"Well, he got in one backhanded blow over his right shoulder, which he
thinks caught the burglar in the face; but the fellow caught him by the
elbow, and gave his arm such a twist that he dropped the truncheon on
the floor."
"Is the robbery a very extensive one?"
"Ah!" exclaimed Mr. Loewe, "that is just what we cannot say. But I fear
it is. It seems that my brother had quite recently drawn out of his bank
four thousand pounds in notes and gold. These little transactions are
often carried out in cash rather than by cheque"--here I caught a
twinkle in Thorndyke's eve--"and the caretaker says that a few days ago
Isaac brought home several parcels, which were put away temporarily in a
strong cupboard. He seemed to be very pleased with his new acquisitions,
and gave the caretaker to understand that they were of extraordinary
rarity and value.
"Now, this cupboard has been cleared out. Not a vestige is left in it
but the wrappings of the parcels, so, although nothing else has been
touched, it is pretty clear that goods to the value of four thousand
pounds have been taken; but when we consider what an excellent buyer my
brother is, it becomes highly probable that the actual value of those
things is two or three times that amount, or even more.
Pages:
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151