"'Why, these days, if a man wishes to divorce the family jewels an'
is afraid of his wife, the house is always entered by a burglar.
My dear sir, the burglar is an ever-present help in time of
trouble. It's a pity that we have no Gentleman's Home Journal in
which poor but deservin' husbands could find encouragement an'
inspiration.'

"He looked at me an' laughed.

"'Suppose you engage a trusty and reliable burglar?' he proposed.

"'There's only one in the world.' I said.

"'Who is it?'

"'Thomas Robinson Barrow. Of course, I'm not sayin' that if I
needed a burglar he's just the man I should choose, but for this
job he's the only reliable burglar. Try him.'

"He seemed to be highly amused.

"'But it might be difficult to fool the police,' he said, in a
minute.

"'Well, it isn't absolutely necessary, you know,' I suggested.
'The Chief of Police is a friend of mine.'

"'Good! I'm engaged for this job, and will sell the jewels and
turn the money over to you.'