FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126  
127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   >>   >|  
to you, if I may suggest it without seeming rude." There was a general laugh at this sally on the part of the new superintendent, and then M. Louis continued: "Well, if he wanted to make up to her he went a funny way to work, for he made her angry." "Did he really?" said Henri Verbier, turning again to the girl. "Why did the magistrate cross-examine you so much?" The young cashier shrugged her shoulders. "We have thrashed it out so often, M. Verbier! But I will tell you the whole story: during the morning of the day when the robbery was committed I had returned to Princess Sonia Danidoff the pocket-book containing a hundred and twenty thousand francs which she had given into my custody a few days before; I could not refuse to give it to her when she asked for it, could I? How was I to know that it would be stolen from her the same evening? Customers deposit their valuables with me and I hand them a receipt: they give me back the receipt when they demand their valuables, and all I have to do is comply with their request, without asking questions. Isn't that so?" "But that was not what puzzled the magistrate I suppose," said Henri Verbier. "You are the custodian of all valuables, and you only complied strictly with your orders." "Yes," M. Muller broke in, "but Mlle. Jeanne has only told you part of the story. Just fancy: only a few minutes before the robbery Mme. Van den Rosen had asked Mlle. Jeanne to take charge of her diamond necklace, and Mlle. Jeanne had refused!" "That really was bad luck for you," said Henri Verbier to the girl with a laugh, "and I quite understand that the magistrate thought it rather odd." "They are unkind!" she protested. "From the way they put it, M. Verbier, you really might think that I refused to take charge of Mme. Van den Rosen's jewellery in order to make things easy for the thief, which is as much as to say that I was his accomplice." "That is precisely what the magistrate did think," M. Louis interpolated. The girl took no notice of the interruption, but went on with her explanation to Henri Verbier. "What happened was this: the rule is that I am at the disposal of customers, to take charge of deposits or to return them to the owners, until nine P.M., and until nine P.M. only. After that, my time is up, and all I have to do is lock my safe and go: I am free until nine o'clock next morning. You know that it does not do to take liberties in a position like mine
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126  
127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Verbier
 

magistrate

 

Jeanne

 

valuables

 

charge

 
morning
 
robbery
 

receipt

 
refused
 

position


diamond

 

necklace

 
liberties
 

minutes

 
owners
 

happened

 
jewellery
 
things
 

explanation

 

interruption


precisely

 

interpolated

 

Muller

 

accomplice

 

notice

 

deposits

 

return

 

thought

 

understand

 

customers


protested

 
unkind
 

disposal

 

shrugged

 

shoulders

 
cashier
 

examine

 
thrashed
 

committed

 
returned

turning
 

general

 
suggest
 
superintendent
 

continued

 

wanted

 
Princess
 

comply

 
request
 

demand