“Yes,” said Patsy. “It gave me the jumps when I saw ’em coming down from the corner when I thought they were in the house yet.”
“Are dey crooks?” asked the girl.
“That’s what they are,” replied Patsy.
“Well, say,” said the girl, “I can give you a steer. Dem fellers was upstairs on de floor above us when we had dat scrap in de hall. But dey climbed de ladder to de roof when de scrap was goin’ on and got away.”
“How do you know that?” asked Patsy, eagerly.
“Me little sister, who was up dere on dat floor, seen ’em do it. She tole me just after you run away so sudden.”
The whole thing then burst upon Patsy. Everything was explained to him. The two crooks, taking advantage of the row going on on the floor below, had climbed to the roof, and, making their way over the other houses to the corner, had descended into the apartments of Lannigan through the scuttle of the corner house.
What had been mysterious to him was now as plain as day.
He looked along of the houses on the street, to see that there was no break in them to the corner, and said: