Page:Marie Adelaide Belloc Lowndes - The Lodger.djvu/76

66 "Yes," he said, "I’m as right as a trivet now! I’ve had a good rest—laid down all this afternoon. You see, the Yard thinks there’s going to be something on to-night. He’s always done them in pairs."

"So he has," exclaimed Bunting wonderingly. "So he has! Now, I never thought o’ that. Then you think, Joe, that the monster’ll be on the job again to-night?"

Chandler nodded. "Yes. And I think there’s a very good chance of his being caught too"

"I suppose there’ll be a lot on the watch to-night, eh?"

"I should think there will be! How many of our men d’you think there’ll be on night duty to-night, Mr. Bunting?"

Bunting shook his head. "I don’t know," he said helplessly.

"I mean extra," suggested Chandler, in an encouraging voice.

"A thousand?" ventured Bunting.

"Five thousand, Mr. Bunting."

"Never!" exclaimed Bunting, amazed.

And even Mrs. Bunting echoed "Never!" incredulously.

"Yes, that there will. You see, the Boss has got his monkey up!" Chandler drew a folded-up newspaper out of his coat pocket. "Just listen to this: