"Did you see him?" he asked.
"Him? Who?"
"Why, Tom Terrill sneaked down those stairs a little bit ago, and I
thought you might have found him up there."
Could it be possible that this man had been with Doddridge Knapp, and
that it was his voice I had heard? This in turn seemed improbable,
hardly possible.
"There he is now," whispered Porter.
I turned my eyes in the direction he indicated, and a shock ran through
me; for my eye had met the eye of a serpent. Yes, there again was the
cruel, keen face, and the glittering, repulsive eye, filled with malice
and hatred, that I had beheld with loathing and dread whenever it had
come in my path. With an evil glance Terrill turned and made off in the
crowd.
"Follow that man, Wainwright," said I to the second guard, who was
close at hand. "Watch him to-night and report to me to-morrow."
I wondered what could be the meaning of Terrill's visit to the
building. Was it to see Doddridge Knapp and get his orders? Or was it
to follow up some new plan to wrest from me the secret I was supposed
to hold? But there was no answer to these questions, and I turned
toward my room to prepare for the excursion that had been set for the
evening.
It was with hope and fear that I took my way to the Pine Street palace.
It was my fear that was realized. Mrs. Bowser fell to my lot--indeed, I
may say that I was surrounded by her in force, and surrendered
unconditionally--while Luella joined Mr. Carter, and Mrs.
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