d they were. They spoke of those hours of
burrowing. The only remaining point was what they were burrowing for.
I walked round the corner, saw that the City and Suburban Bank
abutted on our friend's premises, and felt that I had solved my
problem. When you drove home after the concert I called upon Scotland
Yard, and upon the chairman of the bank directors, with the result
that you have seen."

"And how could you tell that they would make their attempt to-night?"
I asked.

"Well, when they closed their League offices, that was a sign that
they cared no longer about Mr. Jabez Wilson's presence--in other
words, that they had completed their tunnel. But it was essential that
they should use it soon, as it might be discovered, or the bullion
might be removed. Saturday would suit them better than any other day,
as it would give them two days for their escape. For all these reasons
I expected them to come to-night."

"You reasoned it out beautifully," I exclaimed, in unfeigned
admiration. "It is so long a chain, and yet every link rings true."

"It saved me from ennui," he answered, yawning. "Alas! I already feel
it closing in upon me. My life is spent in one long effort to escape
from the commonplaces of existence. These little problems help me to
do so."

"And you are a benefactor of the race," said I.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, perhaps after all it is of some
little use," he remarked. "'L'homme c'est rien--l'oeuvre c'est tout,'
as Gustave Flaubert wrote to George Sand."

THE BOWMEN'S SONG

From 'The White Company'

What of the bow?
The bow was made in England:
Of true wood, of yew wood,
The wood of English bows;
So men who are free
Love the old yew-tree
And the land where the yew-tree grows.

What of the cord?
The cord was made in England:
A rough cord, a tough cord,
A cord that bowmen love;
So we'll drain our jacks
To the English flax
And the land where the hemp was wove.

What of the shaft?
The shaft was cut in England:
A long shaft, a strong shaft,
Barbed and trim and true;
So we'll drink all together
To the gray goose feather,
And the land where the gray goose flew.

What of the men?
The men were bred in England:
The bowman--the yeoman--
The lads of dale and fell.
Here's to you--and to you!
To the hearts that are true