Page:Randall Parrish - The Red Mist.djvu/143

 Rh "By a single small nail in each support; only enough to hold it firm. It was kept here in case of fire."

"Yes, I see; I can kick it loose easily. Don't delay; those fellows will be up the stairs in a moment more, and they are bringing a light with them. Here, let me help you."

She crept through the narrow scuttlehole, her supple, slender body rinding easy passage. With two blows of my boot I loosened the supports, freeing them from the floors, and mounted recklessly. Already men were on the stairs, the gleam of an approaching light reflecting along the side-walls. There was light flooring above, and sufficient space in which to move freely, although I could see nothing, not even the breathless girl at my side. Together we grasped the upper rungs, and drew up the ladder, sliding it in behind us on the floor. The scuttle cover was on hinges, and I clamped it down securely into place. Fortunately it slipped over the edge of the hole noiselessly, but the thin center board had warped slightly, leaving a little space, through which stole a tiny gleam of light, growing brighter as the searchers below advanced along the hall. It was no more than a narrow bar outlined on the roof overhead, and yielding us an indistinct glimpse of each other's faces, as we lay there pressed closely together