One thing, however, was indelibly printed on her mind. Stefani

Gregor--either Cutty had met and known the man or he had heard of him.

Suddenly she became conscious that she was blinking as one blinks

from mirror-reflected sunlight. She cast about for the source of this

phenomenon. Obliquely from between the interstices of the fire-escape

platform came a point of moving white light. She craned her neck. A

battery lamp! The round spot of light worked along the cement floor,

vanished occasionally, reappeared, and then vanished altogether.

Somebody was down there hunting for something. What?

Kitty remained with her head out of the window for some time, unmindful

of the spatter of rain. But nothing happened. The man was gone. Of

course the incident might not have the slightest bearing upon the

previous adventures of this amazing night; still, it was suggestive. The

young man had worn something round his neck. But if his enemies had

it why should this man comb the court, unless he was a tenant and had

knocked something off a window ledge?

She began to appreciate that she was very tired, and decided to go back

to bed. This time she fell asleep. Her disordered thoughts rearranged

themselves in a dazzling dream. She found herself wandering through a

glorious translucent green cavern--a huge emerald. And in the distance

she heard that unmistakable tumpitum-tump! tumpitum-tump! It drew her

irresistibly. She fought and struggled against the fascinating sound,

but it continued to draw her on. Suddenly from round a corner came the

squat man, his hair a la Fuzzy-Wuzzy. He caught her savagely by the

shoulder and dragged her toward a fire of blazing diamonds. On the other

side of that fire was a blonde young woman with a tiara of rubies on her

head. "Save me! I am Olga, Olga!" Kitty struggled fiercely and awoke.

The light was on. At the side of her bed were two men. One of them was

holding her bare shoulder and digging his fingers into it cruelly. They

looked like coal heavers.

"We do not wish to harm you, and won't if you're sensible. Where did

they take the man you brought?"




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