The legless one was rocking himself monotonously
upon his stumps. His head was sunk forward, and from his
extraordinary mouthings the spectator judged that he must be
talking to himself with resumed vehemence. From what next passed
before her astonished vision, Miss Brewster would have suspected
herself of a hallucination of delirium had she not been sure of
normal health.
One of the well-horsed, elegant little public victorias with which
the city is so well supplied stopped at the curb, and the handsome
head of Preston Fairfax Fitzhugh Carroll was thrust forth. At
almost the same moment the Unspeakable Perk appeared upon the
steps. He was wearing a pair of enormous, misfit white gloves. He
went down to the beggar, reached forth a hand, and, to the far-
away spectator's wonder-struck interpretation, seemed to thrust
something, presumably a document, into the breast of the
mendicant's shirt. Having performed this strange rite, he leaped
up the steps, hesitated, rushed over to Carroll's equipage, and
laid violent hands upon the occupant, with obvious intent to draw
him forth. For a moment they seemed to struggle upon the sidewalk;
then both rushed upon the unfortunate beggar and proceeded to
kidnap him and thrust him bodily into the cab.
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