“That would seem to indicate he is conspiring to rob you.”
“This very day, noticing the change in him, I offered him a week’s vacation. He promptly declined to take it.”
“Of course. It would conflict with the plans of his confederate. I don’t know the man, but I do know human nature, and I venture to predict that your safe will be opened within a week. Do you keep anything of value in it?”
“There are my books, which are of great value to me.”
“But not to a thief. Anything else?”
“Yes; I have a tin box containing four thousand dollars in government bonds.”
“Coupon or registered?”
“Coupon.”
“Nothing could be better—for a burglar. What on earth could induce you to keep the bonds in your own safe?”
“To tell the truth, I considered them quite as safe there as in the bank. Banks are more likely to be robbed than private individuals.”