"Why? Is it locked on the inside?"
"I don"t know. Because--oh, hurry! If he--if it comes again--!"
We could see her turn to look behind her.
Larry demanded, "Are you alone in there?"
"Yes--now. But, oh! a moment ago he was here!"
"Then come to the door."
"I cannot. I don"t know where it is. This is so strange and dark a place. And yet it was my home, just a little time ago."
Demented! And it seemed to me that her accent was very queer. A foreigner, perhaps.
She went suddenly into frantic fear. Her fists beat the window gla.s.s almost hard enough to shatter it.
"We"d better get her out," I agreed. "Smash it, Larry."
"Yes." He waved at the girl. "Get back. I"ll break the gla.s.s. Get away so you won"t get hurt."
The girl receded into the dimness.
"Watch your hand," I cautioned. Larry took off his coat and wrapped his hand and the brick in it. I gazed behind us. The street was still empty. The slight commotion we had made had attracted no attention.
The girl cried out again as Larry smashed the pane. "Easy," I called to her. "Take it easy. We won"t hurt you."
The splintering gla.s.s fell inward, and Larry pounded around the cas.e.m.e.nt until it was all clear. The rectangular opening was fairly large. We could see a dim bas.e.m.e.nt room of dilapidated furniture: a door opening into a back room; the girl; nearby, a white shape watching us.
There seemed no one else. "Come on," I said. "You can get out here."
But she backed away. I was half in the window so I swung my legs over the sill. Larry came after me, and together we advanced on the girl, who shrank before us.
Then suddenly she ran to meet us, and I had the sudden feeling that she was not insane. Her fear of us was overshadowed by her terror at something else in this dark, deserted house. The terror communicated itself to Larry and me. Something eery, here.
"Come on," Larry muttered. "Let"s get her out of here."
I had indeed no desire to investigate anything further. The girl let us help her through the window. I stood in the entryway holding her arms. Her dress was of billowing white satin with a single red rose at the breast; her snowy arms and shoulders were bare; white hair was piled high on her small head. Her face, still terrified, showed parted red lips; a little round black beauty patch adorned one of her powdered cheeks. The thought flashed to me that this was a girl in a fancy dress costume. This was a white wig she was wearing!
I stood with the girl in the entryway, at a loss what to do. I held her soft warm arms; the perfume of her enveloped me.
"What do you want us to do with you?" I demanded softly. McGuire, the policeman on the block, might at any moment pa.s.s. "We might get arrested! What"s the matter with you? Can"t you explain? Are you hurt?"
She was staring as though I were a ghost, or some strange animal. "Oh, take me away from this place! I will talk--though I do not know what to say--"
Demented or sane, I had no desire to have her fall into the clutches of the police. Nor could we very well take her to our apartment. But there was my friend Dr. Alten, alienist, who lived within a mile of here.
"We"ll take her to Alten"s," I said to Larry, "and find out what this means. She isn"t crazy."
A sudden wild emotion swept me, then. Whatever this mystery, more than anything in the world I did not want the girl to be insane!
Larry said, "There was a taxi down the street."
It came, now, slowly along the deserted block. The chauffeur had perhaps heard us, and was cruising past to see if we were possible fares. He halted at the curb. The girl had quieted; but when she saw the taxi her face registered wildest terror, and she shrank against me.
"No! No! Don"t let it kill me!"
Larry and I were pulling her forward. "What the devil"s the matter with you?" Larry demanded again.
She was suddenly wildly fighting with us. "No! That--that mechanism--"
"Get her in it!" Larry panted. "We"ll have the neighborhood on us!"
It seemed the only thing to do. We flung her, scrambling and fighting, into the taxi. To the half-frightened, reluctant driver, Larry said vigorously:
"It"s all right; we"re just taking her to a doctor. Hurry and get us away from here. There"s good money in it for you!"
The promise--and the rea.s.surance of the physician"s address--convinced the chauffeur. We whirled off toward Washington Square.
Within the swaying taxi I sat holding the trembling girl. She was sobbing now, but quieting.
"There," I murmured. "We won"t hurt you; we"re just taking you to a doctor. You can explain to him. He"s very intelligent."
"Yes," she said softly. "Yes. Thank you. I"m all right now."
She relaxed against me. So beautiful, so dainty a creature.
Larry leaned toward us. "You"re better now?"
"Yes."
"That"s fine. You"ll be all right. Don"t think about it."
He was convinced she was insane. I breathed again the vague hope that it might not be so. She was huddled against me. Her face, upturned to mine, had color in it now; red lips; a faint rose tint in the pale cheeks.
She murmured, "Is this New York?"
My heart sank. "Yes," I answered. "Of course it is."
"But when?"