his half-hour to hire a cab and drive to
Blicks. That worthy man received him cordially, for he saw that he was
bent upon great deeds. John Rex rapidly unfolded his plan of operations.
The warehouse doors were fastened with a spring. He would remain behind
after they were locked, and open them at a given signal. A light cart or
cab could be stationed in the lane at the back, three men could fill
it with valuables in as many hours. Did Blicks know of three such men?
Blicks's one eye glistened. He thought he did know. At half-past eleven
they should be there. Was that all? No. Mr. John Rex was not going to
"put up" such a splendid thing for nothing. The booty was worth at least
L5,000 if it was worth a shilling--he must have L100 cash when the cart
stopped at Blicks's door. Blicks at first refused point blank. Let
there be a division, but he would not buy a pig in a poke. Rex was firm,
however; it was his only chance, and at last he got a promise of L80.
That night the glorious achievement known in the annals of Bow Street
as "The Great Silk Robbery" took place, and two days afterwards John Rex
and his partner, dining comfortably at Birmingham, read an account of
the transaction--not in the least like it--in a London paper.

John Rex, who had now fairly broken with dull respectability, bid adieu
to his home, and began to realize his mother's wishes. He was, after his
fashion, a "gentleman". As long as the L80 lasted, he lived in
luxury, and by the time it was spent he had established himself in
his profession. This profession was a lucrative one. It was that of a
swindler. Gifted with a handsome person, facile manner, and ready wit,
he had added to these natural advantages some skill at billiards, some
knowledge of gambler's legerdemain, and the useful consciousness that he
must prey or be preyed on. John Rex was no common swindler; his natural
as well as his acquired abilities saved him from vulgar errors. He saw
that to successfully swindle mankind, one must not aim at comparative,
but superlative, ingenuity. He who is contented with being only cleverer
than the majority must infallibly be outwitted at last, and to be once
outwitted is--for a swindler--to be ruined. Examining, moreover, into
the history of detected crime, John Rex discovered one thing. At the
bottom of all these robberies, deceptions, and swindles, was some lucky
fellow who profited by the folly of his confederates. This gave him
an idea. Suppose he coul