No one
would have suspected that he had recently done eighteen months anywhere
but in a first-class hotel; even his thin hands were white, and if his
hair was a little short--well, the hair of very many respectable persons
is often a little short. It appeared that he was under obligations to
Inspector Winter, and anxious to oblige. The relations between
distinguished law-breakers and distinguished detectives are frequently
such as can only exist between artists who esteem each other. For the
rest, Mr. Galpin had brought a brown bag.
'You see, the time-lock is placed so that--' began the patrol.
'Shut up!' said Mr. Galpin curtly. 'I know all that. I've got
scale-plans of every Safe Deposit in London, and I decided long since
that this one was too good to try. Of course, with the aid of the entire
staff things might be a bit easier, but not much--not much!' he
repeated scornfully. 'If I can manage a job at all, I can usually manage
it alone, and in spite of the entire staff.'
'I suppose you couldn't burn the door of the vault with oxy-hydrogen?'
Simon suggested.
'Yes, I could,' said Mr. Galpin; 'and with the brand of steel used here
I should get through about this time to-morrow. I could blow the bally
vault up with gun-cotton in something under two seconds, but no doubt
your Mr.
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