Page:Arthur Stringer - The Hand of Peril.djvu/282

 that no click of the latch might betray his movements. And to open it meant much delicate work with the "spider" and the five "skeletons" which he always carried, the same as he carried his watch and his cigar-case.

That new task would have to be noiseless, and to render it so meant much nursing of naked metal, uncounted cautious movements of the fingers, slow and tentative pryings and turnings of delicately insinuated steel flanges, careful withdrawals and stowing away of unneeded metallic objects which must never be allowed to clink together.

But he conquered the lock, in time. Then, with equally studious precaution, he slowly slipped inside and closed the door after him. Then the explorations began anew.

He found himself in a small fire-proofed chamber, as bald as a tomb and quite as dark. He could even touch the metal roof, and set in its centre found one electric-light bulb. But this he could not use, much as he wanted to. For the emptiness of that little iron-clad room was a puzzle to him. Then he realised that it must have been equipped as a strong box, a treasure vault, for holding valuables in transit.

But he had little time to give it thought. His task was still to reach the telephone. He remembered that he had lost time, when time might be precious. He stood studying the matter out. Then he concluded the pier-office must be somewhere close beside this treasure-room. So he emerged again into the more open space of the high-arched pier-shed, listening and staring through the blackness to make sure