With her lips at his ear she breathed: "There's a man on the porch roof."
"I don't think so. He couldn't have seen you through the screen."
Don made to creep away from her. She laid a hand on his arm. "Wait!"
There was no further sound from the man outside.
"He's not coming in," Pen whispered. "He's out there to cut off your escape."
A tremendous rat-tat-tat resounded through the empty halls.
"It's all right!" whispered Pen. "I intended you should stay here."
The knocking was imperiously repeated. Outside Pen's door they heard her father's agitated voice.
"Stay where you are, my dear. I'll go down."
For the third time that night the worthy little man pattered down stairs in his bare feet.
Pen opened her door an inch. She heard her father's prudent inquiry through the closed door, and a gruff voice outside reply:
Pendleton remonstrated, and the voice, Delehanty's, was brutally raised:
She heard the key squeak in the lock. Pendleton's remonstrances were drowned in the sounds made by the entrance of a number of men. Pendleton's voice was raised in agonized tones. Delehanty said:
Pen had the sense that her little father was trying to bar them out by main strength. Signing to Don to remain where he was, she hastened to the head of the stairs. She called down:
"Let them in, father. We have nothing to hide."
Returning to her room she locked the door. Her father came up stairs accompanied by a pair of shod feet. His voice at Pen's door was utterly bewildered.
"They insist on searching the house ... searching the house! At this hour!"
"They say if you'll stay quietly in your room they'll leave that until last. There's a man out here on guard. Better dress, dear."
She turned and kissed Don with a smile on her lips. Her eyes shone with the light of battle.
He looked more dubious. "Is your way of retreat still open?" he whispered.
She listened with her ear at the crack of the door. Vague sounds arose from below. She was tormented by her inability to hear exactly. Finally she motioned to Don to stand back out of any possible range of vision, and opening the door, she put her head around it.
Instantly a flash-light was thrown on her and a voice said:
"I don't want to come out," said Pen coolly. "I want to hear what's going on in my house."