"Indeed!" said the manager. "I shall never be surprised at anything again, after to-day."
Nobody knew but Rankin himself what was coming on. Several detectives had had special work allotted to them, but this was all they knew, and the small lawyer sat with apparent composure until it was time to call his first witness.
Mr. St. George Le Mesurier Hector Northcote was the first witness called, and his fashionable outfit created some amusement among the "unwashed." Rankin, with a certain malignity, made him give his name in full, which, together with his affected utterance, interested those who were capable of smiling.
After some formal questions, Rankin unrolled a parcel, shook out a waistcoat with a large pattern on it, and handed it to the witness.
"Did you ever see that waistcoat before?"
"Oh, yes. It belongs to Mr. Hampstead. At least it used to belong to him."
"When did you see it last?"
"Up in his rooms a few evenings ago."
"That was the night of the day the fifty thousand dollars was stolen from the bank?"
"Yes."