"He's taken the key, of course," she said. "We must break it open. Who's got a hammer?"
Tools were procured, and, working under the signorina's directions, after a good deal of trouble, we laid bare a neat little safe embedded in the wall. This safe was legibly inscribed on the outside "Burglar's Puzzle." We however, were not afraid of making a noise, and it only puzzled us for ten minutes.
When opened it revealed a Golconda! There lay in securities and cash no less than five hundred thousand dollars!
No wonder the harbor works were unremunerative in their early stages. The President must have kept them at a very early stage.
"Rank burglary, my dear boy," I replied, and we retreated with our spoil.
"Now," said I to the colonel, "what are you going to do?"
"Why, what do you think, Mr. Martin?" interposed the signorina. "He's going to give you your money, and divide the rest with his sincere friend Christina Nugent."
"Well, I suppose so," said the colonel. "But it strikes me you're making a good thing of this, Martin."
"My dear colonel," said I, "a bargain is a bargain; and where would you have been without my money?"
The colonel made no reply, but handed me the money, which I liked much better. I took the three hundred and twenty thousand dollars and said:
"Now, I can face the world, an honest man."
"_I_ am glad," she said, "chiefly for poor old Jones' sake. It'll take a load off his mind."
The colonel proceeded to divide the remainder into two little heaps, of which he pushed one over to the signorina. She took it gayly, and said:
"Now I shall make curl papers of half my bonds, and I shall rely on the--what do you call it?--the Provisional Government to pay the rest. You remember about the house?"
"I'll see about that soon," said the colonel impatiently. "You two seem to think there's nothing to do but take the money. You forget we've got to make our position safe."
"Exactly. The colonel's government must be carried on," said I.
The signorina did not catch the allusion. She yawned, and said:
"Oh, then, I shall go. Rely on my loyalty, your Excellency."
She made him a courtesy and went to the door. As I opened it for her she whispered, "Horrid old bear! Come and see me, Jack," and so vanished, carrying off her dollars.