The tears burst from his eyes and laying his
grimy face on his arm, he sobbed.
The detective patted him on the back.
"Pull yourself together, man!" he said encouragingly.
"This man on the stairs," queried the Chief, "did you see him?"
"Ach was!" replied the prisoner, turning a tearstained face
towards him, "I haf seen nothing, except old Mac's back vich vos
right in vront of me, it vos so dark!"
"But couldn't you see the other person at all, not even the
outline" persisted the Chief.
The prisoner made a gesture of despair.
"It vos so dark, I say! Nothing haf I seen! I haf heard only his
step!"
"What sort of step I Pas it heavy or light or what? Did this
person seem in a hurry?"
"A little light tread... so! won, two! won, two! , and qvick like
'e think 'e sneak opstairs vithout nobody seeing!"
"Did he make much noise"
"Ach was! hardly at all... the tread, 'e vos so light like a
woman's..."
"Like a woman's, eh!", repeated the Chief, as if talking to
himself, "Why do you think that?"
"Because for vy it vos so gentle! The' staircase, she haf not
sqveak as she haf sqveak when I haf creep away!"
The Chief turned to the plain clothes man.
"You can take him away now, officer," he said.
Barney sprang up trembling.
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