Footnotes have been collected at the end of each chapter, and are linked for ease of reference. A few minor errors, attributable to the printer, have been corrected. Please see the transcriber’s note at the end of this text for details regarding the handling of any textual issues encountered during its preparation. The cover image has been repaired to remove a library sticker that obscured the beginning of the first words of the title. The leading T was wholly obscured and could not be copied from the visible characters, so its form is speculative. Those corrections are indicated using an underline highlight. Placing the cursor over the correction will produce the original text in a small popup. Those corrections are indicated as hyperlinks, which will navigate the reader to the corresponding entry in the corrections table in the note at the end of the text. THE CLOCK AND THE KEY THE CLOCK AND THE KEY ARTHUR HENRY VESEY AUTHOR OF “A CHEQUE FOR THREE THOUSAND” “A PEDIGREE IN PAWN,” ETC. Copyright, 1905, by Copyright, 1905, by Published February, 1905 Published February, 1905 M. B. L. 1 THE CLOCK AND THE KEY CHAPTER I