صفحة 268 من 1294

Looking round once more, with his hand already in his pocket, he

noticed against the outer wall, between the entrance and the

sink, a big unhewn stone, weighing perhaps sixty pounds. The

other side of the wall was a street. He could hear passers-by,

always numerous in that part, but he could not be seen from the

entrance, unless someone came in from the street, which might

well happen indeed, so there was need of haste.

He bent down over the stone, seized the top of it firmly in both

hands, and using all his strength turned it over. Under the stone

was a small hollow in the ground, and he immediately emptied his

pocket into it. The purse lay at the top, and yet the hollow was

not filled up. Then he seized the stone again and with one twist

turned it back, so that it was in the same position again, though

it stood a very little higher. But he scraped the earth about it

and pressed it at the edges with his foot. Nothing could be

noticed.