at that time o' night!—and me single-handed—there wasn't a soul in the office then. Meet her anywhere, sir?"
"Met her on the road," replied Allerdyke laconically. "Was she a foreigner, do you know?"
"I shouldn't wonder if she was something of that sort," answered the night-porter. "Sort that would have her own way at all events. Here's the room, sir."
He paused before the door of a room which stood halfway down a long corridor in the centre of the hotel, and on its panels he knocked gently.
"Every room's filled on this floor, sir," he remarked. "I hope your friend's a light sleeper, for there's some of 'em'll have words to say if they're roused at four o'clock in the morning."
"He's a very light sleeper as a rule," replied Allerdyke. He stood listening for the sound of some movement in the room. "Knock again," he said, when a minute had passed without response on the part of the occupant. "Make it a bit louder."
The night-porter, with evident unwillingness, repeated his summons, this time loud enough to wake any ordinary sound sleeper. But no sound came from within the room, and after a third and much louder thumping at the door, Allerdyke grew impatient and suspicious.
"This is queer!" he growled. "My cousin's one of the lightest sleepers I ever knew. If he's in there, there's something wrong. Look here! you'll have to open that door. Haven't you got a key?"
"Key'll be inside, sir," replied the night-porter. "But there's a master-key to all these doors in the office. Shall I fetch it, then?"
"Do!" said Allerdyke, curtly. He began to walk up and down the corridor when the man had hurried away,
