Slipping out of the door and through the hall he was on the corner of Forty-second Street and Third Avenue before the precious quartet came from the saloon, for they had stopped to take a drink to bind their bargain. Leaving the saloon, they turned to the left, going up Third Avenue to the north. Close behind them came Chick. Nick and Chick exchanged signals and, at Nick’s suggestion, made by a wave of the hand, Chick rapidly crossed to the other side of the avenue, while Nick followed up after the four on the same side they were traveling. The way of the four was up half a dozen blocks, where they turned into a cross street going to the right, or in the direction of the East River. Two or three blocks were passed and they came to the end of a block where, on the corner, was a three-story brick building which did not occupy the whole of the lot on which it was built. Between the end of the house and the adjoining one was a yard of some ten feet in width, which was separated from the street by a high, board fence. In this fence was a gate, and Lannigan led the way through the gate, standing by to close it after the last one had passed through. Standing on the other side of the street, Nick saw that there was a closed staircase built on the outside of the house in the rear, by which each floor above the liquor saloon, which occupied the first floor, was reached. Chick came up and Nick said to him: “They have gone into that house and by those stairs from the outside.” “Do we raid them?” asked Chick. “Yes,” said Nick, sharply; then he added: “But I wish Patsy were here.” “First,” said Chick, “we ought to look to see what other outlets there are to the house.” “Go into the barroom,” said Nick, “and see if you can find inside stairways. I’ll take a look about the outside.” The two started for the purpose. CHAPTER VIII. THE YOUNG GALLANT. As the four men under the watch of Nick and Chick had entered the saloon as described in the last chapter, Patsy was hurrying up Third Avenue after the two crooks, Thomas and Bally Morris. What their purpose or intentions were Patsy had no idea. But as he believed that whatever errand they were on was the result of what he had told them, he suspected that in some way it was connected with the burglary in Thirty-fifth Street. In what way, however, he could not even guess. When they had left Thirty-fourth Street, after receiving word from the young fellow which had so excited Spike, and had turned to go up to Forty-second Street, Patsy had supposed that they were searching for Lannigan and his companion. But when to that corner came Lannigan and he saw how anxious they were to escape the observation of that swell cracksman, and how, as quickly as they could, they got away from the neighborhood, he was confused and could do no more than follow them to see what they were about. The route they took was not very different from that later followed by Lannigan, Seaman, Elwell and the unknown.