“No—not this way,” he admitted.
“Takes years to learn and there’s not much money in it,” said Mr. Stark sadly. “Spoilt by foreigners this trade is, ruined by competition and outsiders, like everything else. Americans mostly. Why they don’t keep in their own country I don’t know. Very smart fellows—I’ll say that, though they’re taking the bread out of our mouths; but we’ve got as good men if they only had a bit of encouragement and capital behind ’em.”
The door swung out.
“There you are, sir!”
Gordon peered over the man’s shoulder.
“Open?” he asked, in a tone which combined surprise and annoyance. The man who sold him the safe was indeed a teller of untrue stories.
“Yes.”
“Show the light. Here it is. Moses! there’s not ten thousand there!”
He grasped what there was, and raised his head to listen—somebody was coming down the stairs.
“Now go quick—there’s somebody coming. Here, take this!”