Leaning forward tensely, she glued her eye to the keyhole. Two young men emerged from the girls’ room and staggered about unsteadily, as if they were drunk. Two very small men, who somehow looked more like masqueraders than real men, although they were correctly dressed, except for the fact that they wore their caps instead of hats and had not taken them off in the hotel.
In spite of their apparently intoxicated condition they walked silently across the hall to room 614. Very cautiously one of them took a key from his pocket, and after a moment or two, he opened the door. Both young men entered the room, but Mary Louise saw that they did not turn on the light as they went in.
“There’s something queer about that,” she thought. And then she remembered the burglar who had entered her own room at Stoddard House and had stolen her watch. He was very like these young men—short and slight and wore a cap. Perhaps these were Pauline’s accomplices!
Cautiously she moved her chair aside and slipped out of her room. In another moment she had reached the sitting room where Mr. Hayden, the detective, was dozing over a newspaper.
“Come with me!” she said briefly, leading him to room 614. “I saw two young men enter this room a couple of minutes ago.”
The detective knocked gently on the door. There was no reply. He knocked again.
The startled voice of a man called out, “What do you want?”
“I’m the hotel detective,” answered Mr. Hayden. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but please open the door.”
A light flashed on in the room, and an elderly man, now clad in his dressing gown, admitted Mary Louise and Mr. Hayden.
“This young lady thinks she saw two young men come in here five minutes ago,” explained the latter. “Were you asleep, sir?”