"Did you wish to see him?"
"Yes, sir."
"He mentioned that a boy would call by appointment. Here, James, show
this boy up to No. 237--Mr. Montgomery's room."
A hotel servant appeared, and Paul followed him up several flights of
stairs till they stood before No. 237.
"This is the room, sir," said James. "Wait a minute, and I'll knock."
In answer to the knock, Mr. Montgomery himself opened the door.
"Come in," he said to Paul; "I was expecting you."
So Paul, not suspecting treachery, entered No. 237.
CHAPTER XVIII
A CLEVER THIEF
"Take a seat," said Mr. Montgomery. "My friend will be in directly.
Meanwhile will you let me look at the ring once more?"
Paul took it from his pocket, and handed it to the jeweler from
Syracuse, as he supposed him to be.
Mr. Montgomery took it to the window, and appeared to be examining it
carefully.
He stood with his back to Paul, but this did not excite suspicion on the
part of our hero.
"I am quite sure," he said, still standing with his back to Paul, "that
this will please my friend. From the instructions he gave me, it is
precisely what he wanted."
While uttering these words, he had drawn a sponge and a vial of
chloroform from his side pocket. He saturated the former from the vial,
and then, turning quickly, seized Paul, too much taken by surprise to
make immediate resistance, and applied the sponge to his nose.
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