It was dark in the third floor hall, and I had to feel my way to the
foot of the stairs. I went up quietly, and turned the knob of the door
to the roof. At first it would not open, and I could hear the wind
howling outside. Finally, however, I got the door open a little and
wormed my way through. It was not entirely dark out there, in spite of
the storm. A faint reflection of the street lights made it possible to
distinguish the outlines of the boxwood plants, swaying in the wind, and
the chimneys and the tent. And then--a dark figure disentangled itself
from the nearest chimney and seemed to hurl itself at me. I remember
putting out my hands and trying to say something, but the figure caught
me roughly by the shoulders and knocked me back against the door frame.
From miles away a heavy voice was saying, “So I’ve got you!” and then
the roof gave from under me, and I was floating out on the storm, and
sleet was beating in my face, and the wind was whispering over and over,
“Open your eyes, for God’s sake!”
I did open them after a while, and finally I made out that I was laying
on the floor in the tent. The lights were on, and I had a cold and damp
feeling, and something wet was trickling down my neck.
I seemed to be alone, but in a second somebody came into the tent, and I
saw it was Mr. Harbison, and that he had a double handful of half-melted
snow. He looked frantic and determined, and only my sitting up quickly
prevented my getting another snow bath. My neck felt queer and stiff,
and I was very dizzy. When he saw that I was conscious he dropped the
snow and stood looking down at me.
“Do you know,” he said grimly, “that I very nearly choked you to death a
little while ago?”
“It wouldn’t surprise me to be told so,” I said. “Do I know too much, or
what is it, Mr. Harbison?” I felt terribly ill, but I would not let him
see it. “It is queer, isn’t it--how we always select the roof for our
little--differences?” He seemed to relax somewhat at my gibe.
“I didn’t know it was you,” he explained shortly. “I was waiting
for--some one, and in the hat you wore and the coat, I mistook you.
That’s all. Can you stand?”
“No,” I retorted. I could, but his summary manner displeased me. The
sequel, however, was rather amazing, for he stooped suddenly and picked
me up, and the next instant we were out in the storm together. At the
door he stooped and felt for the knob.
“Turn it,” he commanded. “I can’t reach it.”
“I’ll do nothing of the kind,” I said shrewishly. “Let me down; I can
walk perfectly well.”
He hesitated. Then he slid me slowly to my feet, but he did not open
the door at once. “Are you afraid to let me carry you down those stairs,
after--Tuesday night?” he asked, very low. “You still think I did that?”
I had never been less sure of it than at that moment, but an imp of
perversity made me retort, “Yes.”
He hardly seemed to hear me. He stood looking down at me as I leaned
against the door frame.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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