after you with a stick."

"Ssh!"

The footsteps sounded loud on the stone walk. Then a helmeted figure
passed the alley, and went on its way.

Waiting until the sound died in the distance, the two stepped to the walk,
looked hastily toward each corner, and ran across the street. Once in the
station alley, they paused again.

"Look!" said Harvey, pointing; "he left the ladder."

Sure enough, a light ladder reached from the ground nearly to a
second-story window, which stood open.

"Well, here we are," Mattison whispered. "How do you feel?"

"First-class. Better let me go,--I know the combination."

Mattison stood at the foot of the ladder, and steadied it while Harvey
stealthily climbed to the window. Drawing himself into the passage, the
receiver set to work on the vault lock. He turned the knob very slowly,
guarding against the slightest noise, but the faint light that came
through the window was not enough to bring out the numbers. Harvey leaned
back and considered. The scratching of a match would almost surely be
heard by the detectives. He leaned out the window, and beckoned. Mattison
came creeping up, and Harvey explained in a few whispered sentences. "Go
back and look up the street," he concluded. "We've got to light it outside
the building."