The next instant she was tucking a short, gleaming blade beneath her silk middy and then drawing on a long silk coat.
The man waited in the hallway. He was doubtless prepared for another extended argument, but none came. Instead, the girl walked down the steps with him and into a waiting taxi.
It was a rather long ride they took. First speeding along between rows of apartment houses they at last dashed into the business section of the city. The stranger sat in one corner of the cab, not saying a word. Passing through the business section, they approached the river. It was then that Cio-Cio-San's heart began to be filled with dread. She had heard of many dark deeds done down by the river. But after all, what could they want of her, a poor Japanese girl, almost without funds?
The cab came to a stop with a jolt. A tall building loomed above them. The strange Japanese held the door open that she might alight. She stepped to the sidewalk, and, at that instant, strong arms seized her, pinning her arms to her sides, while a coarse cloth was drawn tightly over her mouth. She then felt herself being pushed through space, and the next moment heard the muffled echoes of the footsteps of her captors. They were in the basement of some great deserted building, the sound told her that.
"Betrayed! Betrayed!" her mind kept repeating. "Betrayed by one of my own people!"
CHAPTER XVII
A THREE-CORNERED BATTLE
While Johnny and Hanada were being led away to the patrol box a young man came running up. He was a reporter, out scouting for news.
"Who's that?" he asked, as he caught a glimpse of Johnny's face.