“No; you are to stay and guard the shop. Jenks and Butler can wheel the truck. Too many of us would attract attention, and the dusk will bring out the thieves.”
He threw a sheet over the truck, tying it down at the corners. So far as appearance went, the load might have consisted only of household goods like those which hundreds of citizens had been moving all the day.
The two younger ’prentices seized the handles of the truck and wheeled it up the lane. Martin, shrinking back in his corner, noticed that Mr. Slocum, walking close behind, had a pistol projecting from his pocket.
When they had turned into Cheapside, Martin went up to Hopton as he was going back to the door.
“Hallo!” said Hopton. “Is the Frenchman in trouble again?”
“No; he won’t stir out again,” replied Martin. “So Slocum has moved at last.”
“The lunatic! Why didn’t he go earlier? He’ll have to make a long round to get to the Tower, and it will be nearly dark before he arrives: just the time for footpads to attack him. There’s nobody left in the house, or I’d follow and see that he gets there safely.”
“I’ll go,” said Martin, once more amused at Hopton’s idea of his own importance.
Hopton gave a snort. “What could you do if they were attacked?” he asked. “You’ve no weapons.”
“But I could shout.”