that is no longer written but that still retains its charm, even in the modern era, a lovely young woman is the brains of an outfit, sometimes a criminal one and sometimes one that battles crime, composed of men who adore her and will quickly make themselves available to do her bidding. Edgar Wallace’s Four Square Jane had her group of thieves; L. T. Meade’s Madame Koluchy, her gang of killers; David Durham’s Fidelity Dove, whose angelic look “made slaves of many men” and belied her thieving ways; and Archibald Thomas Pechey (1876–1961), under the pseudonym Valentine, had Daphne Wrayne who, with the Four Adjusters, righted wrongs that the criminal justice system was unable to.
The early short stories and first book about the group of amateur crime fighters, beginning with The Adjusters (1930), was published under the Valentine nom de plume (a name inspired by his mother’s maiden name of Valentin) but was continued for forty-five additional novels and short stories using the pseudonym Mark Cross, the first of which was The Shadow of the Four (1934).
Books and stories frequently begin with Daphne calling a meeting of her associates, explaining a situation for them, and requesting their help in “adjusting” a miscarriage of justice—a request never denied. The various skills of the members assure a satisfying outcome. The members of the group are Sir Hugh Williamson, a noted African explorer; James Treviller, a handsome young nobleman; Martin Everest, a lawyer; and Alan Sylvester, an actor. They secretly operate outside the law, and the police are suspicious of them. Although they can’t positively identify them as the goodhearted vigilantes that they are, the police are confident that Daphne is the head of some sort of helpful organization and turn a blind eye to its activities.
“The Wizard’s Safe” was originally published in the June 16, 1928, issue of Detective Fiction Weekly.