’But after a time I cools down, as it were,—­because I’m one of them sort as likes to see on both sides of a question.  “After all,” I says to myself, “he has paid his rent, and fifty pounds is fifty pounds,—­I doubt if the whole house is worth much more, and he can’t do much damage to it whatever he does.”

’I shouldn’t have minded, so far as that went, if he’d set fire to the place, for, between ourselves, it’s insured for a good bit over its value.  So I decided that I’d let things be as they were, and see how they went on.  But from that hour to this I’ve never spoken to the man, and never wanted to, and wouldn’t, not of my own free will, not for a shilling a time,—­that face of his will haunt me if I live till Noah, as the saying is.  I’ve seen him going in and out at all hours of the day and night,—­that Arab party’s a mystery if ever there was one,—­he always goes tearing along as if he’s flying for his life.  Lots of people have come to the house, all sorts and kinds, men and women—­they’ve been mostly women, and even little children.  I’ve seen them hammer and hammer at that front door, but never a one have I seen let in,—­or yet seen taken any notice of, and I think I may say, and yet tell no lie, that I’ve scarcely took my eye off the house since he’s been inside it, over and over again in the middle of the night have I got up to have a look, so that I’ve not missed much that has took place.

’What’s puzzled me is the noises that’s come from the house.  Sometimes for days together there’s not been a sound, it might have been a house of the dead; and then, all through the night, there’ve been yells and screeches, squawks and screams,—­I never heard nothing like it.  I have thought, and more than once, that the devil himself must be in that front room, let alone all the rest of his demons.  And as for cats!—­where they’ve come from I can’t think.  I didn’t use to notice hardly a cat in the neighbourhood till that there Arab party came,—­there isn’t much to attract them; but since he came there’s been regiments.  Sometimes at night there’s been troops about the place, screeching like mad,—­I’ve wished them farther, I can tell you.  That Arab party must be fond of ’em.  I’ve seen them inside the house, at the windows, upstairs and downstairs, as it seemed to me, a dozen at a time.

CHAPTER XL

WHAT MISS COLEMAN SAW THROUGH THE WINDOW

As Miss Coleman had paused, as if her narrative was approaching a conclusion, I judged it expedient to make an attempt to bring the record as quickly as possible up to date.

’I take it, Miss Coleman, that you have observed what has occurred in the house to-day.’

She tightened her nut-cracker jaws and glared at me disdainfully, —­her dignity was ruffled.

’I’m coming to it, aren’t I?—­if you’ll let me.  If you’ve got no manners I’ll learn you some.  One doesn’t like to be hurried at my time of life, young man.’