Hugo would go up with it, and then the Yard would be angry.
No!'
He hummed an air, and strolled out into the main corridor to stare at
the curious dial of the time-lock.
'Why not blow up the clock of the time-lock?' ventured the patrol.
'Look here!' said Mr. Galpin, '_you_ ought to know better than that,
even if this other gent doesn't. Any violence to the clock automatically
jams all the connecting levers. Stop the clock, and it's all up. Nothing
but unbuilding the whole place would free the locks after that. And it
would be a mighty smart firm that could unbuild this place inside a
fortnight. No!' he said again. 'No gammon with the clock--unless we
could make it go quicker.'
'Then there's nothing,' Simon stammered.
Mr. Galpin gazed at the young man.
'Assuming I do the job, what's the job worth?' he asked.
'It's worth anything.'
'Is it worth a hundred pounds?'
'Yes.'
'Cash?'
'Yes, I promise it. I will hand you my savings-bank book if you like.'
'I only ask because I have a sort of a notion about that clock. It's a
pendulum clock, and you know how fast a clock ticks when you take the
pendulum away, and the escapement can run free. It does an hour in about
three minutes. Now, if I could get the pendulum out without alarming the
clock .
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