He rapidly told his experiences of the night, the important feature of which, to Nick, was Lannigan’s visit to Rivington Street, and his entrance to a house there with the unknown, his long stay, and, finally, the hurried departure of the unknown and his running up to Fourth Street for the coach, which was brought down to Rivington Street. It was there that Chick had sneaked up behind it and tied the yellow cloth to the hind axle, on the chance that Patsy or Nick, or both, might see it, and know that it was one followed by Chick. He had hardly done this when Lannigan hurried up to the Bowery with something in his arms and under his coat, jumped into the coach, and was driven rapidly away. After that it seemed to be merely an effort to get back to Lannigan’s apartments in Avenue A in a way that could not be tracked. Patsy, by questions, soon settled that the house which Lannigan had entered was the tenement house in which Spike had his rooms, and said so positively. “Then,” said Nick, “it is settled. Lannigan entered that house to steal from Spike Thomas what Spike Thomas in the afternoon stole from Lannigan.” The two then told to Chick that which had been learned from Spike Thomas and Bally Morris, and together the two stories made a complete one. “Are you satisfied,” asked Nick, “that Lannigan carried those drawings and the model to his rooms?” “Yes,” said Chick. “Now, with what you tell me, I know that they are in Lannigan’s rooms at this moment. What has bothered me all night, and why I clung to him so, giving you the trail, was that I knew he was up to some game that was important, but I couldn’t tell what. You see, I never knew that Lannigan suspected Spike Thomas of that theft, nor that you did. You sent me off on the trail of Lannigan before I had learned that. I was beginning to fear you would not pick up my trail, and when I heard Patsy’s signal, was going to chance a rush into Lannigan’s rooms.” “We’ll make the rush now,” said Nick. “Where is the unknown?” asked Patsy. Chick laughed. “He’s lying under the stairs, at the rear of that house on the corner, bound and gagged.” “Why?” asked Patsy and Nick together. “You see, it’s like this,” said Chick, laughing. “After I had tracked them to that corner and saw them both go into the house, I sneaked into that back yard, and was going to try the stairs, when I struck the unknown coming down. It was him or me right on the jump. I was afraid he would give the alarm, and I gave him the garrote so that he couldn’t holler. I went through him to see if he had anything we wanted, and, finding nothing, I tied him up and put a gag on him and threw him under the stairs, where he couldn’t make any trouble for a while.” “Come on, boys,” said Nick. “We’ve got no time to lose.” The three detectives hurried to the corner, and entered the barroom, stopping only long enough for Nick to say to the barkeeper: