"Oh, Gail is fainting," cried Lorna.
The little Williams girl was indeed swaying and sinking down. Lane grasped her and shook her. "Brace up. If you keel over now, you'll be found out sure.... It's all right. You'll not be hurt. There——"
A heavy thumping on the door by which Lane had entered and a loud authoritative voice from the hall silenced him.
"Open up here! You're pinched!"
That voice Lane recognized as belonging to Chief of Police Bell. For a moment, fraught with suspense, Lane was at a loss to know what to do.
"Open up! We've got the place surrounded.... Open up, or we'll smash the door in!"
Lane whispered to the girls: "Is there a place to hide you?"
The Williams girl was beyond answering, but Lorna, despite her terror, had not lost her wits.
"Yes—there's a closet—hid by a curtain—here," she whispered, pointing.
Lane half carried Gail. Lorna brushed aside a heavy curtain and opened a door. Lane pushed both girls into the black void and closed the door after them.