His first and second pull of the bell brought no response. Between them he listened and his ear caught nothing but the stillness of desertion. His third furious peal was answered by a distant footstep. He heard it come shuffling along the hall, pause, and then a light broke out through the glass fanlight above the portal. The door was opened a crack, and through this aperture a section of the Chinaman’s visage was revealed, lit by a warily inspecting eye.
The Colonel pushed the door violently in, sending the servant back with it against the wall. Kicking it to behind him he demanded between his panting breaths:
“Where’s Miss Allen?”
“She’s gone,” said the Chinaman, exceedingly startled by this violent entry. “All gone.”
“All gone! All gone where?”
“I no savvy. The boss he gone two, thlee days. Gone San Francisco. Miss Allen she go just now.”
“She’s only just gone? You mean she has just gone down town to buy something or see some one?”
“No. She go ’way. She say, ‘Sing, I go ’way.’ She take a bag.”
“She’s gone with a bag. Where the devil has she gone to? Don’t be such a damned fool! Where’d she go?”
“No savvy. She no tell me. She take bag and go just now. She give me letter for you. I get him. He tell you.”