“Gone, sor. Dismissed this morning. The lot av thim. I asked a housemaid who knew some av thim. Asked her who lived there, and what wid passin’ the toime av day, she told me that, too.”
“Well, there’s somebody there at all events, for one of the front windows upstairs is lighted.”
Then Larry gave me a fright. He chuckled and then whistled very gently. And before I could even tell him to shut up, there was a soft footfall behind us and some one blundered into us in the darkness. I grabbed the newcomer at once and felt for his throat, but Larry pulled my hands away. “Tis all right, sor. ’Tis a friend of mine,” he chuckled. “Well, Tim, phwat’s the news?”
“Call off your friend first,” came a hoarse whisper. “Sure, ’tis a grip like a bear he has. But there’s no news at all, lad. Not a soul has gone in or come out since ye left this afternoon. I was watching out front till eleven. Then the block watchman came prowling around and I come on back here. While I wuz waitin’ I took the liberty av just liftin’ out thim bars fer ye, just to kape me hand in, like.”
Larry chuckled again. “Tis a good friend ye are, Tim. But now do ye be gettin’ away out av ut an’ lave it to us. Good-night.”
“Good-night,” came the hoarse whisper, and the stranger departed as noiselessly as he had come.
“Come on, sor,” whispered Larry. He took my hand and led me up to the house until I could reach out and touch the wall. He seemed to be quite able to see in the dark, for I heard him fumbling with something for only a moment and then his hand caught mine again. “Sure, ’tis all done for us, sor. The windy’s open now. Step over the sill and feel for the floor with yer fut. And make no sound now for the love av Mike.”
So I stepped into the house, closely followed by Larry. Once in, he turned and closed the window behind us. “And now, sor,” he whispered, “we’ll just be going through the place from cellar to garret. Do but watch yer feet!” And suddenly a little beam of light flashed, dancing about me. The search was on.
Chapter XIV.
What We Found
Larry’s tiny electric torch showed us a small basement room, evidently used as a laundry. An unlocked door led from it into the kitchen, an old-fashioned one and very large. And after listening at the door for a moment we explored this room also. The fire was out and the ashes were quite cold, and the coolness of the air in the room indicated that no fire had been lit in it that day, or, at least, late that day.