mself and utterly confident.

"Now, who do you suppose, Officer, would come to the front door--unlock
it--walk in and turn up the lights?--a thief?"

"They do sometimes," said Gladwin, cocking his head to one side with
an air of owlish wisdom.

The other raised his eyebrows to express surprise.

"Do they really?" he drawled. "You amaze me, Officer. I've always
supposed they broke in somehow and used dark lanterns."

"Not always," said Gladwin, obstinately.

The big man shrugged his shoulders contemptuously, puffed his cigar
for a moment and said indulgently:

"Well, I'm sorry, Officer, to deprive you of the pleasure you would
evidently derive in catching a thief and making an arrest. Now," with
a light laugh, "who might you imagine I was?"

"Well, if I wasn't sure Mr. Gladwin was across the Atlantic I'd
imagine that yez were Mr. Gladwin himself."

This was said with such laborious canniness that the thief made haste
to discover just how the land lay.

"Oh, so you're sure Mr. Gladwin is abroad, eh?"

"Well, I see be the papers."

A real hearty laugh escaped this time, and he added brightly:

"Well, Mr. Policeman, I'll tell you something to help you make a good
shrewd guess--_Mr. Gladwin is not abroad_!"

"Then yez are Mr. Gladwin, sorr!" cried the young man eagerly, as if
delighted at the discovery.

The other leaned back against the table, crossed one foot over the
other and said musingly:

"You found me out, Officer--I must admit it. Permit me to thank you
again for looking out for my house, and if you don't mind I'll double
this little reward."

Again the roll of bills came out and another $20 gold certificate was
gathered in by Officer 666, who grinned as he took it.

"Thank ye, sorr!"

The gesture with which this second benefaction was bestowed was a
gesture of dismissal and the bestower set off on an easy saunter about
the room, humming a tune.

Officer 666 did not move, and after a moment the other casually
remarked:

"You don't seem to be in any hurry to get back to your post,
officer."

"No, sorr--I ain't in no hurry."

"Have a cigar, then," and one was offered with the same assumption of
good-natured indifference that had accompanied the tender of the
bribes. Gladwin accepted the cigar, took off his cap, dropped it in
and returned the cap to his head.

The thief was puzzled for a moment, until it occurred to him that it
would suit his purpose best to have this thick-skulled copp