side; and so it happened that, without deliberate purpose of espial,
he watched the door of Eve Madeley's residence for a long time;
till, in fact, he grew weary of the occupation. No one had entered;
no one had come forth. At half-past seven he took his hat and left
the house.

Scarcely had he closed the door behind him when he became aware that
a lightly tripping and rather showily dressed girl, who was coming
down the other side of the way, had turned off the pavement and was
plying the knocker at the house which interested him. He gazed
eagerly. Impossible that a young person of that garb and deportment
should be Eve Madeley. Her face was hidden from him, and at this
distance he could not have recognised the features, even presuming
that his familiarity with the portrait, taken more than two years
ago, would enable him to identify Eve when he saw her. The door
opened; the girl was admitted. Afraid of being noticed, he walked
on.

The distance to the head of the street was not more than thirty
yards; there lay Gower Street, on the right hand the Metropolitan
station, to the left a long perspective southwards. Delaying in
doubt as to his course, Hilliard glanced back. From the house which
attracted his eyes he saw come forth the girl who had recently
entered, and close following her another young woman. They began to
walk sharply towards where he stood.

He did not stir, and the couple drew so near that he could observe
their faces. In the second girl he recognised--or believed that he
recognised--Eve Madeley.