"You regarded it as in a way the foundation stone of your business prosperity?"
"It was our first sale."
"What, if you recollect, was the number of the safe—an old-fashioned article, I presume?"
"Somewhat antiquated in style, sir. I have consulted our books, at the request of the officer—Mr. McCausland, I think. The number of the safe sold to Benjamin Arnold was 1863."
"Were you here," asked Shagarach, "when Prof. Borrowscales read out the number which was jotted down upon a sheet of paper in Floyd's desk?"
"I was. I was struck at the identity."
"You have no means of knowing, however, whether or not that number was a memorandum of the date in the life of Bakunin, the anarchistic writer?"
"I have not."
"Mr. McCausland, again," said the district attorney.
For the third time the inspector came to the box from the ante-room through the door at which he watched and listened.