"I shall be glad to get away from here for a few days, any'ow," he
said; "it's so 'ot and close, and when you go near the safe in the
other horfice it's just as though you stood by a roaring fire. Good
thing, Mr. John, that the thing is fire-proof, or we might have the
whole show burned down, as Mr. Ambrose hisself was saying. 'Very 'ot
for the time of year, James,' says he, and 'burnin, 'ot,' says I. We'll
find it cooler at Brighton, Mr. John, and perhaps we can go to the
pictures, though I'm fed up with all them rotten stories about crooks
and such like, and so are you, I'm sure."
Mr. John said that he was, though he was surprised at such an opinion
emanating from James. When they locked up the inner office--their
master being gone home--they discovered in the fire-grate the ashes of
what had been a formidable-looking document, and it really did seem as
though the concrete upon which the great safe stood had become quite
hot, but there was no visible sign of fire, and so they went off,
wondering and contented, but by no means in a mood of exhilaration, as
properly they should have been.
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