force.
He took out a pocket-book, opened it, displayed a respectable bundle of bank-notes and asked:
"How much?"
The other looked at him with an air of bewilderment, as though he found a difficulty in understanding what Kesselbach meant. Then, after a moment, he called:
"Marco!"
The man with the revolver stepped forward.
"Marco, this gentleman is good enough to offer you a few bits of paper for your young woman. Take them, Marco."
Still aiming his revolver with his right hand, Marco put out his left, took the notes and withdrew.
"Now that this question is settled according to your wishes," resumed the stranger, "let us come to the object of my visit. I will be brief and to the point. I want two things. In the first place, a little black morocco pocket-case, shaped like an envelope, which you generally carry on you. Secondly, a small ebony box, which was in that traveling-bag yesterday. Let us proceed in order. The morocco case?"
"Burnt."
The stranger knit his brows. He must have had a vision of the good old days when there were peremptory methods of making the contumacious speak:
"Very well. We shall see about that. And the ebony box?"
"Burnt."
"Ah," he growled, "you're getting at me, my good man!" He twisted the other's arm with a pitiless hand. "Yesterday, Rudolf Kesselbach, you walked into the Crédit Lyonnais, on the Boulevard des Italiens, hiding a parcel under your overcoat. You hired a safe.. let us be exact: safe No. 16, in recess No. 9. After signing the book and paying your safe-rent, you went down to the basement; and, when you came up again, you no longer had your parcel with you. Is that correct?"
"Quite."
"Then the box and the pocket-case are at the Crédit Lyonnais?"
"No."
"Give me the key of your safe."
"No."
"Marco!"
Marco ran up.
"Look sharp, Marco! The quadruple knot!"
Before he had even time to stand on the defensive, Rudolf Kesselbach was tied up in a network of cords that cut into his flesh at the least attempt which he made to struggle. His arms were fixed behind his back, his body fastened to the chair and his legs tied together like the legs of a mummy.
"Search him, Marco."
Marco searched him. Two minutes after, he handed his chief a little flat, nickel-plated key, bearing the numbers 16 and 9.
"Capital. No morocco pocket-case?"
"No, governor."
"It is in the safe. Mr. Kesselbach, will you tell me the secret cypher that opens the lock?"
"No."
"You refuse?"
"Yes."
"Marco!"
"Yes, governor."
"Place the barrel of your revolver against the gentleman's temple."
"It's there."
"Now put your finger to the trigger."
"Ready."
"Well, Kesselbach, old chap, do you intend to speak?"
"No."
"I'll give you ten seconds, and not one more. Marco!"
"Yes, governor."
"In ten seconds, blow out the gentleman's brains."
"Right you are, governor."
"Kesselbach, I'm counting. One, two, three, four, five, six."
Rudolph Kesselbach made a sign.
"You want to speak?"
"Yes."
"You're just in time. Well, the cypher.. the word for the lock?"
"Dolor."
"Dolor.. Dolor.. Mrs. Kesselbach's name is Dolores, I believe? You dear boy!.. Marco, go and do as I told you… No mistake, mind! I'll repeat it: meet Jérôme at the omnibus office, give him the key, tell him the word: Dolor. Then, the two of you, go to the Crédit Lyonnais. Jérôme is to walk in alone, sign the name-book, go down to the basement and bring away everything in the safe. Do you quite understand?"
"Yes, governor. But if the safe shouldn't open; if the word Dolor."
"Silence, Marco. When you come out of the Crédit Lyonnais, you must leave Jérôme, go to your own place and telephone the result of the operation to me. Should the word Dolor by any chance fail to open the safe, we (my friend Rudolf Kesselbach and I) will have one.. last.. interview. Kesselbach, you're quite sure you're not mistaken?"
"Yes."
"That means that you rely upon the futility of the search. We shall see. Be off, Marco!"
"What about you, governor?"
"I shall stay. Oh, I'm not afraid! I've never been in less danger than at this moment. Your orders about the door were positive, Kesselbach, were they not?"
"Yes."
"Dash it all, you seemed very eager to get that said! Can you have been trying to gain time? If so, I should be caught in a trap like a fool.." He stopped to think, looked at his prisoner and concluded, "No.. it's not possible.. we shall not be disturbed."
He had not finished speaking, when the door-bell rang. He pressed his hand violently on Rudolf Kesselbach's mouth:
"Oh, you old fox, you were expecting some one!"
The captive's eyes gleamed with hope. He could be heard chuckling under the hand that stifled him.
The stranger shook with rage:
"Hold your tongue, or I'll strangle you! Here, Marco, gag him! Quick!.. That's it!"
The bell rang again. He shouted, as though he himself were Kesselbach and as though Edwards were still there:
"Why don't you open the door, Edwards?"
Then he went softly into the lobby and, pointing to the secretary and the manservant, whispered:
"Marco, help me shift these two into the bedroom.. over there.. so that they can't be seen."
He lifted the secretary. Marco carried the servant.
"Good! Now go back to the sitting-room."
He followed him in and at once returned to the lobby and said, in a loud tone of astonishment:
"Why, your man's not here,
