Page:Arthur Stringer - The Door of Dread.djvu/290

 and a massive hand at the same time placed over her mouth. It cupped itself artfully over her chin, with a gigantic thumb and forefinger squeezing tight on her nostrils until the very breath of life was shut off from her body. She felt herself wedged closely in between the two bodies. They held her like the horns of a vise, held her until all movement became impossible.

She tried to writhe and twist away from the great hand that was shutting off her breath. But this was impossible. Reverting to feral ways, she tried to fight with nail and tooth. But this was equally useless. She was without strength. The ache for air caused her to collapse. Then, and then only, the gross thumb and forefinger over her nose relaxed their pressure a little and permitted her to breathe again.

The man who had thrown an arm about her, she saw, was huge of stature. He was massive and thick-shouldered, almost giant-like in size. And about the entire proceeding he had remained maddeningly self-contained.

"This dame's sure to be heeled," he said to the smaller man on her right. "You frisk her when I hold her down!"