"Which room?" she asked.
He gave a jerk of his head indicating a room above the one we were in; and then he opened the door very politely for us, and hoped we'd have a pleasant night.
I could not resist the inclination to look back at the hunchback. He had left off nursing his knees, but his whole body was convulsed with silent laughter, and he was holding up close to his eyes a gold coin.
The room the old woman conducted us to was a long one, with half-a-dozen steps leading up to it. She bade us good night and closed the door, leaving us with the lighted candle.
The minute the door closed upon her, I darted to it. But horrors! there was no key, no bolt, nothing to fasten ourselves in. I looked at mother. She was sitting on the bed, and beckoned me with her finger to come close. I did so. She whispered,—
"Phyllis, be brave for my sake. I have done a foolish thing in bringing you to this house. I distrust these people."
"So do I," I whispered back.
"That purse of mine that fell—they saw what was in it."
"Yes, and a napoleon rolled out—that hunchback picked it up and put it into his pocket. He did not think I saw him."