"A man is coming!" cried Cross.
"Let us get out by the back way," said his companion.
They hurried back past Robert, and into the kitchen.
Here, to their surprise, a fire was burning in a dilapidated stove.
"Hullo! I thought this place was deserted," ejaculated Jim Huskin, in astonishment.
"We must not be caught," added Cross. "Here is a back door and another alleyway."
The door was unlocked, and they slipped outside. Soon the rascals had placed several blocks between themselves and the scene of the nefarious encounter.
Meanwhile the man coming up the alleyway paused at the tenement.
He lived in the place, paying no rent. He was very old, and could hardly walk, and his eyesight was poor.