第45章 THE ADVENT OF GRIGGS(3)

"Just what do you mean by that?" Mary demanded, suspiciously.

"For rough work," he said, "I have this." He took a magazine pistol from his pocket.It was of an odd shape, with a barrel longer than is usual and a bell-shaped contrivance attached to the muzzle.

"No, no, Joe," Mary cried, greatly discomposed."None of that--ever!"The forger smiled, and there was malignant triumph in his expression.

"Pooh!" he exclaimed."Even if I used it, they would never get on to me.See this?" He pointed at the strange contrivance on the muzzle.

Mary's curiosity made her forget for a moment her distaste.

"What is it?" she asked, interestedly."I have never seen anything like that before.""Of course you haven't," Garson answered with much pride."I'm the first man in the business to get one, and I'll bet on it.Ikeep up with the times." For once, he was revealing that fundamental egotism which is the characteristic of all his kind.

"That's one of the new Maxim silencers," he continued."With smokeless powder in the cartridges, and the silencer on, I can make a shot from my coat-pocket, and you wouldn't even know it had been done....And I'm some shot, believe me.""Impossible!" Mary ejaculated.

"No, it ain't," the man asserted."Here, wait, I'll show you.""Good gracious, not here!" Mary exclaimed in alarm."We would have the whole place down on us."Garson chuckled.

"You just watch that dinky little vase on the table across the room there.'Tain't very valuable, is it?""No," Mary answered.

In the same instant, while still her eyes were on the vase, it fell in a cascade of shivered glass to the table and floor.She had heard no sound, she saw no smoke.Perhaps, there had been a faintest clicking noise.She was not sure.She stared dumfounded for a few seconds, then turned her bewildered face toward Garson, who was grinning in high enjoyment.

"I would'nt have believed it possible," she declared, vastly impressed.

"Neat little thing, ain't it?" the man asked, exultantly.

"Where did you get it?" Mary asked.

"In Boston, last week.And between you and me, Mary, it's the only model, and it sure is a corker for crime."The sinister association of ideas made Mary shudder, but she said no more.She would have shuddered again, if she could have guessed the vital part that pistol was destined to play.But she had no thought of any actual peril to come from it.She might have thought otherwise, could she have known of the meeting that night in the back room of Blinkey's, where English Eddie and Garson sat with their heads close together over a table.

"A chance like this," Griggs was saying, "a chance that will make a fortune for all of us.""It sounds good," Garson admitted, wistfully.

"It is good," the other declared with an oath."Why, if this goes through, we're set up for life.We can quit, all of us.""Yes," Garson agreed, "we can quit, all of us." There was avarice in his voice.

The tempter was sure that the battle was won, and smiled contentedly.

"Well," he urged, "what do you say?"

"How would we split it?" It was plain that Garson had given over the struggle against greed.After all, Mary was only a woman, despite her cleverness, and with all a woman's timidity.Here was sport for men.

"Three ways would be right," Griggs answered."One to me, one to you and one to be divided up among the others."Garson brought his fist down on the table with a force that made the glasses jingle.

"You're on," he said, strongly.

"Fine!" Griggs declared, and the two men shook hands."Now, I'll get----""Get nothing!" Garson interrupted."I'll get my own men.

Chicago Red is in town.So is Dacey, with perhaps a couple of others of the right sort.I'll get them to meet you at Blinkey's at two to-morrow afternoon, and, if it looks right, we'll turn the trick to-morrow night.""That's the stuff," Griggs agreed, greatly pleased.

But a sudden shadow fell on the face of Garson.He bent closer to his companion, and spoke with a fierce intensity that brooked no denial.

"She must never know."

Griggs nodded understandingly.

"Of course," he answered."I give you my word that I'll never tell her.And you know you can trust me, Joe.""Yes," the forger replied somberly, "I know I can trust you."But the shadow did not lift from his face.