“Will you go?” she spoke to Adele, appearing in a few moments, ready to accompany Mr. Dainty.
“No,” was the quiet answer. “It can do you no good; and harm may come of it to me.”
The carriage which had brought Mr. Fleetwood and Adele from the Exchange was still at the door. Into this Mr. Dainty, after giving his orders to the driver, entered with Florence. At the nearest police-station they obtained an officer, duly instructed to arrest Mrs. Jeckyl if she could be found, and then swept rapidly off toward the northern part of the city. In returning from her previous visit to the house of Mrs. Weir, Florence had particularly noted the names of streets and numbers of houses, so that she had no difficulty in giving the directions needed.
“This is the house,” she said, at last, and the officer signed to the driver to rein up his horses. As when Florence paid her first visit, there was not a sign of life about the dwelling. All the window-shutters were closed, and the dust lay thick upon the sills and door-steps. Grass sprung in little green tufts from between the bricks on the pavement, while small mounds of dirt had grown, by daily light secretions, in the corners where the walls of the house and door-steps came in contact.
“No one lives here,” said Mr. Dainty, as he looked up at the dwelling and noted the many signs of desertion.
“It is the house in which I saw that girl,” replied Florence.
The officer had already rung the bell. He was lifting his hand to ring a second time, when the door was opened cautiously, and the singularly striking face of Mrs. Weir presented itself. On seeing Florence, whom she instantly recognised, she made a movement to shut the door quickly upon her visitors; but this the strong hand of the officer prevented. As he pushed it wide open, Mrs. Weir turned and ran back along the passage.
“She will give the alarm, and the woman may escape,” said Florence, quickly.
At this hint the officer sprung forward, and, grasping her arm tightly, arrested her progress at the bottom of the stairway. Mrs. Weir turned instantly, and fixed her black, glittering eyes upon him.
“What is the meaning of this outrage?” she demanded, in a steady voice.