It was manifest that Officer 666 was sorely tempted. To goad him further Travers Gladwin produced a little roll of yellow-backed bills from his pocket. Fluttering the bills deftly he stripped off one engraved with an “M” in one corner and “500” in the other. He turned it about several ways so that Phelan could study it from all angles. Then he fluttered it before Whitney Barnes and said:
“Say, Barnes, there’s something really handsome about these yellow-backs, isn’t there? Notice how that five and those two naughts are engraved? And it’s amazing how much a slip of paper like this will buy.”
This was too much for Phelan. He reached for the bill and grabbed it, stuffed it into his trousers pocket and began unbuttoning his coat. Suddenly he stopped.
“Say,” he sputtered. “S’pose there should be a robbery on my beat?”
“That would be fine,” said Gladwin. “I’d be a credit to you.”
“Or a murder?”
“Better still.”
“Oh, the risk is awful,” groaned Phelan. He started to button up his coat again when Rose’s taunt came back to him. This time the tempter delivered a vital blow and he tore off his uniform coat and passed it to the young man. Gladwin slipped it on over his other clothes. It fitted snugly. It just happened that the suit he wore was dark blue and his trousers matched accurately.
“Now the bonnet,” he said, reaching for the uniform cap and removing it from Phelan’s head.