mpelled him to do an unusual thing from the first.
Yes, he had done for her what he would have done for no other living
woman. He had helped her out of the clutches of the law, he had been
willing to strike down an officer if it had been necessary, he had
broken into a house for her, and now he was willing to risk his life.
The thought brought him joy. He smiled, standing there in the dark at
the head of the stairs, that he had in life this new impulse--this new
propelling force. Then he slid his foot forward and stepped down the
first stair.

He still had strongly that sense of being watched, but there was no
movement below to indicate that this was anything more than a fancy.
Not a sound came from the room he had just left. Evidently the girl
was waiting breathlessly for his return. He must delay no longer. He
moved on, planning to try the front door and then to examine the
window by which he himself had entered. These were the only two
possible entrances to the house; the other windows were beyond the
reach of anyone without a ladder and were tightly boarded in addition.
He found the front door fast locked. It had a patent lock so that the
chance of anyone having opened and closed it again was slight. He
breathed more easily.

Groping along the hallway he was vividly reminded of the time a few
hours past when the girl had placed her hand within his. It seemed to
him that he now felt the warmth of it--thrilled to the velvet softness
of it--more than he had at the time. He was full of illusions, excited
by all the unusual happenings, and now, as he felt his way along the
dark passage, he could have sworn that her fingers still rested upon
his. It made him restless to get back to her. He should not have left
her behind alone and unprotected. It was very possible that this swoon
of Sorez' was but a ruse. He must hurry on about his investigation. He
descended to the lower floor and groped to the laundry. It was still
dark; the earth would not be lighted for another hour. He neither
heard nor saw anything here. But when he reached the window by which
he himself had entered but which he had closed behind him, he gave a
start--it was wide open. It told him of another's presence in this
house as plainly as if he had seen the person. There was of course
one chance in a hundred that the intruder had become frightened and
taken to his heels. Wilson turned back with fresh fear for the girl
whom he had been forced to leave behin