping traveller by the
shoulders and picked him up from the seat, and with all his strength
sent him rolling out on to the line!

The next moment he seized from the rack the light articles that
evidently belonged to his victim, and threw them out after him.

When he had finished his ghastly work he rubbed hi