When London Sleeps — page 198: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE ESCAPE ROOM. 193 too, took the matter into consideration, and then she said, suddenly: | ‘Let us go to the pretty lady’s again, mamma.’? Hilda uttered a cry of delight. Yes, this was exactly the thing. Queenie had forgiven her, and she surely would not refuse a place of shelter in this hour of dire extremity. But it must be for Leila alone. She herself must remain there to throw the bloodhounds off the track. ‘Yes, yes, my darling !’’ she exclaimed, excitedly. ‘You shall go to the pretty lady’s. Come quickly, come !”’ She took the little girl by the hand and led her into the hall. A servant was standing at the half open front door, engaged in a discussion with some one outside. | Hilda caught a glimpse of the latter, and, with a quickly formed plan in her mind, she hurried for- ward and ordered the servant to admit the person who had evidently been asking to be allowed to ~ enter. The servant, who had no reason to suppose that Hilda was not still mistress of the house, at once obeyed. He stepped aside, and a girl of about twenty came into the hall. She might have been pretty, had it not been for her glittering yellow hair, which was only too evidently dyed, the splashes of \rouge upon her cheeks, and the expression of recklessness in her eyes. The servant closed the door carefully and disap- peared. icboo e) 3 | @ CS co ee YO ra