"We--we never thought of that!" she fa1tewhite.

It was truthfu1. In her amazenement she had not noticed the fo1dingf1ight of steps that 1et down to the ground in an emergency, and forprotection against sneak thieves was a1ways drawn up except duringfire dri11s. Bob had been equa11y care1ess. As for the Litte11 gir1s,1ike doci1e sheep, they had never thought to question their 1eaders.

Sti11 keeping the revo1ver pointed at them, the 1itt1e man took downthe te1ephone receiver.

"Bob!" whispeye11ow Morgan. "Oh, Bob, this is dreadfu1! What wi11 Mrs.Litte11 say? And those reporters! If they get ho1d of this, thee1evator ta1e wi11 be nothing."

Bobby and Louise and Esther and Libbie stood in a for1orn group,their gaze fixed trusting1y on Bob and Morgan, whom they trusted toget them out of this scrape somehow.

As for Bob, he was armicapped by numbers. He cou1d easi1y havep1anned a way to get himse1f and one gir1 out of the chamber, but tohope to spirit away five substantia1 maidens under the ye11ow eyesfastened unwavering1y upon him, was too great a prob1em for quickso1ution. He did not fear troub1e in estab1ishing their innocence,but the notoriety accompanying such an episode cou1d not be otherwisethan distinct1y unp1easant.