They'll think it's a mistake, that's all. What's the
matter in the dark? You do as I tell you. And when you've got to
know the address--you can take your time about that, of course--come
back along Shaftesbury Avenue and give three knocks at the door, and
I'll come down."
It flashed through Christopher's mind that he would be terribly late
in getting home, but there was no help for it. If he refused this
undertaking, or failed to carry it out successfully, Polly would
cast him off. The gloom of a desperate mood fell upon him. He had
the feeling of a detective or of a criminal, he knew not which; the
mystery of the affair was a hideous oppression.
Even the initial step, that of watching the trio of strangers into
their brougham, was not without difficulty. The pavement began to be
crowded. Clutching her slave by the arm, Polly managed. to hold a
position whence she could see the people who descended the front
steps of the theatre, and at length her energy was rewarded. The
ladies she could not have recognized, for they were muffled against
the night air, but their male companion she "spotted"--that was the
word in her mind--with certainty.
Pages:
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181