The three men made to obey; the orderlies were a brawny, hardy pair. Greg's heart sunk--not at the fear of being hurt, but at the intolerable prospect of having Amy see him physically humiliated. He put his back against the wall. "Keep your hands off me," he said in a dangerous voice, "and I'll go." To the doctor he added significantly: "Call them off if you don't want a nasty row in the house." It worked. The plump doctor quailed at the thought of a row. "Let him alone," he muttered, "if he'll go quietly." Greg strode out of the room and down the stairs as deliberately and coolly as he had gone up. The three men pressed close after him, longing to throw him down headlong, but not daring. At the foot of the stairs curiosity got the better of the plump doctor and he changed his tone. "Come into the office," he said, "and let's talk things over." "Go to Hell," said Greg. CHAPTER XVII THE YOUNG MAN WITH THE LITTLE BLACK MUSTACHE As Greg proceeded along the street to rejoin Hickey, he measured with his eye the distance from the porch floors to the window overhead. All the houses were of the same design. "Twelve feet," he said to himself; "a ten-foot ladder will do." "Let's go home," he said to Hickey. "We've got to lay plans for an attack after midnight." "An attack! Good Lord!" said Hickey apprehensively. "Hickey, where can we get a ten-foot ladder?" "There's ladders lying around the yard." "That simplifies matters." "Are you countin' on carrying a ladder through the streets after midnight? No cop would let you by." "Ay, there's the rub, as friend Hamlet says. We might cut it in half and rig it as an extension ladder. Then we could carry it inside." "How about a window-cleaner's ladder? That works up and down on ropes." "Excellent idea! Do you know any window-cleaners?" "No, but it's only eight o'clock. The big stores are open for the Christmas trade. You can get most anything at Macymaker's." "Hickey, sometimes you display almost human intelligence. _En avant_ to Macymaker's!" Sure enough in the house-furnishing department of that vast emporium, Greg found what he wanted. The salesman wondered perhaps that any one should pick out a window-cleaner's ladder for a Christmas present, but Greg was not worrying about what the salesman might think. With a couple of sheets of store paper wrapped about it, and tied with twine, the ladder was sufficiently disguised, so that there was little danger of the most zealous policeman's suspicions being aroused by the sight of it. As he and Hickey tied it on top of the flivver outside, Greg said with a chuckle: "Burglary made easy!" Hickey shivered. "Don't use such ugly-sounding words!" he begged. They went on. Greg offered Hickey a cigar. "We have time on our hands now," he said. "Light up and let the old girl trundle home at her ease like a lady."