hangin' round the street-front and tippin' us off. Our man
down below sizes up everyone who comes into that shop. If he's all
right, the button's touched, and the white light flashes, and he gets
through. If he's not, the cigar clerk rings another button, just under
his counter, and we know what to do. If it's a case o' raid, our
lookout flashes the red light through each o' the four rooms, with one
push of the button, and then our second man throws back the switch and
puts out every light in the buildin'. Then with another button push,
the locks of every door are thrown shut, and they're four inches thick,
most of them, and of good oak and steel. If the electricity should
give out, here, you see, are the hand bolts, which can be run out at
any time. Then we've got a little mercerized steel office, which you
won't see, where our cashier and our sheet-writers work!"

Frank said nothing, but her still roving eyes took in each detail, bit
by bit, as she warned and schooled herself to note and remember each
door and room and passage.

"And now, in case you may be lookin' for it without my help, I'm goin'
to take you down and show you the way out. We go through this little
passage, and then we take up this steel trapdoor. It's heavy, you see!
Then we go down this nice little grill-work iron ladder--don't pull
back, I've got you!--and then we open this next very fine steel
door--so; and here we are in what you'd call the safety-deposit vaults.
It's a mighty handsome-lookin' safe, all laid in Portland cement, as
you can see, but we're not goin' to tarry lookin' into that just now."

He was already feeling his way ahead of her, and she was still
desperately struggling to impress each detail on her distracted mind.

"You see, if we want to get out, we go through this hall, and follow
this little passageway, one end openin' up right under the sidewalk, in
the refractin' glass manhole. Leading to the back, here, is a second
passage, all barred, the same as the others. So, if our front is shut
off, and they're hot on our trail, we shut everything after us as we
go, and then open this neat little steel trapdoor, and find ourselves
smellin' fresh air and five lines full of washin' from that Dago
tenement just above us!"

"And why are you showing me all this?" demanded Frank.

He looked at her out of his pale-green furtive eyes, and locked the
door with a vindictive snap of the bolts.

"I'll tell you why, my gay you