I never saw a more innocent-looking bit of furniture; it might have stood in a lady's dressing-room.

The signorina went up to it and _slid_ it gently on one side; it moved in a groove! Then she pressed a spot in the wall behind and a small piece of it rolled aside, disclosing a keyhole.
"He's taken the key, of course," she said.

"We must break it open.
Who's got a hammer ?" Tools were procured, and, working under the signorina's directions, after a good deal of trouble, we laid bare a neat little safe embedded in the wall.

This safe was legibly inscribed on the outside "Burglar's Puzzle." We however, were not afraid of making a noise, and it only puzzled us for ten minutes.
When opened it revealed a Golconda! There lay in securities and cash no less than five hundred thousand dollars! We smiled at one another.
"A sad revelation!" I remarked.
"Hoary old fox!" said the colonel.
No wonder the harbor works were unremunerative in their early stages.
The President must have kept them at a very early stage.
"What are you people up to ?" cried Carr.
"Rank burglary, my dear boy," I replied, and we retreated with our spoil.
"Now," said I to the colonel, "what are you going to do ?" "Why, what do you think, Mr.Martin ?" interposed the signorina.

"He's going to give you your money, and divide the rest with his sincere friend Christina Nugent." "Well, I suppose so," said the colonel.