Going back to the front of the saloon, Nick gave a whistle, which was one of the signals between himself and his assistants, and, watching the paper held by the man in the corner, saw a peculiar flirt of it, which assured him that he was right in supposing Chick was behind him.
From the fact that Chick did not change position, he was also satisfied that Chick was on the track of something which he regarded too important to leave.
And so, working himself down by degrees to the rear of the room, he began an examination to see if it were possible for him to get close to this room at a point where he also could hear what was going forward within it.
He observed that at the end of the bar was a large ice box in which the larger beer kegs were put, and that at the back of that was a small room where was the washstand. Between this ice box and the small room and the one in which the four were seated, was a small passageway which led to a door, which, in Nick’s judgment, opened into a hallway from which the upper part of the building was gained.
Nick immediately left the saloon by the front door, and, walking along Forty-second Street, found a rear door at the end of the building, which, on trying, he found opened into the hallway he had supposed was there.
On his right, a few feet further on, was a door, and on trying this he found it to be the one he had seen from the barroom.
Cautiously passing this, he turned quickly into the small room where was the washstand. In the corner of this room was a chair, which he mounted and saw that he could climb to the top of the ice chest where, lying at full length, he would be well concealed.
It was but the work of a moment to place himself in that position.
When there he found that he could hear quite well, though the people within the room were talking in a low voice.
Finally Lannigan spoke in a tone made louder by his irritation. And his words fell quite distinctly on Nick’s ears.