Part 46 (2/2)
”But you're delaying me--”
”Mean to,” said Peter Kenny purposefully; and without giving P
Sybarite the least hint of his intention, suddenly irabbed the weapon by the barrel, and took it to hireater ease since the other neither understood nor attempted resistance
”What in blazes--?” he enquired, puzzled, watching Peter turn the weapon over curiously in his hands ”I should think--”
”There!” Peter interrupted placidly, withdrawing thethe now har Fire-escape's outside the farin the bedroom, yonder”
”What the deuce! What's the un without it?”
”For your present purpose, it's better than if loaded,” Peter asserted complacently ”For purposes of intio off by accident and make you an unintentional murderer”
P Sybarite's jaw dropped and his eyes opened; but after an instant, he nodded in entire agreement
”That's a head you have on your shoulders, boy!” said he ”As for mine, I've a notion that it has never really jelled”
He turned toward the bedroom, but paused
”Only--why not say what you want? Why these roundabout ways to your purpose? Have you, by any chance, been educated for the bar?”
”That's the explanation,” laughed Peter ”I'm to be admitted to practise next year Meanwhile, circumlocution's my specialty”
”It is!” said P Sybarite with conviction ”Wellback in five minutes”
Of all his weird adventures, this latest pleased hiht when your heart is light, your pockets heavy, and wine is buzzing wantonly within your head: but another thing altogether to burglarise your eneht, and cold-sober For by now the light was clear and strong, in the open
Yet to his relief he found no ht in the craed the fire-escape; while the opposite wall of the adjoining building ran blind fro comfortable assurance that none could spy upon hi more”--Peter Kenny came to theto advise, as P
Sybarite scraridiron platfored like mine He's better off than I am, you know--can afford more elbow-room I'm not sure, but I _think_ you'll break in--if at all--by the dining-roo hands, they exchanged an anxious san his cautious descent
Not that he found it difficult; the Monastery fire-escape was a series of steep flights of iron steps, instead of the prieneral use There was even a guard-rail at the outside of each flight Consequently, P Sybarite gained the eleventh floor platfor instant, dashed to discover his task made facile rather than obstructed
The as wide open, to force whose latch he had thoughtfully provided himself with a fruit knife froloom and stillness absolute--the one rendered the ht; the other with a quality individual and, as P Sybarite took it, so--too complete in its promise
And so for a darkly dubiousback To his quick Celtic instinct there seemed to inhere, in that open, dark, and silent , so as sinister and repellent as the inscrutable, soundless menace of a revolver presented to one's head
Mo of that odd terror, unreasoning and inexcusable, that had assailed hi his head i swarm of fancies--he stepped noiselessly, in his unshod feet, down through the , cautiously parted the draperies, and advanced into darkness so thick that theredaybreak
Then, with eyes becoe, he made out shapes and masses that first confirave his