keys would serve him as well as in his pocket, and turned his
attention to the third door. This was not locked, and, from its
position, Ford guessed it must be an entrance to a servants'
stairway.

Confident of this, he opened it, and found a dark, narrow landing,
a flight of steps mounting from the kitchen below, and, to his
delight an iron ladder leading to a trap-door. He could hardly
forego a cheer. If the trap-door were not locked, he had found a
third line of retreat, a means of escape by way of the roof, far
superior to any he might attempt by the main staircase and the
street-door.

Ford stepped into the landing, closing the door behind him and
though this left him in complete darkness, he climbed the ladder,
and with eager fingers felt for the fastenings of the trap. He had
feared to find a padlock, but, to his infinite relief, his fingers
closed upon two bolts. Noiselessly, and smoothly, they drew back
from their sockets. Under the pressure of his hand the trap door
lifted, and through the opening swept a breath of chill night air.

Ford hooked one leg over a round of the ladder and, with hands
frees moved the trap to one side. An instant later he had scrambled
to the roof, and, after carefully replacing the trap, rose and
looked about him. To his satisfaction, he found that the roof upon
which he stood ran level with the roofs adjoining its to as far as
Devonshire Street, where they encountered the wall of an apartment
house. This was of seven stories. On the fifth story a row of
windows, brilliantly lighted, opened upon the roofs over which he
planned to make his retreat. Ford chuckled with nervous excitement.