They reached the gate, but there was no sign of Daisy Banks; all was closed, and to all appearance the place had not been opened for days.
“Theer, I telled ye so,” growled Harry; “she didn’t come this waya at all. She’s gone home.”
“How long would it take us to go?” whispered Tom, who now began to think it possible that Daisy had gone in search of her father.
“Get down theer i’ less than ten minutes, lad, back waya,” replied Harry; “come along.”
Tom tried the gates once more, and then looked down the side alley, but all was still.
“If she has been here, she can’t have stayed,” he said to himself. “Here, quick, Harry, come on, and we may find Joe Banks, too.”
“And if we do, what then?” growled the hammerman.
“We must stop him—hold him—tie his hands—owt to stay him fro’ doing this job.”
“I’m wi’ ye, lad,” said Harry, “he’ll say thanky efterward. If I get a good grip o’ him he wean’t want no bands.”
The two men started off at a race, and as they disappeared Daisy crept out of the opposite door-way, where she had been crouching down, and then tried the gates.