The Saint Meets His Match (She was a Lady)

"In there." The chief commissioner jerked his thumb at a closed door. "I ran them to earth here, and here I was stuck. They've locked the door on the inside, but they can't get out through the window, because it's barred. They've been working away on the bars, but they haven't been able to get out yet. They can't get out through the door, because I'm waiting for them here. But they're armed themselves, and I didn't feel like committing suicide by trying to force my way in alone."

"But are you alone, sir?."

The commissioner nodded.

"Of course I am," he said testily. "That's how I got stuck. If you can tell me a way for one man to guard an inside door and an outside window at the same time I'll be glad to hear it."

Cullis made a movement towards the door, and the chief reached out and jerked him back.

"I should stay where you are," he said. "They've had one or two pot shots at me through the door as it is, and you mightn't be so lucky."

He pointed to three bullet holes neatly drilled through the woodwork.

"Couldn't you get to the telephone?" asked Cullis.

"There is no telephone."

"Then how did you send that telegram?"

"That was a bit of luck. I picked them up in Guildford and heard them give the address to a taxi driver at the station. So I waited to send off that wire before I followed along here. . . . Listen!"

Cullis listened and heard, inside the locked room, the rasp and tinkle of metal.

"They're still trying to break through those bars," said the chief commissioner, "but I don't think they'll get out that way in a hurry."

Cullis pulled out his cigarette case.

"How did it all happen?" he asked.

"I got a squeal. It came from a man named Pinky Budd, who was one of the old Angels. He came up to my house last night and said he'd run into Trelawney at Guildford. He was hard up, and tried to get some money out of her, but she gave him the air. Budd felt nastier and nastier about that all the way home, and when he got to London he'd made up his mind to squeal. But when he found me all he could say was that he'd gathered that Trelawney and the Saint were living near Guildford, and also that they were coming up to town on a rush visit to­day. So I went down to Guildford and spent half the day in the station watching all the trains until they ar­rived."

"Without a word to anyone?"