“Now take it up to my room and unpack it.” It was his turn to grin.
“What, sorr?” asked the dismayed Gladwin.
“I shan’t want these things after all,” came the velvety rejoinder. “Unpack it carefully and bring it back here. And kindly be more careful of the stairs when you come down––one step at a time, please! Now, what are you waiting for?”
Gladwin withdrew reluctantly, stealing a glance at Helen as he sidled through the curtained doorway. Her eyes never left the face of the man she thought she loved, but whose character was being swiftly revealed to her in a new light.
That resourceful individual waited only for the blue uniform to pass through the portières, when he sprang forward and reached out on both sides for the heavy mahogany folding doors. He brought them together swiftly and softly, then ripped down the portières from the pole, flinging one to the left of the door and the other across the chest.
“Now listen, Helen,” he cried, seizing her roughly by the shoulder. “It may be that we will have to get out of here in a hurry.”
“W-w-w-hy, what’s the matter?” she stammered, wincing at the crushing grip of his hand.
He replied with a swift rush of words that fairly stunned her:
“Your aunt may find it out and try to stop us. Now I shall be on the lookout, but I want you to do everything I tell you––I’ll see if the coast is clear in case we have to go out the back way. In the meantime 204 I want you to wrap these pictures for me. I wouldn’t ask you, dear, only we haven’t a minute to wait.”