"Before long," he assured himself, I will be visiting the man who
owns that flat. He will think I am a burglar. He will send for the
police. There is no one in the world I shall be so glad to see!"

Ford considered that running over roofs, even when their pitfalls
were not concealed by a yellow fog, was an awkward exercise, and
decided that before he made his dash for freedom, the part of a
careful jockey would be to take a preliminary canter over the
course. Accordingly, among party walls of brick, rain-pipes,
chimney-pipes, and telephone wires, he felt his way to the wall of
the apartment house; and then, with a clearer idea of the obstacles
to be avoided, raced back to the point whence he had started.

Next, to discover the exact position of the fire-escape, he dropped
to his knees and crawled to the rear edge of the roof. The light
from the back windows of the fourth floor showed him an iron ladder
from the edge of the roof to the platform of the fire-escape, and
the platform itself, stretching below the windows the width of the
building. He gave a sigh of satisfaction, but the same instant
exclaimed with dismay. The windows opening upon the fire-escape
were closely barred. For a moment he was unable to grasp why a
fire-escape should be placed where escape was impossible, until he
recognized that the ladder must have been erected first and the
iron bars later; probably only since Miss Dale had been made a
prisoner.

But he now appreciated that in spite of the iron bars he was nearer
that prisoner than he had ever been. Should he return to the hall
below, even while he could unlock the doors, he was in danger of