a cuff was snapped over Danglar's wrist, another as
the other cuff was snapped shut around the iron hand-railing of the fire
escape. The act seemed to arouse Danglar, both mentally and physically.
He tore and wrenched at the steel links now, and burst suddenly, raving,
into oaths.

"Hold your tongue, Danglar!" ordered the Adventurer in cold menace;
and as the other, cowed, obeyed, the Adventurer swung himself over the
platform and dropped to the ground. "Come, Miss Gray. Drop! I'll catch
you!" he called in a low voice. "One step takes us around the corner of
the tenement into the lane, and Mr. Danglar won't let them fire at us
before we can make that--when we could still fire at him!"

She obeyed him, swinging at arm's-length. She felt his hands fold about
her in a firm grasp as she let go her hold, and she caught her breath
suddenly, she did not know why, and felt the hot blood sweep her
face--and then she was standing on the ground.

"Now!" he whispered. "Together!"

They sped around the corner of the tenement. A yell from Danglar
followed them. An echoing yell from above answered--and then a fusillade
of abortive shots, and the sound as of boot heels clattering on the iron
rungs of the fire escape; and then, more faintly, for they were putting
distance behind them as fast as they could run, an excited outburst of
profanity and exclamations.

"They won't follow!" panted the Adventurer. "Those shots of theirs
outdoors will have alarmed the police, and they'll try and get Danglar
free first. It's lucky your shot inside wasn't heard by the patrolman
on the beat. I was afraid of that. But we're safe now--from Danglar's
crowd, at least."

But still they ran. They crossed an intersecting street, and continued
on along the lane; then swerving into the next intersecting street,
moderated their pace to a rapid walk--and stopped finally only as Rhoda
Gray drew suddenly into the shadows of another alley-way, and held out
her hand. They were both safe now, as he had said. And there were so
many reasons why, though her resolution faltered a little, she should
go the rest of the way alone. She was not sure that she trusted this
strange "gentleman," who was a thief with his pockets crammed even now
with the money that had lured him almost to his death; but, too, she was
not altogether sure that she distrusted him. But all that was secondary.
She must, as soon as she could, get back to Gypsy Nan's garret. Like
that other nigh