The door was opened so quickly as to suggest that someone had been posted there for the purpose. Sin Sin Wa entered and the door was closed again.
“Light, Ah Fung,” he said in Chinese. “What news?”
The boy who had admitted him took a lamp from under a sort of rough counter and turned to Sin Sin Wa.
“George came with the boat, master, but I signalled to him that the red policeman and the agent who has hired the end room were watching.”
“They are gone?”
“They gather men at the head depot and are searching house from house. She who sleeps below awoke and cried out. They heard her cry.”
“George waits?”
“He waits, master. He will wait long if the gain is great.”
“Good.”
Sin Sin Wa shuffled across to the cellar stairs, followed by Ah Fung with the lamp. He descended, and, brushing away the carefully spread coal dust, inserted the piece of bent wire into the crevice and raised the secret trap. Bearing his bag upon his shoulder he went down into the tunnel.