“11:15 p. m.
Ted.”
Having mailed the letter he hurried back to the house. Cautiously he prowled about, trying to find a way into the basement. There was no way.
At any ordinary time Ted would have said it was impossible to get up on that ledge, but he managed it now. The house entrance was through a wide door, but one had to go down three steps and it made the floor an English basement. The floor above that was much higher than most ground floors and yet lower than most second floors. Ted crept along the narrow ledge holding on to such supports as were there. He reached a big window and by careful manipulation and urging the boy managed to force it open.
He crawled in. Spot’s suit was very useful now, for it held matches. Ted did not intend to use any unless he had to, but the building was strange to him and the occasion for the use of them might arise. He knew that he would have two floors to travel, the one to the basement and the one to the cellar. He got down the one floor without mishap. He was about to begin the exploration of that floor for the entrance to the cellar, when he heard the key being inserted into the street door.
His heart leaped within him. Two people entered, a man and woman. They switched on a light. If these people had come thirty seconds earlier he would have been caught coming down the stairs, Ted thought, as he crouched behind the turn of the staircase.
“It was nice of you to see me home, Mr. Erkin,” said the young lady. “Will you be good enough to let the light burn, as some of the folks are not in yet? Come and see me sometime.”
“Good-night, thank you, I will,” the man answered and left.
The boy thought, “Well, I certainly should be called Lucky. Here I wonder how to find an entrance to the cellar and they are kind enough to turn on a light for me.”
It was fairly easy for Ted to find his way now, but because of the light he had to use even greater care.