Any danger
in the world he would have faced for conscience' sake; but this was
wrong--he knew it was wrong! And so all the glow of conviction was
gone from him.
What could be the matter? Why should Charlie be so long? Surely he had
had time enough to ransack the whole house! Could it be that he had
got out by the other way--that he had planned to skip town, and leave
Samuel there in the lurch?
And then again came a faint creaking upon the stairs. He was coming
back! Or could it by any chance be another person? He dared not
venture to whisper; he stood, tense with excitement, while the sounds
came nearer--it was as if some monster were creeping upon him in the
darkness, and folding its tentacles about him!
He heard a sound in the hall beside him. Why didn't Charlie speak?
What was the matter with him? What--
And then suddenly came a snapping sound, and a blinding glare of light
flashed up, flooding the hallway and everything about him. Samuel
staggered back appalled. There was some one standing there before him!
He was caught!
Thus for one moment of dreadful horror. And then he realized that the
person confronting him was a little girl!
She was staring at him; and he stared at her. She could not have been
more than ten years old, and wore a nightgown trimmed with lace. She
had bright yellow hair, and her finger was upon the button which
controlled the lights.
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