Electronic book host

The second door was of the "ice-box" variety, as it was popularly
called at the time, of heavy oak, studded with ax-defying bolts,
swung on delicately balanced and oiled hinges, carefully
concealed, about as impregnable as a door of steel might be.
There were, as we found later, some steel doors inside, leading to
the roof and cellar, though not so thick. The windows were
carefully guarded inside by immense steel bars. The approaches
from the back were covered with a steel network and every
staircase was guarded by a collapsible door. There seemed to be no
point of attack that had been left unguarded.
Yet, unless one had been like ourselves looking for these
fortifications, they would not have appeared much in evidence in
the face of the wealth of artistic furnishings that was lavished
on every hand. Inside the great entrance door was a sort of marble
reception hall, richly furnished, and giving anything but the
impression of a gambling house. As a matter of fact, the first
floor was pretty much of a blind.


Pages:
43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67