ay that if I intended to ask your
help in such work as I have described, I wouldn't seek an introduction
through a detective agency."

"Something in that," said London Bill, a gleam of admiration in his
beady gimlet eye. "Well, I never squeal, an' only put the question to
try you out. Go on, an' tell me what it is an' where it is; whether I go
into the job or not, at least you've nothin' to be leary of in me."

Storri, who had been studying London Bill as hard as ever that cracksman
was studying him, re-began in earnest. He now laid bare the proposal in
its every corner, and showed London Bill the plans and maps, including
the valuable cross-section drawing that displayed the relation of the
Treasury Building to street levels. London Bill, who appeared to have
gifts as an engineer, bent over the maps and drawings, considering and
measuring distances.

"What sort of ground is this?" said London Bill, laying a finger on the
cross-section drawing, where it was painted dove-color as showing the
earth beneath the street; "is it clay or sand?"

"Gray clay," returned Storri, "and fairly hard and dry."

"Good," remarked London Bill; "no fear of caving." Recurring to the
drawings, London Bill proceeded: "It'll take two months to dig that
tunnel. I'll have to dip as I go in, in order to creep beneath the
footstones of the sidewall; then I'll bring the tunnel up on a long
slant. The tunnel should be four feet high and about three wide; the
earth I'd throw into the sewer, the water would wash it away. There's no
risk in digging the tunnel, as no one would get an inkling of what's
afoot until the last shove, when we made direct for the money. On that
point let me ask: How long can we count on being undisturbed after we've
got to the gold? Now if it was a bank, we'd time the play for Saturday
afternoon after closing hours; that would give us until Monday morning
at nine before they'd tumble."

[Illustration: "It'll Take Two Months to Dig that Tunnel."]

"We can do better than that," returned Storri. "Saturday, May
twenty-eighth, is the anniversary of the death of a former Secretary of
the Treasury, and a special holiday has been already declared for that
day. Monday, May thirtieth, is Decoration Day, a general holiday. We
should have, you see, from Friday at four o'clock until Tuesday at ten;
time enough to carry out several fortunes in twenty-pound packages worth
five thousand dollars each."

"How do you expect to get away