“You mus’ not follow me.” The Japanese spoke impassively.
“Follow you?”
“I saw you in a mirror at the other end of car.”
So that was it! Orme remembered no mirror, but the Japanese might apply the word to the reflecting surface of one of the forward windows.
“You lit a match,” continued Maku. “I saw. Then I come here, to find if you follow.”
Orme considered. Now that he was discovered, it would be futile to continue the chase, since Maku, naturally, would not go to his destination with Orme at his heels. But he said:
“You can’t order me off the streets, Maku.”
“I know. If you follow, then we walk an’ walk an’ walk—mebbe till nex’ week.” Orme swore under his breath. It was quite clear that the little Japanese would never rejoin the man who had the papers until he was sure that he had shaken off his pursuer. So Orme simply said:
“Good-night.”
Disappointed, baffled, he turned eastward and walked with long strides back toward the car-line. He did not look to see whether Maku was behind him. That did not matter now. He had missed his second opportunity since the other Japanese escaped him in the university campus.