And the general,
although a sceptic, was acting solely from force of habit when he
objected:
"It seems to me, Watson, that you--"
Those who were present are not likely to forget it. Some men are
born, some rise, to the occasion; but Watson was both. He was
clear-cut, dominant, inexorable. He levelled his pencil at the
general.
"It SEEMS to you! General, let me ask you: If your country's
safety were at stake, would you hesitate to throw reinforcements
into the breach?"
"Hardly."
"All right. It's settled. Take care of your red tape AFTERWARDS."
He wheeled to the detective. "Jerome, this is a sketch of the
compartments of Dr. Holcomb's safe. Not the large one in his
house, but the small one in his laboratory. Go straight to Dwight
Way. Give this note," indicating another paper, "to Bertha
Holcomb. Tell her that her father is safe, and that I am out of
the Blind Spot. Tell her you have come to open the laboratory
safe. I've written down the combination. If it doesn't work use
explosives; there's nothing inside which force can harm. In the
compartment marked 'X' you will find a small particle about the
size of a pea, wrapped in tin-foil, and locked in a small metal
box. You will have to break the box. As for the contents, once you
see the stone you can't mistake it; it will weigh about six
pounds. Get it, and guard it with your life!"
"All right.
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