“That’s the six of you. But now you have seen everything, do you really think six will be enough?”
“Sir,” said Brentin, “six stalwarts of our crew have been confided in. They will be furnished with linen bags to collect the boodle, directly the tables are cleared of the croupiers and gamblers by us; in fact, acting on your kind hint, longshore suits have been provided them in which they have already rehearsed.”
“Not in the rooms?”
“Sir, they were there mid-day just before you came, and their behavior was as scroopulous as the late Lord Nelson’s.”
“Was there any difficulty made about their cards?”
“Why, none whatever. They went in in pairs, and each told a different lie: one pair were staying at the ‘Metropôle,’ another at the ‘de Paris,’ and another at the ‘S. James.’ They were well coached and they are brainy fellows. They were informed they must behave like ornaments of high-toned society, and not expectorate on the floor; and they paraded in couples, ejaculating Haw, demmy!”
“Really!” murmured Bailey Thompson, “these people deserve to be raided. And that is your yacht, I suppose, lying off there—the Amaranth, isn’t it?”
“That is the Amaranth, sir. At 9.30 to-morrow—I should say Saturday!—Saturday night, she will have orders to get as close up to the shore as quickly as she can. If you will step this way, sir, down on to the terrace here, we will have pleasure in showing you the spot marked out by Nature and Providence for our retreat.”
When we showed him the board with défense d’entrée au public on it, the steps leading down on to the railway line, the broken piece of embankment, so few feet above the shore, Bailey Thompson gave a low whistle.
“Lord! how simple it is,” he murmured. “Now you’d think people would take better care than that of property of such enormous value, wouldn’t you?”