“I cannot imagine how such a place can pay,” he muttered. “The rent must be enormous in this district.”
But even before he ceased speaking I became aware of an excited conversation which was taking place in some apartment above.
“It's scandalous!” I heard, in a woman's shrill voice. “You have no right to keep it! It's not your property, and I'm here to demand that you give it up.”
A man's voice replied in voluble broken English, but I could only distinguish a word here and there. I saw that Harley was interested, for catching my questioning glance, he raised his finger to his lips enjoining me to be silent.
“Oh, that's the game, is it?” continued the female voice. “Of course you know it's blackmail?”
A flow of unintelligible words answered this speech, then:
“I shall come back with someone,” cried the invisible woman, “who will make you give it up!”
“Knox,” whispered Harley in my ear, “when that woman comes down, follow her! I'm afraid you will bungle the business, and I would not ask you to attempt it if big things were not at stake. Return here; I shall wait.”
As a matter of fact, his sudden request had positively astounded me, but ere I had time for any reply a door suddenly banged open above and a respectable-looking woman, who might have been some kind of upper servant, came quickly down the stairs. An expression of intense indignation rested upon her face, and without seeming to notice our presence she brushed past us and went out into the street.
“Off you go, Knox!” said Harley.