Frank drew his head in quickly, but he still clung to the end of the rope. This he drew in and lay over the sill.
“Yes,” he decided, “that is the way the fellow escaped. He had the rope right here, so that he could catch it in a moment, and, grasping it, he plunged outward through the window. His momentum carried him right across and into the other window. It was a reckless thing to do, but perfectly practical.”
Then he remembered how he had heard, while standing with his back against his own door, the door of an adjoining room open and close, followed by the sound of swift footsteps passing outside.
“That was when he left his room,” Merry decided.
It did not take Frank long to resolve to explore that room—to seek for some clew to the identity of the masked intruder.
With the aid of the rope, he could swing into the open window; with its aid he could swing back to his own room.
He would do it.
Of course, Merry realized what a rash thing he was about to do. Of course he understood that he might be rushing to the waiting arms of his late antagonist.
Still he was not deterred. All his curiosity was aroused, and he was bent on discovering the identity of the man, if such a thing were possible.
He grasped the rope and climbed upon the window sill. Looking out, he carefully calculated the distance to the next window and the momentum he would require to take him there. Having decided this, he prepared to make the swing.