In the vast pile of buildings owned by James O'Donnell in Rathclare,
by day several hundred men were employed, by night several score; for
the steam mills were kept going day and night, and got no rest from
year's end to year's end, save from twelve o'clock on Saturday night
to six o'clock on Monday morning.
In the portion of the buildings devoted to milling operations most of
the night-men were employed. In fact, so far as active employment was
concerned, no men were engaged anywhere else in the place. There were,
however, three watchmen for the other portions of the building. One of
these was outside in the yard fronting the river, another was on the
ground-floor of the granaries, and it was the duty of the third to
wander about the upper lofts and corridors.
Of late these men had been cautioned to observe greater vigilance. It
was well known in Rathclare that the strong-room of James O'Donnell
always contained a large sum of money, and sometimes a very large sum.
The man whose duty it was to examine the lofts passed along the
corridor leading to the private office. All was right, so far. He
always made it a habit to pause and listen at the door of the private
room; for if an attempt was to be made upon the safe it should be from
this place. The man went on in a leisurely way, ascended the next
ladder he met, strolled along the lofts, ascended another ladder, sat
down on a pile of empty sacks, and lit his pipe. Smoking was not, of
course, allowed, but then there was no one to see him.
When he had finished his pipe he ascended to the top loft and walked
all round from one end of the building to the other, pausing now and
then to listen at the head of a ladder or at a trap-door, or to look
out of a window into the deserted street below. This took a long time,
for there was no need of haste. It was an understood thing among the
watchmen that each should speak to the other two about once an hour.
Thus it would be known each hour that all was well throughout the
building.
The watchman now began to descend. He went down more rapidly than he
came up. It was quite dark, and the silence was unbroken save by the
noise of the machinery and the swirl of the river as it swept past the
wharf and quays and ships below, and whispered among the chains and
ropes.
The three men generally met in fine weather such as this on the wharf.
It was pleasant to the two men, whose business lay indoors, to breathe
for a few moments the cool air by the river. From the wharf no portion
of the offices could be seen. They looked into the great quadrangle
round which the granaries were built.
When the three men had stood and interchanged a few words they
separated, each of the two going in his own direction, the third man
remaining on the wharf. The man whose duty lay on the upper floors
passed into the large quadrangle, round which the granaries stood. At
first he noticed nothing remarkable; but when his eyes fell on the
windows of James O'Donnell's office he started visibly, and uttered an
exclamation of surprise under his breath.
The windows were full of light!
What should he do? What could this mean?
He had, of course, heard of the misfortunes which had fallen upon his
master's house that day, but he made no connection between that fact
and this extraordinary appearance. The warning against possible
burglars was uppermost in his mind. Although he was nearly sure no one
was then in that office for an honest purpose, still he resolved to
proceed with the greatest caution, and give no unnecessary alarm.
He went out on the wharf and told the other man what he had seen. They
both agreed that it would now be useless to try and overtake their
other comrade, and that it would be best for the two of them to go to
the office at once and see how matters stood there.
When they got indoors they took off their boots and proceeded
cautiously to the foot of the stairs leading to the offices. Each
carried a stout stick in his hand, and each man was physically
qualified to take care of himself in a scuffle.
They agreed it wouldn't do to get some more of the hands from the mill
and proceed to the office as though they were sure of finding burglars
there; for how could they tell that it was not the manager, or their
employer himself, who had been obliged to come back owing to some
urgent business?
They crept cautiously up the stairs and found themselves in the
corridor, upon which the office door opened. Here all was dark and
silent. Here they were confronted by a difficulty they had not
anticipated. If it should be that the manager or the proprietor had
come back at this unseasonable hour, the proper thing would be, of
course, to knock at the door and ask if all were right.
But supposing there were burglars inside, knocking at the door would
be simply to put them on their guard, and enable them to take up a
defensive or offensive position before the others could enter:
What was to be done?
As if by a common instinct, the two men retired to the further end of
the passage to hold a brief council.
There was no means of escaping from that room except by this passage
or the window. That window was not barred, and nothing could be easier
than to get from it by a ladder or a rope. The first thing, therefore,
to be ascertained was--did a ladder or a rope lead from that window to
the ground of the quadrangle?
It was then agreed between the two that one of them should go down and
examine the window from the outside, while the other waited in the
passage here and watched, the door until his fellow came back.
One of the men descended to the ground-floor, got out into the
quadrangle, and looked at the window, and the ground near the window.
It was a dark night, and one could not see small objects distinctly.
The man was not content with the evidence of his eyes alone. He stole
over under the window, and placing his hand against the wall, walked
forward and backward, ascertaining by touch that neither ladder nor
rope connected the window with the yard. When he was satisfied on this
point, he stole back to his companion and communicated the fact to
him.
So far all was well. They had not now to think of any means of exit
but the one before them. Still it was not easy to know what to do. Now
it occurred to them for the first time that it was not at all
consistent with the belief burglars were at work that the gas should
be fully ablaze. Although there never had been an attempt to rob the
mill on a large scale, or by violence, and the watchmen had no
personal experience of burglars yet, it was their business to know
something about how that predatory tribe carry on their operations.
It was not likely such men would attempt to force the door of a
strong-room, made on the very best principles, with the light turned
fully up. A dark lantern and silent matches were more the manner of
the midnight thief than the great openness and defiance of gas.
It must surely be someone connected with the business. It was well
they had not made a fuss about the matter, and now it would be well
that they should delay no longer to prove their diligence by showing
they had observed the unusual fact of the gas being burning.
Yes, there could be no longer any doubt their manager or employer was
behind that door. There would be something absurd in the fact of two
fine strapping fellows like them going up to that door in their vamps.
It would show they had suspected someone was there who had no right to
be there, and this might give offence. It would be best for them to
put on their boots before knocking; besides, if they knocked as they
were now, whoever was inside might think they had been prying.
When they reached the open air they put on their boots quickly. Then
it occurred to them that, as they were now quite certain it was
someone belonging to the business who was in the office, it would
never do for two of them to appear at the door simultaneously. The
duty of one man was to be on the wharf, and of the other to be on the
lofts or in the passages, and if they had no suspicion wrong was going
forward, why should the wharfman desert his post?
They, therefore, agreed that the loftman alone should go back and
prove his vigilance by knocking and saying that he had observed the
light.
The two parted. The loftman, starting with his usual measured tread,
crossed the quadrangle, entered the dark passages, ascended the
stairs, and knocked at the door.
Two minutes after he rushed out upon the wharf, exclaiming in an
undertone:
"Do you know who's there?"
"No. Who?"
"No one. Come back with me and see if I am right. I can't believe my
eyes. There isn't a soul there as far as I can see, in the office or
in the passages."
The two men went back to the passage, entered the private office,
found the gas at full cock, and the place empty!