treet," I remarked, my heart beating rapidly
with excitement over the work in hand, for the more I thought of the venture
the less I liked it.

"Oh, I don't know that it will be," said Holmes, carelessly. "I may pull it
off in the corridors of the Powhatan."

The pumps in my heart reversed their action and for a moment I feared I
should drop with dismay.

"In the Powhatan--" I began.

"Shut up, Jenkins!" said Holmes, imperatively. "This is no time for
protests. We're in it now and there's no drawing back."

Ten minutes later we stood at the intersection of Thirty-third Street and
Fifth Avenue. Holmes's eyes flashed and his whole nervous system quivered as
with the joy of the chase.

"Keep your mouth shut, Jenkins, and you'll see a pretty sight," he
whispered, "for here comes our man."

Sure enough, there was Billington Rand on the other side of the street,
walking along nervously and clutching an oblong package, wrapped in brown
paper, firmly in his right hand.

"Now for it," said Holmes, and we crossed the street, scarcely reaching the
opposite curb before Rand was upon us. Rand eyed us closely and shied off to
one side as Holmes blocked his progress.

"I'll trouble you for that package, Mr. Rand," said Holmes, quietly.

The man's face went white and he caught his breath.

"Who the devil are you?" he demanded, angrily.

"That has nothing to do with the case." retorted Holmes. "I want that
package or--"

"Get out of my way!" cried Rand, with a justifiable show of resentment. "Or
I'll call an officer."

"Will you?" said Holmes, quietly. "Will you call an officer and so make
known to the authorities that you are in possession of twenty-five thousand
dollars worth of securities that belong to other people, which are supposed
at this moment to be safely locked up in the vaults of the Kenesaw National
Back along with other collateral?"

Rand staggered back against the newel-post of a brown-stone stoop, and stood
there gazing wildly into Holmes's face.

"Of course, if you prefer having the facts made known in that way," Holmes
continued, coolly, "you have the option. I am not going to use physical
force to persuade you to hand the package over to me, but you are a greater
fool than I take you for if you choose that alternative. To use an
expressive modern phrase, Mr. Billington Rand, you will be caught with the
goods on, and unless you have a far better explanation of how those
securities happen in your po