Page:Yellow Claw 1920.djvu/353

 double question which kept her wakeful through the dreary watches of the night.…

“Look!”

Denise Ryland grasped her by the arm, pointing out into the darkened Square. A furtive figure crossed from the northeast corner into the shade of some trees and might be vaguely detected coming nearer and nearer.

“There he is!” whispered Denise Ryland, excitedly; “I told you he couldn’t…keep away. I know that kind of brute. There is nobody at home, so listen: I will watch…from the drawing-room, and you…light up here and move about…as if preparing to go out.”

Helen, aware that she was flushed with excitement, fell in with the proposal readily; and having switched on the lights in her room and put on her hat so that her moving shadow was thrown upon the casement curtain, she turned out the light again and ran to rejoin her friend. She found the latter peering eagerly from the window of the drawing-room.

“He thinks you are coming out!” gasped Denise. “He has slipped…around the corner. He will pretend to be…passing…this way…the cross-eyed…hypocrite. Do you feel capable…of the task?”

“Quite,” Helen declared, her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkling. “You will follow us as arranged; for heaven’s sake, don’t lose us!”

“If the doctor knew of this,” breathed Denise,