"All right," said she. "All right. I'll come down. I wonder who can have put you in there now! It's one of those young rascals from over the way, I expect. They are always up to something. Don't you worry yourself; I'm coming!"
Her tone had become so reassuring that Max began to wonder whether the old woman might not be more innocent of the trick which had been played upon him than he had supposed. This impression increased when Mrs. Higgs went on:
"Why didn't you holloa out when you found yourself inside?"
"It wouldn't have been of much use," retorted Max. "I thumped on the door and made noise enough to wake the city."
"Well, I thought I heard a knock, some time ago," said Mrs. Higgs, who seemed still in no hurry to fulfill her promise of coming down. "But I thought it was nothing of any consequence, as I didn't hear it again."
"Where were you then?" To himself he added: "You old fool!"
"Eh?" said Mrs. Higgs.
Max repeated the question.
"Well, first I was downstairs, and then I came up here."
At last Max saw in the old woman's lackluster eyes a spark of malice.