"There's a stranger in the next room," he whispered. "I don't like
him. Take the money and as quickly as possible get out and go to
my apartment."
At the news that there was a suspicious stranger about, Mary
showed great alarm. Everything was so rapid, now, that the
slightest hesitation meant disaster. Perhaps, by quickness, even a
suspicious stranger could be fooled, she reasoned. At any rate,
Long Sin was resourceful. She had better trust him.
Mary followed Elaine into the room, where she had seated herself
already, and locked the door.
"Have you the money there?" she asked.
"Yes," nodded Elaine, taking out the package of bills which she
had got from the bank during the half hour delay.
All this we could see by gazing alternately through the
detectascope.
Elaine handed Mary the money. Mary counted it slowly. At last she
looked up.
"It's all right," she said. "Now, I'll take this to that tong
leader--he's in a room only just across the hall."
She went out.
Kennedy at the detectascope was very excited as this went on. He
now jumped off the chair on which he had been standing and rushed
to the door to head her off.
To our surprise, in spite of the fact that we could turn the key
in the lock, it was impossible to open it!
It was only a moment that Craig paused at the door.
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