He put the jar under his left arm and held the box in the fingers of his left hand and turned out the light and crept down the steps into the darkness of the basement. Yes, he would take this stuff to his dirt cave and examine it. Smiling, he sat the jar and box on the concrete floor and reached into his pocket and pulled out a paper of matches and struck one; there was a door to his right. Yes, he had to go inside of that door and see what was in there. He opened it; the room was dark. He advanced cautiously inside and ran his fingers along the wall for the electric switch. Then he was stark still; something had moved in the room! What was it? Should he get out of here, taking the rings and diamonds? He waited and the ensuing silence gave him confidence to explore farther. He wanted to strike a match, but what if someone were in the room? A match flame would make him a good target. He was tense again as he heard a faint sigh and he was now convinced that there was something alive near him, some human or some animal, something that lived and breathed. Slowly, he felt farther along the wall, hoping that he would not bump into anything. Luck was with him; he found the light switch.

He fingered it for a long time; maybe someone was standing on the other side of the room with a gun, waiting for him to reveal himself? But how could he get out of here without turning on the light? If he tried to grope his way, he would be certain to stumble into something. And he had to get out. He knelt upon the floor and reached his arm up to the switch and flicked the button. The moment the light came on he narrowed his eyes to see quickly. He sucked in his breath and his body gave a violent twitch and was still. In front of him, so close that it made him want to bound up and scream, was a human face.