Page:The Whisper on the Stair by Lyon Mearson (1924).djvu/295

 He paused for a moment, thinking rapidly. He was not afraid of Teck and his men, yet it would be better if they could get out to where the treasure was hidden without being followed by them. He didn’t want to have a fight with them while the women were there.

“I have it,” he announced at length. He glanced at the large crowd, which now numbered perhaps five thousand persons. “Let’s push into the crowd and lose ourselves. They won’t be able to keep track of us in there⸺” he pointed with a flick of his hand at the mass along the wall.

“Teck’ll watch our car, expecting us to come back to it. Well, we won’t come back to it at all, see. We’ll stay in the crowd for ten or fifteen minutes, and then we can ooze out of it and make for the street car to Hampton. From Hampton we can walk over to Mount Monroe easily—it can’t be very far.”

“It isn’t,” assented Jessica. “I think you’ve hit on the way to do it.”

Ten minutes later they mixed thoroughly with the crowd that swirled in the direction of the trolley car, and in another moment they were seated inside.

“There,” said Jessica, “I think we’ve thrown them off now.” They glanced around them and saw nobody they could recognize in the crowd. There was a clanging of the bell, the track was cleared of the people who were crossing, and the car started on its way. The trolley turned the corner and was lost to sight.

The Rat, who had been hidden in the crowd, turned and ran for Phœbus. At the automobile opposite the restaurant he found Horseface and Teck.

“Dey just got on de car fer Hampton,” he announced.