I must ask you to read carefully'--you see, this was a letter
to you," he interjected--"read carefully all that I say. I will now
proceed."
"'When I came to Aunt Maldon's the night before I left for South
Africa I wanted a wash, and I went into the back room--I mean the room
behind the parlour--and took off my coat preparatory to going into
the scullery to perform my ablutions. While in the back room I noticed
that the picture nearest the cupboard opposite the door was hung very
crooked. When I came back to put my coat on again after washing, my
eye again caught the picture. There was a chair almost beneath it.
I got on the chair and put the picture into an horizontal position.
While I was standing on the chair I could see on the top of the
cupboard, where something white struck my attention. It was behind the
cornice of the cupboard, but I could see it. I took it off the top of
the cupboard and carefully scrutinized it by the gas, which, as you
know, is at the corner of the fireplace, close to the cupboard. It
was a roll consisting of Bank of England notes, to the value of four
hundred and fifty pounds. I counted them at once, while I was standing
on the chair. I then put them in the pocket of my coat which I had
already put on.
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