Hiding his movements with his body, even behind their backs, he clicked the levers until they had counted seventeen such clicks. Turning then as he pressed the last lever, they saw the cover of the box rise slowly to a vertical position; and now, plainly and distinctly to all, the heavy odor of the sandalwood interior of the box filled the room.
"And you think," McAdams exclaimed, "from seeing you twist and turn those eighteen once, Mr. Hereford could have made the combination out and memorized it! You think he could come here in the dark—through locked doors—and open the box swiftly, as you yourself have said, without hesitation or error!" The detective made a gesture of derision. "The choice in selecting the first manipulation is one movement out of seventy-two; the choice of the second
