"
The waiter hurried away, and Harley stood glancing up the stairs
as if in doubt what to do.
"I cannot imagine how such a place can pay," he muttered. "The
rent must be enormous in this district."
But even before he ceased speaking I became aware of an excited
conversation which was taking place in some apartment above.
"It's scandalous!" I heard, in a woman's shrill voice. "You have
no right to keep it! It's not your property, and I'm here to
demand that you give it up."
A man's voice replied in voluble broken English, but I could only
distinguish a word here and there. I saw that Harley was
interested, for catching my questioning glance, he raised his
finger to his lips enjoining me to be silent.
"Oh, that's the game, is it?" continued the female voice. "Of
course you know it's blackmail?"
A flow of unintelligible words answered this speech, then:
"I shall come back with someone," cried the invisible woman, "who
will make you give it up!"
"Knox," whispered Harley in my ear, "when that woman comes down,
follow her! I'm afraid you will bungle the business, and I would
not ask you to attempt it if big things were not at stake.
Return here; I shall wait."
As a matter of fact, his sudden request had positively astounded
me, but ere I had time for any reply a door suddenly banged open
above and a respectable-looking woman, who might have been some
kind of upper servant, came quickly down the stairs.
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