Fortunately he was not obliged to resort to that extremity for a French window with a loose catch rewarded his patience.
"It's flat burglary, nothing less," he said with a grin as he crossed the sill and entered the room. It was quite dark here, the only illumination coming from a lamp in an inner room, and he paused a moment to get his bearings and listened. A sound of voices somewhere upstairs. His breath came a little more quickly--the deep bass of a man and he was sure the tones of a feminine reply. Taglitz and his daughter? He would soon find out. It took him a few moments of noiseless investigation to study the plan of the lower floor, the location of the steps which led upstairs and the hall which led to the rear of the house. Then he peered into the lighted room beyond.
It was empty and upon the table lay what remained of a meal, the dishes of which had not yet been cleared away. At the further end of the room was a swinging door which led to the kitchen and Rowland crossed to it, in accordance with a quickly formulated plan to make safe the lower floor, before he went upstairs. But just as he was about to go forward there were sounds of heavy footsteps in the kitchen passage just beyond and he had barely time to flatten himself against the wall when the door was pushed open and a man entered and walked to the table. He was an old man, with bent shoulders, possibly a little deaf, and his breath wheezed like that of a horse with the heaves. It seemed a shame to do it, but there was no time for moral compunctions and stepping quickly behind him Rowland thrust an arm around the fellow's neck and with a knee in the small of his back garrotted him noiselessly and effectually. Then he laid the man upon the floor and with a warning hand on his throat, which he threatened to tighten at the least indication of an outcry, questioned in tense whispers.
"Herr Hochwald left this house half an hour ago?"
There was no reply but a terrible gasp as Taglitz fought for his breath.
"Answer me," growled Rowland with an air of ferocity he was far from feeling. "Answer me, or I'll choke----"
Taglitz raised a feeble hand and tried to move his head, gasping horribly meanwhile.
So Rowland waited an anxious moment fearing that the fellow would die. Then questioned again--
"Where has Herr Hochwald gone?"
Taglitz shook his head.