Page:Guy Boothby--A Bid for Fortune.djvu/261

Rh at this door just now. She'll be off, if I mistake not, with the news, and I want to watch her. Good-night."

"Good-night, and good luck to you."

Without another word I slipped off my boots, left the room, and went downstairs to the morning-room. This room looked out over the garden and possessed a window shaded by a big tree. Opening the window, I jumped out and carefully closed it after me. Then, pausing for a moment to resume my boots, I crept quietly down the path, jumped a low wall, and so passed into the back street. About fifty yards from the trades men's entrance, but on the opposite side of the road, a big Moreton Bay fig tree grew on the sidewalk. Under this I took my stand, at the same time keeping a watchful eye on the house. Fortunately it was a dark night, so that it would have been extremely difficult to detect my presence. For some minutes I waited, and was beginning to wonder if I could have been deceived, when I heard the soft click of a gate, and next moment a small dark figure passed out into the street and closed the gate after it. Then pausing a moment as if to make up her mind, for the mysterious person was a woman, she set off quickly in the direction of the city. I followed about a hundred yards behind her. With the exception of one policeman, who stared very hard at me, we did not meet a soul. Once or twice I nearly lost her, and when we reached the city itself I began to see that it would be well for me to decrease the difference that separated us. I accordingly did so, and in this fashion we passed up one street and down another until we reached what I cannot help thinking must have been the lowest quarter of Sydney. On all hands were Chinese names and signboards, marine stores, slop shops, and pawnbrokers, and in this locality few of the