Not with those clothes, at least; for
yourself, it doesn't much matter. I'll just put those things back into
the press, and after this I'll carry the key. But your rings and
necklace--I'll take charge of them first."
He stepped forward to lay hands upon the ornaments, which, for their
greater security from him, she now wore upon her person at all times.
She sprang away, ready to defend them by every possible means, and
warning him not to touch her. Her flashing eyes and fiery mien checked
him for a moment; then, with a curse, he seized her by the neck and
essayed to undo the necklace. Thereupon she screamed loudly for help.
To intimidate her into silence, he struck her in the face. At that she
began to struggle and hit, so that he was hard put to it to retain
hold of her and to save his face from her hands. Enraged by her
efforts, he finally drew back to give her a more effectual blow; which
he succeeded in doing, but at the cost of relaxing his grasp, so that
she slipped from him and escaped by the door. She hastened down the
stairs and into the street, he in wrathful pursuit. She fled toward
the Strand.
At the corner of that thoroughfare, she ran into a trio of gentlemen
who just at the moment reached the junction of the two streets.
"The deuce!" cried one of the three, flinging his arms around her.
"What have we here? Beauty in distress?"
"Let me go!" she cried. "Don't let _him_ take me.
Pages:
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282