“But the lock?”
“No, it’s a double combination lock. You know what that is?”
“Search me,” said the American.
“Well, you need a word as well as a set of figures before you can get the lock to work.” He rose and showed a double-radiating disc round the keyhole. “This outer one is for the letters, the inner one for the figures.”
“Well, well, that’s fine.”
“So it’s not quite as simple as you thought. It was four years ago that I had it made, and what do you think I chose for the word and figures?”
“It’s beyond me.”
“Well, I chose August for the word, and 1914 for the figures, and here we are.”
The American’s face showed his surprise and admiration.
“My, but that was smart! You had it down to a fine thing.”