“Why?” asked Watts.
“The street is impassable.”
Watts got out, and held a whispered dialogue with the sentry. This resulted in the summoning of the officer of the watch. In the mean time Leonore descended and joined them. Watts turned and said to her: “The sentry says he’s here.”
Presently an officer came up.
“An’ what do the likes av yez want at this time av night?” he inquired crossly. “Go away wid yez.”
“Oh, Captain Moriarty,” said Leonore, “won’t you let me see him? I’m Miss D’Alloi.”
“Shure,” said Dennis, “yez oughtn’t to be afther disturbin’ him. It’s two nights he’s had no sleep.”
Leonore suddenly put her hand on Dennis’s arm. “He’s not killed?” she whispered, as if she could not breathe, and the figure swayed a little.
“Divil a bit! They got it wrong entirely. It was that dirty spalpeen av a Podds.”
“Are you sure?” said Leonore, pleadingly. “You are not deceiving me?”