"Isthatdoorlocked？"
　　"No，"thegirltoldhim。"Butthedoorfromitintothehallisfastened，liketheother，withaspringlockandtwobolts。"
　　Fordcautiouslyopenedthedoorintotheroomadjoining，and，exceptforabedandwash—stand，founditempty。Ontiptoeherantothewindows。SowellStreetwasdeserted。HereturnedtoMissDale，againclosingthedoorbetweenthetworooms。
　　"Thenurse，"MissDalewhispered，"whensheisonduty，leavesthatdooropensothatshecanwatchme;whenshegoesdownstairs，shelocksandboltsthedoorfromthatroomtothehall。It’slockednow。"
　　"What’sthenurselike？"
　　ThegirlgaveashudderthatseemedtoFordsufficientlydescriptive。Herlipstightenedinahard，straightline。
　　"She’snothuman，"shesaid。"Ibeggedhertohelpme，appealedtoherineveryway;thenItriedadozentimestogetpasthertothestairs。"
　　"Well？"
　　Thegirlfrowned，andwithagesturesignifiedhersurroundings。
　　"I’mstillhere，"shesaid。
　　Shebentsuddenlyforwardand，withherhandonhisshoulder，turnedthemansothathefacedthecot。
　　"Themattressonthatbed，"shewhispered，restsontwoironrods。
　　Theyarelooseandcanbelifted。Iplannedtosmashthelock，butthenoisewouldhavebroughtProthero。Butyoucoulddefendyourselfwithoneofthem。"
　　Fordhadalreadyruntothecotanddroppedtohisknees。Hefoundthemattresssupportedonstripsofironrestinglooselyinsocketsattheheadandfoot。Heraisedtheonenearerhim，andthen，afteramomentofhesitation，letitdropintoplace。
　　"That’sfine！"hewhispered。"Goodasacrowbar。’"Heshookhisheadinsuddenindecision。"ButIdon’tjustknowhowtouseit。
　　HisautomaticcouldshootsixtimesbeforeIcouldswingthatthingonhimonce。AndifIhaveitinmyhandswhenheopensthedoor，he’llshoot，andhemayhityou。ButifIleaveitwhereitis，hewon’tknowIknowit’sthere，anditmaycomeinveryhandylater。"
　　Incompletedisapprovalthegirlshookherhead。Hereyesfilledwithconcern。"Youmustnotfighthim，"sheordered。Imean，notforme。Youdon’tknowthedanger。Theman’snotsane。Hewon’tgiveyouachance。He’smad。Youhavenorighttoriskyourlifeforastranger。I’llnotpermitit"
　　Fordhelduphishandforsilence。Withajerkofhisheadhesignifiedthedoor。"They’vestoppedtalking，"hewhispered。
　　Strainingtohear，thetwoleanedforward，butfromthehalltherecamenosound。Thegirlraisedhereyebrowsquestioningly。
　　"Havetheygone？"shebreathed。
　　"IfIknewthat，"protestedFord，"wewouldn’tbehere！"
　　Inanswertohisdoubtasmartrap，asthoughfromthebuttofarevolver，felluponthedoor。ThevoiceofProtherospokesharply:
　　"You，whocallyourselfGrant！"heshouted。
　　Beforeanswering，ForddrewMissDaleandhimselfawayfromthelineofthedoor，andsoplacedthegirlwithherbacktothewallthatifthedooropenedshewouldbebehindit。"Yes，"heanswered。
　　"PearsallandI"calledProthero，"havedecidedhowtodisposeofyou——ofbothofyou。Hehasgonebelowtomakepreparations。Iamonguard。Ifyoutrytobreakoutorcallforhelp，I’llshootyouasIwarnedyou！"
　　"AndIwarnyou，"shoutedFord，"ifthisladyandIdonotinstantlyleavethishouse，orifanyharmcomestoher，youwillhangforit！"Protherolaughedjeeringly。
　　"Whowillhangme？"hemocked。
　　"Myfriends，"retortedFord。"TheyknowIaminthishouse。TheyknowWHYIamhere。UnlesstheyseeMissDaleandmyselfwalkoutofitinsafety，theywillneverletyouleaveit。Don’tbeafool，Prothero！"heshouted。"YouknowIamtellingthetruth。Youknowyouronlychanceformercyistoopenthatdoorandletusgofree。"
　　ForoveraminuteFordwaited，butfromthehalltherewasnoanswer。
　　Afteranotherminuteofsilence，FordturnedandgazedinquiringlyatMissDale。
　　"Prothero！"hecalled。
　　Againforafullminutehewaitedandagaincalled，andthen，astherestillwasnoreply，hestruckthedoorsharplywithhisknuckles。OntheinstantthevoiceoftheJewrangforthinanangrybellow。
　　"Keepawayfromthatdoor！"hecommanded。
　　FordturnedtoMissDaleandbenthisheadclosetohers。
　　"Now，whythedevildidn’theanswer？"hewhispered。"Wasitbecausehewasn’tthere;orisheplanningtostealawayandwantsustothinkthatevenifhedoesnotanswer，he’sstilloutside？"
　　Thegirlnoddedeagerly。
　　"Thisisit，"shewhispered。"Myuncleisacowardorratherheisverywise，andhasleftthehouse。AndProtheromeanstofollow，buthewantsustothinkhe’sstillonguard。IfweonlyKNEW！"sheexclaimed。
　　Asthoughinanswertoherthought，thevoiceofProtherocalledtothem。
　　"Don’tspeaktomeagain，"hewarned。"Ifyoudo，I’llnotanswer，orI’llshoot！"
　　Flattenedagainstthewall，closetothehingesofthedoor，Fordrepliedflippantlyanddefiantly:
　　"Thatmakesconversationdifficult，doesn’tit？"hecalled。
　　Therewasaburstingreport，andabulletsplinteredthepanelofthedoor，flatteneditselfagainstthefireplace，andfelltinklingintothegrate。
　　"IhopeIhityou！"roaredtheJew。
　　Fordpressedhislipstightlytogether。Whateverhappyretortmayhaverisentothemwasforeverlost。Foranexchangeofrepartee，themomentdidnotseempropitious。
　　"Perhapsnow，"jeeredProthero，"you’llbelieveI’minearnest！"
　　Fordstillresistedanytemptationtoreply。Hegrinnedapologeticallyatthegirlandshruggedhisshoulders。Herfacewaswhite，butitwaswhitefromexcitement，notfromfear。
　　"WhatdidItellyou？"shewhispered。"HeISmad——quitemad！"
　　Fordglancedatthebullet—holeinthepanelofthedoor。Itwasonalinewithhisheart。HelookedatMissDale;hershoulderwasonalevelwithhisown，andhereyeswerefollowinghis。
　　"Incasehedoesthatagain，"saidFord，"wewouldbemorecomfortablesittingdown。"
　　Withtheirshouldersagainstthewall，thetwoyoungpeoplesanktothefloor。Thepositionseemedtoappealtothemashumorous，and，whentheireyesmet，theysmiled。
　　"Toaspectator，"whisperedFordencouragingly，"weMIGHTappeartobegettingtheworstofthis。But，asamatteroffact，everyminuteCuthbertdoesnotcomemeansthatthenextminutemaybringhim。"
　　"Youdon’tbelievehewashurt？"askedthegirl。
　　"No，"saidFord。"IbelieveProtherofoundhim，andIbelievetheremayhavebeenafight。ButyouheardwhatPearsallsaid:’Themanoutsidewilltell。’IfCuthbert’sinapositiontotell，heisnotdownanareawithaknifeinhim。"
　　Hewasinterruptedbyafaintreportfromthelowestfloor，asthoughthedoortothestreethadbeensharplyslammed。MissDaleshowedthatshealsohadheardit。
　　"Myuncle，"shesaid，"makinghisescape！"
　　"Itmaybe，"Fordanswered。
　　Thereportdidnotsuggesttohimtheslammingofadoor，buthesawnoreasonforsayingsotothegirl。
　　Withhisfingerslockedacrosshisknees，Fordwasleaningforward，hiseyesfrowning，hislipstightlyshut。Athissidethegirlregardedhimcovertly。Hisbroadshoulders，almosttouchinghers，hisstrongjawprojectingaggressively，andthealert，observanteyesgaveherconfidence。Forthreeweeksshehadbeenmakingafightsingle—handed。Butshewasnowwillingtoceasestrugglingandrelax。Quitehappilysheplacedherselfandhersafetyinthekeepingofastranger。Halftoherself，halftotheman，shemurmured:"Itislike’TheSieurdeMaletroit’sDoor。"’
　　Withoutlookingather，Fordshookhisheadandsmiled。
　　"Nosuchluck，"hecorrectedgrimly。"Thatyoungmanwasgivenachoice。Themomenthewaswillingtomarrythegirlhecouldhavewalkedoutoftheroomfree。IdonotrecallProthero’ssayingI
　　canescapedeathbyanysuchcharmingalternative。"Thegirlinterruptedquickly。
　　"No，"shesaid;"youarenotatalllikethatyoungman。Hestumbledinbychance。Youcameonpurposetohelpme。Itwasfine，unselfish。"
　　"Itwasnot，"returnedFord。"Mymotivewasabsolutelyselfish。ItwasnottohelpyouIcame，buttobeabletotellaboutitlater。
　　Itismybusinesstodothat。AndbeforeIsawyou，itwasallintheday’swork。ButafterIsawyouitwasnolongerapartoftheday’swork;itbecameamatterofalifetime。"
　　Thegirlathissidelaughedsoftlyandlightly。"Alifetimeisnotlong，"shesaid，"whenyouarelockedinaroomandamadmanisshootingatyou。Itmaylastonlyanhour。"
　　"Whetheritlastsanhourormanyyears，saidFord，"itcanmeantomenowonlyonething"Heturnedquicklyandlookedinherfaceboldlyandsteadily:"You，"hesaid。
　　Thegirldidnotavoidhiseyes，butreturnedhisglancewithoneassteadyashisown。"Youareanamusingperson，"shesaid。"Doyoufeelitisnecessarytokeepupmycouragewithprettyspeeches？"
　　"Imadenoprettyspeech，"saidFord。"Iproclaimedafact。Youarethemostcharmingpersonthatevercameintomylife，andwhetherProtheroshootsusup，orwhetherwelivetogetbacktoGod’scountry，youwillneverleaveit。"
　　Thegirlpretendedtoconsiderhisspeechcritically。"Itwouldbealmostacompliment，"shesaid，"ifitwereintelligent，butwhenyouknownothingofme——itismerelyimpertinent。"
　　"Iknowthismuchofyou，"returnedFord，calmly;"Iknowyouarefineandgenerous，foryourfirstspeechtome，inspiteofyourowndanger，wasformysafety。Iknowyouarebrave，forIseeyounowfacingdeathwithoutdismay。"
　　Hewasagainsuddenlyhaltedby，twosharpreports。Theycamefromtheroomdirectlybelowthem。Itwasnolongerpossibletopretendtomisinterprettheirsignificance。
　　"Prothero！"exclaimedFord，"andhispistol！"
　　Theywaitedbreathlesslyforwhatmightfollow:anoutcry，thesoundofabodyfalling，athirdpistol—shot。Butthroughoutthehousetherewassilence。
　　"Ifyoureallythinkweareinsuchdanger，"declaredMissDale，"wearewastingtime！"
　　"WeareNOTwastingtime，"protestedFord;"wearereallygainingtime，foreachminuteCuthbertandthepolicearedrawingnearer，andtomoveaboutonlyinvitesabullet。And，whatisofmoreimportance，"hewentonquickly，asthoughtoturnhermindfromthemysteriouspistol—shots，"shouldwegetoutofthisalive，I
　　shallalreadyhavesaidwhatunderordinaryconditionsImightnothavefoundthecouragetotellyouinmanymonths。"Hewaitedasthoughhopefulofareply，butMissDaleremainedsilent。"Theysay，"continuedFord，"whenamanisdrowninghiswholelifepassesinreview。Wearedrowning，andyetIfindIcanseeintothepastnofurtherthanthelasthalf—hour。Ifindlifebeganonlythen，whenIlookedthroughthebarsofthatwindowandfoundYOU！"
　　Withthepalmofherhandthegirlstruckthefloorsharply。"Thisisneitherthetime，"sheexclaimed，"northeplaceto"
　　"Ididnotchoosetheplace，"Fordpointedout。"Itwasforceduponmewithagun。ButtheTIMEisexcellent。Atsuchatimeonespeaksonlywhatistrue。"
　　"Youcertainlyhaveastrangesenseofhumor，"shesaid，"butwhenyouareriskingyourlifetohelpme，howcanIbeangry？"
　　"Ofcourseyoucan’t，"Fordagreedheartily;"youcouldnotbesoconventional。"
　　"ButIAMconventional！"protestedMissDale。"AndIamnotUSEDtohavingyoungmentellmetheyhave’comeintomylifetostay’——certainlynotyoungmenwhocomeintomylifebywayofatrap—door，andwithoutanintroduction，withoutaname，withoutevenahat！It’sabsurd！It’snotreal！It’sanightmare！"
　　"Thewholesituationisabsurd！"Forddeclared。"HereweareintheheartofLondon，surroundedbytelephones，taxicabs，police——atleast，hopewearesurroundedbypoliceandyetwearecrawlingaroundtheflooronourhandsandkneesdodgingbullets。Iwishitwereanightmare。But，asit’snot"——herosetohisfeet——"IthinkI’lltry"
　　HewasinterruptedbyasharpblowuponthedoorandthevoiceofProthero。
　　"You，navyofficer！"hepanted。"Cometothedoor！StandclosetoitsothatIneedn’tshout。Come，quick！"
　　Fordmadenoanswer。MotioningtoMissDaletoremainwhereshewas，herannoiselesslytothebed，andfrombeneaththemattressliftedoneoftheironbarsuponwhichitrested。Graspingitatoneend，heswungthebarswiftlyasamanteststheweightofabaseballbat。Asaweaponitseemedtosatisfyhim，forhesmiled。
　　Thenoncemoreheplacedhimselfwithhisbacktothewall。"Doyouhearme？"roaredProthero。
　　"Ihearyou！"returnedFord。"Ifyouwanttotalktome，openthedoorandcomeinside。"
　　"Listentome，"calledProthero。"IfIopenthedooryoumayactthefool，andIwillhavetoshootyou，andIhavemadeupmymindtoletyoulive。Youwillsoonhavethishousetoyourselves。InafewmomentsIwillleaveit，butwhereIamgoingI’llneedmoney，andIwantthebank—notesinthatblueenvelope。"Fordswungtheironclubinshorthalf—circles。
　　"Comeinandgetthem！"hecalled。
　　"Don’ttriflewithme！"roaredtheJew，"Imaychangemymind。
　　Shovethemoneythroughthecrackunderthedoor。"
　　"Andgetshot！"returnedFord。"Notbitlikeit！"
　　"If，inoneminute，"shoutedProthero，"Idon’tseethemoneycomingthroughthatcrack，I’llbeginshootingthroughthisdoor，andneitherofyouwilllive！"
　　Restingthebarinthecrookofhiselbow，Fordsnatchedthebank—notesfromtheenvelope，and，stickingtheminhispocket，placedtheemptyenvelopeonthefloor。Stillkeepingoutofrange，andusinghisironbarasacroupieruseshisrake，hepushedtheenvelopeacrossthecarpetandunderthedoor。Whenhalfofithaddisappearedfromtheothersideofthedoor，itwassnatchedfromview。
　　AninstantlatertherewasascreamofangerandonalinewhereFordwouldhavebeen，hadheknelttoshovetheenvelopeunderthedoor，threebulletssplinteredthroughthepanel。
　　Atthesamemomentthegirlcaughthimbythewrist。Unheedingtheattackuponthedoor，hereyeswerefixeduponthewindows。WithherfreehandshepointedattheoneatwhichFordhadfirstappeared。Theblindwasstillraisedafewinches，andtheysawthatthenightwaslitwithastrangeandbrilliantradiance。Thestormhadpassed，andfromallthehousesthatbackedupontheoneinwhichtheywereprisonerslightsblazedfromeverywindow，andineachwerecrowdedmanypeople，andupontheroof—topsinsilhouettefromtheglareofthestreetlampsbelow，andintheyardsandclingingtothewallsthatseparatedthem，werehundredsofotherdark，shadowygroupschangingandswaying。Andfromthemrosetheconfused，inarticulate，terrifyingmurmurofamob。Itwasasthoughtheywereonarace—trackatnightfacingagreatgrandstandpeopledwithanarmyofghosts。Withthegirlathisside，Fordsprangtothewindowandthrewuptheblind，andastheyclungtothebars，peeringintothenight，thelightintheroomfellfulluponthem。Andinaninstantfromthewindowsopposite，fromtheyardsbelow，andfromthehouse—topscameasavage，exultantyellofwelcome，aconfusionofcries’orders，entreaties，agreatroarofwarning。Atthesound，Fordcouldfeelthegirlathissidetremble。
　　"Whatdoesitmean？"shecried。
　　"Cuthberthasraisedtheneighborhood！"shoutedFordjubilantly。
　　"Orelse"——hecriedinsuddenenlightenment——"thoseshotsweheard。"
　　Thegirlstoppedhimwithalowcryoffear。Shethrustherarmsbetweenthebarsandpointed。Intheyardbelowthemwastheslopingroofofthekitchen。Itstretchedfromthehousetothewallofthebackyard。Abovethewallfromtheyardbeyondrosealadder，and，facedownupontheroof，awryandsprawling。werethemotionlessformsoftwomen。Theirshiningcapesandheavyhelmetsproclaimedtheircalling。
　　"Thepolice！"exclaimedFord。"AndtheshotswethoughtwereforthoseinthehousewereforTHEM！Thisiswhathashappened，"hewhisperedeagerly:"ProtheroattackedCuthbert。Cuthbertgetsawayandgoestothepolice。Hetellsthemyouarehereaprisoner，thatIamhereprobablyaprisoner，andoftheattackuponhimself。Thepolicetrytomakeanentrancefromthestreet——thatwasthefirstshotweheard——andaredrivenback;thentheytrytocreepinfromtheyard，andthosepoordevilswerekilled。"