"Patience, my dear sir!" said Frank Howard, taking up the tools with so much of the air of a man accustomed to the handling of them that old Mr. Legare winced and fidgeted.
But Frank speedily took off the lock, and brought it to us for inspection.
"Here! you notice that nothing seems amiss," he said.
"Nothing in the world—I told you that before," replied Mr. Legare.
"Furthermore, if now I were to turn the key, it would remain turned."
"Certainly, while the lock is off the door, it looks exactly right, and behaves exactly right; but just put it on the door and lock it, and in from ten to thirty minutes, more or less, it will fly open."
"Exactly; that is what I am about to explain," said Frank Howard, taking up a flat, smooth piece of board, and laying it upon the table; and then he took the lock, laid it on the board, screwed it tightly, turned the key and said:
"It is not the circumstance of this lock being attached to the door that has caused it to act in this manner; for I will prove to you that if the same lock be screwed tightly to any other resisting object—as, for instance, this board—it will act in the same irregular manner. Watch it now, and you will see."
We did so, and in a few minutes we saw the catch fly back, as before.
"I will tell you the reason," said Mr. Howard, unscrewing the lock from the board and inviting us to look on.