Dat's de best
t'ing youse can do, Slimmy--dey're all alike when dey gets in his
class."

"Youse cocaine sniffers gives me de pip!" snorted the Magpie, in
disgust. He dug down into his pocket, produced a bill, and flung it
across the table to Larry the Bat. "Well, dere youse are; but youse
can take it from me, Larry, dat if youse gets whiffed"--he swore
threateningly--"I'll crack every bone in yer face! Get me?"

"Slimmy," said Larry the Bat fervently, grabbing at the bill with a
hungry hand, "youse can count on me. I'll be up dere on de job before
youse are. Three o'clock, eh? Well, so long, Slimmy"--he slouched
eagerly to the door. "So long, Mag"--he paused on the threshold for
a single, quick-flung, significant glance. "See youse on de avenoo,
Mag--I'll be up dere before youse are. So long!"

"Oh, so long!" said the Tocsin contemptuously.

And, an instant later, Jimmie Dale closed the outer door behind him.

CHAPTER XII

JOHN JOHANSSON--FOUR-TWO-EIGHT

Nearly midnight already! It was even later than he had thought. Larry
the Bat pressed his face against a shop's windowpane on the Bowery for
a glance at a clock that had caught his eye on the wall within. Nearly
midnight!

He slouched on again hurriedly, still debating in his mind, as he
had been debating it all the way from the Tocsin's, the question of
returning again to the Sanctuary. So far, the way both to Spider Jack's
and the Sanctuary had been in the same direction--but the Sanctuary was
on the next street.

Jimmie Dale reached the corner--and hesitated. It was strange how strong
was the intuition upon him to-night that bade him go on and make all
speed to Spider Jack's--while equally strong was the cold, stubborn
logic that bade him go first to the Sanctuary. There were things that he
needed there that would probably be absolutely essential to him before
the night was out, things without which he might be so badly handicapped
as to invite failure from the start; and yet--it was already midnight!

Ostensibly both Makoff and Spider Jack closed their places at eleven.
But that might mean anything--depending upon their own respective
inclinations, or on what of their own peculiar brand of deviltry might
be afoot. If they were still about, still in evidence, he was still too
early, midnight though it was; though, on the other hand, if the coast
was clear, he could ill afford to lose a moment of the time between
now and the hour that the Magpie had