"I don't know what the lieutenant will say——" began the house policeman dubiously.
"Of course you don't," Hal broke in. "So go and find out what he says, won't you? And you might explain to him my version of what is likely to happen if he fails to give us a chance to communicate promptly with Captain Cortland."
Twenty minutes passed.
"They're just laughing at us," muttered Noll.
"Then in the morning they may find where the laugh really belongs," Hal retorted.
"Hush! Here comes some one."
It was the house policeman, returning with stationery and a messenger boy.
Taking a pencil from one of his pockets, Hal wrote at some length, though he tried to make his letter as brief as possible.
"Got any matches, boy?" Hal asked of the waiting messenger.
The boy passed a small box in through the grating of the door.