Loney tried to slip out unobserved, to find Mr. Goldberg, but Dopey, saying “Naw, you don’t,” struck the child a heavy blow on the head with a murderous “billy.” The child gave a gasp and fell into Dopey’s arms. Dopey dragged him to the inner door and out of sight. Dora stood white and speechless with terror until John Pierson turned to her, saying: “Don’t be afraid. I won’t harm you. You are too young and beautiful to die just yet.” Dopey returned alone and whispered to Pierson: “I didn’t mean to do it, but de crack on de nut croaked de kid!” “I’m glad of it. His lips are sealed forever.” Dopey went to Dora and, with an evil look on his opium-defaced visage, said hoarsely: “Now den, my pretty bird, it’s your turn. You’ll never live to tell of dis!” “Let her alone!” said John, angrily. “I’m not going to harm her. We’ve got to get away from New York as quick as the devil will let us--and I’m going to take her with me.” With a gasp of horror and a futile effort to call her father and Bennie, Dora fainted and would have fallen, had not John caught her. “Come on; help me get her away. Some one may come,” whispered Pierson to Dopey. While they stood over Dora, Loney came creeping softly from the hallway where Dopey had left him, supposing him to be dead; and, unnoticed, he crept to the bench and crouched behind it unobserved, and silently wiped the blood that flowed from the wound in his head. Pierson started with Dora toward the cellar-steps, but Dopey checked him, saying: “Not that way, cull. De street is full of people. I know dis place like a book. Go out that door”--pointing to the door leading into the little stairway and hall. “You’ll find a gratin’ openin’ into an alley-way. I’ll go ’round and meet you dere wid Red Mike and his cab. Mike’s me pal, he is. Dere’s only one way to do a t’ing, an’ dat’s de right way. See?” “Then, hurry! hurry!” John then staggered out the way Dopey had indicated, with the insensible Dora in his arms, while Dopey sneaked cautiously up the cellar-steps to the street. A few moments of silence passed in that little shop, then Loney sobbed once with the pain in his head and the knowledge that Dora had been carried off by that bad man, and he was powerless to save her. Then his senses left him and he sank back unconscious. With a glad and resonant voice the happy shoemaker shouted down the steps as he made his appearance then: “Dora, Dora, I have de nice present for you--from de Bennie. Your ring of betrothal. I tellet him I wouldn’t let you vear it now, and it is all fixet. Now, you get merrit on your eighteenth birthday, eh? Vot you say! Vy, vot is dot? De man mit de ‘stickers’! Yust deat drunk! Dot Bowery booze vos too much for him--efen him. Vake up, Mister; vake up! You can’t sleep here. Vat’s dot--ploot! Mein Gott! he is hurted!” While the shoemaker was shaking and talking to “Bill,” the latter raised on his elbow, saying: