"Can I telephone from here?" asked T. B.
"Yes, sir," said the man, and T. B.'s heart sank, for he had overlooked this possibility.
"I suppose you have 'phones in every room?" he asked carelessly.
But the man shook his head.
"No, sir," he said; "there is some talk of putting 'em in, but so far this 'phone in my office is the only one in the building."
T. B. smiled genially.
"And I suppose," he said, "that you're bothered day and night with calls from tenants?" He waited anxiously for the answer.
"Sometimes I am, and sometimes I go a whole day without calls. No; to-day, for instance, I haven't had a message since five o'clock."
T. B. murmured polite surprise and began his ascent of the stairs. So far, so good. His business was to prevent the girl communicating with Poltavo.
He had already formed a plan in his mind.