arrangements to view the house with the safe next week, an appointment I would not keep of course. The most logical place to look for papers would be the office-library. I entered the office and immediately a remarkable object caught my sight. An outstandingly impressive fish tank stood against one wall. Fish tanks were becoming a conspicuous distinction to my investigations. I heard a quite loud snapping sound emanating from the direction of the tank. As I walked over for a closer examination, I perceived the sound was actually coming from the tank. I peered into the waters and found scores of shrimp whose clattering claws were the sources of this clamorous noise. “Hello!” escaped my lips as I surprisingly saw a large model of a battleship settled at the bottom of the tank among the weeds. The model was about half a meter in length and I was astounded to recognize the ship to be a replica of the HMS Dreadnought! What possibly could possess the Professor not only to transport a heavy aquarium to this house for the lecture, but also place in it a model of his apparent target sunk to the bottom of the waters? I was tempted to sit down light my pipe and just ruminate on this oddity. But of course I did not have the time just then and I could not leave a room of stale tobacco smoke as a tell tale remnant of my visit. I quickly looked around the room for a safe. None. Then I looked around for a hidden safe. Nothing. Then I did pull up the seat behind the desk and sat. I had found no papers or documents while I searched for the hidden safe. I did find several higher mathematic, chemical, mechanical and thermodynamic books on the shelf behind the desk. But none of them had any notes, loose between the pages or notes written on any page. It was possible he carried all his notes with him to the lecture. But I did not think he would chance an opportunity for anyone of his mental colleagues to glimpse any notes concerning his project. Well, I deduced, besides the books there was only one other thing in the room that had not been there before the Professor moved in, and that was the aquarium. I went over to the tank and look at the cabinet that it sat upon. I opened the door and saw dials and knobs that apparently controlled a pneumatic system to keep the water in the tank moving and aerate the water with a stream of bubbles from a compressed air tank. There did seem to be an extra unmarked button amongst several controls. I pressed it. Slowly the HMS Dreadnought rose on a pneumatic piston. As it broke the surface, the entire deck of the ship flipped open with a breeze of air to reveal the hidden cargo. A notebook sat cradled in the watertight bowels of the ship. I reached over, lifted it out and returned to the desk. I had entered the house barely twenty minutes ago, so I had plenty of time to read the notes. I quickly flipped though the bound hand-written volume. In precise legible hand writing the Professor was recording his thoughts and calculations on several experiments and devices. I had brought a small notebook with me to take notes, but I took some paper from the desk and copied many equations that I did not understand, so I insured I copied them as perfectly as I could. I sketched the equipment best I could without knowing exactly their function. The man was definitely a genius. Too bad he was an insanely criminal genius. The commentary was rambling at times, as if they were not completely formed, but still in the process of groping for a solution. Lucky for me the lectures were several hours long, plus the travel time to and from the lecture hall, for as fast as I worked, it took me over an hour and a half to get the core of the information revealed in this thick volume. I dared not take too long; for I had to make sure I left no indication that anyone had breached his sanctum. I replaced the notebook in the ship and pressed the button, which acted like a toggle. The deck closed, I heard a sucking that came from inside the ship to seal it, and it descended to the floor of the tank. I returned the chair to the position I had found it, and hoped the Professor would not notice two sheets of his paper missing. I quickly went out the way I came in, the back door, and insured it was locked. I jumped on the wagon and pulled into the street. There had been no neighbors about as I left, and my timing had been precise. The carriage carrying the Professor back to his house passed me at the end of the street. I ignored them of course and knew that my ability to disguise my height and features had always served me quite effectively in my former career among dangerous ruffians. It turned out I made it to the pub for my date with the cook just as she had gotten up to leave. I gave an excuse of an unexpected delivery for my tardiness as I ordered a round of drinks. We had a fine meal of fish and chips. At the end of the meal, I pressed her for another get-together, but I had been crude and irritating enough during the meal that I am sure she would not mind that we would never meet again. In fact when I press on her on our next get-together, she was vague about when it would happen.