A thin sheet of paper covered the opening upon the ceiling in the room below them, through which a light could be seen shining dimly and the sounds of men's voices distinctly heard.
The woman now seated herself likewise upon the floor, and, in common with the boy, bent over the hole.
Had they been in the chamber beneath them, they could not have heard the words of its occupants more plainly.
Sound rises, as is well known to every one. Through the round opening every syllable uttered fell with startling distinctness upon their ears.
"I tell you the job's an immense one, Rube, whether Sam Cutts can see it or not."
"That's old Callister," murmured Jerry in a low whisper.
"Hush!" replied the woman, speaking in tones equally low, at the same time holding up her hand. "I know his wicked voice only too well, I'm not likely to forget the voice of one who has brought the ruin he has done upon me and mine."
"Well, I'm not kicking," came a man's voice up the tube.
"The plan looks all right, and Lije talks all right. It's a big scheme on paper, but the question is, won't it prove another Webster bank affair? Providin' it works, will there be enough shug in the vault to pay us for our trouble? That's what I want to know in advance."
"Why, it's the Clearing House for all the other banks, man," replied Callister's voice, impatiently. "There's always money, thousands upon thousands, in the vaults of the Lispenard bank, I'm a director in it myself, and I guess I ought to know."