These windows were desperately exposed to view, and to more dangerous attentions, from the Wharf. What they had done until now—rope and ladder work—was visible but not, all things considered, conspicuous . Soldiers on the Wharf, distracted by the apparition on the Thames, could see it if they turned around and looked—but it was just as likely they’d not. What was going to happen next , on the other hand, could not be missed by anyone .