CHAPTER XIV.
THE GREAT DIAMOND SYNDICATE.“Are you coming in?” asked the alleged reporter. “The girl I told you of is in the rear room on the second floor.”
Nick made a quick decision.
“Go ahead,” he said.
He knew that he was entering a trap, and that his life would be in danger, but he had no thought of turning back.
The young man rang the bell, and in a moment the door was opened, showing the interior of a plainly furnished hallway from which a flight of stairs led to a floor above. The place was illuminated only by the red hanging lamp which showed through the transom over the street door; and the general appearance was mysterious. Somehow the atmosphere of the room carried out the impression given by the light. The first impulse on entering was to flee from some unseen peril. There
