“Good-bye, Henry.”
Henry watched the lift disappear.
CHAPTER IV
“This,” said Arnold Todhunter, “is the fire-escape.” His tone was that of one who says, “This is our Rembrandt.” Proud proprietorship pervaded his entire atmosphere.
“Ssh!” said Jane.
They stood together in a small back-yard. It seemed to be quite full of things like barrows, paving-stones, old tin cans, and broken crockery. Jane had already tripped over a meat tin and collided with two chicken coops and a dog kennel. She reflected that this was just the sort of back-yard Arnold would find.
Everything was very dark. The blackest shadow of all marked the wall that they were to climb. Here and there a lighted window showed, and Jane could see that these windows had rounded parapets jutting out on a level with the sill.
Arnold, meanwhile, was tugging at something which seemed to be a short plank.
“What on earth?” she whispered.
“We shall need it. I’d better go first.”