“Why not to-night?” asked Levi.
“He’s gone,” said the pawnbroker briefly. “Didn’t you hear him shut up?”
“He was in the shop five minutes ago,” said Levi.
“He left at ten,” said the pawnbroker.
“I’ll swear I heard somebody only a minute or two back,” said Levi, staring.
“Nerves, as you remarked a little while ago,” said his friend, with a grin.
“Well, I thought I heard him,” said Levi. “You might just secure the door anyway.”
The pawnbroker went to the door and made it fast, giving a careless glance round the dimly lighted shop as he did so.
“Perhaps you could stay to-night yourself,” he said, as he returned to the sitting-room.
“I can’t possibly, to-night,” said the other. “By the way, you might lend me a pistol of some kind. With all these cut-throats hanging round, visiting you is a somewhat perilous pleasure. They might take it into their heads to kill me to see whether I have got the stone.”