score of
detectives were present.

No fewer than 213 witnesses were called by the prosecution. Of these
about fifty were from America, and by them they traced our lives for
many years before. As the forged bills were all sent by mail it was
necessary to convict us by circumstantial evidence. The evidence was all
very weak, save only in that remarkable matter of the blotting paper.
Our conviction was a foregone conclusion.

The jury retired to consider their verdict shortly after 7 o'clock, and
on returning into court after the lapse of about a quarter of an hour
they gave in a verdict of guilty against all of the four prisoners.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

"NOTHING LEFT US BUT A GRAVE, THAT SMALL MODEL OF THE BARREN EARTH," WITH
DISHONOR FOR AN EPITAPH.

Judge Archibald proceeded to pass sentence. He began with the
interesting and truthful remark: "I have anxiously considered whether
anything less than the maximum penalty of the law will be adequate to
meet the requirements of this case, and I think not." We had information
that a few days previously a meeting of judges had been held and that he
had been advised to pass a life sentence. What he really meant to say
was that he had anxiously considered whether anything less would be
adequate to satisfy the Bank of England. He went on to say that we had
not only inflicted great loss on the bank, but had also seriously
discredited that great institution in the eyes of the public. He
continued: "It is difficult to see the motives for this crime; it was
not want, for you were in possession of a large sum of money. You are
men of education, some of you speak the Continental languages, and you
have traveled considerably. I see no reason to make any distinction
between you, and let it be understood from the sentence which I am about
to pass upon you that men of education"--and he might have added, what
he undoubtedly thought, Americans--"who commit crimes which none but men
of education can commit must expect a terrible retribution, and that
sentence is penal servitude for life, and I further order that each one
of you pay one-fourth of the costs of prosecution--L49,000, or $245,000
in all."

And, after all, what aroused so greatly his indignation? It was simply
this--because we were youngsters and Americans, and had successfully
assaulted the fondly imagined impregnable Bank of England, and, worse
still, had held up to the laughter of the whole world its red-tape
idiotic