#16
_Newport, July 5th, 9 P.M._
All is set for the drama to-night, and I am nervously awaiting my cue.
Heaven knows what the next few hours may bring forth! When you read
this it may be up to you to get me out of jail. If we pull it off all
right I have no doubt the newspapers will say, as they always do, that
the robbery gave evidence of long and careful planning, whereas it was
all fixed up in a few minutes.
I went over to Providence to-day shortly before the hour set by Lorina,
and found Foxy waiting at the hotel she named. Lorina herself, he
said, was in Newport looking over the ground, and would be back
directly. It seems that hearing of the affair at Fernhurst they had
determined to turn the trick the same night.
Lorina came bringing a good-looking, well-dressed young fellow whom she
introduced to the crowd as Frank. He was evidently a youngster of the
fashionable world, one cannot mistake the little earmarks. He has a
look of the ---- family; one of the younger sons, maybe, whom drink and
the devil have done for. At any rate, he is completely under Lorina's
thumb like the rest.
Lorina was playing the part of a traveller in books--religious books if
you please! She dressed the business woman plain and handsome, and had
engaged a private sitting-room for the day to show her samples. There
was actually a whole trunk full of sample books. I suppose she passed
us off as her agents or customers.
She had us all in the sitting-room together. Besides Frank, Foxy and
myself, there was a fourth man whom I recognised as her chauffeur. His
name is Jim. She proceeded to lay out her campaign in the most
matter-of-fact way without wasting a word. It might have been the
sales-manager instructing the drummers in the Fall line. Nobody seemed
nervous except Frank, who was apparently new at the game.
The entertainment at Fernhurst provided our opportunity. It appeared
that Frank was well acquainted with Mrs. Levering, and that by Lorina's
instructions he had been particularly cultivating her society of late.
He was to be the decoy. Furthermore, he drew for us with rather a
shaky hand, a plan of the house and grounds at Fernhurst, showing the
location of roads, paths, benches, shrubbery, etc. Lorina used this
plan in issuing her instructions.
"Dancing is to begin at nine-thirty," she said, "but all the guests
will not have arrived until nearly midnight. So we will fix on
midnight to turn the trick, or as soon after as possible. We have
decided on this bench that I have marked with a cross for the spot.
Get its position well fixed in your mind, all of you. It is quite a
way from the house you see, few, if any, of the dancers will go so far.
It is off the main paths. It is near the street fence, but is hidden
from the street by this dense shrubbery behind it.
"Mrs. Levering has promised Frank the first dance after she arrives.
He will then make an engagement with her for another dance to fall just
before midnight as near as he can figure it, and after dancing with her
the second time will take her out to this bench.
Foxy and English will already be in hiding in the shrubbery behind the
bench. Foxy has an invitation to the affair, and he will go in evening
dress and mix with the guests until he sees Frank dancing with Mrs.
Levering the second time. He will then go out of the house and conceal
himself in the shrubbery.
English will already be waiting there. English must be there by eleven
to make sure. English wears his ordinary clothes, and slips in by the
service entrance to the grounds, marked on the plan here. Once inside
the gates he must make his way under cover to the shrubbery behind the
bench. English will carry an old overcoat for Foxy which will be
provided. There will be a mask in one side pocket, a cap in the other.
As soon as you two meet, Foxy will put on the things.
"Now as to the actual trick. It is perfectly simple. Frank is keeping
Mrs. Levering in conversation on the bench. Foxy sneaks up behind with
the nippers, cuts the necklace, and tosses it back to English, who
remains in the bushes.
"The woman will scream, of course. Foxy will stand up and show
himself, and run in this direction, that is, towards the house. Frank
will take after him for a way, and then go back to the woman. Foxy
will double around this shrubbery that conceals the stable entrance.
As soon as he is out of sight of the woman he will throw off the cap,
mask and coat, and go back to Mrs. Levering as one of the first
attracted by her cries. If she does not cry out, he can mix with the
crowd in the house until he has a chance to make a getaway.
Meanwhile, English lies quiet in the shrubbery until the excitement has
passed out of the vicinity. Then he slips out by the service gate, the
same way he went in. Jim will be waiting with the car about five
hundred feet beyond the service entrance, towards town. We have been
over this ground. There is a big clump of rhododendrons inside the
sidewalk at this point.
English, without stopping, will toss the necklace inside the car. But
if he is pursued he had better drop it among the rhododendrons. Mind
you, English, if there's anybody after you, don't make any throwing
motion with your arm. If there is a chase Jim can join in it, and help
English make his getaway. Later he can return and get the diamonds.
English takes the trolley to Providence, and the owl train back to New
York. Jim secretes the diamonds in the secret pocket in the car, and
waits for Foxy. If Foxy is pursued, however, he must not lead them to
the car. Jim waits until one-thirty. If Foxy has not arrived, he
takes the car to the Atlantic garage. You, Jim, ask them to let you
sleep in it, see? as you're expecting a call from your master. Foxy
can get the car from the garage any time after that."
Lorina went over all this twice. At the end she consulted her watch.
"If any of you want to have anything explained, speak up. I've got to
catch the four o'clock back to town."
Frank was the only one who had any objection to raise to the
arrangements. "Look here," said he, "this will queer me for good with
that lot, even if they can't fasten anything on me."
Lorina fixed him with her hard blue eye. "How?" she demanded.
"I used to be known as a runner. They'll think it funny I wasn't able
to catch Foxy."
"Catch him then," said Lorina coolly. "Struggle with him. He will
throw you off. That will let you out, won't it? Rehearse it now."
It was a grim kind of play. Everybody took it quite seriously. A sofa
was placed to represent the fateful bench. Lorina and Frank took seats
on it. Lorina tied a piece of string around her neck to represent the
necklace. Foxy and I crouched in the rear. Foxy crept forward,
snipped the string and tossed it back to me. His implement was a pair
of heavy nail clippers such as manicures use. Then as Foxy made off,
Frank flung himself upon him, they struggled and Frank was thrown to
the ground.
All this was gone over again and again. Some buttons were tied on the
piece of string, so that it would carry when it was thrown back to me.
Foxy's stage experience proved serviceable. He acted as director,
showing Frank how to tackle him, and how to fall without hurting
himself. Lorina's depiction of the startled woman was admirable. The
whole scene would have been funny if it hadn't been so grim. None of
them seemed to be aware of any humour in the proceedings but me. Jim,
who did not take part in the scene, acted as critic. He stood off
making suggestions.
Finally, Lorina announced that it was only ten minutes to train time,
and hustled us out. She said Frank and Foxy might go off by themselves
and practice if they felt it necessary. We scattered. I returned to
the little hotel in Newport where I had taken a room. I have not seen
any of them since.
It is now nine-thirty and I am waiting in my hotel until it is time for
me to go out to Fernhurst. I will post this to you on the way, so that
in case anything happens you will at least be in full possession of our
plans. I believe I was not cut out for a life of crime. It is too
madly exciting. As the hour draws close my knees show an inclination
to knock together, and my teeth to chatter.