It so happened that Professor Riccabocca had once before visited Knoxville, and remembered the location of the railroad station. Moreover, at the hotel, before the arrival of Philip, he had consulted a schedule of trains posted up in the office, and knew that one would leave precisely at ten o’clock.
The impulse to leave town by this train was sudden. He had in his pocket the wallet containing the hundred and fifty dollars, of which a large part belonged to Philip, and could have settled at once, without the trouble of going upstairs to his room.
He only asked leave to go up there in order to gain time for thought. At the head of the staircase he saw another narrower flight of stairs descending to the back of the house. That gave him the idea of eluding his two creditors by flight.
I have said before that Professor Riccabocca was not a wise man, or he would have reflected that he was only postponing the inevitable reckoning. Moreover, it would destroy the last chance of making an arrangement with Philip to continue the combination, which thus far had proved so profitable.
The professor did not take this into consideration, but dashed down the back stairs, and opened the back door into the yard.
“Do you want anything, sir?” asked a maidservant, eyeing the professor suspiciously.
“Nothing at all, my good girl,” returned the professor.
“You seem to be in a hurry,” she continued, with renewed suspicion.
“So I am. I am in a great hurry to meet an engagement.”
“Why didn’t you go out the front door?” asked the girl.