Steps to the Gallows Read Online Free PDF Page A

be?’
    ‘From the sprightly way he carried himself, he had to be a young man.’
    ‘How was he dressed?’
    ‘Like a costermonger. He wore a large hat that covered his face. I could see nothing of it when he turned his head sideways.’
    ‘So there’s nothing that would help you pick him out again?’
    ‘I’m afraid not.’
    ‘That’s disappointing. A strong young man of my height is a description that could apply to thousands in this teeming city.’
    ‘I didn’t wish to get closer unless he caught sight of me.’
    ‘But he did so, anyway.’
    ‘I’ve been thinking about that,’ said Huckvale, frowning. ‘How could he have seen me when he never once turned round? There’s another explanation, I fancy.’
    ‘He had an accomplice?’
    ‘That’s right. The first man set off in pursuit of Mr Paige while the other waited to see if anybody from the gallery would follow. When I did, he dogged my footsteps. It never even crossed my mind to look over my shoulder.’
    ‘How did the accomplice get ahead of you and hide in that alley?’
    ‘It wouldn’t have been difficult to run past me. A number of other people did, most of them children. My eyes were unwisely fixed on one person.’
    ‘You did what you were bidden, Jem. There’s nothing wrong in that.’
    ‘I’m so upset about Mr Paige.’
    ‘So am I,’ said Ackford, sadly. ‘That man was a hero at the battle of Yorktown. He fought like a demon. It makes me sick to think that he was murdered simply because he dared to lampoon someone. I used to believe that there was such a thing as freespeech in this country. I learnt otherwise – and so did Leo Paige.’
    There was a polite tap on the door and it opened to admit Meg Rooke, who looked as bright and attractive as ever. When she bobbed to the two men, Huckvale sank back shyly under the sheets.
    ‘I’ve been sent to ask if there’s anything you need, sir,’ she said.
    ‘No, no,’ replied Huckvale, jolted by her excessive deference.
    ‘When you do, sir, you only have to ring that little bell.’
    ‘Thank you.’
    She smiled sweetly. ‘I’m very sorry that you were injured, Mr Huckvale.’
    ‘Thank you.’
    She took her leave and closed the door behind her. Ackford burst out laughing.
    ‘You’ve ended up in paradise, Jem.’
    ‘She called me “Mr Huckvale”. Nobody does that.’
    ‘It shows how much she respects you.’
    ‘Yet I’ve done nothing to earn it.’
    ‘How long do you expect to stay here, lad?’
    ‘Oh, it will be a few days at most.’
    ‘In your position,’ said the other with a sly wink, ‘I’d make it at least a few weeks. And that bell of yours wouldn’t stop ringing. The very thought of having Meg at my beck and call is dizzying. You could see how willing the girl is. Employ her to the hilt. My guess is that she’s going to be the best possible tonic for you.’
     
    Though neither of them dared to go anywhere near the murder scene itself, Gregory and Eleanor Lomas had at last plucked up the courage to step inside their house. The Runners arrived and were told substantially the same story that Paul Skillen had heard from the couple earlier. With the landlord’s permission,they went up to examine the victim’s lodging. A scene of chaos confronted them. The fire had eaten its way hungrily through the newspapers, clothing and bed linen before starting on the timber. Thanks to help from neighbours, terrified that the flames would extend to their dwellings, an endless succession of wooden buckets of water had eventually managed to douse the blaze. The place was full of charred timbers, shallow pools of water and general debris. A stench of damp hovered. Gaps in the floorboards allowed continuous dripping into the room below. There was an air of devastation.
    ‘Garrotted then set alight,’ said Hale with gruff sympathy. ‘That’s no fit way for any human being to meet his Maker.’
    ‘Don’t ask me to feel sorry for the man,’ warned Yeomans.
    ‘He was