Next he turned his
attention to the lacquered coffin which occupied the
corresponding recess to that filled by the couch. It was an
extraordinarily ornate piece of lacquer work and probably of
great value.
The lid appeared to be screwed on, and Durham stood staring at
the thing, half revolted and half fascinated. He failed to
discover any means of opening it, however, and when he tried to
move it bodily found it very heavy. He came to the conclusion
that all the portable valuables were contained in locked cases or
cabinets, and out of this discovery grew an idea.
The case containing the snuff bottles stood too close to the wall
to enable him to test his new theory, but a square case near the
office door, in which were five of six small but almost priceless
pieces of porcelain, afforded the very evidence for which he was
looking.
Thin electric flex descended from somewhere inside the case down
one of the legs of the pedestal, and through a neatly drilled
hole in the floor, evidently placed there to accommodate it.
"Burglar alarm!" he muttered.
The opening of this case, and doubtless of any of the others,
would set alarm bells ringing. This was not an unimportant
discovery, but it brought him very little nearer to a solution of
the chief problem which engaged his mind.
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