the
flaring tapers in that Temple of Gold. And day after day, one turn of
the roulette wheel took and gave more money than all her years of
frugal trade might amass!

Taking one of the vestas, he struck a light, and holding it above his
head, carefully examined the room, from side to side. Then he tiptoed
to a door, which stood ajar. This, he saw by a second match, was a
sleeping-room; and the two rooms, obviously, made up the suite. A
door, securely locked, opened from the sleeping-room into the outer
hallway. The door which opened from the larger room was likewise
locked, but to make assurance doubly sure Durkin slid a second inside
bolt, for already his quick eye had caught the gleam of its polished
brass, just below the door-knob of the ordinary mortised lock. Then,
groping his way to the little switchboard, he touched a button, and the
room was flooded with light. He first looked about, carefully but
quickly, and then glanced at his watch. He had at least two hours in
which to do his work. Any time after that Pobloff might return. And
by midnight at least the Prince's valet would be back from Nice, to
begin packing his master's boxes.

He slipped into the bedroom, and took from the bed a blanket and
comforter. These he draped above the hall door, to muffle any chance
sound. Then he turned to the northeast corner of the room, where stood
what seemed to be a dressing cabinet, with little shelves and a
plate-glass mirror above it. The lower part of it was covered by a
polished rosewood door.

One sharp twist and pry with his cold-chisel forced this flimsy outer
door away from its lock. Beneath it, thus lightly masked, stood the
more formidable safe door itself. Durkin drew in a sharp breath of
relief as he looked at it with critical eyes. It was not quite the
sort of thing he had expected. If it had been a combination lock he
had intended to tear away the woodwork covering it, pad the floor with
the bed mattress, and then pry it over on its face, to chisel away the
cement that he knew would lie under its vulnerable sheet-iron bottom.
But it was an ordinary, old-fashioned lock and key "Mennlicher," Durkin
at the first glance had seen--the sort of strong box which a Third
avenue cigar seller, at home, would scarcely care to keep on his
premises. Yet this was the deposit vault for which hotel guests, such
as Prince Ignace Slevenski Pobloff, paid ten francs a day extra.

The sound of footsteps pass