He admitted that the staff was small;
but as for himself, he had a loaded revolver under his pillow all
night, under the counter all day, and he was only waiting for his
chance.
"'Under the counter eh?' I was ass enough to say.
"'Yes; so had you!'
"He was looking at me in surprise, and something told me that to
say 'of course--I had forgotten!' would have been quite fatal,
considering what I was supposed to have done. So I looked down
my nose and shook my head.
"'But the papers said you had!' he cried.
"'Not under the counter," said I.
"'But it's the regulation!'
"For the moment, Bunny, I felt stumped, though I trust I only
looked more superior than before, and I think I justified my
look.
"'The regulation!' I said at length, in the most offensive tone
at my command. 'Yes, the regulation would have us all dead men!
My dear sir, do you expect your bank robber to let you reach for
your gun in the place where he knows it's kept? I had mine in my
pocket, and I got my chance by retreating from the counter with
all visible reluctance.'
"Ewbank stared at me with open eyes and a five-barred forehead,
then down came his fist on the table.
"'By God! That was smart! Still,' he added, like a man who
would not be in the wrong, 'the papers said the other thing, you
know!'
"'Of course,' I rejoined, 'because they said what I told them.
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