“That’s so,” Uncle Zach rejoined, and in a minute he was explaining to the lady the intricacies of the lock.
“The word is ‘John,’” he said. “That’s our little boy who died and is down in the cemetry. For J you give four turns so; for O three turns so; for H two turns so; for N a final jerk, and here you be. No you ain’t neither! What ails the pesky thing?” he exclaimed, as with all his right and left turns and twists and yanks the safe resisted his efforts to open it.
He tried again with no better result; then yielded his place to Mrs. Tracy, to whom he gave the most minute directions. She, too, failed and after two or three trials called to Celine, whom she heard on the piazza.
“It’s strength we need, and Celine has it,” she said, explaining to the girl what was wanted and crouching down by her as she tried her skill on the obdurate lock.
Uncle Zach had lost his wits entirely, and went down on his knees to assist with advice and orders.
“Whew!” came through the window in a tone of surprise, and the next moment Jeff came in like a whirlwind, and made the fourth in the group by the safe. “What are you up to?” he asked, and at sight of him Mrs. Tracy, remembering what Alice had told her, rose to her feet.
Celine, however, had no such prejudice, and she explained the matter very volubly.
“Pshaw!” Jeff said contemptuously. “Is that all? I’ll bet I can pick the lock, give me time. Any way, I can open it. I’ve seen Mark do it a hundred times. Get out of the way.”
He spoke to Celine, but Mr. Taylor and Mrs. Tracy both stepped back with Celine, leaving Jeff a fair field. It did not take him long to open the door, and with an “I told you I could,” he disappeared, leaving Mrs. Tracy no better off than she was before. She could not open the door after it was shut, for she tried it until she was tired, and scorning to ask Jeff to teach her, gave it up, saying she supposed she was foolish in wishing to look at her diamonds whenever she chose without calling on any one to assist her, but something made her very nervous about them.
“Dot gets nervous spells, too, about nothin’. It’s the way of wimmen,” Uncle Zacheus said. “I guess we better not let Mark know we tinkered with his safe. He’d be awful mad.”