This he inserted; and in a moment a bolt turned
back with a slow, dull sound. Turning the knob, he pushed the door,
and was inside the secret chamber. This room was certainly a 'Camera
obscura;' for it had no windows or any outlet save the door by which
the robber had entered. In the most distant corner was a vault, the
door of which was fastened by heavy clamps of steel and padlocks. But
the padlocks were of the very kind with which The Lifter was most
familiar; and ere a minute elapsed the heavy bolts were let down. But
it took all the muscle of which the robber was master to open the
ponderous door; and when it did move out, snowing the dark cavity
through the yawning mouth, it gave no squeak; for the operator had
deftly placed a few drops of oil within the hinges.
'_Fortuna favet trepidis_,' he said, never having heard of an
accusative case.
The next moment he was kneeling before the safe and studying the
difficulties that lay in his way. The combinations that so completely
defy the pick-lock in these modern days were not known then; so that
after five minutes' operations, the convert had the heavy metal door
open.
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