ee you
through this matter with credit."

And in this assurance I returned to my lodgings where I found the
landlady sitting where I had left her, darning her twenty-third sock.

"I have to mend for a dozen men and three boys," said she, "and the boys
are the worst by a heap sight. Look at that, will you," holding up
a darn with a bit of stocking attached. "That hole was made playing
shinny."

I uttered my condolences and asked if any sound or disturbance had
reached her ears from above.

"O no, all is right up there; I've scarcely heard a whisper since you've
been gone."

I gave her a pat on the chin scarcely consistent with my aged and
tottering mien and proceeded to shamble painfully to my room.

CHAPTER XVII. THE CAPTURE

Promptly next morning at the designated hour, came the little note
promised me by Mr. Gryce. It was put in my hand with many sly winks by
the landlady herself, who developed at this crisis quite an adaptation
for, if not absolute love of intrigue and mystery. Glancing over it--it
was unsealed--and finding it entirely unintelligible, I took it for
granted it was all right and put it by till chance, or if that failed,
strategy, should give me an opportunity to communicate with Mrs. Blake.
An hour passed; the doors of their rooms remained unclosed. A half hour
more dragged its slow minutes away, and no sound had come from their
precincts save now and then a mumbled word of parley between the father
and son, a short command to the daughter, or a not-to-be-restrained oath
of annoyance from one or both of the heavy-limbed brutes as something
was said or done to disturb them in their indolent repose. At last
my impatience was to be no longer restrained. Rising, I took a bold
resolution. If the mountain would not come to Mahomet, Mahomet would go
to the mountain. Taking my letter in the hand, I deliberately proceeded
to the door marked with the ominous red cross and knocked.

A surprised snarl from within, followed by a sudden shuffling of feet
as the two men leaped upright from what I presume had been a recumbent
position, warned me to be ready to face defiance if not the fury of
despair; and curbing with a determined effort the slight sinking of
heart natural to a man of my make on the threshold of a very doubtful
adventure, I awaited with as much apparent unconcern as possible, the
quick advance of that light foot which seemed to be ready to perform
all the biddings of these hardened wre