The Washington herald., 1914-01-11


curfed to mel had no key The girl
had spoken about gaining admission
with a key. II seemed that Ae only
thing to be done was to go back to her
in search of II.
As / decided that the only thing to
be done was to return and tell Mr..
Ellis of my stupidity / drew the shawl
closer around me and-something
struck me quite a smart blow over the
breast as | swung the corner over.
There was something concealed in the
shawl. l felt for it; something hard
was tied in a knot in the corner. |
unloosened it. II was a key-possibly
the key / wanted.
] hurried on with the key in my
hand. Odd numbers were on one side
of the street, even on the other. The
door of No was in a shocking state.
could see how grimy the windows
were, and how the blinds which veiled
them were in keeping. There was not
a glimmer at one of them. | was just
about to insert the key into the lock
when / thought of the whistle the girl
had said she always gave before she
did so. am rather good whistler;
but it was odd how, on a sudden, |
With difficulty | produced the note
had not intended it to be a loud one,
yet II seemed to me that it must have
been audible streets away. Then ! put
the key into the lock and opened the
door.
As / did so some one came up be-
hind me. 1t was Mr.. Ellis. / had
seen him coming, but so noiselessly had
he moved that l had heard nothing.
Four other men came after him. We
entered the hall first, Mr. Ellis and
his four men after me. The moment
my foot crossed the threshold l began
to sing the chorus of Aud Lang
Syne." The girls voice had been So
prano; hers had struck me as being
very soft and sweet; l felt that mine
was shriller | tried to pronounce the
words as she had done, so that they
seemed to an English ear to be so
much gibberish. | wondered what ef-
feet the performance was producing
upstairs.
One of the constables had a dark
lantern, by whose light we ascended
the uncarpeted, rickety staircase. Two
men remained below to keep an eye on
the street; Mr.. Ellis and the two 9TH
ers went up with me. Not void was
spoken; my singing was the only sound
there was.
We reached the third floor. There
was a door Immediately in front of US.
As | paused my heart was beating so
noisily that it seemed to me it must
be audible to whoever might be within.
| gritted my teeth as | knocked at
the door-one tap; then knocked again
two taps; another interval-thTee
taps. Then / grasped the handle
turned it, opened the door, and went
into the room, with my heart in ny
mouth.
The program we had arranged wa.
that | was to enter the room alone,
divert the attention OF the man within.
then give a tiny whistle, and Mr.. Ellis
and his companions were to appear,
and insure his never reaching the
bomb al all
When l opened the door it was tC
find that there was darkness in the
room. Ii was a strange sensation 10
enter room OF which | knew nothing
and could see nothing, with the con
sciousness strong upon me that It wa
occupied by desperate. blood-staine+
wretch, who had that hideous weapOi
of destruction within reach OF his tirs
gers.
| 1onged for a light; yet how was !
to get one, ignorant as / was OF tie
geography of the room and of what
contained? | ventured TO move, ami
struck against the back OF a chair. II!
must have heard. l had a suddeI
feeling that the dreadful silence coulc
not continue. l summoned up m,
knowledge of the sort of German The
girl had spoken.
Where are you? Why do you not
speak to me? Why are you hiding:
Why is it so dark"
When | had put my four questions
had a fresh access of fright Now |
felt the bomb must come, but il did
not. The silence continued, and on
that instant | became conscious d
quality in the silence which made me
behave as if | had lost my head. |
broke into reiterated exclamation,
throwing open the door.
Give me a light Give me ligfti
Give me lightT
The constable turned the shutter q
his dark lantern, and allowed its ligh
to travel round the room.
Whats that" he asked, upon the
bed?"
The light was resting on what
seemed to be a truckle bed, on which
something was living. It was a man
huddled up anyhow, partially dressed
amid some filthy, scanty bedclothes.
thought for the moment he was dead.
But as We looked he turned slowly
over on to his side, and stretched {
lean, brown hand toward an old deal
table within a foot of his bedside, on
which was quantity of the sort OF
wool which they use for stufing chairs,
Resting on this was what looked like
one of the cleaning glass balls which
serve as decorations for Christmas
trees.
1t burst on me what it was. Ere his
hand got there | snatched it up. As
did so he rolled off rather than rose
from his bed, jerking toward me his
claw-like fingers. | shrieked: | had
to. Mr.. Ellis and his men rushed for
ward. Some one caught the man by
the shoulder. The instant he was
touched he collapsed on the floor
dead So near he had been to dying
when we came in.
Later insection by experts made il
clear that the glass ball l had caugh,
up was bomb of a particularly dia-
bolical sort Had it been exploded in
that small room the whole of James
Buildings might have been destroyed
with their inhabitants. Death, however,
l. 4