cession. That precious document was
in his possession; the osprey pool had not been granted its custody.
Storri carried the saffron silk to a rich and avaricious man; he asked
the loan of fifty thousand dollars, and offered interest steeple-high.
The man of wealth and avarice was deeply affected; he, like the others,
sent for the brocaded, poppy-scented Mongol. The poppy Mongol came,
salaamed, translated, and went his way. Then the one of gold and avarice
counted down the fifty thousand, and locked up the yellow silk with
Storri's note for ninety days in his safe.

Being strengthened with those fifty thousand dollars, Storri sought an
ancient surveyor. Did the ancient one possess an accurate map of
Washington?--a map that showed every public building and park and
street-railway and water-main and sewer, all done to the final fraction
of an inch? Storri's Czar has asked for such;--his Czar who so admired
the Americans and their beautiful Capital!

The ancient one of chains and levels had such a map. Being a man to whom
a unit was like a human being and every fraction as a child, the map was
accurate in its measurements to the thickness of a hair. Storri bought
the map; it showed the line of that drain which ran so temptingly close
to the Treasury gold, and Storri's eye glistened as he followed it to
the river's edge.

Storri collected photographs of the Capitol, the White House, and other
public structures as a blind to conceal his purpose and lend luster of
truth to those tales of his Czar's interest in things American. One
evening Storri related to the San Reve his Czar's desires touching maps
and plans and pictures, and showed her, among others, a picture of the
Treasury.

Ah, that reminded Storri! His San Reve worked in the office of the
supervising architect! Could his San Reve procure him a ground-plan of
the Treasury Building? His Czar had laid especial stress upon such a
drawing!

Yes, Storri's San Reve could get the desired ground-plan without
difficulty. It would show everything foundational, with a cross-section
displaying the depth of the walls below street grades.

The San Reve accepted as genuine Storri's eagerness to serve his Czar.
Nor did she doubt Storri's description of the Czar's American curiosity;
from what she had heard of that potentate, the San Reve believed him to
be as crazy as a woman's watch. Certainly, if Storri wished to send the
imperial lunatic a cartload of plans, the San Reve wou