, and from my window jerked
out the prop, but the cool air would have shown the old man that the
window was raised, and this would have ruined everything. Finally I
decided that the falling of my own window--both are old-fashioned and
are held up by a notched button--would arouse him and that he would
think that the noise came from the vault-room. I would prop it with
the edge of the button so that a slight pull on a string would throw
it. But another question then arose. The weather was cold, and why
should we have our window up so high? How should I explain to my wife?
I would build a roaring fire in the furnace. That would heat the room
too hot and give me an excuse to raise the window. But she would find
it down. I could tell her that the room cooled off and that I put it
down. But I was quibbling with myself. Everything was settled. The
hall-door of the vault-room is but a step from my own door, and was
kept fastened with a spring lock and a bolt and was supposed never to
be opened. I drew back the bolt and the catch, and fixed the catch so
that I could easily spring it when I went out. When everything had
thus been arranged, I went to Witherspoon's to come home with the
folks. The sky was clouded and the night was very dark. When we
reached home the old man complained of having eaten too
much--something he never had cause to complain of when he ate at
home--and said that he believed he would lie down.

"'The window of the vault-room was never raised by the old man, and
was kept fastened down with an old-time cast-iron catch. I had broken
this off; but, afraid that he might examine the window and the door, I
went with him to his room. And when he went into the vault-room to
light the gas, I stood in the door and talked to him about his
intended investment, and I talked so positively of the great profit
he would surely make that he looked at neither the door nor the
window. Everything had worked well. I bade him and the old lady good
night and went to my own room. My wife complained of the heat, and I
raised the window, remarking that I would get up after a while and put
it down. How dreadfully slow the time was after I went to bed! And
when I thought that every one must be asleep, my wife startled me by
asking if I had noticed how unusually feeble her mother looked. I
imagined that some one was dragging the ladder from under the window,
and once I fancied that I heard the old man call me. The thought, the
possibil