bloke's been a ringin' the changes
on me; I'll show him up, an' ---- well chance it. Slimy give me a quid
afore he took his ---- hook."

The lad had clearly been drinking, but had not yet reached the
incoherent stage. He spoke in great excitement, repeating constantly
his determination to be revenged upon the tobacconist at all costs. It
was with difficulty that Mr. Woodstock kept him to the point.

"Why Slimy give it me? Well, I'll jist tell yer, Mr. Woodstock. It was
to do a job for him, which I never done it after all. Slimy told me as
'ow I was to go to your orffice at ten o'clock last night, 'an tell you
from him as he'd no more 'casion for his room, so he'd sent yer the
key, an' yer'd better come as soon as possible an' see as he'd left
everything square behind him, an' 'cos he was afraid he'd locked in a
friend o' yourn by mistake an' in his hurry."

"And why the devil didn't you come?" exclaimed Abraham, looking at him
in angry surprise.

"'Cos why, Mr. Woodstock? Well, I'll tell yer just the bloomin' truth,
an' charnce it. I loss the key out o' my pocket, through 'avin' a ----
hole in it, so I thought as 'ow I'd best just say nothink about neither
Slimy nor his room, an' there y'ave it!"

Abraham was out of the shop again on the instant.

"I've found him," he said to Ida. "A house round there in the court."

She walked quickly by his side, a cluster of people following them.
Fortunately, a policeman was just coming from the opposite end of
Litany Lane, and Mr. Woodstock secured his services to keep the mob
from entering the house where Slimy had lived. As soon as they got
inside, the old man begged Ida to remain in a room on the ground floor
whilst he went upstairs, and this she consented to do. Reaching the
garret, he tried the handle of the door, without effect. Knocking and
calling produced no response, and within all was perfectly quiet.
Hesitating no longer, he drew back as far as the wall would allow him,
and ran with his foot against the door. The rotten woodwork cracked,
and a second onset forced the lock away. In the middle of the floor
Waymark lay, just as Slimy had left him nearly twenty-four hours ago.
Abraham scarcely ventured to draw near; there was no motion in the
fettered body, and he dreaded to look closely at the face. Before he
could overcome this momentary fear, there was a quick step behind him,
and, with a smothered cry, Ida had rushed into the room. She was on her
knees beside W