OU_214051 UNIVERSA - Osmania University

THE LODGER ioy
When, after finishing his left cheek, Valesco was starting on his
right, he noticed three men alighting from the tram and scanning
the house numbers. One of them was fat, and his unbuttoned overcoat
displayed a gold watch-chain looped across his waistcoat. He
wore his hat well back on his head and was smoking a big briar
pipe.
One could tell he was the man in command, and when he had
spotted No. 53 he indicated it to the others with an upward nudge
of his chin and a long stare, in the course of which he observed
Valesco at the first-floor window. But the lace curtain prevented
him from seeing more than the dim outline of a man's body.
After that he said something to the smaller of his two companions,
a middle-aged man with a drooping moustache, who
seemed to feel the cold, as he kept both hands thrust deep into the
pockets of his tightly buttoned overcoat. After that the small man
started pacing up and down outside the grocer's, while the other
two came across the road.
Valesco waited to hear the doorbell ring, for he felt convinced
that these two men were coming to No. 53. But there was no ring,
and bringing his face closer to the window he saw them going
round to the back of the row of houses, presumably to make sure
there was no exit there.
When they returned their shoes were white with hoar-frost—
which showed they had been walking in the rank grass of the field
behind the house.
Another confabulation followed. The little man looked so
perished with cold that Valesco felt quite sorry for him. The fat
man, after a moment's indecision, turned into the grocer's, and
remained there a good five minutes. After he came out, the grocer's
wife could be seen peeping excitedly from her window in the
direction of No. 53, Valesco decided it was time to take action.
He went out on to the landing and shouted: " Madame Baron! "
" What do you want? rfot water? "
" No. I want you to come up and see something."
But, as ill luck Would have it, when he went back to the window,
followed by Madame Baron, the fat man was already shaking hands
with the small one; after which, looking pleased with himself, he
moved off in the direction of the town. The third man walked slowly
across the road.
"Why did you call me?"
" You saw those men, didn't you? "