God's sake, you
see that, don't you?"

"Yes," said Rhoda Gray in a low voice; "but the promise you ask for is
the same as though I promised to try to get the money you speak of. If I
knew what was going on, and did nothing, I would be an accomplice to the
crime, and guilty myself."

"But I can't do anything else!" Gypsy Nan was speaking with great
difficulty. "I won't get those that were with me in wrong--I won't! You
can prevent a crime to-night, if you will--you--you can help me to--to
make good."

Rhoda Gray's lips tightened, "Will you give me your word that I can do
what you suggest--that it is feasible, possible?"

"Yes," said Gypsy Nan. "You can do it easily, and--and it's safe. It--it
only wants a little nerve, and--and you've got that."

"I promise, then," said Rhoda Gray.

"Thank God!" Gypsy Nan pulled fiercely at Rhoda Gray's wrist. "Come
nearer-nearer! You know Skarbolov, old Skarbolov, who keeps the antique
store--on the street--around the corner from my place?" Rhoda Gray
nodded.

"He's rich!" whispered Gypsy Nan. "Think of it! Him--rich! But he gets
the best of the Fifth Avenue crowd just because he keeps his joint in
that rotten hole. They think they're getting the real thing in antiques!
He's a queer old fool. Afraid people would know he had money if he kept
it in the bank--afraid of a bank, too. Understand? We found out that
every once in a while he'd change a lot of small bills for a big
one--five-hundred-dollar bills--thousand-dollar bills. That put us
wise. We began to watch him. It took months to find where he hid it.
We've spent night after night searching through his shop. You can get in
easily. There's no one there--upstairs is just a storage place for his
extra stock. There's a big padlock on the back door, but there's a false
link in the chain--count three links to the right from the padlock--we
put it there, and--"

Gypsy Nan's voice had become almost inaudible. She pulled at Rhoda
Gray's wrist again, urging her closer.

"Listen--quick! I--my strength!" she panted. "An antique he never
sells--old escritoire against rear wall--secret drawer--take out wide
middle drawer--reach in and rub your hand along the top--you'll feel
the spring. We waited to--to get--get counterfeits--put counterfeits
there--understand? Then he'd never know he'd been robbed--not for a
long time anyway--discovered perhaps when he was dead--old wife--suffer
then--I--got to make good--make good--I--" She came up