Ambrose Sault put his hand into the fold of his shabby jacket and brought out a bundle of documents. "They are here," he said in a matter of fact tone. "Moropulos says that you must keep them. They may get a warrant to search his house."
"Keep them—I?" Merville almost screamed, "Moropulos is a fool—burn them!"
Sault shook his head. "Steppe say 'no'. They may be useful later. You must keep them, doctor. It is Steppe's wish. Tomorrow I will start working on the safe."
Dr. Merville took the papers from the outstretched hand and looked around helplessly. There was a steel box on his desk. He took out his key, looked again and more dubiously at the packet of letters and dropped them into the box. "What is this safe, Sault? I know that you are a devilish clever fellow with your hands and Moropulos mentioned something about a safe. You are not making it?"
Sault nodded and there was a gleam in his fine eyes.
"But why? Moropulos has a safe and Steppe must possess dozens. Why not buy another, if he must have a special place for these wretched things?"
"You cannot buy the safe that I shall make," said the dark man quietly. "It has taken me a year to invent the dial—eh? Yes, combination. They are easy, but not this one. A word will open it, any other word, any other combination of letters, and there will be nothing to find."
The doctor frowned.
"You mean if any other person—the police for example, try to open the safe the contents are destroyed?"
Sault nodded.