and we haven't got to the
bottom of it yet I want that other door open now."

They descended to the crypt again, and paused before the locked iron
door, which, thanks to the experience gained in opening the others of
the same make, the workmen forced in the course of an hour, and at the
first flash in of a bull's-eye lantern a suppressed hiss of excitement
escaped from the officer's lips.

"At last!" he muttered. "It's murder, then, after all, but where's the
girl?"

For there, just as they had been carried in, ready for future disposal,
lay side by side, in the bottom of the roomy iron closet, the bodies of
the two servants, each with a bullet wound in the head, such an one as
would produce almost instant death.

They were carried out and laid upon a broad table of massive make, and
as soon as this was done the superintendent examined the iron closet,
whose back was covered with a perfect nest of drawers, one of which on
being opened proved to be full of carefully-done-up rouleaux, the
greater part of the rest being similarly filled.

One of the rouleaux was torn open, and a portion of its contents poured
into the officer's hand.

"Sovereigns," he said. "Why, they must have had to do with some bank.
Eh, what?"

"Duffers," said the constable addressed as Dick. "A gang of smashers."

"It isn't a time for making jokes," said another of the men, who was
handling a couple of sovereigns, "or I'd say you was a duffer. Look at
that; hark at this."

He handed one coin to the man, and rang another on the heavy table, for
it to give out the true sound of sterling gold.

"No smashing here," said the superintendent.

"Then what does all this mean?" said Dick, directing the light of the
lantern he carried across to the far end of the vault. "There's all the
tackle--rolling mill, die stamps, and the rest of it."

"Bah! coiners melt their stuff and electro-gild it. These are right
enough, and there's a big sum of money in there. Here, to work at once;
I must have that door back in its place and the front sealed up."

His man shook his head, and while the superintendent was busy directing
the workmen, the constable carefully examined the elaborate machinery,
and came upon a couple of chests full of little ingots which seemed to
be of the right size for rolling out and stamping into coin.

"I know!" he muttered at last.

"What do you know?" said the superintendent.

"They must be South Africa people with a go