Armitage stood perfectly still. The neighborhood and the house itself
were quiet; the two men in the third-story room were probably engrossed
with the business at which Armitage had left them; and his immediate
affair was with the Servian alone. The fellow continued to mumble his
threats; but Armitage had resolved to play the part of an Englishman who
understood no German, and he addressed the man sharply in English several
times to signify that he did not understand.
The Servian half turned toward his prisoner, the revolver in his left
hand, while with the fingers of his right he felt laboriously for a lamp
that had been revealed by the fitful flashes of the matches. It is not an
easy matter to light a lamp when you have only one hand to work with,
particularly when you are obliged to keep an eye on a mysterious prisoner
of whose character you are ignorant; and it was several minutes before
the job was done.
"You will go to that corner;" and the Servian translated for his
prisoner's benefit with a gesture of the revolver.
"Anything to please you, worthy fellow," replied Armitage, and he obeyed
with amiable alacrity.
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