ight, I sprinted along the sidewalk at top
speed, and, on arriving at the corner, had the satisfaction of seeing
them only a little way ahead. Here the congestion of traffic was such
that the van could proceed but slowly, and I had no difficulty in
keeping pace with it, without the necessity of making myself
conspicuous by running. Indeed, I rather hung back, burying myself in
the crowds on the sidewalk, for fear that Armand might chance to
glance around and see me in pursuit.

I saw that Godfrey and Simmonds had the same fear, for the cab in
which they were drew up at the curb and waited there until the van
had got some distance ahead. At Sixteenth Street, it turned westward
again, and then northward into Seventh Avenue.

What could Armand be doing in this part of the town, I asked myself?
Did he propose to leave that priceless cabinet in this dingy quarter?
And then I paused abruptly and slipped into an area-way, for the van
had stopped some distance ahead and was backing up to the curb.

Looking out discreetly, I saw the cab containing Armand stop also,
and that gentleman alighted and paid the driver. The other cab
rattled on at a good pace and disappeared up the Avenue. Then the two
porters lifted out the cabinet, and, with Armand showing them the
way, carried it into the building before which the van had stopped.

They were gone perhaps five minutes, from which I argued that they
were carrying it upstairs; then they reappeared, with Armand
accompanying them. He tipped them and went out also to tip the driver
of the van. Then the porters climbed aboard and it rattled away out
of sight. Armand stood for a moment on the step, looking up and down
the Avenue, then disappeared indoors.

An instant later, I saw Godfrey and another man whom I recognised as
Simmonds, come out of a shop across the street and dash over to the
house into which the cabinet had been taken. They were standing on
the door-step when I joined them.

It was a dingy building, entirely typical of the dingy neighbourhood.
The ground floor was occupied by a laundry which the sign on the
front window declared to be French; and the room which the window
lighted extended the whole width of the building except for a door
which opened presumably on the stairway leading to the upper stories.

Godfrey's face was flaming with excitement as he turned the knob of
this door gently--gently. The door was locked. He stooped and applied
an eye to the key-hole.