The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-03-26

the measured thud Of heavy footsteps
rapidly approaching. They were in the
passage outside the room. They paused
at the door. The door opened. There
was a sharp snick as the electric light
was turned on. The door closed once
more. and the pungent reek of a
strong cigar was borne to our nostrils.
Then the footsteps continued back
wards and forwards backwards and
forwards within a few yards of us.
Finally there was d creak from a
chair. and the footsteps ceased. Then
a key clicked in a lock, and / heard
the rustic of papers.
So far / had not dared to look out
but l gently parted the division OF
the curtains in front of me and peeped
through. From the pressure OF
Holmes shoulder against mine: |
knew that he was sharing my obSer-
vations Right i'm front of us. and
almost within our reach. was the
broad. rounded back of Milverton. 1t
was evident that We had entirely mis-
calculated his movements. that he had
never been TO his bedroom, but that
he had been sitting UP in some smok-
ing or billiard room in the farther
wing Of the house. the windows OF
which we had not seen. His broad
grzzled head. with its shining patch OF
badness. was In the immediate forc-
ground Of our vision. He was lean
ing far back i'm the red leather chair
his legs outstretched, a long black
cigar projecting at an angle from his
mouth. He wore u semi military
smoking jacket, claret-coloured. with
a black velvet collar. In his
hand he held a long legal
INDECENT fashion, blowing rings OF to-
bacco smoke from his lips as he did so.
There was no promise of q speedy de-
parture in his composed bearing and
his comfortable attitude.
/ felt Holmes hand steal into mine
and give me q reassuring shake. as if
to say that the situation was within his
powers, and that he was easy I'm his
mind | was not sure whether he had
seen what was only too obvious from
my position. that the door Of the safe
was imperfectIy closed and that Mil
verton might at any moment observe
it. In my own mind / had determined
that if l We're sure. from the rioidily
of his gaze, that it had caught his
eye, / would at once spring out throw
my great coat over his head pinion
him, and leave the rest to Holmes. But
MilVerton never looked up He was
languidly interested by the papers in
his hand, and page after page was
turned as he followed the argument OF
the lawyer AT last | thought when
he had finished the document and the
cigar he will go to his room. but be-
fore he had reached the end of either
there came a remarkable DEVELOPMENT
which turned our thoughts into quite
another channel
Several times / had observed that
Milverton looked at his watch. AMI
once he had risen and sat down again.
with a gesture of impatience The
ldea, however. that he might have an
appointment at SO strange an hour
never occurred to me until a faint
sound reched my ears from the YER
anda outside Milverton dropped his
papers and sat rigid in his chair. The
sound was repeated and then there
came a gentle tap at the door. Mil
verton rose and opened IL.
well" said he. CURLY "you are
nearly half an hour late"
So this was the exclamation Of tbe
unlocked door and Of the noctI,rnaI
vigil Of Milverton. There was fbe
gentle rustic Of 2 woman's dress I
had close the slit between the chr