'I've seen him,' Simon whispered in hoarse excitement. 'He just popped
out of the kitchen and came half-way up the area steps. Then he ran
back. He saw me looking at him.'
'Ravengar?'
Simon nodded. This was the hour of Simon's triumph, the proof that he
had not been mistaken in the theory which he had raised on the
foundation of the photograph.
'Come along,' said Hugo grimly, preparing to rush downstairs.
But a singular thing had occurred. While Simon had been staring out of
the front window, and Hugo and Albert engaged in forcing a door which
led to emptiness, the door of the sitting-room, the sole means of egress
from the first-floor suite, had been shut and locked on the outside.
In vain Hugo assailed it with boot and shoulder; in vain Albert assisted
him.
'Keep your eye on the street, you fool!' said Albert to Simon, when the
latter offered to join the siege of the door.
Hugo and Albert multiplied their efforts.
'There's a cab driven up,' Simon informed them from the window. 'A man's
got out. Now he's gone down the area steps. They're carrying something
up, something big. Oh! look here, I must help you.'
And Simon ran to the door. Before the triple assault it fell at last,
and the three tumbled pell-mell downstairs into the hall.
Pages:
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244