My false keys were brought home two days after this. Aguilera, who was
soon informed of this, told his friend he should have an opportunity of
making use of them on the following Sunday after dinner, while the
banker was amusing himself, as was his custom, at a game of chess, with
one of his neighbours. I then let Sayavedra completely into the secret,
in order that he might the better give his friend his instructions; and,
on the Saturday evening I despatched him to the rendezvous, entrusting
to his care the two false keys, and the casket, in which I put ten
quadruples, thirty Roman crowns, and some slips of manuscript, instead
of the lead which it before contained. As for the bag of money, I begged
leave to keep that at home, having besmeared it with ink, and tied it up
with red ribbon, merely that it might be exhibited to our landlord and
his wife in that state, that they might testify to having seen it; so I
had only put the lead into the casket to make it heavy, and to make
these good folks believe that it was full of gold.
As soon as my confidant saw Aguilera, he said to him: “now my friend,
listen to me with the utmost attention, and be particular in remembering
what I tell you. Take these keys, and to-morrow, when you open the
strong box, take out the shamois leather purse which is in it, and empty
it into this casket; but be sure you take thirty pistoles out of the
thousand you will find there, and substitute these ten quadruples in
their place. You will not fail also to put this manuscript in, which
contains a specification of the sum, and declares that it is the
property of Don Juan Osorio, which is the name my master has assumed in
this affair. This other slip of paper,” continued he, “you must thrust
into the bag in which you say there are three hundred and thirty
crowns, and which is stained with ink, and tied up with a red ribbon.
You will at the same time extract from this bag thirty of these crowns,
and slip in these thirty Roman crowns in their stead. I have but one
thing now to tell, and which is most important of all; that is, to open
the press in which your patron keeps his account books, and write in his
journal the words you will find on this third paper, taking good care to
let it be under the name of Don Juan Osorio, which you will find there
entered, and also to imitate with your utmost dexterity the hand-writing
of Signor Plati. Signor Don Guzman, my master,” added he, “requires
nothing more of you but what will be the easiest part of the
performance, namely: that on Monday, at the wind up of the scheme, you
affect to be a most zealous servant, call him all the vile names you can
think of, and even strike him to make the scene more natural.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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