He saw strange lights dancing before his eyes.  He heard weird noises thundering in his ears, and above them all a chuckling laugh, like the merriment of a demon, as the boards of the displaced flooring were drawn slowly up by a cord from above until they closed over his head, shutting him down.

* * * * *

When the police made their descent upon Dudley’s chambers, Max, after giving his name and address, was allowed to go away without hindrance.

He wanted Carrie to go with him, but as she persistently held down her head and refused to look at him, he came to the conclusion that she had her own reasons for wishing him to go away without her.

So he went slowly down into the Strand, wondering whether he dared to go to the wharf to try to warn Dudley, or whether he would be drawing down danger upon his friend’s head by doing so.  For although he could not ascertain that he was himself shadowed, he thought that it might very possibly be the case.

He had reached the corner of Arundel Street, when he found that Carrie was beside him.  She was panting, out of breath.

“Hello!” said he.

“I’ve been such a round!” said she.  “Just to see whether they were following me.  But they weren’t.  I guessed you’d come this way, and I went down by the embankment and up to try to meet you.  Are they after you?”

“I don’t think so.  Dare we—­”

“Wharf?  Yes, I think we may.  By the way, I’ll show you.”

She took him across Waterloo Bridge, where they took a cab and traversed southward to a point at which she directed the driver to stop.

On the way, Max, from his corner of the hansom, watched the girl furtively.  For a long time there was absolute silence between them.  Then he came close to her suddenly, and peered into her face.

“Carrie,” said he, “I want you to marry me.”

Now Max had been some time making up his mind to put this proposition—­some minutes, that is to say.  He had been turning the matter over in his brain, and had imagined the blushing, trembling astonishment with which the lonely girl would receive his most unexpected proposal.

But the astonishment was on his side, not on hers; for Carrie only turned her head a little, scarcely looking at him and staring out again in front of her immediately, remarked in the coolest manner in the world: 

“Marry you!  Oh, yes, certainly.  Why not?”

Max was taken aback, and Carrie, at last stealing a glance at him, perceived this.  She gave a pretty little kindly laugh, which made him expect that she would say something more tender, more encouraging.

But she didn’t.

Turning her head away again, she went on quietly laughing to herself, until Max, not unnaturally irritated by this acceptance of his offer, threw himself back in his corner and tried to laugh also.

“It’s a very good joke, isn’t it—­an offer of marriage?” said he at last, in an offended tone.