a _secret_ apartment."

Wolfson made no reply; he felt that he was leaning on a broken reed,
but he commenced to pull out the safe's numerous drawers, all of which
contained cheap jewellery.

"Let me help you do that, Mr. Wolfson," Daiches said, and suited the
action to the word by seizing the top drawer on the left-hand side of
the safe. He jerked it clumsily from its frame without supporting the
rear, and the next moment it fell heavily to the floor.

"Idiot!" Wolfson hissed, but simultaneously Daiches emitted a cry.

He pointed excitedly to the floor where the drawer lay upside down. A
small velvet-lined tray extended from the rear of the drawer, while
scattered on the floor beneath lay six unset diamonds that winked and
sparkled in the half-light of the shuttered store.

Wolfson made a dart for the stones and had managed to tuck away three
of them in his waistcoat pocket when Borrochson burst into the store
and ran up to the safe.

"What's the matter?" he gasped.

Wolfson wiped his forehead before replying.

"Nothing's the matter," he croaked. "What for you come into the store?
Ain't you agreed you shouldn't?"

"Where did them diamonds come from?" Borrochson demanded, pointing to
the three gems on the dusty floor.

"I dropped a drawer, the top one on the left-hand side," Daiches said,
lifting up the drawer and pointing to the secret slide in its rear,
"and this here little tray jumps out."

Wolfson turned on the little safe dealer with a terrible glare.

"You got to tell everything what you know," he bellowed.

Borrochson smiled grimly.

"I guess it's a good thing that I come in when I did, otherwise you
would of schmeared Daiches a fifty dollar note that he shouldn't tell
me nothing about it, and then you would of copped out them diamonds and
told me you didn't find it nothing. Ain't it?" he said.

Wolfson blushed.

"If you would say I am a thief, Borrochson," he thundered, "I will make
for you a couple blue eyes what you wouldn't like already."

"I ain't saying nothing," Borrochson replied. "All I want is you should
pay me four hundred dollars balance on the safe and twenty-six hundred
and fifty what we agreed on for the store and I am satisfied."

"And how about my five dollars?" Daiches cried.

"That I will pay it you myself," Borrochson said.

"Don't do me no favours, Borrochson," Wolfson exclaimed, "I will settle
with Daiches."

"But," Daiches broke in again, "how about them diamonds